Orkney and West of Scotland cruise, coastal odyssey

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

Vegetarian or vegan food will be available every day of your cruise, upon request. Our guests are asked to fill out a questionnaire prior to their trip listing any dietary requirements, and even dislikes, which will be catered to on board. The chef on your cruise will be aware of this information, and will be available to chat to you in person to make sure they cater as best as they can to your diet. Vegetarian and vegan meals will be planned and prepared with the same care and attention given to other diets.

Our four chefs have the liberty of choosing their producers and setting their menus, which are normally designed to showcase the best and freshest local and seasonal produce. Here are some of the small local producers we regularly work with: 3 generation family butcher Jackson Bros Master Butchers, Oban; Watts Fish, Oban Pier, Inverlussa Mussel Farm on Loch Spelve (your crew will often take the tender boat straight to the producer while you are anchored there, if you and other guests are keen for mussels), Tobermory Cheese, Isle of Mull; Tobermory Fish Co. Tobermory, Isle of Mull.


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

We are a corporate member of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, meaning that all our crew are committed to safeguarding our seas and cetaceans., and a proud member of the Our Seas coalition. All of our crew are WiSe scheme trained to use the Marine Wildlife Watching Code and Best Practices Guidelines.

We have a dedicated “Responsible Visitor Charter” on our website proving information to guests on how to reduce their environmental impact both while onboard, prior to, and after boarding. We stock up on water from our departure point, and have the ability to produce water by desalination from sea water if our reserves run out. This is a seamless process, but we encourage guests to use water sparingly onboard. We also encourage them to charge their devices while the generator is on.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Our four-vessel cruise line is owned by Craig of Campbeltown Ltd, a Scottish family-business specialising in public transport and local tourism, operating in the West of Scotland and the Scottish Borders.

Most of our crew are local to the region and passionate about sharing it with guests. Our cruise line operates out of Oban, where we source much of our produce. We also source produce from local producers in the anchorages we travel to, and encourage guests to visit locally-owned small businesses like arts and crafts shops in the destinations we visit, which, more often than not, are small and remote island communities. We give guest recommendations for accommodation and meals in Oban and Kirkwall, where this cruise departs from and terminates at. Our training and inductions this year were carried out at the Rockfield Centre in Oban, a community centre, with meals arranged in its cafe, thus directly contributing not only to the local economy, but into local community initiatives.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

We are an equal opportunity employer. All our staff are paid at least the living wage. All our trips are LGBTQ+ friendly.