Where They Drink Whiskey in the Morning: Guest Blogger Terence Smith

Where They Drink Whiskey in the Morning

A cruise around the Hebrides, the Scottish islands that inspired Samuel Johnson, James Boswell, and Robert Louis Stevenson

Image: Susy Smith

The Glen Massan, a wooden-hulled trawler, anchored off the coast of Erraid Island, where the shipwrecked hero of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped washed ashore (Susanne Stout Smith)

In 1773, Samuel Johnson—poet, essayist, and London’s literary light—and his biographer, James Boswell, passed through the rugged, starkly beautiful Hebridean Islands just off Scotland’s western coast. Their famous tour produced not one but two waspish journals that remain in print today.

Sharkwatch in Scotland: Guest Blogger Travel Writer Mike Gerrard

A Close Encounter with Dolphins
(All Photos by Donna Dailey)
'What's that in the water?' asks Kathleen, pointing ahead of the boat. We're standing on the deck of the Glen Tarsan, a former fishing vessel now converted to take wildlife and other cruises off the west coast of Scotland. We've left Skye behind and are sailing in wonderful sunshine towards the little island of Canna (population: 12).

Private charter with eagles galore and a fossilised tree!

Our private charter enjoyed a wonderful September week of excellent weather with no wind or rain.  Departing Oban, our destination for our first anchorage was Loch a Choire in Ardnamurchan. Our journey took us up Loch Linnhe, past the Isle of Lismore to this lovely sheltered sea loch.  On the way we spotted two separate flocks of red-breasted mergansers on the water.

Loch a Choire is a very dramatic anchorage with the surrounding high mountains providing the perfect backdrop to our first dinner on board.
Cruising over to Mull on the Sunday, our first stopover was a visit to Duart Castle, then on to Tobermory for walks in Aros Park and an exploration of the town.  We crossed the Sound of Mull to the massive sea loch, Loch Sunart and the village of Strontian for our anchorage for the night.

Skipper’s Log – Glen Tarsan, 7th September

Departing Oban on Saturday afternoon, we sailed for Loch Spelve on Mull to anchor for the night and enjoy the first dinner onboard from Chef Stephen who was to outdo himself with delicious dining over the next week. In the morning after breakfast, guests spied two Golden Eagles circling the loch before we set off along the coast of Mull to Iona.

After a stroll ashore to take in the ancient Abbey, the sun appeared for our sail to Loch Scridain and Kilfinichen Bay where we set anchor for the night, well placed for our trip to Staffa the next morning.

Around Mull Wildlife Cruise September 2013

Guest Blog from Margaret Matthew

The Majestic Line invited Matt Oliver, an ecologist and friend of the Majestic Line owners, on board as an extra pair of eyes to help spot the wildlife on this Around Mull cruise as part of VisitScotlands "Year of Natural Scotland". As Matt’s mum I took advantage of the spare bed in the twin cabin and offered to do a write-up of the cruise and wildlife seen.  The Skipper of the Glen Massan, Martin, has an excellent eye for identifying wildlife and the Engineer Alistair is an environmental biologist so has in-depth knowledge; however as they are often busy with their crewing duties, this was an opportunity for some additional dedicated spotting.  

A Serene and Scenic Sail in the Southern Hebrides

Heritage and Wildlife of the Southern Hebrides 6-night cruise

Skipper’s Log, Glen Massan 24^th August

Departing from Oban, we enjoyed a scenic sail south through the Sound of Kerrera, cruising through a fascinating landscape of numerous small islands, both inhabited and non-inhabited, known as the Slate Isles.  With mirror-flat waters and the sun still shining we anchored for the night and our first meal on board in Loch Melfort. 

Basking Sharks make this Skye Cruise extra special

Skye and the Inner Hebrides 6-night cruise 17^th August 2013

Skipper’s Log, The Glen Tarsan

 

Departing from Oban, the first overnight anchorage for the cruise was sheltered Loch Spelve on Mull where red deer were spied on the surrounding hills. The following morning we set off to nearby Duart Bay for a visit to Duart Castle, the seat of Clan Maclean.  The visit was made complete by the presence of a White Tailed Eagle circling overhead and a fun loving Otter swimming near the tender boat on the approach to the castle, disembarking on the beach under the dramatic silhouette of the castle. 

A sea eagle and wildife extravaganza cruise to the Isle of Skye via Mull

Skipper’s Log – Glen Massan, 10^th-16^th August 2013

 

With all the guests aboard and a reasonably good forecast predicted, we left Oban for Tobermory on the Saturday night.  After a brief visit there on Sunday morning we made our way to Loch Nevis and Inverie at Knoydart, for a pint in the Old Forge and a leisurely wander round this little village in Europe’s last great wilderness. Then it was on to the iconic Eilean Donan Castle where we anchored for the night in a sheltered bay where three sea lochs meet. 

Hebridean Whale and Dophin Trust July 2013 Report

July 2013 was a very interesting month for sightings with a total of 131 reports submitted to HWDT. While the number of sightings was quite low, the variety of species reported was high and included fin whale, turtle and killer whales.

Skippers Log: 6-night Cruise to Skye and the Hebrides departing June 8th

Skipper Martin McWhirr, Alastair Lamont, Engineer and Michael Grahl, Chef

The Cuillins of Skye from The Majestic Line Vessel

We were yet again blessed with excellent weather for this cruise, which allowed our Skipper a free reign in choosing more far-flung anchorages. On this cruise, the vessel explored the Sleat Peninsula on Skye as well
as calling in at the remote Hebridean Island of Rum. Every cruise is different but this will give you a taste of some of the fabulous highlights on offer.

The Glen Massan left Oban for Tobermory on Saturday afternoon where we anchored for the night. On Sunday morning we headed to Inverie in Knoydart for a wilderness walk ashore and a delicious beer in the Old Forge, one of the most remote pubs in the UK.

Skippers Log: Around Mull Inlets and Islands Cruise June 1st

Skipper: Martin McWhirr

We had brilliant weather and an excellent group of guests, making for a great week all round.

We departed from Oban and made for Loch Spelve on the Island of Mull, cutting over to Loch Don so we could get the benefit of the abundant wildlife down the east coast of Mull.   We were rewarded with seals, porpoises, wild goats, red deer, buzzards and a pair of hen harriers.

The boat with magic at its core

Two days after Andrew Hook's article appeared in Scottish Review about the Hebridean TV series my wife and I left Oban on the Glen Massan, a North Atlantic fishing trawler that has been beautifully converted into a small cruise vessel.

Nothing like any cruise ship I have encountered before, this one has six guest cabins and carries an absolute maximum of a dozen passengers.

Recipes for Argyll Hill Lamb, Argyll Tamworth Pork, Argyll Aberdeen Angus Beef and Argyll Wild Venison

We have been asked for some recipes for Argyll produce so here are some meat recipes from our Chef, Stephen Boswell, who is a huge fan of the Argyll brands for taste and tenderness. Our guests are always delighted with what Stephen provides on board!  If you can’t source Argyll meat, Stephen recommends that you ask your butcher where the meat comes from and check that it has been hung properly according to the type of meat.  If you have any queries, or would like some tips for these recipes, let us know and we'll be happy to help .

Quality and provenance: the key to a true taste of Argyll on board our cruises.

Our Majestic Line Chefs are very fortunate to have a range of wonderful Argyll produce to create a true taste of Argyll onboard.  We are indebted to food wholesaler Forteiths of Oban for having the vision to create a co-operative for high quality Argyll producers, making it easy to source a range of wonderful produce for our menus.

Introducing our Crew members - the people who make our cruises so special

We have now started our ninth season and thought it would be good to highlight our crew members for 2013 - the Majestic Line employs three Crews to operate our two mini-cruise vessels “the Glen Massan” and “the Glen Tarsan” working from April to October each year.  It takes a very special type of person to be a Crew member for our company.  Our Skippers, Engineers, Chefs and Bosuns each use their extensive knowledge of the area and individual expertise to ensure that a Majestic Line cruise is an unforgettable and unique experience for our onboard guests.   

The Majestic Line features on VisitScotlands new Advert

For the second year in a row, The Majestic Line features in Visit Scotland's excellent Marketing Campaign, Surprise Yourself. Our vessel, The Glen Massan brings the video advert to a spectacular close, sailing into the sunset to help promote The Year of Natural Scotland 2013.

View the Magical Visit Scotland Advert here

The Majestic Line is planning an increased focus on wildlife for 2013 in line with promoting "The Year of Natural Scotland" which includes more wildlife focussed anchorages and shore visits; and developing a dedicated Wildlife Cruise around Mull which will feature in the 2014 cruising calendar.

Sunshine Cruises for Argyll and the Hebrides!

Its official - the Met Office reports that the Scottish Highlands & Islands were Britain's driest area in 2012 as Scotland's average rainfall drops below the norm.  Despite areas of the UK facing flood conditions, the near-drought in the Highlands and Islands area drove Scotland's average rainfall down. 

Guests on our cruises certainly lapped up the sunshine in 2012!

Wedding Cruise Private Charter

Our Vessel the Glen Massan is now licenced venue for a marriage ceremony and in Autumn 2012 we were delighted to have our very first Wedding Cruise Private Charter where Marjorie and Rory McWhirr tied the knot on a very special day. Read more on The Majestic Line website