Five essential things to know before you board a Majestic Line cruise ship
It now operates four small ships around the Inner and Outer Hebrides – two 11-passenger converted fishing boats, Glen Massan and Glen Tarsan, and two purpose-built 12-passenger vessels, Glen Etive and Glen Shiel.
The line came to national attention in 2017 when TV presenter Jane McDonald burst into song in Fingal's Cave on the island of Staffa while sailing on Glen Tarsan for her Channel 5 cruise series.
As an epidemiologist, Dr Ken Grant worked as a public health consultant in more than 30 countries – a background that helped The Majestic Line become one of the first cruise companies to restart operations in August 2020 following the Covid pandemic.
Over the years, he and Andy experimented briefly with smaller boats but returned to the four favourites, all styled like a 1930s gentleman's motor yacht with golden funnels like the ships in Para Handy.
In 2024, the pair sold the company to Craig of Campbeltown Limited, which is refurbishing the fleet. As well as general cruises, the ships are also available for private charter.
1. Where does the Majestic Line cruise?
The four-strong fleet based in Oban sails between April and October each year. Wood-hulled Glen Massan and Glen Tarsan offer three or six-night cruises within the waters of the Inner Hebrides, from Islay in the south to as far north as Skye. They also head inland via Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal to Inverness.
The more modern steel-hulled ships, Glen Etive and Glen Shiel, are fitted with stabilisers so are able to operate three, six and 10-night cruises farther afield to the Outer Hebrides, St Kilda, the north-west mainland coast and even Orkney. Wherever it sails, The Majestic Line is unusual in not having set daily itineraries.
Instead, captains assess the weather and sea conditions each morning and adjust their course accordingly.
Guests' preferences for a certain port or are also taken into account and the captain will pull into a sheltered bay or harbour when it's time to eat. Highlights might include sailing past picturesque Eilean Donan Castle or visiting small islands such as Rum, Muck and Eigg. One of the closest and most popular destinations is Mull with its colourful capital Tobermory and Duart Castle on the coast.
Life on board is laid-back, as are shore excursions. Passengers are dropped by tender boat at a landing or jetty, given a time to return and left to their own devices. Of course, there are plenty of walks, castles and distilleries to enjoy.
Wildlife spotters may see dolphins, porpoises, seals, basking sharks, minke whales and orcas, as well as sea birds from puffins and petrels to gannets and guillemots.
Passengers keen on fishing can dangle a line off the stern, help collect lobsters from creels or join the crew when they head ashore to collect mussels.
2. Who does Majestic Line appeal to?
Passengers are mainly from the UK, followed by the US, Germany and Australia followed by the Canada, France and the Netherlands. This is slow travel at its best with ample time to admire the Scottish scenery.
The four crew – a skipper, chef, engineer and steward – all pitch in, so it's not unusual to find the captain serving toast at breakfast.
Foodies will enjoy the beautifully prepared meals, snacks and nibbles made from local produce in a small galley and served at a communal table (passenger preferences are noted beforehand).
On such small boats, you're never far from your cabin or the sun deck, weather permitting, and the captain welcomes guest visits to the open bridge. With everyone eating together and sharing the small lounge and bar, there's plenty of chance to socialise and make new friends.
The dress code is relaxed and there are no casinos, theatres, spas, pools or any entertainment. There's not even a TV in the snug en suite cabins. Children aged 12 and above are welcome on all cruises and youngsters of any age can sail on private charters.
3. The Majestic Line's fleet
Glen Massan and Glen Tarsan (11 passengers)
Glen Massan, a 1975-built trawler saved from the scrapyard, became the first Majestic Line ship in 2004 and was followed three years later by another converted fishing boat, Glen Tarsan.
Both have two cabins with a small opening window on the main deck and four more rooms downstairs with fixed portholes, accommodating a maximum of 11 passengers, either as five doubles and a single or four doubles and two singles.
There is a combined lounge/bar/dining room and outdoor areas include a sun deck and whale-watching spot. Books and games are available and a plasma screen in the saloon shows the ship's position or films about local wildlife. Sometimes the crew will put on an episode of Para Handy, the comedy that inspired the line.
Though small, these two older wooden-hulled ships are preferred by some Majestic Line loyalists. Bookings still spike whenever Channel 5 repeats the Jane McDonald episode when she sailed on Glen Tarsan.
Sails to: Inner Hebrides, Caledonian Canal
Glen Etive and Glen Shiel (12 passengers)
In 2016, The Majestic Line acquired its first purpose-built ship, Glen Etive, from a yard on the isle of Bute, followed three years later by Glen Shiel, another steel-hulled vessel. The sister ships have seven cabins, one on the main deck and six below, taking up to 12 passengers as five doubles and two singles, or six doubles and one empty cabin.
In contrast to Glen Massan and Glen Tarsan, the dining room and lounge were separated and the ships were fitted with stabilisers for longer voyages in the open sea.
Glen Etive's lower deck has more of a hotel feel, with cabins off a corridor running the length of the vessel, while Glen Shiel is more like a country house, with two stairways down to the lower cabins. The small bar offers a selection of gins, whiskies, beers and soft drinks. Both ships have outside seating, viewing areas and a sun deck.
Sails to: Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides, St Kilda, the north-west mainland coast and Orkney
4.Loyalty scheme
The Majestic Line is not currently operating a loyalty scheme.
5. Access for guests with disabilities
Due to the size and nature of the four ships, accessibility is limited, especially because of narrow corridors and the stairs between decks, as well as steps down to the tender boats which are used to go ashore.
People who need to walk with a stick are advised to book a main-deck cabin. Some passengers have used fold-away wheelchairs on shore.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
17 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Storm Floris disrupts travel in parts of UK with 85mph winds
Weather warnings are coming into force in parts of Britain, with Storm Floris expected to cause severe travel disruption. A yellow warning for wind for northern parts of the UK became active at 6am on Monday and will last until 6am on Tuesday. The warnings have been upgraded to amber for much of Scotland and will be in effect from 10am to 10pm. The train operator LNER has told passengers not to travel north of Newcastle, while Avanti West Coast has advised passengers not to travel north of Preston, which will be 'heavily impacted' by the weather. The storm could also disrupt road, air and ferry services, and close bridges. Some trains and ferry services have been suspended with delays and further cancellations likely. Much of Scotland would be battered by heavy rain and winds of up to 85mph (137km/h), the Met Office said. Western coastal areas are expected to bear the brunt of the storm, although strong winds and rain are likely to cause disruption at Edinburgh's festivals. Network Rail said several lines would be closed from noon on Monday, with all other routes experiencing a reduced timetable and longer journey times. Routes in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Inverness, Perth, and the West Highland line are among those that will close at noon. The ferry operator CalMac has also issued a series of cancellations in advance of the storm. The Met Office's chief meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert, said: 'Across the warning area, many inland areas are likely to see gusts of 40-50mph, with 60-70mph more likely at higher elevations and around exposed coasts in Scotland. There is a small chance that some locations here could even record gusts of 85mph.' The strongest winds were likely to affect Scotland on Monday afternoon and night but there was some uncertainty over the depth and track of Floris, a spokesperson added. Lehnert said: 'Winds will first ease in the west during later Monday but remaining very strong overnight until early Tuesday in the east. Heavy rain may also contribute to the disruption in places.' The warning zone covers Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, north Wales and the north of England. Floris is the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 naming season, which runs from early September to late August. Storm Éowyn, which struck in January, was the most recent.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘The river becomes an otherworldly bayou': five of the best paddleboard and kayak adventures in the UK
Make this the summer you get back out on the water, with fish plopping beneath you, bulrushes shimmying and kingfishers darting by. Even if you don't have your own kayak or paddleboard festering in the garage, there are dozens of excellent hire places and guided tours up and down the country, on beautiful rivers, lakes, canals and coastlines. I've spent a couple of years researching a book about the loveliest, and here are five of my favourites. For many years the Old Forge Inn – often referred to as the most remote pub in mainland Britain – was well known for its live music sessions that would break out when the whisky started flowing. Locals and visitors were often moved to take down the musical instruments hanging on the walls and burst into tune. It sounded like the best party in the land, all the more so for the degree of difficulty it took to reach it, and the ridiculous beauty of the surroundings. It's the only pub in the only village, Inverie, on the Knoydart peninsula, a heathery, mountainous hunk of the Scottish west coast that juts between three deep sea lochs, where seals play and white-tailed eagles soar. And now it's back. There was a period when things went off the boil under new ownership and the parties dwindled, but in 2022 it was bought by the community and thrives once more. Its pontoon has space for six boats, or you can pull up on the beaches nearby. The Knoydart Brewery, occupying a deconsecrated Roman Catholic chapel here, supplies the house ales, while a Knoydart venison burger (£18) from the local deer estate is a menu must, along with cullen skink (£11). As there is no road access, people come by ferry from Mallaig, make the 15-mile hike from Kinloch Hourn (a taxi ride from Fort William), or even kayak over – a strenuous and splashy seven miles. Far easier is to hire a kayak when you get there from Love Knoydart and explore the edges of the pristine loch, looking out for sea otters. On of the best places to stay is the Bunkhouse, which has dorms and camping with views to the Isle of Rum (dorm beds from £29pp). Arisaig Sea Kayak Centre can tailor-make day and multi-day wild camping trips in the area from £130pp per day, minimum four people. Hunted for their pelts to near extinction by the 16th century, beavers have been re-established in certain British rivers, including a stretch of the River Stour near Canterbury. They were reintroduced in 2001 at Ham Fen, a Kent Wildlife Reserve site near Sandwich, where they thrived and spread. The most enchanting way to spot nature's cutest carpenters is on a sunset safari by Canadian canoe down the chalk stream waterway, which ends at a riverside pub. Canoe Wild (£37pp) runs an atmospheric trip, timed to pass the places the beavers visit most frequently at dusk, when they're most active. Starting at Grove Ferry, you're whisked by minibus to the village of Fordwich for a guided paddle back of just under five miles. On my September trip, a glorious pink sunset was the backdrop at Bootleg Lake, around which many beavers have dens, and we began to notice slippery mud chutes pocked with paw prints. Then, in the near dark … two loud splashes, and a dark shape careering into the water. 'Definitely a beaver,' whispered the guides. 'When they hear something coming, they whack their wide tails onto the water to scare away predators.' Even a shadowy splosh felt Attenborough-level exciting under a blazing Milky Way, and we finished in the fairy-lit beer garden of the ivy-wreathed Grove Ferry Inn. Nethergong campsite nearby has pitches from £42.50, as well as a sauna, yoga and bushcraft classes. This fantastically quirky paddle involves a hidden creek, accessible only at high tide, and a place where you can order your drink to be brought straight to your paddleboard or kayak. This beer pilgrimage is on the tidal River Hamble, a baby river of 6.3 miles that flows east of Southampton towards the Solent. At its narrow upper end, near Botley, spidery creeks run off at the sides, including one leading to the Botley Brewery's Hidden Tap bar. Those with their own kit can park at Burridge recreation ground on the east side of the river, then follow a leafy footpath through woods to the water. Or launch further upriver from YMCA Fairthorne (for a £5.50 fee), which rents paddleboards and kayaks and has a cafe and campsite (hire from £20, pitches for four people from £39). Heading upstream towards Botley, the river becomes gentler, narrower and shallower until it feels like an otherworldly bayou. Set off at least two hours before high tide so it's high at the upper, final navigable end of the river, follow the stream through a tunnel and emerge at the foot of the brewery wall. You yell your order up and your pint is lowered down in a wooden box to be sipped while you float. Another short channel, Curbridge Creek, leads to the Horse and Jockey pub's waterside beer garden. Paddling back the way you've come can be a downer, not to mention hard work if it means going against the flow, so River Severn Canoes' solution is rather brilliant. At the end of its self-guided trips down the River Severn from the Shropshire town of Bridgnorth you abandon your vessel and catch a steam train back on the Severn Valley Railway to Highley (£15). Routes of several lengths are available, including four hours to Arley (10½ miles). Halfway along there's a picnic stop on a beach at the village of Hampton Loade, where you could also have a cuppa and a jacket potato at the Unicorn Inn (mains from £7). It has nine (quite basic) B&B rooms as well as a campsite (pitches for one tent sleeping 2-4 people from £20), if you want to make this your base. Finish in Upper Arley in Worcestershire, home to another traditional, 500-year-old pub, The Harbour. Trains run between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, stopping at Bewdley, Arley and Hampton Loade. Those with their own kayak or SUP can take them on the train for a £5 fee. In Bridgnorth, The Falcon Hotel (doubles from £140) has 14 rooms with whitewashed beams and exposed brick. River Severn Canoes also offers multi-day trips down the river, stopping at campsites. Paddling along the thickly wooded tidal gorge of the River Teifi in Canadian canoes feels utterly otherworldly: peregrine falcons zip from steep banks, kingfishers dart above water busy with salmon, sewin (sea trout) and otters, and there's a little patch of rapids to tackle on an otherwise gentle two-hour tour with Heritage Canoes (£45 adults/£32.50 children). From its woodland base at the Welsh Wildlife Centre and Teifi Marshes nature reserve it's two miles upriver to Cilgerran, where a 13th-century castle towers above the river. Stay at glamping site Fforest Farm (two nights' B&B for two from £340), a 10-minute drive east of Cardigan, with a range of cabins and tents – the geodesic domes come with their own Japanese-style wooden bathhouse with a super-deep tub. The site has its own atmospheric pub, Y Bwthyn, in a barely converted barn only open to guests, where candles send their twitchy glow onto slate windowsills, cocktails are made with foraged botanicals and local ale comes fresh from the cask. Cilgerran has a couple of heartwarming pubs, including the Cardiff Arms (no website), with a coracle hung outside; or head to Cardigan's waterside bar at Albion Aberteifi, Fforest's hip apart-hotel, or, on the opposite bank, its Pizzatipi, which has a festival feel. Gemma Bowes' Paddle and Pub is published by Bloomsbury (£19.99). Order a copy at More details on paddling and safety advice at
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Batten down the hatches: Storm Floris surges towards Britain with travel chaos expected amid 90mph gusts and Met Office amber warning - as experts order people to 'keep their doors CLOSED'
Experts have warned Brits to keep their doors shut as Storm Floris is set to batter the country with winds of up to 90mph. A yellow weather warning for wind has been issued for northern areas of the UK from 6am today until 6am tomorrow. The warnings have been upgraded to amber for much of Scotland, lasting from 10am to 10pm. It is the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 season and is expected to cause severe travel disruption. Train operator LNER has told passengers not to travel north of Newcastle while Avanti West Coast has advised passengers not to travel north of Preston, warning it will be 'heavily impacted' by the weather. The storm could also disrupt road, air and ferry services, and close bridges. Much of Scotland will be battered by heavy rain and winds of up to 85mph, the Met Office said. Some trains and ferry services have already been cancelled with more likely to be affected. Western coastal areas are expected to bear the brunt of the storm although strong winds and rain will likely lead to disruption at Edinburgh's festivals. Network Rail said several lines will be closed from 12pm on Monday, with all other routes experiencing a reduced timetable and longer journey times. Edinburgh - Fife/Perth/Dundee, Perth - Dundee/Aberdeen/Inverness and the West Highland Line are among the routes that will close at noon. Ferry operator CalMac has also issued a series of cancellations ahead of the storm. Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: 'Across the warning area, many inland areas are likely to see gusts of 40-50mph, with 60-70mph more likely at higher elevations and around exposed coasts in Scotland. 'There is a small chance that some locations here could even record gusts of 85mph.' The strongest winds will most likely affect Scotland on Monday afternoon and night but 'there remains some uncertainty in the depth and track of Floris ', a spokesperson added. 'Winds will first ease in the west during later Monday but remaining very strong overnight until early Tuesday in the east. 'Heavy rain may also contribute to the disruption in places.' The warning zone covers Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, north Wales and the north of England. Storm Floris is the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 naming season, which runs from early September to late August. January's Storm Eowyn was the most recent. A 'danger to life' alert is in place for most of Scotland today. And a yellow warning for wind has also been issued for as far south as Manchester and north Wales - as well as the entirety of Northern Ireland between 6am and midnight tomorrow. In a post on X offering advice on how to stay safe in a storm, the Met Office said: 'Storm Floris is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain for parts of the UK from Monday. Stay #WeatherReady and check out some advice from our partners about keeping yourself, your home, and your garden safe.' Other advice included 'opening internal doors only as needed' and 'closing them behind you', as well as parking vehicles in a garage, securing loose objects such as ladders, garden furniture or anything else that could be blown into windows - and staying indoors as much as possible. Experts have also warned of potential travel disruption when the summer storm hits, with the Scottish Transport Secretary saying the unseasonable weather makes raising awareness even more important. Avanti West Coast said services are likely to be impacted in Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Haymarket, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh. Tickets dated for Monday for these areas will be accepted on Sunday and Tuesday, it added. Scottish Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said a meeting had been held on Friday to ensure the country is ready for the storm, adding: 'Given the unusual timing, and the fact some people will be on holiday, travelling or perhaps unaware, we are trying to raise even more awareness than usual of this potentially disruptive storm. 'Please check with operators as we do expect rail, ferries, roads and bridges to be disrupted on Monday across the country. 'This is a slightly unusual situation for August, however the message is the same as winter - plan ahead, check your journey in advance, allow extra time, and don't take any unnecessary risks. 'Officials will be monitoring the situation and are ready to stand up the Multi Agency Response Team, if required. 'I am grateful to those who are giving up their weekend and time off to help co-ordinate the transport sector's response. 'Traffic Scotland, Police Scotland, Sepa, local authorities and others will communicate any closures to the public and provide real-time updates.' Scottish ferry operator CalMac has issued a series of cancellation warnings ahead of the storm. 'Disruption to sailings is expected across our network on Monday August 4 due to forecasted strong winds across parts of Scotland's west coast,' it posted on X. Elsewhere, motorists have been urged to slow down in poor weather and avoid exposed Highland and coastal routes. Rod Dennis, of the RAC breakdown service, said: 'This unseasonable bout of stormy weather will mean drivers in the north and west of the UK need to take extra care at the start of next week. 'It's the height of the holiday season, so those towing trailers and caravans, as well as those with roof and tent boxes, must ensure their loads are properly secured.' Shaun Jones, of the AA, said: 'If you're planning a journey - especially through exposed or rural areas - it's worth checking the latest forecast, allow extra time, and be prepared for the unexpected. 'Keep both hands on the wheel, especially on open roads and motorways, and be mindful of high-sided vehicles and cyclists who may be more affected by gusts. 'Watch out for fallen branches or debris, particularly in rural areas - this could be telltale signs of a fallen tree ahead.' Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: 'Across the warning area, many inland areas are likely to see gusts of 40-50mph, with 60-70mph more likely at higher elevations and around exposed coasts in Scotland. 'There is a small chance that some locations here could even record gusts of 85mph.' The strongest winds will most likely affect Scotland on Monday afternoon and night but 'there remains some uncertainty in the depth and track of Floris', a spokesman added. 'Winds will first ease in the west during later Monday but remaining very strong overnight until early Tuesday in the east. 'Heavy rain may also contribute to the disruption in places.'
