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Sunday Post
12-05-2025
- Sunday Post
Cruises around the Hebrides with majestic wildlife for company
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up A shout goes up from the front of the ship. 'Dolphins!'. We hurry forward to the bow just in time to see six bottlenose dolphins cruising below the surface, slipping in and out of formation in the ink-blue water. We watch as they roll belly-side up to reveal a shimmering white underside. One or two drop down into the depths, before, moments later, rocketing out of the water in an explosive, somersaulting display, twisting and turning in midair. © Thomas Hawkins/DCT Media Off to our left, the coastline of Mull floats by, a mixture of golden-sand beaches, rocky archipelagos and steep, bird-covered cliffs, chiselled into painterly perfection by the low afternoon sun. It would be the highlight of any trip, but this is just another day, another moment onboard our ship, the Elizabeth G, part of the family-run Hebrides Cruises cruise ship company. On our six-day journey we will spot otters as they slide into the water, explore hauntingly beautiful islands, shoo a Highland cow blocking our path, sip coffee on white-sand beaches and spy sea eagles soaring above Mull's only Munro, Ben More. The fact that I haven't even mentioned picnicking with puffins, staring in awe at thousands of razorbills on a sea stack and wild swimming off Iona's turquoise waters, tells you everything you need to know about this cruise. We pick up the boat in Oban, a bustling hub of daytrippers, locals and international tourists heading to the islands on wildlife tours. I am carrying two giant bags full of everything from shorts, caps and sun cream to thermals, gloves and storm proof trousers. This is spring time in Scotland and it pays to come prepared. © Thomas Hawkins/DCT Media As we putter out into the Sound of Mull, we quickly settle into a daily routine. It involves alternating between spotting wildlife from the top deck, diving back into the saloon for hot tea, coffee and cake, and short excursions to the many islands dotted around Mull. As we sail by the tourist scrum on Tobermory and set foot on deserted islands, it quickly becomes clear that this is the only way to see the Hebrides. The sea is serene as we pass Duart Castle on the Sound of Mull, an imposing citadel perched on a rocky peninsula and backdropped by sweeping mountain views. Soon, with the help of Hebrides Cruises wildlife expert Becca Tanner, we spot harbour porpoises lolloping past the ship and a small group of Manx shearwaters skimming the top of the rippling waves. At night, our skippers, Hebrides Cruises owner Rob Barlow and fellow skipper Iain Malcolm, plot a plan for the next day before finding us a suitably sheltered location to anchor for the evening. Our first port is a gorgeous rock-protected loch called Loch na Droma Buidhe, which is almost completely enclosed by the surrounding shores of Oronsay on the remote Morvern Peninsula. © Thomas Hawkins/DCT Media Cruising into the loch via a tiny, steep-sided entrance, the setting sun casts an ethereal purple light across the landscape. Bathed in that heathery sunset, we sit down to a five-course dinner prepared by chef Sally Williams. Sally is a magician. Throughout the cruise she is seen disappearing from her miniscule galley and into the fridge or diving headlong into one of her covert hidey holes – which are all rammed full of jars, ramekins and glass bottles of secret ingredients from which she creates her potions. At one point, we see her swaying from foot to foot as she scrunches up tinfoil to help balance her handmade quiche against the rocking boat – ensuring a perfectly level bake. Each morning at 8am, we are called to breakfast by the bosun, New Zealander Craig Robinson, who has been with Hebrides Cruises for eight seasons. © Thomas Hawkins/DCT Media Craig's quick-witted Kiwi charm wins us all over throughout the trip and he offers us hot porridge, cereals and cheeses before a main course of smoked salmon or eggs benedict, all washed down with endless supplies of tea. Pretty soon we are steaming out into the sea again but before long it is time for elevenses of tea, coffee and chocolate, quickly followed by a three-course lunch of soups, charcuterie and more sweet treats. The food doesn't end there as, after a daily excursion to one of the islands, it's back on board for prosecco and cake… then it is a momentary respite before a five-course dinner. On our trip we have hand-dived scallops, fresh cod and handmade choux pastry – all prepared by hand in the teeny kitchen. The food is so good that it is impossible to exercise constraint – but hey, who needs whale spotting when you are slowly turning into one? It's the wildlife, however, that makes this trip so magical and, just like the food, there is no shortage of it. Skipper Iain skilfully guides us on the inflatable tender to the shore, where we hop onto dry land and explore the many islands around Mull. © Thomas Hawkins/DCT Media On Ulva we are transported to a woodland wonder, where red deer dart between the trees and golden eagles soar overhead, while lizards and toads scurry in the long grass. Then we watch as a bride and her family on Iona are given an escort by a pod of bottlenose dolphin for their small boat crossing from Mull. As far as wedding days go, it is surely hard to top. On Gometra, which is my favourite, we are welcomed by a white-tailed sea eagle, who swoops in close for a look. The island is completely deserted, lush and green but without many trees and instantly puts me in mind of Shetland, with its golden white-sand beaches, cliffs and rolling landscape. At Lunga on the Treshnish Isles, we unwrap chocolate and have a little picnic beside an enormous colony of curious puffins before jumping back on the Elizabeth G and doing a driveby of Fingal's Cave on Staffa. Then at the hauntingly beautiful Inch Kenneth (a privately-owned island that was once the home of the infamous Mitford sisters, the socialites famed for Unity Mitford's closeness to Adolf Hitler), we wander into a 13th-Century church and graveyard. A soft rain starts to fall when we are on Inch Kenneth, while at the same time the sun splits through the clouds and illuminates the distant hills. The contrasting weather perhaps sums up the beauty of Mull best of all. A place that is many things all at once, from woodland haven to windswept bird colony. And as rain pelts down between the sun's rays, proving that you can indeed get hypothermia and sunburn at the same time, it raises the only real problem of the trip… knowing what to pack. Factfile Hebrides Cruises offer 17 different cruises to the Inner and Outer Hebrides from April to October. Cruises range from three to 10 nights. Prices start at £1,700pp. For more information and to book, visit or email info@
The Sun
23-04-2025
- The Sun
The wild UK islands nicknamed the ‘real-life Jurassic Park' – with such harsh conditions that all the residents left
ST KILDA, the Scottish archipelago, has been dubbed the "real-life Jurassic Park" because of its wild and rugged landscape. It's found in the remote Outer Hebrides of Scotland where an estimated million seabirds like gannets, Atlantic Puffins, and fulmars soar overhead. 4 4 The Telegraph, which gave it the dinosaur movie moniker, has also described St Kilda as "Tolkien-esque." It is also home to the UK's steepest cliffs, including Conachair, which stands at 1,411ft tall. To put that in perspective, the Shard in London is just 1,016 feet tall. The four islands that make up St Kilda, are the home of the UK's largest puffin colony, with an estimated 130,000 breeding pairs and one million seabirds in total. The archipelago has turned into a wildlife haven because no humans have lived there since 1930. St Kilda is around 100 miles off the Scottish mainland in the North Atlantic Ocean, and it's thought that humans happily lived there for 2,000 years. One of those islands, and the biggest, is Hirta, where freshwater springs, fish, birds, crops, and other livestock made it possible to live on the island. But harsh weather conditions, and a turbulent terrain made life on Hirta difficult. The population on the island dwindled because of illness and crop failures. In 1930, only 36 residents lived on Hirta and they all opted to be resettled on the Scottish mainland. You can still see the remains of the settlement on the island. The tiny UK island you won't have heard of where only six people can stay at a time 4 While no one actually lives on St Kilda, nor are there any shops or cafes, you can go on an organised trip. One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "The dramatic rocks rising straight up from the sea and the birds perching on the rocky ledges, extraordinary." Another described it as being at "the end of the world." The best way to explore is on a Hebrides Cruises live-aboard adventure vessel that also offers whalewatching. Day trips run regularly from April to September, and occasionally into early October, depending on weather conditions. Hirta has one of the most remote campsites in the world which is run by the National Trust and costs £20 per pitch. Facilities include toilets, shower block and a fresh water drinking tap. But as there are no shops on Hirta, anyone wanting to visit will need to bring essentials - including a cooking stove and food. The ferry ride takes between three and six hours, but is very weather-dependent. So it's advised to bring extra supplies in case of big delays. Here are two Scottish islands named among world's best hidden gems. And this Scottish island dubbed 'Egypt of the North' has stunning sandy beaches and hidden tombs.
