Hurtigruten Expedition Voyage – Island Hopping in the Scottish Hebrides
Whether it was photography, bird watching, geology, history or simply going off & exploring the islands, there was something for everyone. I loved sitting in the hot tub at night after being out all day watching the beautiful landscape pass by.
MS Spitsbergen mostly docked off shore and then Zodiac boats operated constantly throughout the day to ferry us back and forth between the land and ship. The Zodiacs tended to operate from 8.30 am ish to 17.00 ish, giving you loads of time to go off exploring without needing to clock watch. Also with the Zodiacs running constantly you could nip back onboard and enjoy a gourmet fine-dining lunch.
One day was spent on the tiny island of Iona, which has been a vibrant centre of Christian worship since Columba arrived in AD 563. The monastery thrived for centuries, despite repeated Viking raids beginning in 795. Around 1200, the abbey and nunnery were founded, and thereafter, gradually fell into picturesque ruin, though the island continued to attract visitors. The abbey was returned to new life during the 20th century and is now home to the Iona Community, which has revived the tradition of living to a common rule.
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran, Lews Castle on the Isle of Lewis and Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull. Duart Castle has a spectacular and unique position on the west coast of Scotland standing proudly on a clifftop guarding the Sound of Mull. For over 600 years it has been the base of the Clan Maclean’s formidable sea-borne power, it is now the home of the 28th Chief of the Clan Maclean, Sir Lachlan Maclean, Bt.
As my hobby is gardening and growing vegetables I couldn’t miss the opportunity of wondering around the picturesque and fabulous gardens at Colonsay House, on Colonsay and Achamore Gardens on the Isle of Gigha. It is always great to visit other people’s gardens and get ideas.
I had two highlights of the trip. The first was seeing basaltic columns and Fingal’s Cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa (part of the Treshnish Isles), it was quite the spectacle! And the other was landing on St Kilda with its rich cultural heritage, it was a place like no other. With its steep cliffs, the colony of over one million birds , the stone circle houses, it was a real privilege to be able to wander around and take in the remoteness of this island. St Kilda was something special, and we were very lucky to visit on a sunny and still day. It must have been depressingly bleak to have lived there all those years ago.
We saw more wildlife than I could identify; and there must have been hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of fancy camera lenses out when we saw rare creatures in the sea or in the sky. I loved seeing puffins up close and dolphins swimming in the open seas.
On Islay I took part in the distillery walk, calling in on a few whisky distilleries. Despite extensive tasting, I still don’t care for it!
On Eigg some guests went off on geology walks & photography walks and the science team got the underwater drone out for us all to have a look and see what amazing plant & sea life was around.
There was a daily programme of presentations and professional lectures by expert scientists and wildlife experts which you can listen in person or from the comfort of your suite or cabin. And there were science boat trips you could register for too. The science centre was packed with state of the art science equipment for us to use and was the core of the onboard experience where guests & crew meet to mingle & learn from each other.
It was a real privilege to experience so many remote Scottish Islands, with no effort, it was so easy.
