Date
Cost
Availability
Deposit
Single Supp
| 16 Jun - 26 Jun 2027
£4695.00
0 Spaces
£900.00
£760.00
| |
| Leaders | Sally Nowell and Craig Round |
| Day 1 | Meet in Inverness for overnight stay
1 night at Premier Inn |
| Day 2 | Travel south west to Mallaig
3 nights West Highland Hotel, Mallaig |
| Days 3-4 | Visit Rum and Canna |
| Days 5-7 | Ferry crossing from Mallaig to
Lochboisdale
3 nights Borrodale Hotel, South Uist |
| Day 8-9 | Ferry to Leverburgh. Birding and
wildlife exploration around Harris
and visit the Shiant Islands
2 nights Hotel Hebrides, Harris |
| Day 10 | Ferry crossing from Stornoway to
Ullapool then journey back to Inverness
1 night at Premier Inn |
| Day 11 | After breakfast we say our farewells |
| Walking | Coastal walks on uneven terrain
of up to two miles. Walking boots
recommended, with trainers suitable
on some occasions. Collapsible or
telescopic walking poles could be
useful |
| Weather | Though usually quite dry, these islands
can experience all the seasons during
one trip and can be windy (5°-20°C) |
| Insects | Biting insects can sometimes be a
problem, so bring repellent just in case |
| Meals | All included from dinner on Day 1
to breakfast on Day 11 |
| Accom | Double, twin, single rooms all ensuite |
| Group | 10 |
Weaving our way slowly by land and sea, our holiday will
take us to the Inner and Outer Hebrides, an incredible and
diverse wildlife-filled journey.
| * Take a private charter to the bird-filled seacliffs of remote Canna
|
| * Visit Rum, where the reintroduction of White-tailed Eagle began over 50 years ago!
|
| * Spend time on unspoilt and deserted white sand beaches with shallow crystal clear waters
|
| * Great chances of cetaceans including Minke Whale and possible Basking Shark
|
| * Huge flotillas of Manx Shearwaters
|
| * Puffins galore on and around the beautiful Shiant Islands
|
| * Unique machair habitat in bloom
|
| Day 1 | Our holiday begins with a meal together in
Inverness and a run through the trip itinerary.
|
| Day 2 | We’ll visit Loch Ruthven just when the young
Slavonian Grebes should be exploring this
beautiful and tranquil loch. It’s a real day of lochs; on
our journey west we shall stop at sea lochs, watching
out for White-tailed Eagles, and the classically beautiful
Loch Morar, the deepest loch in Scotland. We arrive
in the delightful fishing port of Mallaig, where we shall
spend the next three nights.
|
| Days 3-4 | We’ll spend these days aboard our
comfortable private charter. Weather
permitting, we shall explore two of the most beautiful
islands of the Inner Hebrides, Rum and Canna. There is
always a sense of anticipation as we gather on deck for
some sea-watching - auks, Gannets, skuas, shearwaters
and divers are likely, plus a chance of Storm Petrel.
Both islands have some wonderful seabird colonies
and there should be plenty of young around. Off
the sea-cliffs of Rum we shall look for nesting Whitetailed
Eagles, whose chicks will be well developed
by now. On the water we’ll look for large flocks of
Manx Shearwater, an incredible 70,000 of them nest
on Rum! We’ll walk on Rum in search of Otters and
wildflowers. Next day heading further out to the
isolated island of Canna. Time on the water offers us
great chances of Common and Bottlenose Dolphin, as
well as Minke Whale and who knows, we might strike
lucky and catch up with our local pod of Orca.
Basking Shark are also around, so it will be all eyes on
the water and fingers crossed for a flat calm day. On
Canna we’ll take a short walk listening out for the local
Corncrakes, though by now their calls are dimmed as
the breeding season is over. Around Canna we visit the huge sea stacks, often covered in noisy Kittiwakes
and float amongst the confiding Puffins, Razorbills
and Gulliemots.
|
| Days 5-7 | We leave Mallaig and take a three hour ferry
to Lochboisdale on South Uist. Our ferry
journeys are further opportunities to look out for wildlife
or simply relax, before we arrive on the Outer Hebrides.
We’ll start in South Uist, with shallow lochs, rocky
headlands, dunes and our first machair. Machair is a
Gaelic word meaning fertile, low-lying grassy plain and
refers to a unique habitat that is one of the rarest in
Europe. July is peak time for many of the species, so we
can hope for swathes of colourful flora including the
endemic Hebridean Orchid. The wealth of flowers may
attract Moss Carder and Great Yellow Bumble Bee.
The Uists are wonderful for raptors and the chance
of eagles is ever present, with Short-eared Owls and
Hen Harriers often seen quartering the peatlands
often seen as we drive.<
The beaches and shallow bays of the west coast are
fished by Common, Arctic and Little Terns, Great
Northern Divers and a very healthy Otter population.
Red-necked Phalaropes breed here and we shall take
time to find these beautiful birds in their breeding habitat.
|
| Days 8-10 | Today we make our way north to Harris,
via Berneray, stopping enroute at the
RSPB Reserve at Balranald. This is a stunning location
with areas of dunes and machair where Arctic and Little
Terns nest on sandy fields and we have a chance of
finding Twite, Corn Bunting and wild Rock Doves.
Another ferry journey takes us across to Harris, with
its rugged and forbidding mountains. Time permitting
we’ll visit Rodel and its beautiful 15th century church,
built for the chiefs of Clan Macleod, before settling in
to our hotel for the next two nights.
From here we shall enjoy an exclusive boat trip to
the Shiant Isles, eight miles off Harris in the middle of
the Minch. This truly spectacular experience will be
an adventure to remember! The islands support over
100,000 pairs of seabirds, including 10% of all the UK’s
Puffins! We shall work hard to get good views of the
seabirds and may see Manx Shearwaters, Common
and Grey Seals and perhaps Common Dolphins.
There is a healthy population of White-tailed Eagle
here, so once again we have great chances to enjoy
these magnificent raptors in their element. We shall
get stunningly close to rafts of Puffins and other auks,
allowing fantastic photography opportunities.
Harris is conjoined to Lewis, but the habitat is very
different, with wide expanses of peat moor, wild coastlines
and incredible bare-rock scenery. Towards Stornaway on
Lewis we shall visit one of the world’s great beaches at
Luskentyre, which is simply stunning and a superb location
for Golden Eagles; Harris has the densest population of
these birds in the UK. If time allows we shall to stop at the
world famous Standing Stones of Callanish, before heading
to the late ferry from Stornoway across the fertile waters
of The Minch to Ullapool, providing more chances of
Minke Whale, Basking Shark and seabirds. From Ullapool
we head back to Inverness for our evening meal.
|
| Day 11 | After breakfast we say our farewells.
|
Just some of what we hope to see..
| Golden Eagle | Whimbrel | Merlin |
| White-tailed Eagle | Red-necked Phalarope | Peregrine |
| Hen Harrier | Little Tern | Arctic Tern |
| Common Dolphin | Black Guillemot | Greenshank |
| Minke Whale | Puffin | Grey Plover |
| Short-eared Owl | Arctic Skua | Corn Bunting |
| Great Northern Diver | Great Skua | Twite |
| Red-throated Diver | Manx Shearwater | Otter |
| Black-throated Diver | Storm Petrel | Grey Seal |
| Eider | Cuckoo | Basking Shark |
With its guarantee of a good night’s sleep, a reputation for excellent customer service and a good restaurant, the Premier Inn is the ideal place to spend our first and last evening. Located at the edge of Torvean Golf Course, this contemporary hotel is a 1-minute walk from the Caledonian Canal. In-room amenities feature free WiFi, pillow-top mattresses and en suite bathrooms with showers, as well as tea and coffee-making facilities, TVs and desks.
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Set on an elevated position overlooking the Sound of Sleat, the West Highland Hotel offers a fabulous terrace restaurant with quality local produce, wood burning stove, panoramic views and an outside seating area with a fire pit.
Overlooking the village, this hotel offers en suite rooms with Freeview TVs, tea and coffee making facilites and hairdryers.
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Set in the peaceful village of Daliburgh, Borrodale Hotel grew from the old doctor’s house and surgery opening its doors as a hotel in 1978
The original stone walls remain within the building, housing the dining room which offers mainly local produce varying from lamb which graze in the heather clad hills, their own Highland cattle which are reared within the village and of course shellfish and local catches feature daily.
Breakfast is served in the conservatory which looks over the Golf Course and Machair land. Watch the Short-eared Owl hunt over the fields or the impressive Herron fish between the two neighbouring lochs. The lounge bar offers a large selection of malt whiskies and wines.
Its colourful, traditionally decorated rooms have en suite bathrooms plus TVs, DVD players and tea and coffee making facilities.
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Hotel Hebrides offers, contemporary bedrooms which offer a high standard of quality combined with top notch technology. Every bedroom at the hotel is unique, laden with delightful considerate touches such as a range of luxury Highland Soap products, top quality pocket sprung mattresses and sumptuous thick bath sheets and robes for your added comfort. There is free wifi in every room, gourmet fully stocked mini-bars and freeview TV. The restaurant overlooks the harbour, offering a creative modern menu, including top organic produce and light and healthy options. The Pierhouse Restaurant has held an Eat Scotland Silver Award for 2 consecutive years.
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