Logs
This brand-new cruise exploring the natural world of the southern Hebrides, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man is a must for nature lovers. These kingdoms, linked by their Gaelic roots, are home to all sorts of wonderful wildlife, not to mention stunning scenery as far as the eye can see.
Tuesday 19th May
Passengers embark in Oban before the ship slips south to anchor overnight in Loch na Mile, a sheltered inlet on Jura’s quiet east coast.
⚓ Overnight anchorage: Loch na Mile, Jura
Wednesday 20th May
A morning call at Port Ellen. Wildlife guests head to RSPB Loch Gruinart, one of Scotland’s finest reserves for breeding waders: lapwing and redshank are in full display in May, and the corncrake — heard far more often than it is seen — rasps from the iris beds. The reserve is also an important site for barnacle geese. Other guests visit Bruichladdich Distillery. The afternoon is a sea passage through the North Channel towards Northern Ireland.
⚓ Overnight anchorage: off Bangor, Northern Ireland
Thursday 21st May
A morning in Belfast, with the choice of the Titanic Exhibition — occupying the original Harland & Wolff shipyard and rightly regarded as one of the best museums in these islands — or Oxford Island and the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre. At 388 sq km, Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in Britain and Ireland; its reedbeds support breeding great crested grebe, tufted duck and marsh harrier. The afternoon passage follows the dramatic basalt Antrim coast northwards.
⚓ Overnight anchorage: Bangor Marina, Northern Ireland
Friday 22nd May
A full day ashore with two excellent options. Mount Stewart House (National Trust) overlooks Strangford Lough, a Ramsar-designated wetland of international importance for wildfowl and waders. Alternatively, the WWT centre at Castle Espie on the lough’s western shore offers close-range viewing of waterbirds — light-bellied Brent geese are a particular highlight, congregating here in impressive numbers. The evening passage crosses to the Isle of Man.
⚓ Berth alongside: Peel, Isle of Man (overnight)
Saturday 23rd May
A full day in Peel. Wildlife guests visit the Scarlett Visitor Centre in the morning, where limestone pavements and rocky foreshore provide habitat for grey seals and interesting intertidal life, before crossing to the Calf of Man in the afternoon. This small island bird observatory holds active seabird colonies — puffin, razorbill and guillemot — at their spring peak. Other guests explore Peel Castle in the morning, then Castle Rushen and the House of Keys, one of the world’s oldest continuous parliaments, in the afternoon.
⚓ Overnight anchorage: Bangor Marina, Northern Ireland
Sunday 24th May
A morning cruise along the Antrim coast before arriving at Rathlin Island in the afternoon — a small, L-shaped island just six miles offshore and home to one of the most impressive seabird colonies in Ireland. The RSPB West Light Seabird Centre overlooks cliffs holding over 250,000 birds at peak season, including Ireland’s largest razorbill colony alongside guillemot, puffin and kittiwake. The evening passage leads north to the anchorage at Tayvallich.
⚓ Overnight anchorage: off Tayvallich, Argyll
Monday 25th May
A gentle morning in Tayvallich, a small village on the shores of Loch Sween, with time ashore for walks into the surrounding Argyll countryside. The area is good for woodland birds and the loch margins often reward a careful look. The afternoon is a scenic passage through the Sound of Luing — a narrow, tide-swept channel with fine views of the Slate Islands — towards the overnight anchorage.
⚓ Overnight anchorage: Oban Bay.
Tuesday 26th May
The cruise concludes back in Oban, where passengers disembark after a week exploring some of the finest wildlife coastlines in the British Isles.
