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The Scottish Hebrides by Land & Sea
Tour Code: GBR69An 8-day wildlife holiday exploring the Inner and Outer Hebrides, with time on Lewis and Harris and a 3-night mini-cruise around the Shiant Islands, Skye and the Summer Isles.
£1,895 (Inc ferry)
£1,895
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Scotland’s remote Outer Hebrides are amongst the wildest outposts of the British Isles. Here, seas filled with life meet a rugged and beautiful coastline, beyond which traditional farms and moorlands sit in the shadow of ancient mountains. Much of the archipelago’s most spectacular wildlife thrives here in numbers long forgotten in mainland Britain, including Golden Eagle, Corncrake, Hen Harrier and Otter. On this tour, we’ll explore the diverse and scenic island of Lewis and Harris, before embarking on a 3-night mini-cruise around the Shiant Islands, Skye and the Summer Islands, in search of seabirds, seals, cetaceans and Basking Sharks.
- Experience the best of the Outer Hebrides, by land & sea.
- Search for Golden Eagle, Hen Harrier, Merlin & White-tailed Eagle.
- Corncrake, Red-throated & Black-throated Divers amongst rare breeding birds.
- Fascinating historical sites including Lews Castle & Callanish standing stones.
- 3-night mini-cruise aboard M/V Monadhliath.
- Huge seabird colonies, including Puffin, Guillemot & European Storm Petrel.
- Otter, Grey Seal, Common Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise & Basking Shark possible.
Grading
Grade B. Moderate day walks only, but participants need to be able to move around a small boat at sea.
The island of Lewis and Harris is the largest in Scotland’s beautiful Outer Hebrides, an archipelago that sits to the north-west of the Scottish mainland. These picturesque islands are home to a wonderful variety of exciting wildlife, which this new tour will seek out on both land and sea. After a thorough exploration of the region by vehicle and on foot, we will join M/V Monadhliath for an exclusive 3-night mini-cruise around the Minch (the strait between the Outer and Inner Hebrides) that will include time enjoying the seabird colonies of the Shiant Islands and the scenic and wildlife highlights of northern Skye and the Summer Isles.
After crossing from Ullapool to Stornoway by ferry, we begin with three full days exploring the island of Lewis and Harris, visiting such sites as the Butt of Lewis, Tiumpan Head, Tolsta and Callanish as we go in search of Golden Eagle, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Red-throated and Black-throated Divers, Corncrake, Golden Plover and others. While relishing this wealth of birdlife, we will not ignore the sites of cultural and historical interest that we pass along the way, not least the mysterious Callanish standing stones and Lews Castle, the grounds of which often hold spring migrants.
We will spend our last three nights aboard the M/V Monadhliath, an 8-berth vessel that Naturetrek has exclusively chartered for this cruise. Embarking in Stornoway, we will first make our way south towards the Shiant Islands, keeping an eye open for Manx Shearwater, Basking Shark and cetaceans, including Harbour Porpoise and Common Dolphin, along the way. Each summer, tens of thousands of seabirds return to the Shiants to breed. The raucous calls of Common and Black Guillemots, Puffins, Razorbills, Shags, Kittiwakes and Fulmars echo around the sea cliffs here, whilst both Arctic and Great Skuas patrol overhead. Our cruise will then take us to the Isle of Skye, where White-tailed Eagles nest along the rugged coastline, and end with a night off the Summer Isles, home to around 2,000 breeding pairs of European Storm Petrels. Otters and Grey Seals also abound in these waters, and it is a lovely location in which to end the tour before disembarking in Ullapool the following day and beginning our journey home.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Ferries
- Accommodation:
In Stornoway we will be staying in a comfortable hotel with en-suite facilities.
On board the MV Monadhliath there are 4 guest cabins - please refer to the detailed itinerary for details.
- Food:
All meals are included in the tour cost, except for lunches during the land based section of the tour.
Dates & Prices
2020
Tour Leader: Russell Hedley
Tour Leader: Rob Mileto
Rob puts his interest in wildlife and nature conservation down to being brought up in a 'new town' where fields, ponds and hedgerows were constantly being turned into houses and roads. After graduating in Ecology and Nature Conservation he worked for the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and RSPB, and spent two years wardening Aride Island Nature Reserve in the Seychelles. He has also travelled extensively in east and southern Africa and undertaken voluntary conservation work and research in Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe. He now runs a wildlife consultancy in Shropshire but disappears off on long holidays and advisory projects abroad whenever he can.
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
