Skye and the Small Isles cruise

1600hrs board Splendour at the North Pier Pontoons Oban for a welcome glass of fizz and Skipper’s briefing. Set sail for the colourful seaside village of Tobermory on Mull for your first night on board.

After breakfast we’re off round Ardnamurchan Point (the most westerly point of the British mainland) and north to the fertile island of Muck. There’s time before lunch for a walk to the north bay and to look for otters and porpoises. Lunch is served aboard Splendour then it’s north to the island of Rhum for a visit to Kinloch Castle. The waters round the small isles are a favourite haunt of minke whales, basking sharks and dolphins.

A trip to the fabulous Cuillin’s of Skye is an unforgettable experience. We anchor in Loch Scavaig for a walk to Loch Coruisk, which is in the old crater of the volcano which formed the Cuillin range. There is a huge colony of 100 plus common seals here. They have their tiny black young at this time of year and unlike the greys, they can swim as soon as they are born. An evening cruise takes us past cliffs and sea caves to Loch Harport for overnight anchorage with the crofting township of Carbost and the towering Black Cullin range as a backdrop.

A visit to the Talisker Distillery is a possibility this morning before we set sail for the jewel of the Small Isles, Canna. Here we drift past the towering cliffs of Compass Hill, 600 ft high and home to sea and golden eagles, fulmars, kittiwakes, shags, cormorants, guillemots and puffins, if cruising before they head out to sea at the end of July. A walk ashore before dinner is a must with a visit to the flower meadows of Sanday, a treasure.

After a hearty breakfast Splendour heads east along the north shore of Rhum to look for its famous red deer herd en route for the island of Eigg and a visit ashore by tender. Next it’s off for a cruise up the Sound of Sleat to Inverie in Loch Nevis for a pint at the Old Forge (the most remote pub in Britain) before dinner and settling down for the night.

Head north to Skye today and a visit to the clan Donald centre in Armadale before setting sail for Tobermory on the return journey. A stroll in Tobermory before dinner and chat on your last night aboard.

At 7.30 we lift anchor and head off down the sound of Mull for departure at Oban around 1100hrs. An unforgettable trip through this scenic part of the west coast.