SPECIAL OFFER - SAVE £300 PER PERSON SPLENDOURS OF SCOTLAND A springtime voyage through the Hebridean, Shetland & Orkney Islands aboard the MS Serenissima 23rd May to 3rd June 2021 ords do not do justice to the spectacular beauty, rich wildlife and SHETLAND ISLANDS fascinating history of the Scottish islands and highlands which we apa Stor oa W erwic will explore during this wonderful journey around Scotland’s magnificent orth onadsa apa estra air se coastline aboard the 95-passenger MS Serenissima. If you have always had Stac ee Stornowa ORKNE a hankering to visit some of the remotest and most inaccessible islands in St ida ISLANDS OUTER nerewe Scotland, this is the ideal opportunity. Few cruise ships offer the chance to HERIDES ardens Shiant sands explore in-depth the islands off the northern coast of Scotland and this m och Scaaig Aerdeen unique itinerary ventures far north to the Shetland and Orkney Islands as nga SCOTLAND Staffa an well as the magical Hebridean islands. We will visit both inhabited and INNER ona HERIDES igha uninhabited islands and places of great natural beauty rich in birdlife, sa wildlife and mystical history, many with a long history dating back to the Iron Age. One of Europe’s last true remaining wilderness areas affords the traveller a marvellous island hopping journey through stunning scenery accompanied by spectacular sunsets and prolific wildlife and there is no better way to discover the beauty of this region than by small ship. With our naturalists and local guides we will explore using the nimble Zodiac craft which allow us to reach some of the most remote and untouched places. We will witness vibrant colours, explore deserted villages and learn of the history and ancient culture of unique island life. Whether your interest lies in the natural world, history or bird watching or simply being there to witness the timeless beauty of the islands, this trip will lift the spirits and gladden the heart. Loch Scavaig St Kilda Puffins, Lunga www.noble-caledonia.co.uk Exploring by Zodiac Whisky tasting, Gigha Inverewe gardens Lerwick Stac Lee Atlantic grey seals, North Ronaldsay Our View “We have been operating cruises around the tip of Scotland for many origin, Lunga has been described as ‘a green jewel in a peacock sea’ and is years and it is itineraries such as these that really showcase the benefits a summer nesting-place for hundreds of seabirds. of small ship cruising. With our fleet of Zodiacs we are able to make calls into some of the remote and uninhabited islands that surround Day 4 Loch Scavaig & Rum. Awake at our anchorage in lovely Loch the Scottish coast. Few ships make the journey to these outer islands Scavaig. Just beyond is the freshwater Loch Corruisk with its breathtakingly and we are fortunate to be able to explore them in our small groups. beautiful view over the Cuillins. This is great walking country, but for those Combining visits to the small community of Iona with uninhabited who prefer a less energetic morning our Zodiacs will explore the coast St Kilda and Lunga into one itinerary is rare and by also including looking out for seals. Sail over lunch to the Small Isles for an afternoon on Stornoway and Lerwick we can experience the history, wildlife and Rum which is a nature reserve. We will walk the nature trail, a beautiful area culture of these varied and remote islands.” of wildflowers and typical Scottish island scenery. This lovely island is also a bird watcher’s paradise. The Itinerary Day 5 St Kilda & Stac Lee, Outer Hebrides. Arrive over breakfast at Day 1 Oban, Scotland. Embark the MS Serenissima this afternoon. St Kilda, a remarkable uninhabited archipelago some fifty miles beyond Transfers will be provided from Glasgow International Airport and Glasgow the Outer Hebrides. Dominated by the highest cliffs and sea stacks in Central Railway Station at a fixed time. Enjoy welcome drinks and dinner as Britain, Hirta, St Kilda’s main island was occupied on and off for at least we sail this evening. two thousand years, with the last 36 Gaelic speaking inhabitants evacuated at their own request in 1930. Immediately after the evacuation, the island Day 2 Gigha & Islay, Inner Hebrides. Gigha is a place apart; heather was bought by the Marquess of Bute to protect the island’s thousands of covered hills, deserted beaches and a single lane verged with wildflowers seabirds including puffin and fulmars, and in 1957 it was bequeathed to The that meander for some six miles between cottages and farms. Privately National Trust for Scotland. St Kilda is one of only a few UNESCO World owned by its 120 inhabitants, it is a gem of a place and somewhere not Heritage Sites with dual status reflecting its natural and cultural significance. easily forgotten. After landing by Zodiac, we will walk to the gardens of The local ranger will join us on board before our expedition staff lead a Achamore House where the Horlick family have created a lovely and eclectic number of guided walks on the island. This afternoon we will cruise past garden with their collection of azaleas, rhododendrons and exotic plants. two of the largest gannetries in the world at Stac Lee and Stac an Armin. This afternoon we will use our Zodiacs to land on Islay where, on a distillery These impressive stacs rise 170 metres from the sea and are home to up to visit, we can learn about the production of the island’s single malt whisky 60,000 breeding pairs of northern gannet and enjoy a tasting. Day 6 Inverewe Gardens & Shiant Islands. Sailing into Loch Ewe we will Day 3 Staffa, Iona & Lunga. At first light we arrive at Staffa where the use our Zodiacs to visit Inverewe, surely one of the finest sited gardens in all perpendicular rock face features an imposing series of black basalt Scotland. Cared for by the National Trust for Scotland since 1952 it was first columns, known as the Colonnade, which has been cut by the sea into designed by plant hunter Osgood Mackenzie in the late 19th century and is cathedralesque caverns, most notably Fingal’s Cave. Weather permitting, home to a multitude of exotic and tender plants that are sheltered by well we will use our Zodiacs to explore closer. Continue to Iona which has been positioned windbreaks of native pine. After a guided tour of the gardens, occupied for thousands of years and has been a place of pilgrimage and we will return to the ship and sail over lunch. This afternoon we will board Christian worship for several centuries. It was to this flat, Hebridean island the Zodiacs for a cruise around the spectacular basalt cliffs of the Shiant that St Columba fled from Ireland in 563 and established a monastery. Here Islands, a group of little islands located a few miles off the shores of Lewis. his followers were responsible for the conversion of much of pagan Scotland This is an excellent place to spot puffins, razorbills, guillemots, seals and and Northern England. No less than 62 Scottish Kings are buried in the hopefully white-tailed eagles. Abbey. Visit the Abbey or perhaps walk along the white sandy beaches or go in search of the corncrake amongst the irises. Our day ends at the Day 7 Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. On leaving the island capital of Treshnish Isles, an archipelago of uninhabited volcanic islets. The island of Stornoway, we will head across the island to the beautiful west coast. Lunga is the largest of the Treshnish Isles in Argyll and Bute. Of volcanic Described as Scotland’s Stonehenge, the Callanish Standing Stones date Noup Head, Westray Iona Callanish Standing Stones from around 3000 BC. There are a total of 32 stones in a circular and species whilst the rugged coastline provides nesting sites for seabird avenue design. The stones stand like a petrified forest on the flat top colonies. A series of walks will include the bird observatory and we of a peninsula which reaches out into East Loch Roag. We also visit can also view the seals hauled up on the beaches. Those wishing to the Dun Carloway Pictish Broch, probably built sometime in the last explore further can visit the lighthouse with views over the nearby century BC it would have served as an occasionally defensible residence islands or the wool mill where yarn is produced from the island’s for an extended family complete with accommodation for animals at seaweed eating sheep. ground floor level. Our final stop is the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village, a reconstructed settlement of traditional black houses which were made Day 11 Papa Westray. Spend the morning on Papa Westray where using dry stone masonry and which have thatched roofs, distinctively there will be the opportunity for a number of island walks. Visit the weighted down with rocks. Visit the small museum, enjoy a display of 3500-year-old Knap of Howar, a Neolithic farm building that claims a typical crofting activity such as weaving and take in the views of this to be the oldest standing house in Europe and the 12th century dramatic site on the wild Atlantic coast. St Boniface Kirk. Meanwhile in the north of the island is the North Hill Reserve, home to Arctic terns and skuas and also the extremely rare Day 8 Foula & Papa Stour, Shetland Islands. This morning we visit Scottish primrose. We sail over lunch and have an afternoon at sea as Foula, one of Britain’s most remote inhabited islands. Apart from a we return to the Scottish mainland.