Enchanted Isles Itinerary
June 17 - June 29, 2026
Day 1 Portsmouth, England.
Embark the MS Hebridean Sky this afternoon. Transfers will be provided from Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station at a fixed time.
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Day 2 Guernsey, Channel Islands.
Anchor this morning off Guernsey, the ‘Island of Flowers’. There will be the option of a walking tour of St Peter Port including a visit to Castle Cornet, a 12th century battlement which guards the entrance to St Peter Port Harbour. Alternatively, enjoy a panoramic island drive during which we will see the beautiful coastline and beaches and also visit the Little Chapel, built in 1914 as a miniature version of the famous basilica at Lourdes and covered in fragments of shattered china. The afternoon is free to explore this picturesque town at your own pace before we sail in the early evening.
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Day 3 Isles of Scilly.
Spend the day in the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago of five inhabited islands and up to one hundred and forty uninhabited islets, located 30 miles off the coast of Cornwall. Our day will depend on weather and sea conditions but we hope to visit traffic-free Tresco, walking its idyllic lanes from the beach to the famous subtropical Abbey Gardens. Defying the Atlantic weather, this miracle of a garden is home to more than 20,000 species of plants from over 80 countries. Enjoy time to wander along the paths, maybe visit the Valhalla collection of ship figureheads from ships wrecked on the islands or relax in the café. Later we hope to land on St Agnes, the most south-westerly community in the UK. Surrounded by rocks and reefs this delightful tiny island offers marvellous coastal walks. The small island of Gugh lies across a narrow sandbar and here we find a single stone monolith called the ‘Old Man of Gugh’ which dates back to the Bronze Age
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Day 4 Lundy Island & Skomer Island, Wales.
We have scheduled a morning on Lundy, a remote island in the Bristol Channel. Although small, just three miles long by half a mile wide, its isolation has made it a home for a range of wildlife whilst there is also a clutch of listed buildings and monuments. The towering cliffs and rocky shoreline are a haven for migrating seabirds and Sika deer, red deer and Soay sheep can also be seen as we walk along its traffic-free lanes and paths. Spend the morning being as active as you wish, maybe explore the wide bays and coves by way of hanging valleys, see ancient burial chambers, climb the lighthouse or buy the island’s ‘puffin stamps’ at the shop. Be on deck in the late afternoon as we pass Skomer Island, one of the most important wildlife sites in Northern Europe. It is a marvellously peaceful and scenic island with fantastic birdlife including 6,000 pairs of puffins and the elusive Manx shearwater and storm petrel. We may also see the seal colony hauled out over the rocks and weather permitting will explore by Zodiac.
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​Day 5 Calf of Man & Peel, Isle of Man
Over breakfast we anchor off the Calf of Man, a 600 acre island situated off the southern tip of the Isle of Man. Landing by Zodiac our expedition team will lead walks on the island which is home to thousands of seabirds and a plethora of grey seals frequently hauled out on the rocks as we walk to the bird observatory and lighthouse. In the afternoon we arrive at the fishing port of Peel where we can visit Ballacosnahan Farm, a 200 acre farm dedicated to the preservation of Manx Loaghtan that also included a wool shop with wool and meat products available. Alternatively, you can spend the afternoon visiting the cathedral, or exploring Peel Castle. Built by the Vikings in the 11th century the castle has been a royal residence, center of government and military stronghold. We sail late for anyone wishing to take an after dinner stroll.
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Day 6 Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland.
After a morning at sea we arrive at Rathlin Island. Located just a few miles from the North Antrim coast, Rathlin has been settled for more than 6,000 years. Today, there are only 80 or so inhabitants, whereas before the famine there were 1,200. There will be a choice of guided walks which will either take in the prolific seabird life with astonishing numbers of auks, kittiwakes and grey seals or alternatively cross the island to the historic Rathlin East Lighthouse. This evening we will sail past the magnificent cliffs to the north of the island which are home to the largest seabird colony in Ireland.
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Day 7 Staffa and Iona
We awake this morning at Staffa, the south side where the perpendicular rock face features an imposing series of black basalt columns, known as the Colonnade, which has been cut by the sea into cathedralesque caverns, most notably Fingal’s Cave or “the Cave of Melody,” the inspiration for Mendelssohn’s “Hebridean Overture.” Weather permitting, we will use our Zodiacs to explore closer. Sail over lunch to Iona which has been occupied for thousands of years and has been a place of pilgrimage and Christian worship for several centuries. We will meet with Michael and Kate Gordon who started Iona Wool, an extraordinary venture in making yarn from the island’s eight different sheep breeds providing additional income for the farmers along with a product that is unique to the island. Iona is also where St Columba fled from Ireland in 563 and established a monastery. Here his followers were responsible for the conversion of much of pagan Scotland and Northern England. No less than 62 Scottish Kings are buried in the Abbey. Visit the Abbey or perhaps walk along the white sandy beaches or go in search of the corncrake amongst the irises.
Day 8 Canna & Loch Scavaig.
Strategically placed between the mountains of Rum and the Outer Hebrides, the island of Canna and its adjoining neighbour Sanday are bound together like some rare text that reveals over 60 million years of Hebridean geology and history. They have an amazingly rich archaeological landscape with remains dating to all periods of settled occupation in Scotland. Canna is run as a single farm with most Cheviots and a few happy bulls. The fertile soil and its diversity of habitats mean that the island has an incredibly rich plant life with 248 native flowering plants recorded. We will see Canna House and wander across grassy basalt plateaus to the 600 foot cliffs on the north shore. Over lunch we cross to the lovely Loch Scavaig on the island of Skye. Just beyond is the freshwater Loch Corruisk with its breathtakingly beautiful view over the Cuillins. This is great walking country and our expedition team will run a series of hikes for all interests. For those who prefer a less energetic afternoon our Zodiacs will explore the coast looking out for seals..
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Day 9 St Kilda & Stac Lee
Remote and battered by the Atlantic seas, St Kilda is a near mystical island with dual UNESCO World Heritage site status for its natural and cultural significance. St Kilda is deemed Europe’s most important seabird colony—with abundant puffins, fulmars and the largest colony of gannets in Britain. For sheep enthusiasts, the history of the Soay is one of the most remarkable in all of European sheep, providing not only a durable wool but a breed with pure genetics owing to the inability to introduce another breed in this remote location. St. Kilda was inhabited until 1930, when the advent of tourism ultimately altered the islanders’ view of their small island life. The 19th century village layout still remains, allowing us to envisage life on this island where the bird life provided sustenance for the villagers.
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Day 10 North Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands
This morning we arrive at the northernmost of the Orkney Islands, the remote and isolated North Ronaldsay. Renowned for its beautiful coastal scenery and abundant birdlife, it is one of the crown jewels in the history of Northern European short-tailed sheep. In 1832, a stone wall was erected along the island’s perimeter to keep the sheep off the pasture land, preserving it for cattle who were deemed more valuable. The North Ronaldsay sheep were forced to survive on seaweed and to this day are one of the few mammals who can. Soon after the island’s lighthouse was decommissioned in the late 1990s, a Mini-Mill was installed in one of the outbuildings. Recently, the mill has been relocated to a purpose built facility for exhanced operations. We will tour the mill and meet with a farmer to learn more about this unique chapter is island history.
Day 11 Lerwick
From the Shetland capital, we will have the option to visit a local Shetland farmer who produces a stunning array of yarn from his flock or visit the remarkable archaeological site of Jarlshof. The site was uncovered by a violent storm in the winter of 1896/7, revealing an extraordinary settlement site embracing at least 5000 years of human history. The site contains a sequence of stone structures – late Neolithic houses, a Bronze- Age village, an Iron-Age broch and wheelhouses, several Norse longhouses, a Medieval farmstead and the 16th century laird’s house. Enjoy a free afternoon to explore this historic port. Perhaps wander through its narrow stone lanes or maybe visit the excellent Shetland Museum, containing artifacts from shipwrecks, the whaling era, and a spectacular section on the islands' knitting/sheep history.
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Day 12 Fair Isle
This morning we anchor off the remote island of Fair Isle. Located midway between the Shetland and Orkney Islands, the tiny population of sixty or so islanders always extend a warm welcome. Famous for its birds, knitwear, and historic shipwrecks, our group will enjoy a special meet and greet with the one of the local knitters. Afterwards, there is time for a walk across the island, searching out the puffin slopes, a visit to the community hall for a cup of tea or indulge in something special from the gift shop. If the weather permits, we will sail around to Noss Head in the afternoon where the cliffs will be full of nesting gannets, guillemots and fulmar.
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Day 13 Abderdeen
Disembark the MS Hebridean Sky after breakfast. Transfers will be provided to Aberdeen Airport and Railway Station at a fixed time
