Ullapool to Fair Isle; Including Orkney (With Chris Gomersall)

Guests will be welcomed aboard MV Hjalmar Bjorge at Ullapool. We will spend out first evening in the Loch Broom area. Next day will see us set off on our voyage to the Orkney Isles. The itinerary for the cruise is not fixed, our intended passage will take us up past Handa island with hopefully a chance to get close to this major seabird colony and then around Cape Wrath, then along Scotland’s north coast arriving Orkney, depending on weather we will make our way north through the Orkney archipelago.  With Fair Isle one of our main destinations we will encounter the seabird colonies at their most busiest with adults feeding maturing young.

Highlights: Fair Isle and its self sufficient community, A chance to experience some of Orkney’s well known archaeology such as Skara Brae, ring of Brodgar standing stones and much more.  Although unpredictable this is a great chance of Orca encounters which are seen ever more regularly around these islands!

Chris Gomersall is an award-winning wildlife photographer and author, with an education in zoology and a background working as a nature reserve warden and research ecologist, as well as 14 years as staff photographer with the RSPB. For many years he has spent significant periods of time working in Scotland, nowadays mostly tour leading and wildlife guiding. He first sailed with the Hjalmar Bjørge as a wildlife guide in 2003, and has since logged at least 50 cruises with us in the Hebrides, Orkney & Shetland, and the north and west coasts of Ireland. Chris will be out on deck in all weathers, encouraging guests to join him in the quest for seabirds, cetaceans and other amazing marine wildlife, as well as conducting guided walks ashore.

Please note On our best days our itinerary will be smooth transits from one anchorage to another as shown on the program we have offered. However, this is the West Coast of Scotland, and we, are governed by mother nature. So, on occasion, for your comfort and safety, we may need to, tweak, the original course that we are looking to follow. But wherever our tweaking takes us, our trip and destination anchorages will always be special.

Day 1: Ullapool; An attractive, important fishing town that bustles in the summertime and is the main ferry terminal and gateway to Lewis and Harris. Our departure point, will be the pontoons situated in the heart of the town. We shall begin boarding Hjalmar Bjorge at 14:30. A short briefing will follow to acquaint our guests with life aboard the ship, its safety procedures, policies, and get you settled into your accommodation. We aim to cast off at 15:30 then head for the first night’s anchorage at one of the Summer Isles; which offers a great chance of spotting White Tailed Eagles and Common Dolphins

Day 2 to 4: This part of the passage will take us up the west coast passing and hopefully time to visit Handa, then round Cape Wrath and along the north coast, arriving at Orkney mainland.

Day 5 to 9:  This part of the adventure is to make our way through the Orkney islands to make for Fair isle.  We will spend at least a day on Orkney mainland exploring some of the ancient sites such as Skara Brae.  There is no set itinerary but our skipper will be planning our passage based on tides and the weather.  The intention is to arrive at Fair Isle to allow a full afternoon and evening, anchor in the bay and have a morning ashore before making our way back to Orkney. Final night will be Kirkwall and close to airport.

Day 10: Final breakfast on Hjalmar Bjorge, then a fond farewell before departing for airport or ferry terminal.