Ullapool to Fair Isle; Including Orkney

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 and very much weather dependent, 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, following along Scotland’s north coast arriving Orkney, we will make our way north through the Orkney archipelago with Fair Isle one of our main destinations where we will encounter the seabird colonies at their most busiest with adult Puffins and other Auks feeding maturing young.

Orkney’s archaeological heritage is among the finest in the world, with remarkably well-preserved sites dating back 5,000–6,000 years, many older than the Pyramids of Egypt.  We plan to visit some of these extraordinary locations, including Skara Brae, Maeshowe, and the Standing Stones of Brodgar. In Kirkwall, we’ll also explore the magnificent St Magnus Cathedral, while the Broch of Gurness offers a fascinating glimpse into Iron Age life.

Wildlife plays a major role in our journey. Orkney is teeming with birdlife, and we hope to encounter Red-throated Divers, over-summering Great Northern Divers, and an abundance of waders such as Curlew, Lapwing, Redshanks and Golden Plover, along with sea ducks, such as Eider and Long-tailed duck.  Raptors feature prominently too, we’ll be watching for Merlin, Short-eared Owls, Peregrine Falcons, and one of Orkney’s true specialties, the Hen Harrier, which makes up around a quarter of the UK population. From an RSPB hide overlooking key territories, we’ll have an excellent chance of multiple sightings. In recent years, White-tailed Sea Eagles have also returned to breed on Hoy, offering yet another exciting possibility for our voyage.  Wildflowers will be at their best and although unpredictable, there is a great chance of Orca encounters which are seen ever more regularly around these islands!  On our passage north there is a very good chance of large whale species, such as Fin whale and Humpback, and dolphins should be plentiful.

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.