The best of the Hebrides can be found on a ship once chartered by the Queen
Peering over the Taittinger bubbles I scan the glass-calm sea loch for seals. An otter rudely interrupts. Then the languorous curling loop of a basking shark. I would tell the other passengers at this floating country house party, but I might miss a sea eagle, or the rutting red deer descending down the autumn-dappled glens. Welcome aboard Hebridean Princess, a quintessentially British ship with a literal Royal seal of approval. Just as many larger vessels are plotting returns overseas, this grande dame has just come home to the Hebrides.
I’m aboard the relocation cruise as she doffs a metaphorical cap to the UK’s other nations. As cruise travel regulations eased this summer – apart from in Scotland – Hebridean Princess fled south to sail around England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Now ships are welcome back into Scottish waters we wave farewell to Portland and Fowey, to the Isles of Scilly and Fishguard, bound for the Isles.
It’s only when I talk to John Noorani, veteran passenger and author of a new book about Hebridean Princess, I realise just how special her history is. Officially launched as a ferry in 1964, she had another top secret role as a ‘citadel ship’, with reinforced bulkheads, blast screen and cabins so she could spirit the Royals and other officials off to the Hebrides in the event of World War Three. It’s no surprise then that Her Majesty, the Queen, turned to the now converted luxury cruise ship following the retirement of HMY Britannia in 1997, chartering the Hebridean Princess for her 80th birthday in 2006. Then again in 2010. Her portrait hangs proudly above reception and the ship cherishes its Royal Warrant.
There is palpable joy as we round the Mull of Kintyre and the first of the Hebrides shimmer into view. Standing by the original Chadburn – still in use for engine signals – Captain Kirk Blacker, cannot hide his joy: “We’re home, back in home waters, that’s the main emotion. As much as we love the south coast this is where the ship is meant to be operating. There is a definite sense of relief and excitement that we’re back in the waters we know so well, and going to some of our favourite places.”
It’s a triumphant return to her home port. She may not have sailed in Scottish waters in over 500 days, but Hebridean Princess has not been back to Oban for two years. To celebrate, the season has been extended and she will sail on seven-night voyages from the town – arguably Scotland’s grandest sailaway – around the archipelago that so inspired Mendelsohn he penned the Hebrides Overture.
It's hard not to be inspired by the Hebrides, a wildscape of sparkling islands, glowering mountains and starched white beaches that comes into its own in autumn. The ship offers intimate access. Push past the charms of the Tiree Lounge – which offers a constantly changing panorama of the Hebrides for more sedentary explorers – and her old car deck is a launchpad not just for tenders, but also beach landing craft. There are top notch mountain bikes too, the legacy of tours run by legendary cyclist Mark Beaumont.
You normally get ashore every day, often twice. To get out into the Sea of the Hebrides the ship has to burrow down the Sound of Mull from Oban, no chore as it opens up Castle Duart, so pretty it should be on a shortbread tin, and the sea eagles of Mull. And then, rounding Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point on the UK mainland – with passengers' eyes fixed on the waters that are rich in basking sharks and other marine wildlife during the autumn.
Each of the autumnal cruises takes on a different Hebridean slant; September 29, for example, tracks the trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie in the Outer Hebrides. If you’re fuelled with post-lockdown daring, October 5 is an ‘Autumn Surprise’. Yes, the weather can have an impact on plans, but with a maximum of 50 passengers and almost 40 capable crew they are supremely flexible: an island missed due to inclement conditions brings a hastily arranged visit to somewhere else – a bountiful botanic gardens with a tab set up in the tearoom, for instance.
As autumn deepens you don’t really want to be caught out in The Minch – the strait separating the Highlands from the Outer Hebrides – and the ship steers a sensible course back around the Mull of Kintyre on October 26 towards the Firth of Clyde and her off-season base of operations in Greenock. Her swansong is a trio of cruises (one seven nights, and two four nights) around the estuary; no poor substitute as this is an area with a fascinating history and wildlife-rich waters. You can find all of Scotland’s Big Five (deer, seal, otter, golden eagles and red squirrels) on the Firth of Clyde islands.
The Scottish coast – over 10 per cent of Europe’s coastline, alive with over 800 islands – attracted unprecedented attention this year while international cruises were off bounds. Bucking the trend, as this glorious anachronism has always done, Hebridean Princess is back home; once again the most elegant, intimate and royal way to explore the Hebrides. Just ask Her Majesty.
How to do it
Hebridean Princess sails this year until November, and in 2022 will commence sailing from February 28 (0175 670 4704; hebridean.co.uk).
