Sailing The Inner Hebrides

If you are looking for an adventure that will take you back in time and right to the edge of the British Isles at the same time then this might well be the adventure for you. Offering a completely unique perspective on the UK, a boat trip around the Inner Hebrides makes for a truly epic British adventure.  

Difficulty:

Ultimately this is ‘just a day of sitting on a boat’, therefore from a physical exertion perspective it isn’t the most challenging. That said, the weather systems in and around the Inner Hebrides are, depending on the time of year, subject to sudden change and so that can obviously have an effect on the experience! We were lucky and got a relatively warm and calm day and so our voyage was peaceful.

Time:

The trips out on the boat can either be half (4hrs) or full (8hrs) days depending on what you are after and availability at the time.

The Adventure:

We had heard about Mark through a friend of a friend, “If you are looking for cool things to do from Iona, then look no further” he told us. Mark lived on Iona and was the proud owner of Birthe Marie, a 1933 Danish sailboat. He had bought it a few years back and lovingly restored it into beautiful condition and was now running small excursions around the surrounding islands. We had seen the boat sailing around Mull earlier in the week and so were like a couple of kids at Christmas when we found out that we would actually be able to sail on it - we couldn’t believe our luck!

After speaking with Mark over email we arranged a full day excursion. We had originally wanted to go for just the 4 hours, however due to him already taking a couple out that day we could only join for that or nothing at all. A whole day at sea seemed like it might be a bit too long but we decided we’d rather go for too long than not at all.

Mark can either pick you up from the dock at Iona or Mull, as we were back on Mull by then we opted for that. So at 10am sharp we jumped on board Birthe Marie for the first time. It was us, another couple and Mark leaving lots of space to move about.

Two things struck us immediately; Firstly the boat. I’m going to go out on a whim here and say it was the most beautiful form of transport we’ve ever been lucky enough to come across. We've been on some beautifully designed trains but this was on another level. Faded pastel colours, hand stitched seams, weathered wood, peeling paint and knots galore, it was like stepping into a Rauchenburg. The second thing of note was Mark himself, the sort of guy who, puts you at ease from the minute you meet him. Softly spoken, welcoming and very laid back.

Perhaps a whole day wasn’t going to be too long.

After a quick safety briefing we set sail.. Well actually at that point we couldn’t use the sails as there was no wind, but you catch my drift. As we slowly made our way out of the harbour, past Iona and out into the ocean, Mark began to fill us in on the history of the area, the boat and seemingly everything else in sight.

He was a fountain of knowledge, and clearly had a passion for this part of the British Isles.

We’re not fans of ‘tourist tours’, they feel like you’ve bought an off the shelf package that a million others have experienced. This trip was the polar opposite of that however. Our route was decided by putting a vote to the group, making the adventure feel impulsive and through Mark’s knowledge and charm, personal. We agreed we would all like to sail to the Treshnish Islands, a small archipelago, the largest island of which is Lunga, where we planned to disembark and explore before sailing back.

The time flew by as we cruised towards the islands absorbing as much of Mark’s local insight as we could. After a couple of hours we reached Lunga, where we dropped anchor and made our way to shore on a small inflatable row boat. Leaving the beautiful ship and rowing our way towards the dramatic shoreline of Lunga it felt like we had gone back in time and were discovering this tiny little island for the first time. Thousands of Puffins, Kittiwakes and Guillemots filled the air above our heads, amplifying the feeling of exploration and cementing the fact that we really were in a very special part of the UK.

We spent two hours exploring Lunga, eating lunch and in our case lying in the long grass taking in spectacular views of the Inner Hebrides. It was an experience we won’t be forgetting in a hurry. We had travelled miles to access this feeling and it did not disappoint.

Heading back to the boat we realised that the island was slowly filling up with more and more tourists being shipped in on large cruise-style boats. When we had arrived we were the first there and by the time we left there were a couple of hundred others. Speaking to Mark about it once back on board Birthe Marie he said “everyone likes to do things differently, some people like to get there quick and that’s ok. Others, like us, believe that the journey is part of the adventure.” We had heard people say things to that effect before but his delivery was so calm and experienced that it really stuck with us.

For us the journey often is the adventure and in this case what an adventure it was.

As we pulled the anchor back up the winds began to show some enthusiasm and Mark announced it was time to hoist the sails. So under the command of our Skipper we began to raise the boats 10 canvas sails, catching the light breeze and propelling us back out into the open ocean.

The journey back was incredible, with the sun shining and calm waters, we glided through the water with an almost addictive rhythm. Mark describes the experience of a trip on Birthe Marie as “An unhurried drinking in of the landscape, the boat fits into the coastal scene, disturbing little, quietly finding her way into places hidden from life at shore” and I think this describes it perfectly.

Arriving back on Mull it felt like we were only gone a couple of hours, our fear of a day being too long was completely unjustified. The experience of discovering so much in such a short space had had a strange effect on time, it had sped by.

Pointers:

Lunch

You will not have any access to a shop or indeed fresh water from the moment you leave land until your return, so you must be prepared. For pack lunches, if you are leaving from Iona, there is only one shop on the island and so make sure you pick up supplies from here in good time. If you are leaving from Mull, there is a small Post Office shop in Fionnphort where you can get supplies for a relatively basic pack lunch. If you want something more sophisticated you will need to get that from Tobermorey all the way on the other side of the island.

Kit

As with all Scottish adventures, layers are key. Make sure you check the weather before you go and pack accordingly. We went from cold to windswept, warm to positively hot in the space of the day and so were constantly changing our get up. this of course sounds like an obvious pointer but you really don’t want to be stuck out on a boat at sea for a whole day and be cold!

In Conclusion:

To put it into perspective we both agreed that this was one of our favourite ever adventures. We were both born and bred in the UK and been lucky enough to explore large parts of it, but this experience allowed us to appreciate it’s beauty and history from a totally new perspective. The experience conjured up real feelings of awe and adventure and left us feeling like a couple of kids, energised and excited.

The Numbers:

/ 8 hours at sea

/ 30 Nautical Miles sailed

/ 3 islands navigated

/ £50 per person (food not inc)