Date
Cost
Availability
Deposit
Single Supp
| 22 May - 01 Jun 2021
£2995.00
1 Space
£500.00
£350.00
Book Now
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| Leaders | Stuart Housden OBE or Julian Sykes |
| Day 1 | Meet up in Inverness for overnight stay - 1 night Premier Inn |
| Day 2 | Travel down the Great Glen and across Skye, before catching ferry to Lochmaddy and making the short journey to our hotel.
5 nights at Templeview Hotel, |
| Days 3-6 | Birdwatching, botany and wildlife exploration of North and South Uist, Benbecula and visit to the small island of Vallay, in search of Corncrake, waders, seabirds and raptors |
| Days 7-9 | Take ferry to Harris and Lewis birding these two very different islands. We shall also take a boat trip to the Shiant Isles and visit Callanish Standing Stones and Dun Carloway Broch.
3 nights Hotel Hebrides in Tarbert |
| Day 10 | Travel back to Inverness.
1 night Premier Inn |
| Day 11 | Depart after breakfast. |
| Weather | Though usually quite dry, these islands can experience all the seasons during one trip and can be windy (5°-20°C). |
| Walking | Coastal walks on uneven terrain of up to three miles - walking boots recommended, but trainers or even sandals suitable on some occasions. Collapsible/telescopic walking poles could be useful for this trip |
| Meals | All included from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 11. |
| Insects | Biting insects unlikely to be a problem. |
| Accom | Double, twin and single rooms all ensuite. |
| Group | 10 - each group 5 guests and 1 guide |
Skylarks sing, Twite feed on weedy patches and Corncrakes rasp deep from within iris beds. Overhead the calls of Ravens indicate a raptor is close by, whilst the unexpected is just around the corner! These islands have a rich culture and strong sense of community. Steeped in history, the resourceful crofting communities have a deep attachment to the land and its wildlife.
| * We visit North and South Uist, Benbecula, Harris, Lewis and the island of Vallay
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| * A chartered boat trip to the Shiants, Puffins galore affording very close viewing
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| * Corncrake and Red-necked Phalarope - excellent chance of these elusive birds
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| * Peak time for skua and wader migration with Long-tailed and Pomarine possible
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| * Otters, three species of diver, Hen Harrier and Golden and White-tailed Eagles
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| * Beautiful machair flora, including the endemic Hebridean Orchid
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| * Standing stones of Callanish, Dun Carloway Broch and Flora MacDonald’s croft
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| Days 1-2 | We overnight in Inverness, to give
us an early start for our journey
through the Great Glen and across the Isle of Skye
to Uig and the ferry to Lochmaddy on North Uist.
Arctic Tern, Puffin, Guillemot, Razorbill, Kittiwake,
Gannet, Great and Arctic Skuas, Manx Shearwater
and with luck even cetaceans are possible from
the ferry. Arriving on North Uist the bustle
of modern life seems far behind us as we head
to our hotel.
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| Days 3-6 | Stuart has visited these islands many
times in his role with RSPB Scotland
and we are thrilled to have him lead our
Wild Hebrides trip - his expert knowledge and
experience of the islands and their conservation
issues adding enormously to the holiday.
Our exploration will start in the south with shallow lochs, rocky headlands, dunes and our first
machair - a beautiful habitat with stunning flora
including the endemic Hebridean Orchid, with
purple flowers and heavily blotched purple leaves.
The wealth of flowers may attract Moss Carder
and Great Yellow Bumble Bee, a rare species
confined to the very north and west of Scotland.
Migration is still in full swing and late parties
of Whimbrel or Black-tailed Godwits enroute
to Iceland can drop in anywhere, while tidal
strands have summer plumaged Sanderling and
Turnstones. At ‘stinky bay’, with rotting seaweed
on the foreshore, many waders occur and divers
and seaduck are sometimes just offshore. We
shall scan for Red-necked Phalarope at a reliable
site, while keeping an eye open for Hen Harrier
and Golden Eagle, with Otter possible whenever we are on the coast. Flora MacDonald was born
on South Uist and we’ll view her croft.
The RSPB Reserve at Balranald provides a chance
of Corncrake calling from the iris beds and we’ll
work on getting good views. Twite feed, Skylark sing
overhead, Corn Bunting still give their jangling song
and summer plumage waders are on the beach.
Sea-watching from Aird an Runair is renowned but
weather dependent, so north-westerlies may
bring passage skuas, including rare Pomarine and
Long-tailed amongst the more common Arctic
and Great Skuas. Breeding waders are everywhere
including Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Snipe, Ringed
Plover and Dunlin.
We shall visit the remote, uninhabited island
of Vallay using a 4x4 vehicle to cross the dazzling
1km of white strand. This is a gem of a place and
a rare opportunity not offered on other tours.
Nesting Corncrake, waders and terns are here on
the organic croft managed in partnership with the
RSPB. Merlin and Peregrine are occasionally seen
and wild Rock Doves frequent the ploughed fields.
Impressive ruined houses show how profitable local
farming and seaweed production was in the early
19th century.
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| Days 7-9 | We head, via Berneray, to the ferry
across to Harris with its rugged and
forbidding mountains. A healthy population
of Golden Eagle means we’ll keep our eyes peeled
wherever we travel. We’ll visit Rodel, and its
beautiful 15th century church built for the chiefs
of Clan Macleod. It is well preserved, with fine statues and we’ll check the area for migrants, while the machair at Northton can be alive with waders and
has nesting Little Terns. This is one of the last areas for
Corncrake on Harris and they often call from crofters’
gardens!
We shall enjoy an exclusive boat trip to the
Shiant Isles, eight miles off Harris in the middle
of the Minch. This truly spectacular experience
will be an adventure to remember! The islands
support over 100,000 pairs of seabirds, including
10% of all the UK’s Puffins! We won’t land on
these uninhabited islands but we’ll get close views
of the birds and may see Manx Shearwaters, seals
and perhaps dolphins. There were two White-tailed Eagle
present in 2019! We shall get stunningly close
to rafts of Puffins and other auks allowing fantastic
photography opportunities.
Harris is conjoined to Lewis, but the habitat
is very different and we’ll drive up through
moorland to the Standing Stones of Callanish
- world famous and a stunning example of a circle and
cruciform arrangement, with almost 50 standing stones.
If time permits we may also visit Dun Carloway, one
of the best preserved iron age brochs in Scotland
and Loch na Muilne RSPB Reserve nearby. On our final
full day we shall explore the mountains in search of eagle,
and more!
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| Days 10-11 | We say goodbye to these wonderful
islands and make our way back
across the Minch, then on to Inverness, birding
as we go, for our last night together before going our
separate ways.
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Just some of what we hope to see..
| Corncrake | Whimbrel | Puffin |
| Red-necked Phalarope | Rock Dove | Twite |
| Golden Eagle | Arctic Skua | Hebridean Orchid |
| Hen Harrier | Great Skua | Otter |
| Merlin | Pomarine Skua | Golden Plover |
| Short-eared Owl | Long-tailed Skua | Red-throated Diver |
| White-tailed Eagle | Manx Shearwater | Little Tern |
| Great Northern Diver | Black Guillemot | Arctic Tern |
| Black-throated Diver | | |
With its guarantee of a good night’s sleep, a reputation for excellent customer service and a good restaurant, the Premier Inn is the ideal place to spend our first and last evening. Located at the edge of Torvean Golf Course, this contemporary hotel is a 1-minute walk from the Caledonian Canal. In-room amenities feature free WiFi, pillow-top mattresses and en suite bathrooms with showers, as well as tea and coffee-making facilities, TVs and desks.
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Temple View is a delightful family hotel, highly praised for food service and comfort with spectacular views out to the sea and the machair grassland. It was built as a family home in 1900, became a guest house in the thirties and has recently been tastefully extended to provide a delightful hotel of quality.
All rooms are ensuite, have tea and coffee making facilities, direct dial telephone, hairdryer and colour television. The rooms to the front have extensive views of small islands towards the large tidal island of Baleshare and the 13th Century ruin of Trinity Temple, from which the Hotel gets its name. The rooms to the rear have views of moorland and distant hills towards the east of the island. The restaurant specialises in local produce whenever possible and there is a small bar. The sun lounge provides an ideal retreat after dinner where you can enjoy the sunset over the sea lochs and the Temple.
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Hotel Hebrides offers, contemporary bedrooms which offer a high standard of quality combined with top notch technology. Every bedroom at the hotel is unique, laden with delightful considerate touches such as a range of luxury Highland Soap products, top quality pocket sprung mattresses and sumptuous thick bath sheets and robes for your added comfort. There is free wifi in every room, gourmet fully stocked mini-bars and freeview TV. The restaurant overlooks the harbour, offering a creative modern menu, including top organic produce and light and healthy options. The Pierhouse Restaurant has held an Eat Scotland Silver Award for 2 consecutive years.
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