New Guest Speaker: Joanna Macpherson

Historic Castles and Glorious Gardens - Tuesday 20th to Tuesday 27th June 2017

Scotland boasts an abundance of castles and the Hebrides are no exception. Several islands of the Inner Hebrides are home to fascinating structures dating back many centuries.

Scottish gardens are a delight to visit at any time of the year and are famous for their clear air and profuse flowers.  The west coast of Scotland is influenced by the Gulf Stream giving milder temperatures which enable great displays in spring and early summer of rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias.

We are delighted to announce that Joanna Macpherson, star of the recent BBC Scotland series Lady Lairds, will be joining this cruise as guest speaker.  

Joanna moved to her family’s estate, Attadale on the shores of Loch Carron in Wester Ross, 4 years ago taking her husband Alec Cormack with her.  They had both lived and worked in London until then.  Attadale had belonged to her grandfather so she has always spent holidays there since a baby.

Having studied History and Russian at university, she ended up in magazine publishing in London, working on a wide variety of titles from Classic Cars Magazine to Flight International and finally running the advertising sales on both The English Garden and The English Home magazines.  This proved a useful training ground for ending up in the Highlands of Scotland attempting to help run a large estate with a 20 acre garden, four holiday cottages and approximately 30,000 acres, mostly wild country, including two Munros and a lot of red deer.

Attadale Gardens play host to one of the visits on this cruise.  Started by Baron Schroder in the late 19th century, hill paths meander through 20 acres of conifers and rhododendrons. Totally transformed after the 1980 storms by owner Nicky Macpherson, Joanna’s mother, it is an artist’s garden designed to frame the magnificent views of Skye and the surrounding hills. 

Joanna will give us an insight into the running of the Attadale Estate, the making of the Lady Lairds documentary and the organisation ‘Discover Scottish Gardens’, a network of gardens which have come together to promote their rich diversity, a number of which we will visit on this cruise.

>> READ MORE ABOUT THIS CRUISE

Historic Castles and Glorious Gardens
Departing from Oban 
20th June to 27th June 2017

Prices from £3,995 per person based on 2 people sharing an inside double/twin cabin

An insight into river cruising on board Royal Crown

2016 marks the fifth year of operation for Hebridean River Cruises on board Royal Crown.  During this time I have seen many pictures of the vessel in our brochures and in photographs taken by our guests and crew, however until now I had not seen the ship in her full glory. 

I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to take a familiarisation visit to the ship and join the Flavours of the Rhine, Moselle and Saar cruise in July this year.  I thought I knew what to expect of the ship but what I was not prepared for was the similarity between this vessel and our very own Hebridean Princess.  Both ships have a similar traditional style with gleaming brass and polished wood panelling in abundance, both exude the same relaxed, friendly ambience and warm welcome.  They are comparable also in the small number of guests they carry and the all-inclusive nature of the cruises.

Hebridean’s legendary standards of care, service and attention to detail also extends to the river cruises with all itineraries including accompanied travel to and from the ship by air from London Heathrow or, on selected cruises, by Eurostar from London St Pancras. 

Our experience began with a very warm welcome at Heathrow airport from Hebridean Princess Chief Purser David Indge who was acting as Hebridean Host for our cruise, and lunch at the Gordon Ramsay Plane Food restaurant prior to boarding our British Airways flight to Amsterdam.

On arrival at Amsterdam we were met by our local guides and escorted to the coach for the transfer to the ship which was berthed right in the centre of the city, opposite the Central train station.  We were welcomed on board by our Cruise Director, Sheila Salmon.  Sheila has many years of experience sailing the rivers of Europe, is multi-lingual and makes sure that everything happens as and when it should!  We were shown to our cabin and our luggage was delivered minutes later by members of the ship’s crew for whom nothing was too much trouble and everything was delivered with a smile.

Once we had settled in to our cabin we made our way to The Lounge for a cup of afternoon tea, or something a little stronger if preferred!  After exploring the ship it was time to freshen up for dinner and, following an introductory talk by our Hebridean Host Dave Indge and a safety briefing by the Captain, we experienced our first taste of Royal Crown cuisine at dinner.

In contrast to Hebridean Princess, there are no tables for 2 on board Royal Crown but a free seating policy and tables for 6 or 8 makes for a very friendly and sociable atmosphere at meal times with all guests, and the Hebridean Rivers team, getting to know each other and share tales of previous cruise experiences.  The cuisine, however, was redolent of that on Hebridean Princess, with beautifully prepared and tasty dishes delivered with very efficient service, and the portion sizes neither too big or too small. 

There are 3 grades of cabins on board Royal Crown arranged over 2 decks.  The Royal Suites are located on the same deck as the public areas and feature large picture windows and a seating area, the Premium and Deluxe cabins are on the deck below and have twin portholes.  All the cabins are well appointed with en suite shower rooms, cleverly designed to make the most of the available space and enhanced with Hebridean slippers, bathrobes and Molton Brown toiletries.

During our cruise we were blessed with lots of sunny weather and blue skies so the social hub of the ship was the large Sun Deck which had ample space for all guests to relax and enjoy the superb scenery as we gently cruised along.  The ever-smiling crew were always on hand to provide us with liquid refreshments whenever we required them and one lunch time we enjoyed a fabulous deck barbecue.

Our days seemed to strike a perfect balance of tranquil cruising and visits to picturesque towns and cities with knowledgeable local guides to point out the highlights and regale us with historic tales.  In keeping with the theme of the cruise many of our visits were food and drink related and we tasted cheese in Edam, beer and chocolate in Cologne and wine and mustard on the Moselle!

Our Guest Speaker France Bissell revealed her passion for food at a series of 3 lectures during the cruise which were very well received, and she was even kind enough to share a selection of her own recipes in booklets which were a lovely memento of the cruise.  I, for one, cannot wait to get cooking!

Entertainment on board is provided by Hebridean’s Musician, Will Marshall, who plays the piano before and after dinner,  plays in the Haggis at the Farewell Gala Dinner on his accordion and also performs Robert Burns’ Address to the Haggis.  Will also tested our little grey cells with a quiz and ‘Call My Bluff’ which brought out the competitive spirit in some of us.

Royal Crown is a lovely ship with a very happy and efficient crew, and a river cruise is an excellent way to visit some of the most scenic and off the beaten track parts of Europe.  Add to this a little touch of Hebridean magic and I am sure you will agree that a Hebridean River Cruise most certainly is the relaxing way to cruise.

By Louise Pratt - Sales Consultant

Latest Offers

This year has been another hugely successful season for Hebridean Princess, with high levels of occupancy and 99.75% of guests telling us that they had an enjoyable holiday; 97% have also told us that they would consider cruising with us again in the future.  This is a huge testament to the high levels of service and attention to detail on which Hebridean prides itself.

For those wishing to explore further afield, our 2017 European River Cruise Collection on board Royal Crown, takes us to the Dutch and Belgian Waterways, the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers where you will be assured of being looked after in true Hebridean style.

Just as in 2016, we expect demand for our 2017 itineraries to be high and therefore early bookings is highly recommended.

For our latest offers please select the link below:

>> Latest Offers

To reserve your cabin please call our experienced reservations team, Jonathan, Lisa, Louise or Abigail on 01756 704704 – they will ensure your cruise gets off the best possible start.

We very much look forward to welcoming you on board either Hebridean Princess or Royal Crown in 2017.

Yours sincerely

Ken Charleson - Chief Operating Officer

RNLI Presentation Plaque

During the evening of 26th October, Captain Bailey was presented with a plaque by guest Mrs Willoughby, a volunteer for the RNLI at Tighnabruaich. The plaque was presented in appreciation of donations made to the RNLI as a result of fund raising events held on board Hebridean Princess.

Pictured below are Captain Trevor Bailey and Mrs Willoughby.

Hebridean Times Issue 23 Read it Now

I am delighted to announce that the Autumn Edition of The Hebridean Times, brimming with all the latest news from on board and ashore at Hebridean Island Cruises is now available to view on our website.

Another successful season is drawing to a close and in this issue we rekindle happy memories of the year so far, and look forward to next season.  To those of you who have cruised with us in 2016, we hope it was one of the highlights of your year, and to those of you who are considering a cruise with us in 2017, we hope you find some inspiration in the following pages.


In this issue we are pleased to announce our sponsored events at this year’s Ilkley Literature Festival, and the newly confirmed guest speaker for the cruise in September next year which celebrates Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, Bruce Bennison.


We would also like to ask you to vote for us in the forthcoming industry awards for which Hebridean Island Cruises has been nominated, please see page 15 for details. 


Warm regards


Ken Charleson
Chief Operating Officer


>> Click here to read the latest edition of The Hebridean Times

Hebridean Guests Continue to Support Marine Charity

Press Release

‘CITIZEN SCIENCE’, ‘LOBSTER-TAGGING’ AND ‘EDUCATION’ AMONGST LATEST ROUND OF PROJECTS FUNDED TO SUPPORT THE HEALTH OF UK SEAS

Eight UK marine conservation charities and projects are set to benefit from the latest round of Sea-Changers’ grants. The money is raised by fundraising with scuba divers, sailors and cruise-goers, via the charity’s marine business partners such as Mike’s Dive Store, Boat Sharefinder and Hebridean Island Cruises. The money, raised and donated by lovers of the sea, has been allocated by Sea-Changers, the marine conservation fund-raising charity, through its latest series of grant awards.

“We’ve raised a very useful amount of money for this round of awards,” said Helen Webb, Co-Founder of Sea-Changers. “This means we can award up to £1,000 for some projects, which might not sound a lot, but it can make a lot of difference to projects around the UK’s shores.”

The latest round of grants will help support a diverse mix of good causes, from ‘citizen science’ projects which demonstrate the growing involvement of local communities in recording the species found around their local coastlines; to research into lobster populations to help ensure they are fished sustainably. Another interesting project will help establish a number of voluntary ‘Water Wardens’ around the Northumbrian coast.

“Schools are very important to us as well. We’re funding an exciting project in Devon to help school children understand the science of marine pollution and microplastics.” Helen Webb, Co-Founder of Sea-Changers

Grant awards have been made to projects right around the UK, from Scotland to the South West and from the Isle of Man to the north-east of England.

Grants have been made to the following organisations and projects:

Baie Ny Carrickey Crustacean Fisheries Management Association (BNCCFMA) - To fund a project that will tag 2000 lobsters over the summer within the Baie Ny Carrickey closed area to enable more effective local management measures, such as increased minimum landing size of lobsters and population-forecasting.

Fin Fighters - To run a citizen shark science programme that will radically enhance studies and data collection on specific species in the UK and around the Atlantic.

Bug Life – To part fund the National Seashell Survey Citizen Science project which is aimed at increasing the knowledge and recording of marine mollusc diversity across the UK coast.

Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) – To buy equipment to be used by the Shorewatch volunteer-led citizen science project, co-ordinated from the Scottish Dolphin Centre on the Moray Firth.

Appledore Sustainable Fish – To promote the conservation of sharks that swim off the North Devon coast through a series of events involving the Shark Trust, community groups and churches and the Appledore Carnival.

Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) - To increase awareness of South Arran Marine Protected Area (one of the first Scottish Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to be legally enforced) through a pop-up exhibition (banners, leaflets and educational materials).

Northumberland Wildlife Trust – To establish a group of 15 Water Wardens who will adopt a stretch of coast and carry out regular litter picks, weighing and reporting on the litter collected.

Sea Dream – To run an inter-school marine awareness campaign in South Devon with a focus on plastics in the ocean. Schools will take part in a combination of linked activities to contribute to actual research; including beachcombing, litter picking, performing timed specific distance litter surveys and, taking and analysing water and sediment samples to look for microplastics.

(More details and a full list of funded projects will be published online at www.sea-changers.org)

Sea-Changers was established as a charity in May 2011, with the sole purpose of raising funds for UK marine conservation projects. Since then, individuals and businesses all around the country have been joining a growing body of ‘sea-changers’ keen to protect the seas around the UK by supporting this important cause.

ENDS

Notes to editors

General

About Sea-Changers

1. Sea-Changers is a charity with the mission of raising thousands of pounds for marine conservation charities, primarily in the UK. Registered Charity No. England and Wales No. 1142119.

2. Sea-Changers was founded by Helen Webb and Rachel Lopata. They run the organisation on a voluntary basis, with the support of a wider network of volunteers.

3. Sea-Changers works through partnerships with commercial organisations which serve consumers who are accessing, enjoying or travelling via the sea.

About The Sea-Changers Grant Process

1.    Grants are open to UK-based marine conservation charities and projects.

2.    Grant decisions are made by Sea-Changers’ Trustees with specialist advice provided by marine biologist, Helen Scales and in line with Sea-Changers’ agreed funding policy.

3.    Funding rounds take place at regular intervals through the year. Sea-Changers is keen to hear from marine conservation projects to discuss future grant applications and eligibility. The deadline for the next grant round is the 30th of September 2016.

Contacts

Further information about Sea-Changers can be found at www.sea-changers.org.uk

For further information and image requests, please contact:

Helen Webb, Co-Founder

Tel: 07909 897867

Email: helen@sea-changers.org.uk

HEBRIDEAN TIMES: Read Now

Here is The Hebridean Times, brimming with all the latest news from on board Hebridean Princess and ashore at Hebridean Island Cruises.

In this issue we are delighted to share with you details of the cruises we have planned for 2017, including a return to the stunning Norwegian fjords, and introduce the newest additions to our on board team.  UNESCO World Heritage Sites are the focus of our editorial piece on pages 8 and 9, whilst on pages 10 and 11 our renowned guest speakers Jim Gardiner and Nicholas Merchant write about the highlights of the cruises they will be accompanying this year on Hebridean Princess and Royal Crown respectively. 

Details of how to apply for complimentary tickets to the Halle Orchestra at the Swaledale Festival can be found on page 6 and we would like to thank our guests who have donated over £16,000 to our charity partnership with Sea-Changers, find out how this money has been spent on page 15.

I hope you enjoy perusing this edition of The Hebridean Times.  If you require any further information regarding our latest special offers and current availability, please call Jonathan, Lisa or  Louise on 01756 704704 – with nearly 60 years of Hebridean experience between them they will easily be able to answer any queries you may have.

With best regards

Ken Charleson - Chief Operating Officer

>> Click here to read the latest copy of The Hebridean Times