Small ship cruises in Scotland

How late the daylight edges toward the northern night, as though journeying in a blue boat gilded in mussel shell, with slung from its mast a lantern like our old idea of the soul

Our Scotland Vacations
Wildlife vacation in the Isle of Mull, Scotland
Spot whales, otters and eagles on Isle of Mull, Scotland
Hebrides cruise, The Sounds of Mull, Luing, Shuna and Jura
Cruise the Sounds of the Hebrides: Mull, Luing, Jura, Shuna
Skye and the Small Isles sailing vacation
Sail Scotland's Small Isles and visit spectacular Skye
St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides cruise, Scotland
Scottish Cruise to St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides
Caledonian Canal cruise, Scotland
Cruise the Caledonian Canal in a wee ship
Southern Hebrides and Sea Lochs of Argyll cruise
A Scottish cruise to the Islands of the inner Hebrides
Scotland West Coast cruise, Skye and the Small Isles
Scottish Vacation to Skye and the Small Isles | Cruise
Scottish traditional cruise, 4 days
Short break cruise in Argyll on the west coast of Scotland
Scotland private charter sailing vacations
Private Charter a small ship around the Scottish Islands
Isle of Mull and Small Isles explorer
An extraordinary voyage exploring Mull & the Small Isles.
St Kilda, Outer Hebrides Cruise, Scotland
Cruise to St Kilda, Monachs, Outer Hebrides and Small Isles
Skye and the Inner Hebrides cruise, Scotland
A unique cruise to the Isle of Skye and the Inner Hebrides
Whisky and wildlife sailing vacation in Scotland
Malt Whisky and Wildlife Cruise to Mull, Jura and Islay
Inner Hebrides Wildlife Cruise
A great introduction to the breath-taking Scottish Highlands
Isle of Mull and west coast of Scotland cruise
Cruise the idyllic coast around the Scottish Island of Mull
Outer Hebrides and Shiant Isles cruise, Scotland
A magical cruise wandering through the Outer Hebrides
Caledonian Canal cruise in Scotland, via Loch Ness
Scottish Cruise taking in the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness
Art cruise in Scotland
Scottish Island cruises perfect for relaxing and painting.
Hebrides short break cruise, Scotland
Scottish small cruise with a Taste of the Hebrides
Skye and the Small Isles cruises, Scotland
Scottish Cruise to Skye and the Small Isles in the Hebrides
South Argyll cruise in Scotland, history and nature
Historic Villages & Gardens of South Argyll Scottish Cruise
Painting vacation cruise in Scotland
Staffa, Iona, Tobermory & Ross of Mull. Art tutor available.
Mull circumnavigation cruise, Scotland
Staffa, Iona and Ross of Mull from our small cruise ships
North West Scotland cruise
Scottish Cruise to the North West Coast Mainland Wilderness
Argyll 4 day Spring cruise, Scotland
-Restore your inner calm on a relaxing 3-night mini-cruise
Scotland cruise, Outer Hebrides
Scottish Cruise to the Idyllic Isles of the Outer Hebrides
Scotland tour and cruise
A combined land and sea tour to the West coast of Scotland
Family cruise vacation in Scotland
Short Break, Family Cruise Exploring the West of Scotland
South Argyll wildlife cruises in Scotland
Idyllic wildlife cruise to the West Coast of Scotland Isles
Jamie has been celebrated for bringing back landscape writing as a tradition. Her book of essays, Findings, is another wonderful example, where she travels to the remote Hebridean Island of Coll as part of a journey in search of the now very rare corncrake bird.
In her writing she takes time to focus on a pair of peregrines, or flotsam on a Hebridean shore. It’s as if she is able to zoom in with a metaphorical microscope and see the beauty in everything that floats past, and this is what small ship cruises are also for. Zoom away from shore, away from digital worlds, away from politics and people, and in on Scotland’s marine and marginal magnificence.
What are the small ships like?
Our top Scotland Vacation
Wildlife vacation in the Isle of Mull, Scotland
Spot whales, otters and eagles on Isle of Mull, Scotland
This trip can be tailor made from late April to the end of September
Where can I cruise to?
The skipper is also the person who dictates the route, because there are no real fixed itineraries on Scottish small ship cruises. In any case, nature is the real boss, so if the weather doesn’t permit you to get out to the outer of Outer Hebrides, then so be it. There will always be another pretty inlet or white sandy bay to discover when you are on a boat that can access the smallest and most sublime spots, especially when you are in the hands of a knowledgeable local skipper.For the main part, however, the main routes to discover on these vacations are out to Skye and the Inner Hebrides, the Outer Hebrides and then, for something different, the Caledonian Canal, which is one of the finest coast to coast routes in the world. Cross land, but by water. Pure poetry.
Scottish sounds
And finally, there are few things more poetic than the concept of sailing through sounds. Because there are ‘sounds’ everywhere, meaning a strait of water. The Sound of Mull, Sound of Jura or the Sound of Bute. And, as in the sublime nature writings of Jamie, the sounds of nature. These vacations really are soulful ones.
See our guide to small ship cruising vacations in Scotland for more details.
More about Scotland
