I cruised Argyll and I liked it...
DAVE MONK HITS THE INNER HEBRIDES ON THE MOTOR YACHT GLEN ORCHY
JAGGED rocks, rolling hills and white sandy beaches – Scotland’s coastal scenery can rival anywhere on Earth. And what better way to see it than in a private chartered boat with our own captain and chef?
As my wife Mandy and I boarded the 55ft-long motor yacht Glen Orchy in Oban, it didn’t take long to meet the crew – both of them.
We were greeted on the pontoon by boatswain/cook/stewardess Michelle and introduced to Fergus – our skipper for the three-night cruise – who spread out nautical charts on the dining table and asked: “Where would you like to go?”
I explained that the other two passengers, our son Alasdair and his girlfriend Esra, would be boarding a few minutes later. “No worries,” Fergus replied with a smile. “It’s your boat – we can wait as long as you like.”
My last holiday at sea had been with thousands of other people on the biggest cruise ship in the world – Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas. Here I was on one of the world’s smallest, with no one else but our family group of four.
Multi-tasking Michelle provided breakfast to order every morning
then checked what we’d like for lunch and dinner. She performed culinary miracles on her four-ring gas hob and oven, though she often had to run outside halfway through stirring a pan to throw the lines ashore and help us moor.
Atlantic winds and high swells meant our original plan to visit Tobermory, Iona, and Fingal’s Cave had to be abandoned. Instead, Fergus suggested we follow the sunshine and calmer waters south towards the Isle of Islay.
As we motored out to sea on a Saturday eve, the four of us lounged on the sun deck as Michelle served us nibbles and topped us up with fizz.
Anchoring off Kintyre, we moved downstairs to the saloon to dine on spicy prawns followed by a succulent steak and delicious dessert.
Complimentary wine flowed, followed by local gin and Scotch, before we headed to our cabins. Mandy and I had the double en-suite at the bow while Alasdair and Esra, who were on their first ever cruise, had a twin room that shared a separate loo and shower with the crew.
The following morning we all went ashore on a tender boat at Crinan for a stroll along the picturesque canal, then Tayvallich where we walked across the peninsula to secluded Carsaig Bay. We ended the day off on tiny Gigha – “God’s island” – with a population of fewer than 200 people, where Alasdair and I enjoyed a pint at a shoreside pub.
The four of us spent Monday – our last full day – visiting Islay and Jura, both known for their distilleries. As we departed, Fergus thankfully steered well clear of the third-largest whirlpool in the world at the Gulf of Corryvreckan, where George Orwell nearly drowned in a boat in 1947, before we tied up at a marina at Craobh Haven for the night.
For 2023, the cruise company has decided to reserve the 30-year-old Glen Orchy for couples, so romantic pairs can charter the boat for £3,995 for three nights or £7,995 for six and have the whole experience to themselves.
The other four vessels in The Majestic Line fleet are hardly huge, taking up to 12 passengers, but this latest addition is even more informal.
There’s no need to dress up or stick to any schedule, with the most freedom I’ve had on more than 80 cruises to go where I fancy.
Space is at a premium, lots of nooks and crannies are for storage, but you sometimes have to dance around each other to reach them. At night, the generator is turned off so we moored in complete silence, surrounded by sunset.
At around £1,300 a night, Glen Orchy is not cheap, but it’s an experience like no other. As we stepped off the boat in Oban after a memorable trip, 33-year-old Alasdair told me: “That was fantastic, Dad!”
And that, as all parents know, is priceless.