Wildlife Adventures
Outer Hebrides & St Kilda

Day 1 – Travel to the Outer Hebrides

We meet in Inverness and drive to Ullapool, where we catch the morning ferry across to the Isle of Lewis, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides. The ferry journey takes us through well-known seabird and cetacean feeding areas – so we will hope for some sightings before we even arrive on the islands! As we drive south to our hotel on Harris, we’ll take a small detour to the wonderful standing stone circle at Callanish. (D)

Day 2 – St Kilda World Heritage Site

The plan for today is to take a boat trip to the famous archipelago of St Kilda. Over 40 miles offshore, visiting this amazing double World Heritage Site requires a boat crossing of about 3 hours each way. It is a challenging but vastly rewarding day. The crossing to St Kilda provides a great opportunity for marine life sightings, with mid to late summer being especially good for basking sharks. As we approach the islands we see, hear and smell the vast seabird colonies! We’ll have a few hours on land to explore – with some of the highest sea cliffs in Britain, and globally important colonies of gannets, fulmars and puffins, this is a spectacular place to see. Together with the thought-provoking story of the islanders who lived here, this is one of the most amazing places you can ever visit.

Please note that the visit to St Kilda is strongly contingent on good weather and sea conditions. Since this will be a highlight of the trip then if it is not possible to visit St Kilda on this day then your guide will try to schedule it for a different day during the trip. If the weather prevents us from reaching St Kilda altogether then we’ll enjoy a wonderful boat trip in the Loch Roag area instead, exploring the remote west coast of Lewis and its plentiful wildlife. (B, L)

Day 3 – The Wildlife of Harris

The Isle of Harris gives an immense sense of history, and vast expanses of moorland hold nationally important breeding populations of Greenshank and Dunlin, while otters, golden eagles and sea eagles hunt here regularly. They are also home to herds of red deer, which can be seen grazing on the hillsides. We’ll spend a day exploring this beautiful island, enjoying some short coastal or glen hikes along the way. (B, L)

Walk details: 8km, approx. 4 hrs

Day 4 – Across the Sea to North Uist

We spend the morning on Harris before taking the early afternoon ferry to North Uist The islands of the southern Outer Hebrides are beckoning. Once we land at Berneray, we have a wonderful journey to our next hotel, which is tucked away in a tranquil spot in the south of the island. North Uist is a place of remote and windswept beauty. We are in good otter and diver territory, with plenty of places to stretch our legs before enjoying a warm welcome at our hotel. (B, L)

Walk details: 6 km, approx. 3 hrs

Day 5 – Raptors & Wildflowers

Like much of the archipelago, the west coast of South Uist holds empty sandy beaches and wildflower-rich machair meadow, whilst the east coast offers rocky inlets and heather covered hills. We aim to explore on foot during the day, taking a packed lunch with us as we walk along the enticing coastline. We will take the opportunity to scan the hills for some of the local golden and sea eagles – soaring with a wingspan well over two metres. Other daytime hunters include the ghostly hen harrier and furious looking short-eared owl, either of which could turn up almost anywhere during our time on the Uists. With otters, wildflowers, beachcombing and wildfowl all possible, there will be plenty for us to enjoy. We should also experience the endemic Hebridean song thrush! At migration times, these islands also tend to offer a stopover for exotic and lost migrating birds from America, the Arctic, Mediterranean – even the Far East! As long as we keep our eyes open, you never know what surprises we might find on this wildlife holiday.  (B, L)

Walk details: 8km, approx. 4 hrs

Day 6 – Corncrakes & Great Skuas

Today we’ll go in search of the elusive Corncrake at Balranald RSPB Reserve – a mix of fertile machair meadows and ancient farmland. These rare habitats also provide vital homes for many rare species, such as the great yellow bumblebee, corn bunting, golden-ringed dragonfly and many scarce wildflowers (not to mention photogenic highland cows!).  The heather moors of North Uist and Benbecula offer more good raptor hunting habitats and we will spend time in the search of more birds of prey, returning summer migrants such as wheatear and stonechat and perhaps red deer. (B, L, D)

Walk details: 8km, approx. 4 hrs

Day 7 – Return to Inverness

We begin our journey back to Inverness today, but there are still opportunities for some wonderful scenery and excellent wildlife sightings. We depart by ferry across the Minch again, this time on the late morning ferry heading for the Isle of Skye. From here, we journey through Skye, across the bridge to the mainland and then back along the shores of Loch Ness to Inverness, arriving by around 5.30pm. (B, L)