Destination Dreaming #6 An In depth look at Adventure Canada’s Scotland Slowly Itinerary

This week I had the opportunity to meet with MJ Swan from Adventure Canada and we looked into two of their amazing itineraries, we looked at Scotland Slowly and the Faroe Islands itinerary.
For those of you who don’t know who or what Adventure Canada is, they are a Canadian owned family company, they operate out of Canada — Betcha didn’t think that with the name lol — but they are an expedition cruise ship company. They sail to Scotland, Ireland, Shetland Islands and Antarctica and many more places. I will be meeting with them in November to go over their brand and do a look at what they offer then, but for this video and post, we are going to do a deep look at two of their itineraries.
I am going to put the video here, then discuss it below with the highlights and the slides so you can see them better and learn all about these amazing areas!

Here is the complete itinerary, we are going to be discussing the ports and what is available at each stop.

The first stop on this cruise is Islay. This is an island off the west coast of Scotland. This is an area of historical significance at a place called Finlaggan. It was once the seat of Lords of the Isles and home to the Donald Clan. This area has expansive scenery. It was built in the 13th to 15th centuries. In 1493 the lordships fell to James IV of Scotland who took care of the area as the tenant in chief. This area is now a museum. It has many artifacts that have been discovered here. You can even find the sheep wool quilted aketon which is worn the armour. You can also find an ancient cross related to the lords. In this picture, you will see what’s left of the stone walls of the medieval chapel.

This area is also home to some very good tasting Whisky. If you enjoy Whiskey make sure you try a sip in each area on this trip, you will find that it has a different taste in each region. So, have a dram at each stop and see which one you like best!

Our next stop is Iona. Here you will find where St. Columbus created a monastery here and it is believed to be where the famous book of Kells was started. Now the book is in Trinity College. It is a very important piece of history. We will go on a walking tour with some local tour guides and explore the area but this highlight of this stop is the Abbey. There are 62 kings who are buried at this Abbey. We get to explore here and learn all about is history.
This entire trip will have so much history and these first two days are a great introduction to this history.

The next stop will at St Kilda. St Kilda is the only area that is a joint UNESCO World Heritage site title.
It is home to an archaeological heritage site, in fact, the Scottish Government actually moved the towns people off this site, they relocated them more inland because they were exposed to rough weather and the supply ships could not access, nor could they have access to medical care them so they had to be moved to another site. They mainly lived off of sea birds as their main source of food at that time.
You can see in this photo where there is the remnants of their homes here and on the other side of this mountainside there are sheer cliffs and many bird species call this area home.

One of the species of birds in this area is the Gannets. These Gannets live on stacks that they call home. These stacks are in and around the area of St. Kilda. The Gannets has the largest wingspan in the northern hemisphere. (The Albatros has the largest in the southern hemisphere) There are about 150,000 of these birds in this area which is 1/5th of the world’s population of these species. These bird colonies and the stacks can only be seen by ship, you will not see them from land, so this is another great reason to sail with Adventure Canada and see these great birds! Remember to bring extra memory cards for your camera because you will get amazing shots you just won’t get to get again!

Next on our Scotland Slowly trip, we will stop at Lewis. This town of Lewis is where MJ got his cap, they are famous for Lewis Tweed, so make sure you stop at the shops to check out all the tweed! It is also home to the Callanish stones. These were erected in the late Neolithic era and were a focus for ritual activity during the Bronze Age. According to legend, these stones are the petrified giants who would not convert to Christianity. As of the time of writing, you can still touch these original stones. That can change at any time but you are able to walk right to them and run your hands on them!  No one knows at this time (and we most likely will never know) why the stones are arranged in this order and set up this way, but it is certainly an amazing piece of history to walk through and touch and see these amazing stones.

Later on this day we will travel to the other side of the island and see Dun Carloway. It is assumed that Dun Carloway was built in the 1st century AD. This is a Broch. These structures are usually built for safety, to keep watch for enemies. There was only one entrance and community members would be kept in there while the fight was going on outside to keep them safe. There were usually stores of food and water so they can stay in for as long as needed. A few years back you were able to go inside of this Broch, but it is not stable enough now to get inside, but it is still very interesting to see it and learn about its rich history.

These are the steps inside of this Broch of Dunn Carloway.

Next, we move on to Papa Stour. We are able to get into the Zodiacs and explore the erosion of soft volcanic walls. Here you will explore the caves, stacks and arches. You will see birds and sea life, maybe even some seals. You never know what you will see, and it is different every time. A very fun experience! This is about 1.5-2 hours for this tour, well worth the trip to see these natural habitats. The Zodiacs hold around 6-10 people. So you are in small numbers, and it is a safe fun way to explore!

This itinerary is a very popular tour. It is perfect to do with the small vessels, perfect on Adventure Canada. By going on the small ship, you are able to see ports you just can’t see on any other vessel. It is the PERFECT way to see Scotland! if you want more information on this itinerary please send me an email to Kathleen@PlentyofSunshineTravel.com or just use the live chat button on my this site. If I am not around at the time you send me a message I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Next up we will look at Scotland, The Faroe Islands and Iceland: North Atlantic Saga! This is on my bucket list for sure! This does have unique cultural significance but it also has stunning scenery. It is must do!

On our first stop on this tour we will stop at Aberdeen. Sometimes called the silver of grey city because of its granite, it makes the landscape look a little grey metallic and sparkly very unique. On a bright sunny day all the buildings seem to sparkle. And of course, if you are in Scotland you have to have the fish and chips, I can see a fish and chip restaurant in this picture that I would want to visit on my trip here! There is botanical gardens some museums and lots to see in this great town!

The first stop is in Kirkwall, Orkney. We will visit the island of Kirkwall then take a coach to the notable sites. Here you will find the ring of Brodgar. This is 104 meters in diameter. (341 feet) It is the only major henge and stone circle in Britain which is an almost perfect circle. Most henges do not contain stone circles; Brodgar is a striking exception. It is the third-largest in the British isles. You have to check this out! To get more info please send me a message Kathleen@PlentyofSunshineTravel.com to get you here! There were originally 60 stones, 23 are still standing. It is amazing to see in person. These pictures do not do it justice.

The next stop is Fair Isle where you will see Puffins. Fair Isle means Island of Tranquility. You can see why… its so peaceful. This area is rebuilding the observatory for the puffins. It had a fire a few years ago, but it is being rebuilt.

Adventure Canada always tells is guests to keep a distance from nature, to try not to disturb the puffins to much, but you can’t tell the Puffins what to do! They will come right up to you for that perfect camera shot! This is actually one of the reasons I love small ship cruising, you can really get up close and personal with nature and see so many things you just can’t see otherwise. So, you get that perfect picture to look back on and remember your amazing trip!

In Fair Isle, you will find world-famous Knitwear. You will find handmade knit sweaters and while they are quite expensive they will last you your entire life. Also, they are made for the Scottish elements and will keep you very warm for those cold winter nights. So, you get to decide if the price is worth it to you, but they are very well made and will last forever! Plus, you are helping the local economy and supporting the local artisans.

Every day on this itinerary you will be getting off the ship each and every day, there are no sea days on this itinerary. Adventure Canada is more about what you are experiencing and seeing rather than the frills on the ship. Remember that we will be meeting with them in November for our cruise chat, so we will be learning all about them at that time. This focus is on the destinations and we will be moving on to the next port of call which is on the Faroe Islands.
Did you know the Faroe Islands is composed of many volcano eruptions that made the Islands? The landscape is stunning! The Islands are known for the windy weather but where we visit is more sheltered so we are able to get off the ship safely.

As you can see there are a lack of trees, that’s thanks to the strong winds and frequent gales.

While there are not many trees, you will find land mammals. In fact, the puffins and the sheep outnumber the people on the island. They also have rabbits and ponies as well here, so some wildlife to see. You might have noticed that everyone in the picture seems to be wearing a blue coat, that is because adventure Canada will give you a jacket to wear on your cruise, it will protect you from the elements and you get to keep the jacket as well. Which is a nice treat for their guests.

There are lots of whales in this area as well as seals and other marine life in the video MJ lists them all, you can watch that to see all of them.

You will also see about 150,000 Pairs of Puffins and lots of other birds. There are so many things to see on this trip! If you love nature as much as I do, then you will love this itinerary.

They have a very unique Chain Dance and they do shows that you will have the honour of seeing. The ballads are very long and and can go on for long time, but interesting to see and hear.

The Faroe Islands get around 300 days of rain, so it is very lush and green. So your provided jacket will really come in handy here! The roofs on some of these homes are made of sod to protect the homes from the rain. Makes for pretty photographs.

Next, we venture to Torshavn it is the capital of the Faroe Islands. Established by the Vikings. There are 21,000 people in the capital. It was a Viking trading centre.

Next we see this stunning waterfall in Gasadalur. Stunning backdrop! I would love to do this itinerary, if you are interested in joining me we can create a group, and go together! Send me a message and we can set that up! Kathleen@PlentyofSunshineTravel.com

After a couple of more little stops in the Faroe Islands we will hit Reykjavik, Iceland. There are so many highlights here, you can visit the thermal baths, you can take the zodiacs out and explore the caves, you really need to extend your trip and explore the area in Iceland. I feel that adding on a post cruise 2 or 3 day stay would be something that is well worth it!

One thing that is very important to note about Adventure Canada is that there is NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT! So, if you want to do small group expedition travels, and be able to travel on the tours in a group, but yet travel solo, this is the best way to do it!!

Also, there is a special savings, you can save 15% of your cruise (available to anyone) until October 31st, there is a misprint on this slide, the sale was extended to October 31st you can save an additional 15% Make sure you get in on that. You can send me a message and we can get your adventure started with Adventure Canada

Here is an overview of the other itineraries that you can explore.

If you want more information on this or any other cruise, my contact information is listed here. You can call, email, text or even use the live chat button on this page. However you want to get in touch with me, is fine with me.

Thank you so much for watching this weeks episode of Destination Dreaming, I look forward to helping you check off your bucket list.