Atlantic Ocean

Scottish Islands & Faroes

Your journey to the Faroes, Shetland and Hebrides is an island-hopping adventure. Visit Britain’s remotest islands. First is the lonely outpost of St. Kilda, which boasts huge bird colonies and Fair Isle, with its gannets. Then comes Foula, where a handful of people share their island home with thousands of arctic skuas, great skuas and arctic terns, while the surrounding seas are the domain of seals and sea otters. You may also come across whales and dolphins. While on land visit renowned archaeological sites, such as the Picten Broch on Mousa and the 18th century village on North Rona.

The Faroes are peppered with fishing villages and have a rich Norse heritage. Cruising the narrow sounds that cut through this ancient volcanic archipelago, sail beneath precipitous, 500-meter high basalt cliffs. On the islands of Skuvøy, Fugløy and Mykines, the sight of thousands of guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins is breathtaking and the sound deafening. Pilot whales occur in Faroese waters as well as bottlenose, fin and killer whales, and grey seals. While on shore visit the important Norse remains at Kirkjubøur. The trips depart from Aberdeen and return to Oban, or vice versa. Ship Professor Molchanov or Professor Multanovskiy.


Faroe Islands to Spitsbergen

This voyage sails north from the temperate Scottish Islands to the high arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen. Along the way call in at some of the most isolated North Atlantic islands. Visit North Rona, an exposed island which supports a large breeding colony of seals. At Mykines in the Faroes, the seabird population is very dense and the seas teem with whales and dolphins.

Continuing north, stop at the island of Jan Mayen, home to thousands of arctic seabirds including little auks and Brünnich's guillemots. Dominated by the volcanic cone of Mt. Beerenberg, the island's rocky shores are littered with reminders of the 17th century whaling epoch.

There is a high probability of spotting large whales before we reach the rim of the pack ice and the first views of Spitsbergen. Entering Hornsund, with its interesting geological formations and huge colonies of seabirds, there are good chances of seeing polar bears and seals. Sailing north to Bellsund and Isfjord, we may run into sea ice. Departs from Oban or Aberdeen and disembarks in Longyearbyen. Ship Professor Multanovskiy.

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