Caledonian Springtime on the Lord of the Highlands, with Hebridean Island Cruises, is a unique cruise. It sails the high seas from Oban to the Hebridean islands of Mull and Iona before heading inland through the Caledonian Canal to Inverness. 

Dark wood, plush carpets and flashes of tartan give a country house feel to the 19-cabin Lord of the Highlands. It’s a ship with royal associations too: Queen Elizabeth ll twice hired sister-ship Hebridean Princess to host her guests. 

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks are all part of the all-inclusive package which features a variety of 26 single-malt whiskies behind the bar. Stepping ashore, admissions to attractions such as Duart Castle, Mull Cheese Farm, Glenfinnan Monument and the Culloden Visitor Centre are covered, as are tea, coffee and cakes at the cafes.

Cruise lecturer, David Barnes, historian and author, explains how the voyage progresses in chronological order. Beginning with Columba bringing Christianity to Iona, through Bonnie Prince Charlie’s 1745 rising, on to the subsequent Highlands Clearances and concluding with contemporary expressions of Scottish identity. 

The arrival

Most guests travel to Inverness for a coach trip, through the Great Glen and along the shores of Loch Linnhe, to Oban where the Lord of the Highlands awaits. Other guests travel directly to Oban. 

Crew take luggage to our cabins – more dark wood and polished nautical brass – where a decanter of whisky sits. 

Mull

Less than an hour’s cruise, past the granite obelisk celebrating Hutcheson’s 19th century development of island steamship routes, takes us to Craignure harbour on Mull. 

“There is no crime on Mull, no need to lock your doors,” coach driver Andy informs us as he looks out…

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