Lord of the Highlands Cruise
By Pat Dacey.
As fans and frequent guests onboard Hebridean Island Cruises’ 50-passenger Hebridean Princess, my wife Denise and I were excited in 2022 to experience the new addition to their fleet, the Lord of the Highlands.
For over 30 years, Hebridean Island Cruises has been offering luxury cruises to the Western Isles of Scotland and beyond and now wanted to grow by expanding its fleet and Scottish destinations.
With all-inclusive fares combined with the atmosphere of a fine country house, the Hebridean Princess has been a favorite of many over the years including Queen Elizabeth II who chartered her twice.
For the 2022 cruise season, more than 70% of her guests were repeat guests.
The new 38-pax Lord of the Highlands. * Photo: Hebridean Island Cruises
Lord of the Highlands Cruise Across the Caledonia Canal
Our 7-night Lord of the Highland voyage would take us on a transit of the 1822-built, 62-mile Caledonia Canal from Inverness to Corpach continuing to Scotland’s western seaboard to Kyle of Lochalsh.
This exciting itinerary would be a first for us since the Hebridean Princess is too large to transit the canal.
With the idea of transiting the canal in mind, Hebridean Island Cruises purchased a vessel that started her career in 2012 as a Turkish ferry and carried upwards of seven hundred passengers between Turkey and Greece.
In an interesting twist, the vessel prior to being purchased by Hebridean Island Cruises, was purchased by another company with the same intentions as Hebridean Island Cruise and had actually started its conversion in a Spanish shipyard.
As COVID put a pause on cruising globally, the original purchaser of the already named Lord of the Highlands, nearing her sixteenth month of conversion and ultimate completion, pulled out of the agreement with the shipyard leaving the shipyard looking for a new owner.
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New Design & New Owner of Lord of the Highlands
Luckily, the vessel was being redesigned to the highest standards with the best quality products being used both internally and externally to turn the vessel into a 38-passenger luxury cruise ship.
The result was a “new” vessel complete with an additional deck, all new interior spaces, propulsion, and navigation systems as well as the latest in safety standards.
Hebridean Island Cruises completed the purchase of their new “turn-key” vessel and set about creating a cruise calendar for 2022 and beyond.
Slight Change of Plans
As our cruise approached, we were notified that there would be a slight itinerary change due to some unexpected work on the Caledonian Canal requiring us to start our journey in Oban rather than Inverness.
Since we already had our flight arrangements made, Hebridean Island Cruises gladly arranged for chauffeured transport for all those arriving in Inverness to be driven to Oban to meet the vessel.
Arriving in Oban on May 2, 2022, and after a few administrative procedures to complete, including a rapid COVID test, we were welcomed onboard with a glass of champagne and escorted to our cabin.
Our cabin was #204, a Category 1 deluxe cabin located on Richard Hannay Deck and offers twin beds as well as large picture windows and ensuite facilities.
Beautiful warm woods, detailed moldings and tartan fabrics throughout the cabin added to its spaciousness and thoughtful design elements.
A Category 2 cabin. * Photo: Hebridean Island Cruises
Two Surprises in One Day
For our May 2-9 (2022) sailing, there would be two surprises on our first day.
The first was that since there were issues with transiting the canal, the first two cruises had to be cancelled while Hebridean Island Cruises adjusted itineraries. The result of this change meant that we would be joining the vessel for her “maiden voyage” — how exciting!
The second surprise was that because of all the changes and cancellations due to the adjusted itinerary, we would be sailing with only 17 passengers instead of the 38 that the vessel could accommodate.
This arrangement suited us fine and contributed to the relaxed Hebridean Island Cruises celebratory house party atmosphere.
After settling in, all passengers were welcomed to a reception in the Panorama Lounge for a champagne welcome by Ken Charleson who is the managing director for Hebridean Island Cruises.
Afterwards, the principal staff were all introduced, including Captain Duncan, Hotel Manager Andy Allan, and a familiar face from previous Hebridean Princess cruises, Caz Palmer, who would be sailing as Chief Officer for the voyage.
Lord of the Highlands 7-Night Itinerary Between Iverness and Kyle of Lochalsh
Day 1 — Inverness, Embark
Day 2 — Inverness, Culloden & Clava Cairns; Cruise the Caledonian Canal to Fort Augustus
Day 3 — Cruise the Caledonian Canal to Banavie & transit Neptune’s Staircase to Corpach
Day 4 —Sail Loch Linnhe to Oban (Oban Distillery)
Day 5 — Craignure & Tobermory
Day 6 — Eigg, Armadale & Skye (Armadale Castle)
Day 7 — Kyle of Lochalsh, to Plockton & Eilean Donan Castle
Day 8 — Kyle of Lochalsh, disembark & transfer to Inverness
The Lord of the Highlands Caledonian Canal route. * Map: Hebridean Cruise Lines
Public Rooms of Lord of the Highlands
The Panorama Lounge is the heart of the vessel for most activities and is situated on the top deck, Tweedsmuir Deck, just forward of the Caledonian Restaurant.
The room’s warmth is provided by the rich hardwood finishes offset by cream paneling and includes a glass atrium with seating for all passengers at one time. Seating is available in armchairs and couches in a contemporary “yacht” design while more formal seating is available in Pullman-style chairs that line the windows between the lounge and restaurant.
In addition to the indoor space, there is direct access to a forward outside observation area which is over the bridge and is furnished with teak armchairs guaranteeing all a wonderful spot for watching the passing scenery.
Further, there is a 24-hour coffee and tea station located in the lounge which also includes water and light snacks.
With formalities behind us, it was time to enjoy the evening as we would be overnighting in Oban before setting sail the next morning.
Pre-dinner cocktails from the bar in the Panorama Lounge followed by a wonderful dinner in the Caledonian Restaurant completed a very busy but thoroughly enjoyable first day.
The Bar in the Panorama Lounge. * Photo: Pat Dacey
Meals on Our Lord of the Highlands Cruise
All meals onboard are served in the Caledonian Restaurant, which offers single sitting at a designated time depending on the day’s activities. Generally, most breakfasts were served at 7:30am with lunch served at 12:30pm and dinner at 7:00pm.
Although there is no assigned seating during mealtimes, due to the small number of passengers, all were invited to share and encouraged to rotate tables during the cruise.
There were some passengers that had made prior arrangements for a reserved table for the duration of the cruise and others who remained in their same seats for the entire cruise as well.
Caledonia Restaurant. * Photo: Pat Dacey
Breakfast is offered as both a buffet in addition to ala-carte hot and cold options with lunch and dinner being table service and offered as either a three or four-course meal depending on the day.
For dinner each evening a senior member of the ships’ staff would join a large six-seat table with passengers; anyone had the option of joining the table (first come first served) without a pre-arrangement.
This seating arrangement on Lord of the Highlands is different than the Hebridean Princess, which has assigned seating for all meals which Denise and I favor.
As with the Hebridean Princess, the Lord of the Highlands is all-inclusive, with rates covering all onboard dining experiences, complimentary drinks, all shore experiences, gratuities, and taxes.
As a result, premium wines such as an outstanding Chateau Vignot Saint Emillion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, accompany both lunch and dinner and you are free to ask for something else if you prefer.
All meals were comprised of local fresh ingredients and served by a staff of three. The evening dinner included a nightly cheese selection, appetizers and entrees.
The dining room was a continuation of the design elements and themes that are evident throughout the vessel with upholstered seating, fine china, 270-degree views and a Scottish thistle on every table.
Each night a daily program is placed in your cabin highlighting the following days’ activities as well as dining times identifying if it is a gala evening or not.
The dress code is smart casual, with perhaps a jacket worn for dinner. On our cruise, we had two gala evenings where passengers dressed more formally with some choosing black tie, although not required.
Sailing to Corpach on our Lord of the Highlands Cruise
After a comfortable night’s sleep our first night aboard, the next day May 3rd we sailed for Corpach, where after lunch we disembarked for an afternoon visit to Glenfinnan by coach.
The day included an escorted tour to Loch Shiel, an opportunity to view the famous 23-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct and a train trip via ScotRail over the viaduct with a return by rail to Corpach.
As noted previously, all admissions, gratuities, and transportation for all shore experiences were included as well as an onboard guide for the duration of the cruise, resulting in a carefree experience.
The 23-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct. * Photo: Hebridean Island Cruises
Cruising The Caledonian Canal
The following day, we left our overnight berth and headed into the Caledonian Canal for our eight-hour journey to Gairlochy where we would berth overnight.
This day included ascending Neptune’s Staircase, which is a staircase lock comprising eight locks on the Caledonian Canal. It is the longest staircase lock in Britain lifting boats 64 feet.
Entering Neptune’s’ Staircase on the Caledonian Canal . * Photo: Pat Dacey
Note that this was the first time that the Lord of the Highlands entered the Caledonian Canal.
It was impressive to observe the professionalism and skill of the entire staff working together to navigate the locks in a vessel which is the largest vessel ever built for this purpose.
Neptune’s Staircase. * Photo: Hebredian Island Cruises
During the time navigating the canal, some passengers spent time reading in the Panorama lounge while others spent time outside admiring the engineering accomplishments of a canal that was built between 1803 and 1822.
The atmosphere onboard was very relaxing with no announcements, an attentive staff, and the beautiful Scottish countryside passing by.
While docked, passengers were provided the opportunity to leave the vessel and explore the surrounding area on their own, with many guests opting for walks along the canal.
A Pepper Pot Lighthouse located on Loch Oich. * Photo: Pat Dacey
The next day was spent leisurely retracing our previous day’s trip on the canal heading back to Corpach while descending Neptune’s staircase.
Due to high winds, it was decided to cancel our afternoon sailing to the Isle of Mull and remain in Corpach overnight.
As a result of the change of plans, a visit to the Ben Nevis Distillery with a tasting and tour was arranged in addition to some local scenic attractions.
On to Tobermory
By Friday, we were back on schedule with a morning sail to Tobermory, which afforded us an opportunity to explore on our own along the beautiful shoreline and in the quaint and colorful town.
Prior to dinner, we were delighted to have a local naturalist come onboard for a program on the sea life that we would hopefully be observing the following day.
Marine life presentation onboard while in Tobermory. * Photo: Denise Dacey
Given the 12 noon departure from Tobermory, passengers once again had an opportunity to further explore on their own with some guests opting for a hike while others chose a gentle stroll through town.
With an afternoon spent cruising in calm seas and clear skies, the mood onboard was convivial with many passengers, who by this time knew each other by first name, eagerly sharing their experiences with one another.
A highlight of our day was a meeting with the Hebridean Princess for a much-anticipated sail by.
Hebridean Princess as seen from the Lord of the Highlands. * Photo: Pat Dacey
Berthing in Inverie overnight, all passengers were invited to “The Old Forge,” the northernmost remote pub in the mainland UK.
It was a crisp day with the sea sparkling blue as passengers joined each other for a drink and camaraderie while the Lord of the Highlands picked up the tab.
The Old Forge Inn at Inverie. * Photo: Denise Dacey
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A Day of Touring Armadale Gardens & Eilean Donan Castle
With our final full day fast approaching, we set sail in the morning for a short trip to Armadale where a shuttle was available to take passengers to Armadale Gardens for a morning full of exploration on this beautiful estate.
Armadale Gardens. * Photo: Pat Dacey
After a noon departure, we sailed to Kyle of Lochalsh where we docked and took a coach to Eilean Donan Castle, recognized as one of the most iconic images in Scotland for a visit.
Eilean Donan Castle. * Photo: Denise Dacey
Our Final Gala Dinner
Returning to the warmth and comfort of the Lord of the Highlands, we readied ourselves for our final gala dinner in the Caledonian Restaurant with champagne and canapes served in the Panorama Lounge.
As with all Hebridean Island Cruises, the final gala dinner includes a Scottish piper who pipes in the arrival of the haggis followed by a reading of the Robert Burns’ poem “Address to a Haggis.”
“Piping in the haggis.” * Photo: Denise Dacey
In addition to the haggis, neeps and tatties, dinner included many delicious selections, from roasted rack of Pentland Lamb and poached paupiette of lemon sole, to white chocolate and raspberry cranachan with soaked orange oats.
Roasted Rack of Pentland Lamb. * Photo: Denise Dacey
Following a wonderful dinner, we were treated to enthusiastic local entertainment featuring a troupe of Scottish dancers in traditional dress.
The author enjoying the last gala evening onboard. * Photo: Denise Dacey
Morning came quickly and after a full breakfast, we disembarked to a coach for a trip back to Inverness Airport while others continued back to Oban for their journeys home.
Interested in This Cruise?
The 7-night all-inclusive Lord for the Highlands Caledonian Canal cruise starts at 3,990 EURO per person.
https://www.hebridean.co.uk/cruise-calendar/lord-of-the-highlands-cruises/
Our Final Thoughts
In closing, the trip was wonderful. The Lord of the Highlands is an exceptional vessel with an equally exceptional staff who look after you with personal service providing a superior and relaxed vacation experience.
As an additional note, after approximately three sailings in 2022, the Lord of the Highlands was temporarily withdrawn from service to have additional technical work done to enhance her handling performance in the Caledonian Canal and was scheduled to return to service on May 2, 2023.
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HEIDI SARNA
