Scotland, Isles of Scilly & the West Country 7-17 June 2025
- ph87gb
- Jun 22
- 16 min read
7 June Rosyth
The team for this cruise were Peter Howlett, Christine Murdie, and Lorraine Soulby. As the cruise was departing from and returning to Rosyth Christine had the easiest journey, a short train ride from Edinburgh, Lorraine had to travel up from Doncaster and Peter all the way from Cardiff. Once aboard and settled in cabins it was time for a catch-up over a cup of tea, welcome Lorraine to the OWE team, and discuss plans for the next 10 days.
There were a lot of heavy showers around, but Rosyth had been spared all day – until sail away of course – when the sky turned rather dark and rain marred our departure under the bridges. Still, the winds were light, and we scored our first cetaceans – four Harbour Porpoise four nautical miles east of Inchkeith – within an hour or so of departing.
There were a good number of seabirds too, with Guillemot, Puffin, Razorbill and Gannet seen. Perhaps most surprising was a group of 25 Manx Shearwater, a seemingly good number for this time of year in the Forth. The weather deteriorated early in the evening with further rain and poor visibility, so we called it a day.
8 June at sea Moray Firth and Orkney
The team were on deck bright and early and ready for our first sea day. There were clear blue skies overhead but the the 16-20 knots of wind from west-northwest made sea conditions tricky for spotting cetaceans. The Fulmars were loving it though, with many birds hanging in the wind alongside the Balmoral during the morning, offering fantastic views and photo opportunities.
A lone Shag flew across the stern of the Balmoral, catching the early morning sun, which emphasised the green sheen to the plumage. Odd sighting of the morning goes to an Oystercatcher which flew past when we were about 30 miles offshore, presumably a failed breeder moving around?
There had been many reports of Killer Whales along the east coast of Scotland in the past few days, some as close as the south side of the Moray Firth, just 40-50 miles away, sadly none popped up for us to see.
We passed Duncansby Head, the northeast corner of mainland Scotland, late morning and headed into the Pentland Firth. Notorious for its strong tides and rough seas, today we were lucky, and the sea was relatively calm, with just a slight swell. We passed several large feeding flocks of Fulmar and mixed auks, giving an indication as to how rich these waters are.
Mid-afternoon saw us cruising past the Old Man of Hoy, unfortunately, the first view we had of it was a little underwhelming as the stack merged very effectively with the background. As we sailed further north the stack was more apparent but by then it was some distance astern.
A little further north off the coast of Mainland Orkney with the seabird colony on Marwick Head just three miles to the east there were a good number of seabirds around, especially Guillemot and Kittiwake. It was nice to see quite a few ‘bridled’ Guillemot; this distinctive morph gets more numerous the further north you go in the UK. It was also good to get our first Great Skua, they were really hit hard by bird flu – it’s estimated that as much as 50% of the global population may have been lost – certainly, the populations in Shetland and Orkney were severely reduced.
This location also provided our only cetacean sighting of the day, Lorraine picking up a group of eight White-beaked Dolphin powering towards the bow of Balmoral. Unfortunately, they reached the bow then disappeared, they didn’t come out the other side nor did they appear behind us playing in the wake waves. Still, at least we had a sighting for the day.
Through the day we had been speaking to a good number of guests and 14 signed up for the OWE WhatsApp sighting alert group, something we set up on each cruise. We also gained a small but dedicated band of regulars who were to be seen on deck almost as much as we were.
Our route took us around the top of Orkney then southeast to pass 15 miles south of Fair Isle, which we did just as it was getting dark. We were due into Lerwick quite early the following day but with dawn at 03:50 we would have a bit of time to look for wildlife before we docked.
9 June Lerwick, Shetland
Grey skies greeted us as we got out on deck early in the morning for the run into Lerwick, but seas were flat, with scarcely a breath of wind. Sadly, there were no cetaceans to be seen and even seabirds were a little sparse. The Lerwick pilot boat ploughed out to meet us near Kirkabister lighthouse before continuing in. Best bird as we arrived were two Red-throated Divers, it looked like a young male (not in breeding plumage) trying to get the attention of an adult female, without much success.
Ships usually stir up sediment and bring in seabirds as they dock and this morning was no different, but the array of birds attracted around Balmoral was slightly more varied as we were in Shetland. Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, and Common Tern were perhaps much as you might expect further south but Kittiwake and Common Gull and Arctic Tern less so.
When the team were planning for the cruise back in May we had all decided to book a trip out with Shetland Seabird Tours to visit the Gannet colony on Noss – and we were all very pleased with that decision. Without doubt the trip ranks right up there with boat trips elsewhere in the world, the noise in the Gannet colony, the noise of a flock of 100 or so Gannet chasing after the boat and having Gannet diving within a few metres of you is something special. Add to that seeing Great Skua, Great Black-backed Gull, Fulmar and all the auk species within metres and it was a fantastic couple of hours.
Around the Gannet colony there was plenty of evidence of the impact plastic pollution is having on our seabirds. We could see one nest, largely made of netting and plastic twine, where a bird had got entangled and was now hanging below the nest, dead. On another nest a length of twine hanging from a nest above was now tangled around the neck of an incubating bird, with likely deadly consequences when the pair try and exchange incubation duties.
One bird seen picking up nesting material below the colony had a dark eye, caused by haemorrhaging when infected with bird flu. It is gratifying to see that birds are able to survive, even with the dark eye.
While Lorraine and Christine spent the afternoon having a wander around town Peter went in search of Black Guillemot along the harbour. Fortunately, there were quite a few and eventually two or three were found which were close in. Close views of Shag and Common and Arctic Tern was an added bonus. Not so good was finding out from guests later on that some had seen Otter right where Peter had been photographing Arctic Terns.
The Balmoral left Lerwick at 16:00 which meant plenty of daylight to try and find some cetaceans and birds. A line of five male Common Eider as we sailed made for a colourful sight, as did the North Link ferry ‘Hrossey’ as it overtook us on the way to Sumburgh Head.
Just before we rounded Sumburgh Head Christine and Peter spotted a surge through the water close into the starboard side but couldn’t actually make out the animal. It surfaced again, still without really showing itself but both thought it most likely a Minke Whale. Fortunately, it surfaced a couple of times just behind Balmoral and we got a clear view of a Minke Whale. This was to be our only cetacean sighting before we gave up for the day, although a guest also saw a Harbour Porpoise.
10 June at sea cruising the Inner Hebrides and Summer Isles
At the start of the day, we were 6.5 nautical miles NW of Cape Wrath and with clear skies and 15 knots of wind from the W-NW it looked like we’d be in for a glorious day cruising down the Minch, around Skye and then around the Small Isles.
Seabirds were numerous near Cape Wrath but tailed off as we made our way south and there wasn’t a sniff of a cetacean for over two and half hours. Three Common Dolphin finally broke the cetacean duck, but they were playing hardball and very tricky to get much on them. They were followed shortly after by a group of four dolphins which we got even less on and had to be logged as dolphin sp. Lorraine caught sight of a blow and had a brief glimpse of the back of a Fin Whale, not very far away from where one had been seen a few days previously. Frustratingly, for a Fin whale, it showed only the once.
Seabird numbers picked up as we passed the Shiant Islands but despite searching the skyline over them no one could pick out a White-tailed Eagle. The shipping channel passes to the west of the islands, so you are very close to Lewis as well as the Shiants, a wonderful sight in the sunshine. We came across another group of Common Dolphin about an hour southwest of the Shiants and at least managed to get a photo of these, although they still kept their distance.
The majority of guests on board were Scottish and quite a few had chosen this cruise to see the islands as they had never travelled to the western side of Scotland. They, along with those more familiar with the area, couldn’t get over the weather we were being treated to today. It certainly wouldn’t have been the same if it had been raining and blowing a gale.
We had another couple of distant sightings of dolphins, one group of six could be identified as Common as they were leaping out of the water, a pair popped up so briefly that they had to go down as dolphin sp. As we were approaching Canna a Minke Whale rolled twice, two or three guests were lucky and managed to get on it before it disappeared.
With deep water under the keel the Captain was able to take us in close as we passed by Canna, Rum, Eigg and then Muck, the islands looking glorious in the sunshine and with just cotton wool puffs of cloud forming around the hills. Peter picked up a movement on the cliffs of the northern end of Eigg turned out to be a White-tailed Eagle, a very distant view but a couple of people were lucky to get on it.
As we left Muck behind and with Ardnamurchan Point in sight we hit a large school of Common Dolphins, we estimated at least 220. These did perform, and most of the guests on deck managed to see them as they came into the bow and were visible under the water alongside the ship. A very special encounter for many on board.
The Isle of Skye had been the backdrop to the east for most of the morning, in the afternoon it was the turn of Mull. It formed a superb backdrop to the Small Isles as we circled Bac Mòr (Dutchman’s Cap) before heading to Staffa. It was now late afternoon, and the light was just right for viewing the southwest side of the island where the caves are. There were a great many photos taken showing Staffa off against the blue seas and blue skies. We even had an extra little spectacle of a helicopter dropping equipment off on the island.
As we headed away from Staffa and started picking up speed Lorraine was lucky enough to see two Bottlenose Dolphin come towards the bow, where they promptly disappeared. A Harbour Porpoise and Grey Seal 30 minutes later added to the tally for the day.
A further three Minke Whales were seen during the evening, two by keen guests who stayed on deck until twilight. Seabird numbers had been quite low for much of the afternoon but as we approached Rhinns Point on Islay and the powerful tides running past the point there was suddenly an explosion in the numbers of Manx Shearwater, with over 3000 seen just as the sun was setting. Given the number of Manx that feed off the northwest coast of Scotland it did feel like we hadn’t seen that many – even with these large flocks to end the day.
11 June at sea cruising the Irish Sea
Another glorious day, blue skies, and light winds, how long can it last? Seabirds were very much in evidence, especially Herring Gull and Kittiwake. One trawler in particular had a couple of hundred gulls behind it, mainly Herring – which was a bit of a surprise in the middle of the Irish Sea.
Sea conditions improved further during the morning, and the wind dropped to force one or less – ideal cetacean spotting conditions and from 11:00 onwards we had a very good run of sightings with 24 different sightings totalling 254 animals logged.
The peak came around the middle of the day when we were 20 nautical miles east of Dublin and came across a school of 100 Common Dolphin. Sightings continued spread through the day with four schools of 20+ Common Dolphin. However, few came into the Balmoral, with most feeding and staying a mile or more away from the ship.
Minke Whale were probably the star of the day though, seven seen during the day is a good total for the Irish Sea. One lucky guest saw a Basking Shark – we really should have seen more than one given the sea conditions. The first Barrel Jellyfish was also logged during the afternoon.
At sunset we were just off the Pembrokeshire coast and close to the islands of Skomer and Skokholm, despite this there was no evening surge in Manx Shearwater numbers.
St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly tomorrow and first land for a couple of days.
12 June St Mary’s
What a difference a night and a few miles makes, no blue skies for us this morning just overcast, a bit of drizzle and poor visibility. Cruise ships would normally approach St Mary’s from a channel facing northwest, but it looked as though a big swell had forced us to anchor in Crow Sound to the northeast.
There were very few birds to be seen as we approached the anchorage just a smattering of Shags, gulls, and auks.
The tender trip to Hugh Town was a little longer than it would normally have been, but the scenery was pretty, even in the grey. The island is lovely and tranquil, walking through the lanes there was just the sound of bird song to be heard. Peter headed to the north coast to get photos of the Balmoral at anchor while Lorraine and Christine ambled around Hugh Town.
The team were back on board by mid-afternoon and ready for an early departure, although conditions didn’t look promising for the sail away. The wind had increased from the southeast and the visibility was still poor, despite this we did manage to get Common Dolphin in the sightings sheet, so we had still seen at least one cetacean every day of the cruise so far.
As we sailed away leaving St Mary’s behind in the gloom, a rather surprising passenger was discovered, a Swallow was flitting around the aft decks and occasionally landing on the backs of chairs. Let’s hope it hasn’t got a nest on St Mary’s.
13 June Falmouth
A photographable sunrise, the first of the cruise, with others being too bright to try and get a photo. It was a glorious start as we sailed up Falmouth Bay, with the sun out it was even warm enough to be dressed in t-shirt and shorts! There were a few birds to be seen as we approached, but sadly no cetaceans. Bird of the morning were five first summer Mediterranean Gull, our first of the cruise.
Of course, the lovely weather wasn’t going to last, as we approached Pendennis Point the sun went behind some rather dark looking clouds and as we made our way into the Carrick Roads the first spots of rain started to fall. We also spotted the Swallow departing the ship heading off over the shipyard, let’s hope it makes it back to St Mary’s okay.
Falmouth has a lovely waterfront, but it wasn’t to be seen at its best in the rain this morning. It rained off and on for virtually the whole day with just the odd break long enough to encourage a quick wander ashore and catch the odd band playing at the sea shanty festival.
We sailed at 19:00 and left Falmouth under heavy overcast and light rain, with the light of St Anthony Head lighthouse standing out brightly in the gloom. Despite the poor conditions Christine and Lorraine managed to see three Bottlenose Dolphin on their side of Balmoral, Peter dipped again, still to see a Bottlenose on this cruise.
Next stop Dartmouth, a tender port, let’s hope the winds remain light.
14 June Dartmouth
The team were on deck at dawn again with two hours to run until we anchored. Conditions were okay but there appeared to be very little out there, until a fin was spotted, barely breaking the surface, alongside the ship. A small group of Common Dolphins snuck past Balmoral to join up with some others to the east of us, 15 in all and looked as though they were feeding. Still, we had cetaceans on the day list.
Although it wasn’t very rough the Dartmouth pilot made heavy weather of getting out to us, with the boat disappearing behind a cloud of spray on several occasions.
A quick run ashore to sample the delights of Dartmouth, a very pretty town in a great location, was the order of the day with everyone back on board by 16:00 for sail away.
There were a few more birds to be seen on sail away, best of which were two Sandwich Terns, a new species for the cruise. Otherwise, there were a few Manx Shearwater, Kittiwake, Herring Gull, and Fulmar. Despite the good viewing conditions, we couldn’t find any more cetaceans.
Our last port of call on the cruise beckons tomorrow, Portsmouth, likely to be the day we miss out on seeing a cetacean as there tends to be little around the entrance to Portsmouth harbour.
15 June Portsmouth
Another sunny day with light winds as we approached Portsmouth harbour, looking to the west the light was good but there wasn’t that much to see other than ships at anchor and the Napoleonic-era forts dotted either side of the harbour channel. A couple, like Spitbank and No Man’s Land forts were converted into hotels in the early 2000s but didn’t survive the break in business due to Covid – both sold in 2024 for a little over £1 million each.
It’s always interesting entering Portsmouth on a large ship; the harbour entrance is really narrow, just 230 metres across, and you’re close to the buildings of old Portsmouth lining the waterfront. Also, as home to the Royal Navy in the south of the UK, there are always plenty of warships to see along with the hustle and bustle of leisure boats pottering around.
As we moored up a few Black-headed Gulls circled around but seemed to be disappointed by what the Balmoral stirred up and soon disappeared. Fred.Olsen had laid on a water taxi service to take guests from the ship down to Gunwharf Quay, the main shopping and eating area, which was a good way of seeing a few birds. There was a gathering of gulls and Common Tern in mid-channel and the water taxi passed close to them.
We departed Portsmouth at 17:00 and made our way through the throng of leisure boats and Isle of Wight ferries cluttering the harbour – it must be a nightmare for the Pilot or Captain steering a large ship through Portsmouth on a fine weekend day. The Isle of Wight is the only place still served by a scheduled hovercraft service and one obliged by passing astern of us as we left. We were also graced with a flyover by a Spitfire, off on a pootle around the Isle of Wight.
A few miles offshore we encountered a good number of Mediterranean Gull, unlike the first summer birds near Falmouth, these were all adults in their smart breeding plumage, and likely from the large breeding colony in Langstone Harbour, just east of Portsmouth. Mediterranean Gull first bred in the UK in the mid-1980s and there are now some 2500 pairs, with about 1200 of those in Langstone Harbour.
16 June at sea Portsmouth-Rosyth
Another beautiful day for our last day at sea on this round the UK cruise, blue skies and light winds made for good watching conditions. However, it was a very slow start with few birds to be seen and not a sniff of a cetacean. We had to wait until 10:00 when we were 30 nautical miles off the north Norfolk coast for a group of dolphins to show up. They turned out to be four White-beaked Dolphin, always a good species to see as they’re not that common around the coast of the UK. Sadly, they stayed well away from the ship and could only be definitely identified through photographs.
Bird numbers picked up as we continued north and got closer to the huge seabird colonies in the Filey/Flamborough/Bempton area near Scarborough, there are around 240,000 birds in this area so there should be plenty to see. Kittiwake seemed to be the most numerous, with dozens of feeding flocks seen during the day and a conservative estimate of 10,000 put in the log. One feeding flock passed close enough to us that we could see they were feeding on small sandeel, their preferred prey and they were getting good number of them too.
Gannet and Guillemot were also seen in good numbers, although only the hundreds rather than thousands. We were also a bit taken aback to come across a few fledged Razorbill and Guillemot chicks, paddling around with their dads. Mid-June seems quite early for them to have fledged and means eggs would have been laid at the end of April but perhaps the settled weather earlier in the year prompted birds to lay eggs a little earlier than normal.
Flat calm seas through the middle of the day helped produce a run of Harbour Porpoise sightings with six seen during the day. As always with this species sightings were brief but at least a few guests were able to get on to them in the calm conditions.
17 June return to Rosyth
A few guests joined Peter on deck at first light, but conditions were unpleasant with grey skies and a 20-25 knots of wind from the SW. Unfortunately, we had already passed Bass Rock, disappearing into the murk as we got on deck, but there were still quite a few Gannet around the ship and one or two drafted alongside giving very good views. As we passed Inchkeith a mixed flock of seabirds feeding just to the east of the island drew attention, and sure enough, there were cetaceans there too in the form of two Minke Whale – a great end to the cruise.
We passed several more of the small islands in the inner Forth such as Inchmickery, Car Craig and Inchcolm there were hundreds of breeding birds to be seen. Mainly Herring Gull with smaller numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gull and Kittiwake. Although the 50+ pairs of Cormorant on Car Craig were of note.
Just east of the bridges we were still seeing the odd Puffin flying around and we also encountered five Grey Seal as we travelled the last few hundred metres.
Back alongside we had time for breakfast before heading off, with Lorraine and Peter envying Christine’s short journey back home.
We would like to thank the guests who joined us on deck and helped with the sightings. OWE are there to enrich the guest experience but we can only do that if folk are out on deck for us to chat to. Hopefully, we may see some of you again on future cruises.
Dear Lorraine, Christine and Peter, what a fabulous blog. Well written and fabulous photos. Its the best souvenir I can have from my holiday. It filled in any gaps, especially photos of dolphins and whales which always seemed to appear when I turned my back or was not there! I appreciate so much your hard work on board and this wonderful write up. We enjoyed your company also and incredible knowledge of wildlife which you shared with us (always much appreciated) We both hope to meet up again with you on another cruise soon. Can you let me know which you will be on as you being there would make our choice of cruise easier.
Warm Regards, Celia
Always lush to read of your encounters. Are you guys on the Ambition across to Norway on the 30th July?