Lord of the Highlands - Highlands and Islands

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Summary

In 2020 the hugely popular ‘Lord of the Glens’ will be joined by a brand new sister ship, the ‘Lord of the Highlands’.

The challenge, as with her sister ship, was to craft a vessel that could both transit the intricate waters of the Caledonian Canal as well as navigate the sheltered waters around Scotland’s hauntingly beautiful fretted west coast, the result being a splendid craft whose elegance calls to mind that of a luxury yacht.

There are 21 outward facing state cabins spread over two decks, four with their own small balcony, each named with references to John Buchan’s “THIRTY-NINE STEPS”. Each cabin is finished in hardwood finishes, plush carpeting, dressing table, stool, wardrobe, satellite tv, and en suite facilities with shower, wc and washbasin. All state cabins are air conditioned and heated with an internal telephone and picture windows. The cuisine is excellent, freshly prepared on board by a loyal and long serving brigade of chefs, drawing on the rich bounty of locally sourced produce.

The Highlands and Islands cruise combines both fresh and saltwater cruising, as the Lord of the Highlands sails between Inverness, Fort Augustus and Oban. We begin at Inverness at the northern end of the canal and cruise Loch Ness to Fort Augustus. The vessel is then lifted by a series of six inter-connected locks that leads to peaceful Loch Oich and onwards to Banavie in the shadow of Ben Nevis. Here we see Thomas Telford’s engineering masterpiece Neptune’s Staircase, a series of eight interconnected locks that takes vessels back to sea-level near Fort William. We then sail out into the sea and cruise south on Loch Linnhe, the long fjord-like loch that leads down towards Mull and Oban, where the voyage concludes. In between our cruising, there is also a full programme of shore excursions including a train journey and visit to the Glenfinnan Monument and visits to Duart Castle and Tobermory.