Scottish archipelagos and the Faroe Islands: Nordic heritage and island identities

Cruise overview

In collaboration with The Explorers Club, this unique voyage will feature David Mackay, an experimental test pilot and astronaut from the far north of Scotland who credits this region with the early inspiration for his nearly 50-year career in aerospace.

PONANT proposes a 10-day cruise aboard Le Lyrial exploring the captivating landscapes and extraordinary historical heritage of the archipelagos of Scotland and the Faroe Islands, lands with Celtic and Viking influences. 

Leaving from Glasgow, you will reach Tobermory, a charming fishing port with multicoloured houses and with a distillery that produces a renowned single malt.

You will then sail towards Loch Ewe, located in the northwest of the Highlands. Nestled at the end of this sea loch, you will discover the remarkable Inverewe Gardens, both a botanical curiosity and a subtropical paradise. Afterwards, you will follow the coastline of the Shiant Islands. During a Zodiac exploration, you will be able to admire the towering sandstone cliffs, home to numerous colonies of seabirds.

In the Hebrides, St Kilda is a small volcanic archipelago with incredibly beautiful scenery, where the sheer cliffs rub shoulders with vast and verdant relief. The main island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; uninhabited since 1930, it has remnants of very old dwellings.

In the middle of the North Sea, the Scottish archipelago of the Shetlands is rich in unsuspected treasures on its raw territories with jagged coastlines. Laissez-vous captiver par Foula, une île parmi les plus en retrait où l’homme a dû composer avec les éléments.

Your ship will then sail north towards the Faroe Islands, Denmark’s northernmost autonomous territory. In this isolated archipelago, you will immerse yourself in a wild and spectacular natural environment. In Suduroy, the rolling plains populated by sheep shape the scenery punctuated by sheer summits, mountain lakes and jagged cliffs looking out to the islands, offering outstanding terrestrial and maritime panoramas. In Streymoy, you will enjoy sailing around cliffs home to bird colonies. Here, the Viking legends and the Nordic cosmogony are never far away.

In the Hebrides, you will call at Stornoway, the main town on the island, built by the Vikings in the 9th century. One of the most important prehistoric sites in Scotland can be found here: the Calanais Standing Stones.

You will then set a course for the southwest Highlands to reach Fort William. This harbour town on the shores of Loch Linnhe is steeped in Scottish history and tradition, close to the beautiful and spectacular scenery of Glencoe.

Finally, you will reach Glasgow, your disembarkation port.