Today we awoke to the sun shining down on the tiny outpost of Inverie where we berthed overnight. During breakfast we set sail towards the Isle of Eigg and watched seabirds, including the Manx shearwaters that we’d learned about the day prior. Naturalist Robin Patten gave a presentation about how local communities, such as Eigg, have purchased their estates, gaining ownership from the laird.
We soon alighted at the Isle of Eigg under typically moody Scottish skies and our group split into two. One taking the proverbial “high road” and hiking up towards the dramatic volcanic peak of An Sgurr; the other taking a lower road on a leisurely loop around the community. The hikers passed through forest, pastures, and moorlands on the climb upwards and were rewarded at the climax of their efforts with a wee dram of whisky delivered by our hotel manager who arrived through the drizzle via bicycle to climb through the heather and bracken with his supply.
After lunch, National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson gave a presentation entitled “Islands of Obsession,” which displayed the body of work from his many assignments from National Geographic magazine and National Geographic Traveler on the islands of Scotland.
Upon our afternoon arrival in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, we were greeted by a show put on by a small pod of bottlenose dolphins in the harbor. Guests set off either on a hike to a nearby waterfall, a photo walk, or on their own for exploration of the colorful town. Back on board for Recap, we hosted Ella Potts from the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust who explained about conservation of the local population of dolphins, porpoises, and whales.
