North of Ardnamurchan

Ardnamurchan, like other notable headlands around our shores, is both a sort of gateway and, at times, a stretch of sea to be treated with great respect. It is the most Westerly point on the British mainland and a passage northward, with the prevailing wind, is generally more straightforward than the return leg. The reward for heading north includes The Small Isles group of Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna. This is a fantastic group of isles, each with a unique character, in a compact sea area. Muck is small, pastoral and well farmed, Rum is much larger, mountainous and wild, and Eigg is more of a crofting sort of a place, while Canna is both rural and wild with one of the best harbours in the Hebrides.

A cruise to The Small Isles can often take in a visit to Skye, perhaps taking in Loch Scavaig, arguably the most dramatic anchorage in the UK outside of St Kilda in the shadow of the Black Cuillin Mountains of Skye.