9 minute read
A royally good cruise
Words by ROBIN MCKELVIE
In the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, we step aboard the yacht Her Majesty has enjoyed two private holidays on
THIS IMAGE:
The Hebridean Princess passes through the Corran Narrows on Loch Linnhe INSET: Writer Robin McKelvie
CLOCKWISE, FROM THIS
IMAGE: The ship stops at Tobermory; the Queen and Princess Anne boarding the Hebridean Princess; Robin and his wife Jenny
© JOHN PETER PHOTOGRAPHY/PA IMAGES/ALAMY When the Royal Yacht Britannia and Prince Charles sailed out of Hong Kong in 1997 into the pages of history, Her Majesty The Queen, bade a sad farewell.
Farewell to a retired maritime steed who had led her and her family on so many glorious adventures around Scotland’s west coast. It was not long, though, before the British Royal Family had found a stand-in just as grand – a remarkable ship that today anyone can sail on, in the wake of royalty on a luxurious adventure t for a monarch.
The MV Columba on the face of it seems an unlikely stand-in, or she did at least in her years as a 2,112-tonne, 235ft-long, ve-deck vessel with a 46ft beam, which was much more used to ferrying passengers and their vehicles out to the Hebrides.
She harboured a secret, though, a secret that was to render her the perfect Britannia substitute. MV Columba had led a double life since being launched in Scotland in 1964, with the Ministry of Defence commissioning her as one of the UK’s ‘Citadel Ships’. In the event of nuclear war, she was ready to spirit the high heid yins off to the safety of the deep ocean blue.
This dual role meant she was built with reinforced bulkheads, a urry of cabins and a much larger galley than you normally see on a Scottish ferry. When she was put up for sale by the precursor of CalMac she was snapped up to be converted into a luxury liner. The Columba was then totally transformed and renamed the Hebridean Princess, relaunched in 1989 by the Duchess of York and registered in the ship’s birthplace of Glasgow.
The Hebridean Princess and her crew are deeply proud of the royal connections, as I found when I stepped back on board recently for a voyage around the Hebrides.
A plaque proudly commemorates the royal launch, and a signed portrait of the Queen with Prince Philip hangs above reception. The Queen has chartered the Hebridean Princess twice: firstly, for her 80th birthday in 2006, and then again in 2010 for another royal birthday. More recently, the producers of The Crown are rumoured to have been interested in filming on board – no wonder, this is a vessel that just oozes royal romance.
On the old-world bridge, complete with an original Chadburn to communicate with the engine room – it still rings as the order is given to take her to sea full steam ahead – I meet Captain Richard Heaton.
This accomplished Englishman – all the officers are British – was aboard both Her Majesty’s voyages. “The first time I was second officer, so as the navigator I spent some time chasing the charts the royals enjoyed poring over in the Tiree Lounge planning their adventures,” he smiles.
“The second time, we marked up a second set of charts so ma’am could always have them to hand. Basically, they were just a lovely family enjoying a lovely family holiday, visiting many of the places they used to enjoy going to on Britannia.”
I can see why the royals enjoyed poring over charts in the Tiree Lounge so much. With its sweeping arch of windows offering an endlessly shifting panorama of the isles, the lounge is the social hub of what feels more like an exclusive and relaxed extended Scottish country house party than a ship.
There are only a maximum of 50 guests (and 38 crew) at any time aboard the Hebridean Princess, and a warm welcome and patter of conversation always awaits in the Tiree, as does a glass of Taittinger – in the UK, the Hebridean Princess is second only to London’s Savoy in their volume of orders for the fine champagne.
Like all the food and drink on board, from sumptuous breakfasts to afternoon teas, and plush dinners, the bubbly is included.
Think of the best parts of Scotland’s rich culinary larder and the chances are you’ll be served it aboard. You can breakfast on Scottish smoked salmon or kippers, maybe a tian of west coast crab for lunch, and at dinner tuck into a roasted loin of Pentland lamb. Then there are the barbecues out on deck, starring Highland beef and Gigha halibut, when the weather allows. Dining aboard is like having your own floating country house restaurant; one where you can spot bottlenose
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT:
The Isle of Bute Cabin; the Royal Family on one of their cruise holidays; expect fi ve-star service and luxury food and drink aboard the Hebridean Princess; Captain Richard Heaton performs the Address to a Haggis for his guests
© PA IMAGES/ALAMYY
Dining aboard is like having your own fl oating country house restaurant; one where you can spot bottlenose dolphins and minke whales out of the window
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Richard Heaton, Captain of the Hebridean Princess; the ship sails past Kisimul Castle, in Barra
dolphins and minke whales out of the window. And I have.
All the excursions are also included in the cruise price. The hardworking crew generally manage to get guests ashore at least once a day, though of course you are welcome to stay onboard cosseted in stressfree luxury.
No single excursion is the same. In four trips on the Hebridean Princess I’ve eased into a at calm Village Bay in St Kilda, been skilfully beach landed on the Shiants in a decent swell, and made another beach landing on Islay that offered easy access by bike to the local distilleries.
Then there are their fast RIBs, which spirit you off for an adrenaline-pumping ride to check out the local birdlife.
The Hebrides need little introduction to anyone with a love of Scotland, but imagine being on a oating hotel that effortlessly transports you between these wonderful islands. En route is an ever-changing cinematic widescreen of brooding hills, starched white sand beaches and plunging glens. The Hebridean Princess offers not so much a taste of Scotland, but a glorious, life-af rming smorgasbord.
When you’re back on the ship after a day walking or cycling – they’ve got mountain bikes aboard for guests to use – your cabin awaits. It’s all tastefully tartan, alive with hardwoods and plush soft fabrics. My latest cabin had a lovely big bath and views fore so I could watch us push on towards the next island from the comfort of my bed.
Of course, room service waited for a cheeky nightcap dram. The Hebridean Princess could scarcely be more comfortable, nor indeed more Scottish.
This sense of Scottishness reaches its zenith on one of the gala dinner nights when our haggis is piped into warm applause and Burns is recited with aplomb by chief purser, Iain Gibson, an Islay man who brought gentle charm to the evening with his stories, jokes and warm smile.
This authentic sense of Scotland also comes across in the entertainment. Some trips have a ddler aboard, or an accordion player. I’ve had cruises where cèilidhs in the Tiree Lounge after dinner were a regular occurrence; even one memorable cèilidh on the deck in the Hebrides as the sun came down. Following a porpoise back into Oban Bay, where the ship is based for most of her cruising season, the sun sets on another Hebridean Princess voyage. As I reluctantly leave a world where you want for nothing, on a cruise that brilliantly showcases Scotland’s nest scenery, I chat to Heaton who is taking her back to sea that evening.
I ask if it is a “royal sailing”? He laughs and says, “Every sailing on the Hebridean Princess is a royal one, we want everyone to feel like they’re being treated like a king or queen.” And there is no doubt that in that they gloriously succeed. No wonder the Royal Family are so enamoured with their new Britannia. S
JOIN THE ROYAL LINE
Cruises on the Hebridean Princess start from £1,550 per person for a four-night sailing. Many passengers are repeat guests, so book ahead, especially for the most popular cruises, such as the voyage to St Kilda. hebridean.co.uk
