Western Isles, 6/25/2023, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Europe & British Isles
With strong winds and heavy rain in the forecast, today was very much an expedition. With plan A looking unlikely, we headed to the shelter of the Western Isles and towards the Isle of Harris and Lewis. We were escorted into the sheltered waters by puffins, Manx shearwaters, gannets, and storm petrels. By the time we anchored and launched the Zodiacs, the wind had dropped, and the sun was shining. We spent the afternoon exploring the Neolithic standing stones of Callanish.
Jamie is from England. He grew up in Oxford, about as far from the sea as you can get in the UK, yet somehow decided he would work in marine biology and conservation. Ever since he reached his teens, he has dedicated time to this passion, working and...
The natural harbor of Scapa Flow has been the site of historical importance that far outweighs the size of these sleepy little islands in the North Sea. With the closing of WWI, the German High Seas fleet was interred by the British Navy in Scapa Flow and rather than allow their captured ships to be used by their enemies, the German Navy decided to purposefully sink their cruisers, battleships, and other military vessels. What has been left is an incredible number of large shipwrecks which are fairly easy to access. While guests visited the museum of Scapa Flow to learn more about this strategically important embayment and its storied history, the undersea team went for dives to explore the wrecks up close. After being sunk in 1919, the fleet became one of the largest artificial reefs in all of Europe and are a magnet for marine life. The wrecks are covered in soft corals called dead man’s fingers and are home to countless invertebrates, like sea slugs and even huge lobsters. The wrecks are a testament to the scale of military engineering and the power of natural regeneration.
Calm seas and gray skies accompanied us into Aberdeen Harbor. Along the way, the bridge over the River Don could be clearly seen and on either side, the lovely sandy beaches so characteristic of the coastline here. Today there were three options for us which included a visit to the beautiful Pitmedden Gardens with their lovely expansive flower beds laden with lots of vivid colors, a chance to visit the Aberdeenshire Highland Beef Farm where we were treated to the sights of sheep, Highland cattle (including the Duchess), and draught horses, and a visit to the Gordon Highlanders Museum. This regiment was founded a long time ago and they have been awarded more Victoria Crosses than any other regiment in the United Kingdom. We also saw a reconstructed First World War trench where it was quickly evident what hell trench warfare was and continues to be. During lunch, we set sail for our last port of call, Edinburgh. The seas were very kind to us and along the way we passed some large offshore windfarms. The icing on the cake on this last day was the circumnavigation of Bass Rock, home to a huge Northern gannet colony.
Disembarking at Kirkwall, guests on National Geographic Explorer had the opportunity to select a number of activities that included a town walk (during which Arctic explorer John Rae’s grave site was viewed), a visit to several Orkney treasures (notably the Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae), and a visit to Scapa Flow that consisted of Ness Battery, the Churchill Barriers, and the Italian Chapel. Our visit to Scapa Flow provided an educational, yet sobering experience that afforded us the chance to view the anchorage that was used by the UK Admiralty for its fleet during World War I and World War II. It is the location where over 70 ships belonging to the German High Fleet were deliberately scuttled by the German Navy at the end of World War I to avoid them being taken into the hands of allied forces. Scapa Flow is also the location of the four Churchill Barriers that were constructed to prevent penetration by German U-Boats during both world wars, and on our tour, we were able to cross each barrier. Our visit also included the opportunity to enter the Italian Chapel, a small and beautiful structure that was built by Italian prisoners of war who were relocated to Orkney from North Africa. Before dinner all on board National Geographic Explorer enjoyed a whisky tasting that was hosted by Highland Park Distillery. Highland Park’s operations are based in Kirkwall. Following dinner, Saltfishforty!, a local duo from Orkney, entertained us with beautiful traditional music that was played on an assortment of instruments. The melodic tunes were accompanied by the soft, warm, and mellow voices of the two performers. It was a very special day in a very special location.
