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.
6/30/2024
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Aberdeen, North Sea, and Bass Rock
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.
