End of Season Round up

As we put our hardworking boats on holiday we wanted to reflect on the 2021 season and thanks to our guests it’s been a good one, despite the hurdles at the beginning of the year ( which need no introduction!)

Our stalwart boats, Ros Crana and Fingal could probably find their own way up and down the Great Glen! They have certainly clocked up a few miles along this fantastic natural way through the Highlands. It never ceases to deliver as we go through the holiday season, the changing colours in Autumn are particularly spectacular and the Spring is the best time to catch the wildlife on the wing or the fin!

Thank goodness we were able to get started again this year and welcome our wonderful guests back on board. It was touch and go there for a while and to say that we had a wobbly start, our nerves were clattering, eagerly awaiting the go-ahead as to when we could get back on the water, was a worrying time. I am sure all of you were feeling the same anxiety, that we would not be able to come together again and enjoy everything the Highlands has in abundance, it’s been tough for everyone but we got there in the end, thank goodness!

New to 2021

We introduced a Fort to Fort Biking cruise as a half-week trip exploring the western part of the Great Glen this year. We can take advantage of the many forest and towpath trails accessible straight off the boats and as with our other holidays, relaxed cruising and interesting walks are also available so you can still enjoy good variety in this short 4-day cruise.
We paired Fort to Fort Biking with Discover Loch Ness which makes up the other half of the week. Loch Ness rarely needs an introduction and we take a close pass by the famous Castle Urquhart which always makes an impression. Once again we enjoy time to explore ashore with walks available in Fort Augustus, Foyers and Loch Dochfour.

From short rides to longer trails, biking along the Great Glen is a pretty fine way to get up close to the scenery, wildlife and all the benefits of exploring car-free! We have plenty of bikes on board so if you are thinking this may be an option for next year and you don’t want to haul your bike, no bother we have plenty!

The Crew!

Martin and Adam are both skippers throughout the Season along with Dave who, as ever, did a great job standing in for Martin. They are supported by an enthusiastic and friendly team of people. As you may know, the crew play such a big part and add so much to the enjoyment of our cruises; we want to shout out about them and give them a big thank you for all the support over recent months.

Bo’suns Steve and Lucy keep everything working on the boats and the skippers ticking over, ably backed up by Joshua who did a great stand-in slot. We are also lucky to have our returning Guides Chris and Ankia who help show the guests the very best of the Great Glen and offer their expertise and knowledge to enrich our environment. We also welcomed Alfie back for a stand-in guide slot too.

Adam and Martin are a bit more office-based now and enjoying working a bit more with Anne Marie and Melissa, our brilliant office team. We’ve plenty still to organise for 2022 which looks like it will be a really busy year and will be here before we know it!

Catering

Isn’t it great to know you don’t have to think about mealtimes? Onboard catering is a big part of the enjoyment factor. Chefs Steve and Lucy produced wonderful food to a delicious master plan created by Liz who also did start-up and stand-in weeks. Our flexible team always deliver and Adam did a stand-in chef week too, showing his brilliant versatility.

He is the only crew member ever with us to have been skipper, guide, bosun and chef so he’s quite proud of that!
We’ve also had Carrie’s massive support to keep operations going smoothly, as well as driving and filling in any other gaps needed!

It’s been good to have Neil back driving too, as ever sharing good stories and friendly company on the minibus run.
Lastly, all our friends and temporary crew that have joined us for the odd weeks here and there.

If you are already planning your trip for next year or perhaps you want to think about grabbing a few friends and making a special holiday through our “Private Charter ” options then take a look at what we have available for our Booking Calendar 2022.

Our 2023 Calendar is currently being put together so if you have any requests for Charters, perhaps a special family occasion is on the cards, then contact us directly and we will always try to allocate for our guest’s wishes. You can just message us directly as we always love to hear from you.
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We would like to thank you, our guests for making this a great season, despite the challenges we have all faced in this unique year. Thanks to you we also had great fun as we came together and immersed ourselves in this beautiful part of the world, once again.
For those that weren’t able to make it you were missed! We are looking forward to seeing you on our boats next year!

Martin and the Caledonian Discovery Crew