Wild Discovery Whale and Dolphin Watching
From 22-24 August 2023, award-winning naturalists Rachael and Dan Brown from Wild Discovery will be on board MV Loch Seaforth's sailings between Ullapool and Stornoway to engage, enthuse and inform passengers about whales, dolphins and seabirds. With any luck, they will be able to point out a number of these brilliant animals whilst they cross the Minch.
Dan and Rachael are a husband and wife team, avid naturalists and professional ecologists who simply love giving people amazing wildlife experiences. They run award-winning Wild Discovery ,a wildlife watching tour company based in the Cairngorms that endeavours to engage as many people as possible with nature as well as supporting conservation projects wherever possible. One of their passions is engaging people with nature and they are thoroughly relishing the opportunity to meet passengers and enthuse about marine life. In the process they will also be collecting important data on whale and dolphin distribution through the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust Whale Track app .
The sailing from Ullapool - Stornoway operates across the Minch which is rapidly becoming one of the richest areas for whales and dolphins in the UK. Over the past few summers, observers have witnessed large numbers of more common species such as the Common Dolphin and Minke Whale, together with Harbour Porpoises and Bottlenose Dolphins. Even more excitingly, Humpback and Fin Whales have also started utilising this stretch of water - the latter being the second largest animal to have ever lived on the planet.
The waters of the west coast of Scotland are extremely important for wildlife, with increasing numbers of whales, dolphins and basking sharks being spotted in the Minch. In 2022, Dan and Rachael recorded an exceptional abundance of whales and dolphins on the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry route between Ullapool - Stornoway, with over 600 animals logged on one sailing. This has inspired the couple to return in 2023, to not only record sightings on the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust Whale Track app but to also engage as many passengers as possible with these remarkable animals. This route offers the perfect platform for wildlife spotting and to contribute to citizen science.
Once you arrive in Stornoway you'll find the biggest town in the Hebrides. Lewis offers amazing opportunities to explore all the elements of life on the edge in the Atlantic Ocean - with history, heritage, wildlife, art and crafts, culture and even adrenaline fuelled adventure all here for the taking on your Hebridean escape.
