Yesterday evening is worth a mention before I move on to today. The guests on board National Geographic Explorer were entertained by a wonderful musical duo from Kirkwall, ‘Saltfish Forty’. Their varied repertoire of modern and traditional songs and reels made for a rousing end to a wonderful day.

This morning was spent at sea, which was quite calm. It gave us the opportunity to watch the many birds that were around the ship and to see some Minke whales. We also watched two presentations, one from Kevin Rattue, who told us about the “Geology and Geography of the British Isles”, the second was by Josh Peck, who explained the connections that Scotland and the west of Britain had with colonialism and slavery.

After lunch, National Geographic Explorer anchored in Loch Roag, which is on the west coast of Lewis. As the sun came out to brighten the afternoon, Zodiacs were lowered and guests were ferried 2 miles further into Loch Roag to Callanish. Once ashore there was a short walk up to a 5,000-year-old stone circle. It was wonderous to see this monument, built so long ago in such a spectacular setting.