Bessie Ellen - Tall Ship in Scotland Taster

Try a small tall ship in Western Scotland for 3 days

An ideal midsummer taster where the long daylight hours will help you make the most of this action packed short break.

Bessie Ellen is 116ft long overall which makes a comfortable introduction to traditional sailing with plenty of room above and below decks. After safety briefings and training you have plenty of open water in the Firth of Lorne to get your sea legs. Enjoy dramatic scenery whether you go North though the Sound of Mull past the brooding Duart Castle, or southwards toward the open sea. All Classic Sailing vessels share the same ethos: You are hands on crew and have hopefully come to sail  this beautiful sailing ship as much as possible, therefore our itinerary from Oban will vary to make the most of the wind direction and beautiful locations and give you a sound introduction to sailing a traditionally rigged ship.

Western Mull & Iona

There any many idyllic anchorages in the West of Mull if the weather is settled. Iona is a pilgrimage for many and famous for its Monastery in a stunning remote location. Once beyond Iona you can either head out towards Tiree and Coll or explore the Atlantic facing side of Mull with its long headlands and the little islands in between like Inch Kenneth, Little Colonsay, Lunga and Ulva where there are many magical bays and anchorages. Here are a few possibilities to whet you appetite.

Sound of Mull & Loch Sunart

The Sound of Mull offers flat water and winds from all directions. Tobermory sits in a small sheltered bay and is an ideal stopping place, apart from the sea plane which spectacularly lands in the same anchorage ! Ashore are multi coloured houses and famous Mish Nish Inn - stocking almost every whisky ever made. A more tranquil option is Loch Sunart which has several bays like the temptingly named Loch Drambuie.

The Small Isles -Rum, Eigg & Muck

In three days you might just reach the small islands beyond Ardnamurchan Point. Rum and Canna are famous for White Tailed Sea Eagles and on Rum there are three of four breeding pairs of Golden Eagles. 

8 page Mini brochure on Bessie Ellen in Scotland as a downloadable PDF

Wild Playground....

 Western Scotland is a rich marine ecosystem which offers fantastic seafood and wildlife watching from the Sea Eagles on Mull to the dolphins and Minke Whales that cruise the deep sounds between the islands. Due to the prolific life under the surface and hundreds of miles of remote coastlines, the Western Isles, Inner and Outer Hebrides and mainland lochs are great places to spot seals, otters, minke and larger whales, basking sharks and dolphins.

The mountains provide inacessible eyries for sea eagles, golden eagles, choughs, perigrine falcons and the cliffs are homes to many large breeding colonies of seabirds like gannets and puffins.

Special light conditions & fast changing weather

The weather in Scotland can vary from shimmering heat haze on white sand beaches to dramatic rain storms, sleet and snow in spring or white capped waves and vivd blue skies. It changes ...and it changes fast. Great for photography, and usually plenty of wind for sailing with relatively flat seas due to protecting high ground, it can still be challenging, but then the many moods of Scotland are its main attraction.