13 Scenic boat trips in Scotland

• Depart: Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick
• Cost per adult: £24 – £135
• Length of trip: 1 hour – half day

Located in the middle of the Firth of Forth, the Bass Rock is the remains of an ancient volcano and is now home to a huge population of gannets – over 150,000 in peak season. Book your boat trip with the Scottish Seabird Centre to see the rock and its resident bird populations up close.

• Depart: Anstruther in Fife or North Berwick in East Lothian
• Cost per adult:
  • Isle of May Ferry, Anstruther: £38
  • Isle of May Boat Trips, Anstruther: £36
  • Seafari Adventures Forth, North Berwick: £48 (also includes visit to the Bass Rock)
• Length of trip: half day

Located at the eastern edge of the Firth of Forth, the beautiful Isle of May is home to a huge variety of seabirds who visit the island over the summer months to breed, including puffins, guillemots and razorbills.

• Depart: Hawes Pier, South Queensferry
• Cost per adult:
  • Maid of the Forth: £20 (includes boat trip and landing)
  • Forth Boat Tours: £20 boat trip and £6 landing
• Length of trip: 3 hours (includes 1.5 hours on the island)

See the stunning Forth Bridges from a new angle on a boat tour from South Queensferry out to Inchcolm Island. On your 1.5 hour visit to the island you can see the well-preserved architecture of Inchcolm Abbey, which dates from 1235, and the lovely views around the island.

• Depart: Eyemouth
• Cost per adult: £25

Explore the rugged coastline around Eyemouth and St Abbs on a high-speed RIB boat with Eyemouth RIB Trips – guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping! See the picturesque coves and caves and keep your eyes peeled for seals and seabirds.

• Depart: Falkirk Wheel
• Cost per adult: £14.50
• Length of trip: 50 minutes

Take in the views as you’re swept high into the air aboard your canal boat on The Falkirk Wheel. This magnificent engineering marvel is the world’s only rotating boat lift and was ingeniously designed to connect the Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.

• Depart: Trossachs Pier, Loch Katrine
• Cost per adult: Starting from £15
• Length of trip: 1 hour

Hop aboard the Lady of the Lake to soak up the stunning views around Loch Katrine, located in the magnificent Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Named after Sir Walter Scott’s famous poem, enjoy an unforgettable journey where you’ll be treated to historic tales of the loch’s past, see stunning mountains in all their glory and catch a glimpse of the resident wildlife in action.

• Depart: Elgol, Isle of Skye
• Cost per adult: £72
• Length of trip: 3.5 – 4 hours

Search for wildlife, such as dolphins, whales, eagles and puffins, as you tour three unique Inner Hebridean islands with AquaXplore. The Puffin Run/Three Isles Tour visits the enchanting islands of Soay, Canna and Rum. You can choose between a high-speed AquaXplore RIB or the more traditional island cruiser.

• Staffa Tours: Isle of Iona and Fionnphort on the Isle of Mull
• Staffa Trips: Isle of Iona and Fionnphort on the Isle of Mull
• Turus Mara: Ulva Ferry on the Isle of Mull
• West Coast Tours: Oban
• Seafari Adventures: Easdale, near Oban

Made up of hexagonal basalt columns which were formed millions of years ago by lava, the enchanting island of Staffa has an other-worldly appearance that has to be seen to be really appreciated. Visit the island to see the puffins and spectacular Fingal’s Cave.

• Companies:
  • Seafari Adventures:
    • Depart: Easdale, near Oban
    • Cost per adult: £55
    • Length of trip: 2 – 3 hours
  • Sealife Adventures:
    • Depart: Isle of Seil
    • Cost per adult: £68 – £75
    • Length of trip: 3 – 5 hours
  • Jura Boat Tours:
    • Depart: Isle of Jura
    • Cost per adult: £70
    • Length of trip: 3 hours

Book a trip to see the world’s third largest whirlpool, located to the northern tip of the Isle of Jura, off Scotland’s west coast. The Corryvreckan whirlpool is particularly dramatic during new and full moons and many of the tour operators combine trips to the whirlpool with wildlife searches, where you might see dolphins, whales, seals and more.

• Companies:
  • Kilda Cruises:
    • Depart: Leverburgh, Isle of Harris
    • Cost per adult: £285
    • Length of trip: 11.5 hours
  • Sea Harris:
    • Depart: Leverburgh, Isle of Harris
    • Cost per adult: £260
    • Length of trip: 11 hours
  • Uist Sea Tours:
    • Depart: Isle of Berneray
    • Cost per adult: £255
    • Length of trip: 10 hours
  • Hebridean Sea Tours:
    • Depart: Isle of Barra/Isle of Eriskay
    • Cost per adult: £265
    • Length of trip: 12 hours

The dramatic archipelago of St Kilda lies 41 miles west of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides and is the UK’s only dual UNESCO World Heritage Site. This boat trip is an epic one – with crossings taking between 2.5 and 4 hours one way – but it’s a trip that you’ll never forget. Land on the island of Hirta to see the abandoned houses (the last remaining islanders were evacuated in 1930) and seabirds – almost 1 million!

• Depart: Miavaig, Isle of Lewis
• Cost per adult: £53
• Length of trip: 2 hours

Head out on a fast RIB with Seatrek to see the impressive sea stacks, islands and towering cliffs on Lewis’ west coast. As well as admiring the towering cliffs (90 metres high in places!) look out for seals sunning themselves on the rocks and kittiwakes sheltering in sea caves.

• Companies:
  • Shetland Seabird Tours
    • Depart: Lerwick
    • Cost per adult: £50
    • Length of trip: 2 – 2.5 hours
  • Seabirds and Seals
    • Depart: Lerwick
    • Cost per adult: £50
    • Length of trip: 3 hours

Departing from Shetland’s main town of Lerwick, head east to the beautiful nature reserve of Noss island, one of Europe’s finest wildlife sites. Over 25,000 gannets make their homes here, along with numerous other seabirds. See them plunging into the water to catch fish before using their impressive 1.8 metre wingspan to power back into the air.

• Sweeney’s Cruise Company
  • Depart: Balloch
  • Cost: From £10.50
  • Length: 1 hour intro to island exploration, or sunset cruises
• Cruise Loch Lomond
  • Depart: Luss, Tarbet or Inveruglas
  • Cost: From £15
  • Length: 1 hour or 2 hours 15 minutes

Take in the infamous loch from the water to enjoy unique views of the surrounding mountains, numerous islands and curious wildlife.