Over the sea to Skye: a Scottish winter cruise with seals, solitude and snow

With the trend for micro-cruises growing, a fishing trawler has been customised to offer winter wildlife adventures along the snowy Scottish coast

Porpoise everywhere at first light. Porpoise to the bow and stern. Porpoise off the coast of Raasay and the whaleback Crowlin islands. Porpoise hidden from passengers driving over the Skye bridge, but clearly visible from the shelter deck of our vessel as we slide out north towards Loch Torridon. Before long, a pod surrounds the boat, sickle fins glinting white in the winter sun. A little way ahead, near the shores of Applecross, two cormorants dance across the ice-cold sea.

The cormorants are appropriate. I’m on board the hardy Nova Spero, a teal-blue, low-impact vessel operated by new adventure cruise operator Skarv Lines – skarv being Gaelic and Old Norse for these black seabirds. But unlike cormorants, which are known for their guttural grunts, the eco-friendly boat can operate almost silently, powered by a battery to reduce carbon emissions and noise pollution on sea lochs and canals.