The small fishing port of Mallaig is easy to get to on the train and is a brilliant base for exploring the more northerly islands. (it also has a really amazing bakery). We'll head out of the harbour and turn north up the Sound of Sleat. Once we're under the Skye bridge we'll head up the Inner Sound, sheltered from Westerly winds. There are lots of great places to stop like the village of Plockton or the Isle of Rona. Staffin Bay on the north east corner of Skye is another great stop over before we head for puffin city.  

Meeting your first puffin is always a great treat but to do it in style a trip to the Shiant Islands is hard to beat. The sky and seas are genuinely thick with these hilarious multicoloured creatures. They're pretty tame in most of the places we encounter them but at this place they are so numerous that it almost feels like they're likely to crash into us at any moment, simply to avoid crashing into each other. Getting to and from the Shiants is a great trip in it's own right. We'll have lots of time to learn a bit about traditional sailing, rope handling and steering. As we head north from Mallaig we'll also need to be thinking about navigation because to get past the east of Skye is very much a question of timing. The narrow stretch of water or "kyle" between Skye in the mainland is what's known as a tilde gate. The currents here are so fast that even at our top speed if we go at the wrong time we will be sailing backwards. At the right time though it's like riding a maritime rollercoaster as we whoosh through, like a cork out of a bottle. From here we turn west under the Bridge and then up to the north. Depending on wind direction we may stop at Applecross or maybe Plockton. It's a great anchorage with a pretty wee village and even a few palm trees. A few miles further on, the island of Rona often offers good shelter. Rona is a great place for a walk and is lovingly looked after by Bill who often has delicious island venison for sale. The Shiants themselves are tiny and form a ring-like natural harbour. We can go ashore and scramble up the hills to take in the view and be amazed by the thousands of colourful inhabitants. It's a pretty good place for a swim too (if that's your thing). there's even a natural stone archway to swim under .