travel by Dan Donovan
THE MOST WONDERFUL TRIP IN THE WORLD
Scotland Slowly Our Adventure Canada blue shell jackets emblazoned with the distinctive Polar Bear logo kept the wind out and the warmth in as we jutted across the salty ocean waves in one of the Ocean Endeavour’s zodiac’s, mist spraying in our faces.
34 OTTAWALIFE WINTER 2020
Orkney and the Shetland Islands before turning south to end in Aberdeen.
It was the third week of June and we were off the Scottish coast in the safe hands of the legendary Chelseabased singer songwriter, playwright, producer, raconteur and sometime host Ian Tamblyn, who has been guiding expedition travel with Adventure Canada for much of the past three decades.Tamblyn deftly brings us ashore while regaling us with facts and stories of the area. We are met on the beach by Scotland Slowly Expedition Leader Matthew Swan, who is in hipwaders as he lends a hand as we disembark. We quickly got used to the rules for boarding and landing but Swan and his team are always there with a smile.
We are traveling on the Ocean Endeavour, a 190-passenger converted Russian ferry built in 1985 that has been transformed into a wonderfully modern expedition ship, customised for passenger experiences in remote environments. It boasts a 1B ice class, enabling her to explore throughout the Arctic summer and it carries 20 zodiac boats and advanced navigation equipment for long or shorter excursions. There are multiple lounges, a superb restaurant and a top-deck observation room. The staff has an international flare with a friendly and helpful crew from over fourteen countries. The captain was Ukrainian, the chef was Italian and there were cabin, maintenance and restaurant staff from South America, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean.
It would be like this for the next 11 days as our expedition circumnavigated Scotland passing by the Hebrides, the distant and remote Western Isles,
World-renowned wildlife photographer Kristian Bognro was the official Nikon Ambassador on the expedition and was happy to share his knowledge PHOTOS: DAN DONOVAN
