The Majestic Line New Brochure 2012

The Majestic Line's new brochure is now available for its 2012 cruises with a choice of 12 itineraries exploring the beautiful coast of Argyll on the West Coast of Scotland. The specialist Scottish cruise company provides a unique small boat cruise experience with only 11 passengers aboard its traditional wooden vessels, the Glen Tarsan and Glen Massan.

The Majestic Line is becoming increasingly popular and 2012 is filling up fast; 30 of its 60 cruising weeks are already booked out for 2012 and many others have low availability. The cruise itineraries explore the wonderful islands, tranquil sea lochs and spectacular coastlines of Argyll, a beautiful but remote area which is difficult to access by land, whereas the cruises provide a perfect vantage point from the sea.

The company provides two double cabins for single occupancy on all its cruises at no additional cost. There are still opportunities for single traveller bookings for 2012.

See more at www.themajesticline.co.uk or contact specialist cruise agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

A Majestic Tie-Up With The Cowal Games

Specialist Scottish cruise company The Majestic Line continually looks to develop new experiences for its guests, particularly with 60 per cent of them repeat customers. With the Cowal Highland Gathering on its doorstep, linking up seemed a great opportunity for an exclusive cruise on board Majestic's boutique vessel the Glen Massan, sailing out of Holy Loch.

Guests will experience some of the best of what Scotland has to offer: a two-day visit to the fabulous spectacle of the biggest Highland Games in the world followed by an idyllic 5-day cruise to the Kyles of Bute and the Isle of Arran.

The “Cowal Games, Arran and Kyles of Bute” voyage is a 6-night cruise from Holy Loch from August 26-September 1.

The cruise begins with dinner on board followed by taking part in a traditional Ceilidh in Dunoon on the Friday night. The Saturday is a full day at the Games, culminating in the famous March Past, the landmark ceremony which is unique to Cowal - the march past and salute to the Chieftain of the Games by 3,000 pipes and drums. After dinner on board, guests will be taken to view the Cowal Games Fireworks Finale.

On the Sunday, the Glen Massan sets off to explore the Kyles of Bute and Arran with visits to Rothesay Castle and the amazing Mount Stuart House and Gardens. During the rest of the cruise, there will be opportunities to go ashore to explore the colourful villages of East Loch Tarbert, Tighnabruaich, anchor in beautiful remote sea lochs such as Loch Riddon and cruise stunning Loch Fyne to Inveraray. The Isle of Arran provides trips to Lochranza and the distillery there as well as visiting Brodick Castle and local producers of cheeses, beers and aromatics.

For more info, visit www.themajesticline.co.uk or the UK's leading luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Majestic Line's 'Wild' New Itinerary

Boutique Scottish cruise operator The Majestic Line has launched a new “wild” itinerary for 2011, responding to customer requests for a more remote experience: Inlets and Islands of Wild Argyll, a 6-night cruise from Holy Loch, sailing on August 13 and 27 and September 3.

Majestic is one of the world’s smallest sea-cruising companies, with only two vessels sailing the Argyll coastline on the West Coast of Scotland, each carrying 11 guests on board. With their seventh season approaching, more than half the guests are repeat customers, hence the company is keen to provide exclusive new experiences to keep tempting previous guests back on board.

Every night, the boats anchor in secluded bays where sun-downer drinks will be served on the outside stern deck to a sunset over the hills and sea, prior to being served a sumptuous dinner from a menu sourced locally from the sea and land.

The latest itinerary has been chosen for its beauty, tranquility, natural environment and wildlife and the opportunity to go ashore for a walk or visit a remote historical monument. There is a choice of many delightful stopovers and anchorages, but the decision on which to visit will depend on wind direction and tide and will be at the discretion of the skipper. Kintyre and Ailsa Craig are the most weather dependent. The cruising area is also rich in wildlife and the stopovers will visit places where it is most likely to be seen, but for obvious reasons they cannot guarantee particular sightings.

For more info, visit http://www.themajesticline.co.uk/ or contact the adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Single Travellers Cruise With No Supplement

The award winning specialist Scottish cruise company, The Majestic Line, has a policy of providing two double cabins on each cruise for single travellers at no supplement. The Majestic Line is one of the smallest sea cruising companies with two vessels each carrying only 11 guests around the beautiful coastline of Argyll on the West Coast of Scotland. The "house party" atmosphere which is created on board due to the small numbers of guests and attentiveness of the crew is perfect for guests travelling alone as they very much feel part of the group and can enjoy a truly social experience.

Marie Thoms, Majestic Line Sales Manager said "The Majestic Line is owned and run by family and friends and we can therefore decide to have such a generous policy for single travellers. Everyone in the company loves to see people enjoying themselves and we don't think that single travellers should be penalised financially. Our 2011 cruises are very well booked up but we still have eleven cruises with spaces for single travellers and we want to make sure these are taken up"

Marie also feels that the location of the cruises is ideal for people who might not be confident travelling on their own but want to experience the beauty of the Scottish Highlands. "Our Holy Loch departures are only one hour from Glasgow Airport. We can pick guests up from the airport and have them onboard our vessel "The Glen Massan", sipping bubbly and soaking in the scenery, with no travel concerns at all.

There are cabins for single travellers on both 3-night and 6-night cruises available. People looking for a single place on a Majestic Line cruise should go online to the website for available dates. www.themajesticline.co.uk/single_travellers.html

A Stowaway On The Majestic Line

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Guests on the Heritage and Wildlife of South Argyll cruise with specialist Scottish cruise operators The Majestic Line got more than they bargained for during their 6-night cruise – a sneaky wee stowaway in the form of a red squirrel. The uninvited guest joined the cruise whilst their vessel, the Glen Massan, was anchored for the night in a secluded bay on beautiful Loch Riddon on the Argyll Coastline.

Although red squirrels are common on the Cowal Peninsula, there is a mystery as to how this one came to join the cruise. Martin McWhirr, the skipper of Glen Massan has 2 theories.

He said: ‘‘unday night was relatively windy, which may have resulted in the squirrel being blown from its tree overhanging the water and with it then swimming to the Glen Massan and shinning up the anchor chain. The other possibility is that it had been caught by a large bird of prey, possibly even a sea eagle which then lost its prey with it landing aboard. I can’t see any other possibilities.’’

However Jan Ferguson, Chairman of the Cowal Squirrel Group, has another opinion. She said ‘‘The most likely scenario is that he got involved in a fight with another red, probably over territory. If there was nowhere for him to run, he could have jumped into the loch and, as squirrels are good swimmers, he could have swum to the boat and climbed up the anchor chain.’’

However, she doesn’t dismiss Martin’s view. She continued: ‘‘It is very possible he was scared by a bird of prey or even a cat or dog, leading him to jump into the water.’’

The sneaky stowaway was discovered very early on Monday morning by one of the vessel’s guests, Canadian Steve Boyton, who is a professional photographer. He’d risen early to capture the stunning sunrise over the Loch, only to get the fright of a lifetime. In his attempt to capture the squirrel, the commotion awoke the crew and other guests. Further attempts to catch the squirrel only resulted in the Glen Massan’s bosun Jamie Duncan being bitten on the finger!

Further deatils on Majestic cruises can be found at http://www.themajesticline.co.uk/