Who can resist a story of transformation?  Architect Andy Thoms and Ken Grant couldn’t.  Peering through the layers of dirt, rust and fish heads they could see the extremely well-hidden beauty of a wooden-hulled fishing trawler and decided to save it from the chain saw.  After months of careful restoration the boat emerged swan-like as the Glen Massan, a mini cruise liner sailing out of Holy Loch, near Dunoon.  That was in 2004 and another boat, the Glen Tarsan has been added since to complete the Majestic Line, sailing cruises around the sheltered lochs and islands of the west coast of Scotland. Sky, Sounds of Mull, Arran, the Kyles of Bute and a variety of beautiful places can be seen from the wide decks of the boat and at close quarters when the boat moors to visit towns, galleries, pubs and distilleries.  In July and August it is possible to see the scenery without the midges – often a feature of holidays in Scotland around twilight in these months – they don’t like water apparently. Depending on weather conditions, Loch Hourn and Loch Nevis are within reach, as is remote Inverie, the largest community if the UK not connected to a road network.  As one visitor pointed out on the TravelEditor website: ‘In English, Loch Hourn is loch of hell and Nevis is loch of Heaven, so in 24 hours we’d been to both..’ Although she did add that both felt like heaven. The boats have room for 12 passengers but the film director and Sunday Times food writer, Michael Winner hired the boat just for him and Geraldine.  Andy Thom’s daughter Marie told him, ‘You’ll miss the group experience’.  ‘I don’t do groups’ was his reply.

Food and drink plays a large part of the cruise experience with on-board chef serving up delicacies such as Loch Fyne kippers, prawns and mussels, roast fillet of venison from the Duke of Argyll’s estate, strawberry tart and a range of Scottish cheeses – all locally sourced.  If you catch your own fish, he’ll cook that for your supper.