Check the horizon, for word has been received that the nightmare of the longboat has been seen sailing down the coast. Feared by all, the Vikings would eventually land. Following these incursions around the shores of Loch Hourn and Loch Nevis – Garbh Chriochan, The Rough Bounds would become part of the Kingdom of the Isles, part of Norway.

For the next 400 years the MacRory’s, McDonald’s and the Clan Ranald would tussle over the right to be Lord of these isles. In actuality not until the mid 1700’s after the Bonnie Prince fled back to France did this part of Scotland begin to be integrated…!

The area earns its title of The Rough Bounds chiefly through the difficulty of access. Today, it is still an area that is difficult to access. Many of the isolated houses, crofts and small communities can only be reached either by boat or by foot over the mountains.

Those communities, underneath, still display allegiances to their ‘clan’..!

Formed by the watery boundaries of Loch Hourn ( Loch Shubhairne), Loch Nevis (Loch Nibheis ) and the Sound of Sleat (Sléibhte ). Minch Adventures aboard Cyfish and the Skipper Billy are uniquely placed to offer an informative view into the area through the sharing of its oral history. Using the boat to reach deeply into these fjiord like lochs allows an up close and personal experience of the sea, the mountains, the weather, wildlife and culture of the region.

Whether your interest is purely aesthetic, a wish to encounter wildlife at hand; or it is the fascinating history from the Lords of the Isles to 20thC influences from the likes of Arnisdale House, built for the father of Ian Flemming, the isolated beach of Camusfearna where Gavin Maxwell wrote ’The Ring of Brightwater’ and various locations used to train the men and women of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War.

You are sure to have an experience that will remain long in your memories.