Page one: The Islands and Inlets of Argyll

Four days and three nights of sheer heaven!

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Four fantastic days on the Islands and Inlets of Argyll were what we were promised, and that's exactly what was "in the box"!

We spent those days in fantastic company, with some of the finest scenery the UK has to offer, on the MV Glen Massan with the Majestic Line.

The company runs two converted trawlers, now fitted out to the highest standards and offering a warm, comfortable mobile base in which to tour the best parts of the West coast of Scotland.

We went in April, which is quite risky in one way, as you never know what the weather will have in store. But the west coast has the advantage of the warming Gulf Stream, and they do say if it's raining in the region, wait 20 minutes and you'll get sunshine.

The other great thing about April is the lack of the legendary Scottish midge. They won't affect you on board, but can cause minor irritation in season when you go ashore. Just go well prepared with repellant and they won't bother you.

We took lots of pictures on the way up, including on the ferry across from Gourock to Dunoon, but you have to draw the line somewhere

So this next shot shows our first sighting of our floating hotel for the next few nights, the Glen Massan.

We were met in Dunoon and escorted to the Holy Loch marina, where secure parking was provided for the car. It was then a mini-bus ride of around 45 minutes to the town of Inveraray, where the Glen Massan was moored. The town is on the banks of Loch Fyne, home of the legendary kippers, which have to be tasted to be believed.

Looking at the Glen Massan from this stern view, the Skipper's cabin is to the rear of the top deck, the main entrance to the saloon below that, and crews quarters below decks. The craft is just short of 85 feet long and carries around a dozen fare-paying guests

Transport is laid on to get out to the Glen Massan at its moorings, with the tender on this occasion manned by crew members Ali and Bob.

It's a steady trip on your first outing, but don't let appearances deceive you - the wee craft can provide an exciting ride, expertly handled by Bob at the controls. Not that he enjoys it of course - it's just a job, honest!

For our entire trip the weather was fantastic, but it was pretty cold at times too, as the picture shows.

This was taken looking across Inveraray to the north. The building in the foreground that looks like a church is in fact the Inveraray Bell Tower.

For a small charge you can climb to the top, where I'm told the views across Inveraray and the Loch are simply stunning.

The bells are said to be the finest in Scotland, and are the second heaviest set of ten in the world!

Inveraray Castle, seat of the Campbell clan since the 1400's. We got a magnificent view of the castle as we made our way down Loch Fyne.

It's owned by Torquhil Ian Campbell, the Duke of Argyll, who inherited the title in 2001 on the death of his father Ian.

The present Duke has a full-time job promoting certain brands of Scotch Whisky, but he also has to make time to carry out the somewhat onerous duties of clan chieftain.

And a fascinating fact from the castle's own website - he recently captained Scotland to victory in the World Elephant Polo Championships!

http://www.inveraray-castle.com

A Naval vessel encountered on Loch Fyne. There are several submarine exercise areas on the Loch, but you're not very likely to encounter them - after all, that's the idea, isn't it?!

We were to come across a NATO exercise later on in our trip, this time as we travelled back up the Clyde from the Kyles of Bute. We saw about seven minesweepers ostensibly protected from boarders by a couple of Military Police craft, but we suspect it was more to do with submarine activity!

Mooring on the first night, we found ourselves opposite the old Castle Lachlan. It was a fascinating experience when we dropped anchor and settled down to our first meal on board.

The boat is anchored at just one end, and consequently is able to rotate gently. It gave the impression of sitting in a revolving restaurant, giving us some of the best views we've ever had the pleasure to eat to!

The old castle has now been replaced by a new building, which is only around a couple of hundred years old! It's a ten minute walk away, and is the seat of the McLachlan clan.

The new castle, built in the 18th century, has been divided into two, with half now forming letting accommodation.

The harbour in Tarbert was our next stop on the second day. We drew into the harbour to stock up on drinking water and other supplies, and for the passengers to take a look around the little town.

One thing you're never short of in these parts is castles, and of course Tarbert is no exception.

The town is also known as the Gateway to Kintyre, and would be an ideal centre for a short stay in the region.

Getting into and out of the harbour was an interesting experience, with the skipper having to negotiate a dog-leg passage. Next stop was Lochranza, on the Isle of Arran.

Lochranza is probably our favourite place on the Isle of Arran. On a previous visit we spotted an entire herd of red deer on the local golf course - a regular hazard for golfers!

Sadly I wasn't able to go ashore on this occasion, having decided I didn't really need sea sickness tablets on the crossing from Loch Fyne! The wife was slightly more sensible and was fine, but I lay in my cabin for most of the afternoon feeling very sorry for myself!

In Judith's picture you see Goat Fell shrouded in cloud - she'd planned to get pictures of the deer and the many seals that are usually to be seen on the rocks in Lochranza bay, but they'd obviously decided they weren't getting sufficient royalties and were remarkable by their absence.

We did see them on the skyline, out of good photo range, and an eagle was spotted too, but once again too far away for a decent picture.

From Lochranza the following morning we set sail for the Kyles of Bute, heading across the Cock of Arran and past Inchmarnock Island, just recently sold by Richard Branson's brother. Skipper Scott told us the island had been used to house alcoholics in the past, in a bid to keep them from the evil drink.

We sailed into the Kyles of Bute from the western approach, calling in at Tighnabruaich. We went ashore with several other passengers and had a wander around. There were several  galleries in the village, a lifeboat station, a cafe, and even a bank - a surprise in such a remote location.

I'm not sure why, but the only decent picture we got was of me in the tender heading back to the boat! It was fairly choppy this time, and several of us were soaked to the skin by the time we boarded the Glen Massan, but it was brilliant fun!

This little island had one or two surprises in store, as we headed up the Kyles of Bute. Not only was there a heronry in the trees, but a family cemetery too. We saw several birds landing in the trees as we passed by, but it seemed as soon as either of us brought our cameras to bear, they ducked out of sight!

I believe the little island is called Eilean Dubh, and it's opposite a somewhat inappropriately named landmark called Buttock Point! We also spotted a flock of seagulls mobbing a buzzard at the far side of the island. I caught it on camera, but the quality's not too good, so I've not included it here.

Moorings for our final night on board were in an idyllic little bay at the entrance to Loch Riddon. Words could hardly describe how beautiful this area is.

Because it was so sheltered the boat barely moved, but once again our evening meal was punctuated by a slowly drifting panorama of the little bay, followed by views of Burnt Island down the eastern Kyle, then Buttock Point, then the Western Kyle, Eilean Dubh, and finally the bay again.

I imagine when all the leaves come out of the surrounding trees the views will be enhanced even further, but for me as I mentioned before, it was unimaginably beautiful.

As you can see from the picture above, we went ashore to capture the images of the Glen Massan at it's moorings in the bay.

I climbed a little hillock to get a good viewpoint, and on the way up I came across these dense carpets of sphagnum moss, in amongst the birch woodland (right).

I took dozens of pictures, including close-ups of large specimens of lichen, which only tend to grow where the air is really pure.

The boat looked fantastic from the top of the hill, bathed in the early evening spring sunlight - superb!

The last day saw us leave our moorings from the entrance to Loch Riddon, heading down through the tricky narrow passage by Burnt Island, and past the entrance to Loch Striven. With Rothesay to starboard and Toward Castle to port we turned into the Firth of Clyde and headed upstream, accompanied by a flotilla of minesweepers taking part in a NATO exercise.

Finally we made our way into the Holy Loch marina, our last port of call. This is where sadly our trip ended - I'd personally have liked to carry on for weeks, but skipper Scott and chef Mary were heading off on another voyage, this time delivering a yacht to Ireland.

Taking over for the next cruise was Neil and partner Debbie, taking on the role of skipper and chef respectively. We faced a 260 mile drive home - but we had plenty to talk about!

The crew and our fellow travellers in the saloon of the MV Glen Massan. On the left there's Debbie (crew), Martin (crew), Sophie (guest), Viv (guest) and Kevin (guest - Guardian journalist). Starting at this end of the table on the starboard side is me in typical pose (guest), Judith (guest), Neil (crew), Andy (crew) and John (guest).

And the crew assembles for a final group photo.

From left, Andy (seated) and Bob (standing). Bob is the engineer, and takes charge of the tender for shore trips. Neal, the skipper who took over from Scott the week after our trip; seated in front is Ali (cabin crew) then standing is Scott (skipper during our trip).

Kneeling in front of Scott is Mary, his wife and our chef; next to her is Debbie and finally Martin. These are some of the nicest people we've ever had the pleasure to spend time with.

And a few of the pics that got away. To the left is a yacht caught in the evening sunlight, while on the right is a picture of Dunoon, taken from the ferry on day one.

On the left is the ferry we should have caught - we stopped too soon in Gourock and boarded the Caledonian MacBrayne. Still, we got there in the end! On the right is Judith on the ferry, grinning like a Cheshire cat in eager anticipation of the trip ahead!

To the left, a bizarre building on Strone Point that wouldn't have looked out of place in Psycho, while (right) I'm pictured at the wheel of the Glen Massan, heading down Loch Fyne. Skipper Scott allowed me to take control for around 3/4 of an hour. (He does look a bit nervous though!)