Accessible only by boat, Loch Shiel is one of Scotland's most historically significant and unspoiled natural treasures.

Carved out by glaciers during the retreat of the last ice age, some 10,000 years ago, this 18 mile long freshwater loch has changed relatively little since then and can truly be called a Last Wilderness.

Wildlife on the Loch

One of the Loch's more elusive inhabitants is "Seilag" the Loch Shiel Monster, of which there have been several sightings over the years. Seilag is reputedly about 70ft long with three humps and one of the small islands has been named after her. As the Loch is one of Scotland's deepest (145m) there is ample room for monsters to avoid detection: so far Seilag hasn't been spotted from MV Sileas but we keenly anticipate a friendly encounter some day.

Over the past ten years there have been over 50 species of birds observed from the boat.

The unspoiled wilderness area surrounding the Loch supports a stable population of Golden Eagles and there are regular sighting from MV Sileas, the skipper keeping a keen eye out for them throughout the cruises.

Another rare inhabitant of the Loch is the Black-throated Diver. There are 3 – 4 regularly nesting pairs and it is always a treat to see them in their beautiful breeding plumage. Red-throated Divers are also seen on the Loch.

Less frequently observed birds are Peregrine, Sparrow Hawk, Kestrel, Osprey and Hen Harrier. Ducks on the Loch are Red- breasted Merganser, Mallard, Goldeneye and Tufted.

There is a resident population of Greylag Geese at the southern end of the Loch, joined occasionally by Pink-footed and Canadian visitors.

Always good to see during June and July are the Common Gull chicks which frequent the small islands.

There are large populations of Red Deer which graze on the higher slopes of the surrounding mountains and despite their fantastic camouflage can be seen by the avid observer.

The well respected naturalist Mike Tomkies based himself in a cottage at Gaskan for close to twenty years and from there studied in depth the eagles, wildcats, badgers, otters, pine martens and indeed any wildlife he came across on his daily walks on the loch-side. From Gaskan he wrote many of his well-known books, a classic being "A Last Wild Place".

Note: Passengers especially interested in bird-life are advised to go on our longer “Loch Cruises”.