About

In July 2011 Cape Farewell embarked on a month-long expedition by boat across the Scottish Islands, bringing the notion and experience of expedition home to the UK, with an exploration of island ecologies and cultures, and of the strategies for sustainable and resilient futures being implemented across the Scottish Isles. More ›

The Crew

The expedition crew of 40 includes island artists, storytellers, film makers, playwrights, architects, designers, musicians, community leaders, social scientists, ecologists, marine biologists, oceanographers, poets, acclaimed Gaelic singers and a chef.
Meet the crew ›

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Exploring

Video


Video highlights

Watch video highlights from the expedition ›

Cape Farewell – we know what to do, can art help us get on and do it?

The following is an excerpt from Sara Parkin’s article found on the Forum for the Future website. …I was fortunate enough to join the crew for one week of a four week tour of Scottish Islands, starting with Skye and Canna before crossing the Minch to Mingulay, Barra and South Uist. The weather was kind,... Read more ›

Islands and Visions

Eigg Barbecue on Song of the Whale
There is a sea view when travelling from Eigg to Mallaig where you have a 360° vision of the Small Isles, Skye, the mountains of Scotland, Mull and, far into the distance, the Outer Hebrides. At 6 am yesterday the grey of the sea bled into the numerous blues of the mountains all dramatised by... Read more ›

Annie Cattrell and Jo Shapcott in conversation about week 4 of the expedition

Annie 1
JS Annie, what is it about islands? AC I like the fact that there’s a larger proportion of sea than land mass visible. There appears to be a completeness and self-sufficiency about the individual islands even though they are all distinctly different. There seems to be a big distinction between uninhabited and inhabited islands –... Read more ›

Narrative as one member of a wee expedition

Taking off
I’ve put some kit in my rucksack. There’s a camera and a phone charged up but I don’t feel much  like  sorting the spaghetti of  leads in and out of video cameras and recording gear. There’s also no need to take the navigation box. Someone else is doing the driving this trip. i catch the... Read more ›

Plankton sampling over the Mingulay cold water coral reef

Net sample (Photo by Steve Hurrell)
After the excitement of the basking sharks in the bay at Mingulay we head out East again to deeper water, to the area of the cold water coral reef. I’ve been asked to take a plankton sample for a scientist who’s working in Dr Kate Darling’s lab at the Grant Institute in Edinburgh University. During... Read more ›

Conservation in the Sound of Barra and East Mingulay

Barra and East Mingulay
In 2000, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) proposed the designation of the Sound of Barra as a marine Special Area of Conservation (mSAC) to protect sandbanks and seals. This was followed, in 2008, by a SNH proposal to designate an mSAC in the waters east of Mingulay (a smaller uninhabited island lying to the south of... Read more ›

Tobermory waiting

LC_Image
Tobermory; waiting for the wind to come and then (hopefully) go so we can leave the Bay and head Small Isles-ward. Waiting isn’t bad though – a chance to chat, eat, chat some more. Is climate change happening? Is it man-made? Maybe it doesn’t matter if it is or it isn’t; if people’s lives are... Read more ›

Domesticity

Song of the Whale
I made a pact with myself last night. After spending the day seriously regretting my morning decision to not wash my hair on my one day in two that I can use Song of the Whales shower facilities, I told myself to make the most of the biodegradable washing soap that I have brought with... Read more ›