loading spinner
Scotland

The Hidden Coasts of Scotland: An Expedition on the Ocean Albatros

Program No. 24592RJ
Experience Scotland from Edinburgh to the Orkney Islands and Outer Hebrides as you join us for our Floating Campus onboard the Ocean Albatros!

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.

DATES & PRICES

Ship Out Ship Balc Ship Suite
Filling Fast!
May 10 - May 21, 2024
Ship Outside 9,999
Ship Balcony 12,999
Ship Suite 14,499
Special Offer

Enroll by March 29, 2024 and receive free round-trip airfare from many cities!

May 18 - May 29, 2024
Ship Outside 9,999
Ship Balcony 12,999
Ship Suite 14,499
Special Offer

Enroll by March 31, 2024 and receive free round-trip airfare from many cities!

May 8 - May 19, 2025
Ship Outside 9,999
Ship Balcony 12,999
Ship Suite 14,499
Special Offer

Enroll by March 31, 2024 and receive free round-trip airfare from many cities!

May 16 - May 27, 2025
Ship Outside 9,999
Ship Balcony 12,999
Ship Suite 14,499
Special Offer

Enroll by March 31, 2024 and receive free round-trip airfare from many cities!

DATES & PRICES

Ship Outside Ship Balcony
Filling Fast!
May 10 - May 21, 2024
Ship Outside 14,999
Ship Balcony 19,499
Special Offer

Enroll by March 29, 2024 and receive free round-trip airfare from many cities!

Filling Fast!
May 18 - May 29, 2024
Ship Outside 14,999
Ship Balcony 19,499
Special Offer

Enroll by March 31, 2024 and receive free round-trip airfare from many cities!

May 8 - May 19, 2025
Ship Outside 14,999
Ship Balcony 19,499
Special Offer

Enroll by March 31, 2024 and receive free round-trip airfare from many cities!

May 16 - May 27, 2025
Ship Outside 14,999
Ship Balcony 19,499
Special Offer

Enroll by March 31, 2024 and receive free round-trip airfare from many cities!

At a Glance

The northern coast of Scotland is known for its incredible natural beauty, remote islands and ancient landmarks — and there’s no better way to experience them all than on this exclusive Road Scholar Floating Campus voyage! We’ll have the brand-new Ocean Albatros to ourselves on this learning adventure that begins and ends in Edinburgh and leads you on a journey to Aberdeen, the Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Outer Hebrides. Marvel in the remote landscapes of Scotland as your onboard instructors offer their insight into the history and biodiversity of the region through lectures, Q&A sessions and casual discussions. In true campus style, take part in onboard activities like a book club or photography instruction, enjoy a live performance of Scottish dance and music and get to know other Road Scholars who love learning — and voyages — as much as you do.
Activity Level
Choose Your Pace
This program offers two activity levels to choose from on every departure date: one that has more walking and standing and one at a less active pace. Must be comfortable getting in & out of tender boats and zodiacs, feel comfortable navigating around the ship and handle stairs while on board. PLEASE NOTE: The ship is not suitable for Wheelchair/Electric Scooter use.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Spend a night in Edinburgh before and after your voyage to enjoy opportunities to discover landmarks like Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile with a local expert.
  • Learn about royal history at the Castle of Mey in Caithness, purchased and restored by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
  • Discover Scotland’s prehistoric landmarks during field trips to the Callanish Standing Stones and the Ring of Brogdar in the Orkney Isles, both sites thought to be constructed for astronomical observations.
  • Voyage to some of Scotland’s remote islands as you explore the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Sumburgh Head in Shetland and enjoy zodiac rides along Loch Torridon.
  • Enjoy the camaraderie of other Road Scholars as you take in private lectures, unique field trips and take part in educational onboard activities on this exclusive Floating Campus voyage.

General Notes

This learning adventure is part of Road Scholar’s Floating Campus. You’ll enjoy a true campus feel as we have the entire ship to ourselves and welcome a maximum of 150 Road Scholars, and enjoy field trips onshore in smaller groups of 35. Onboard experts will be on hand throughout the voyage and will offer instruction during exclusive lectures, Q&A sessions and discussions. Enjoy a book club, onboard activities, a live performance and the camaraderie that can only be found with an entire ship full of fellow Road Scholars! Please note that we need a minimum number of participants to enroll in this program to have exclusive use of the ship. In the unlikely event we do not meet the minimum number, then the cruise line may have its own passengers on the ship, though they will not be part of any Road Scholar activities.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Sandy Primrose
Sandy Primrose is a biologist by training, undertaking research in Australia before returning to the UK to lecture at the Universities of Edinburgh and Warwick. In 1981, he made a career change to a pharmaceutical company and later in diagnostic, food, and environmental companies. Twenty years later, he started working as a biotechnology consultant and advisor to various UK governmental organizations. Sandy has written a number of very popular science textbooks and has a passion for gardening — particularly his half-acre garden.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Sandy Primrose
Sandy Primrose View biography
Sandy Primrose is a biologist by training, undertaking research in Australia before returning to the UK to lecture at the Universities of Edinburgh and Warwick. In 1981, he made a career change to a pharmaceutical company and later in diagnostic, food, and environmental companies. Twenty years later, he started working as a biotechnology consultant and advisor to various UK governmental organizations. Sandy has written a number of very popular science textbooks and has a passion for gardening — particularly his half-acre garden.
Profile Image of Steve Ragnall
Steve Ragnall View biography
Steve Ragnall is a historian and writer with a lifetime’s love of the sea. He has extensive sailing experience, including passages on tall ships, most notably the Bark Endeavour, a replica of Captain Cook’s ship. He is an honorary member of the Merchant Navy Association. Steve has worked extensively in local and regional radio as musician, writer and presenter. He worked with the BBC on their “Telling Lives” project in 2004-5, introducing short film making skills to the general public.
Profile Image of Donna Heddle
Donna Heddle View biography
Donna Heddle is the director of the University of the Highlands and Islands Institute for Northern Studies, and head of research environment and culture at UHI, leading the development of the university’s Arctic strategy. Her research interests include Scottish cultural history, language, and literature. She has won awards for course development and design. She is a trustee of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and of Sir Sean Connery’s Scottish International Education Trust, and has sat on the board of Museums Galleries Scotland and Hi-Arts.
Profile Image of Kate Vigurs
Kate Vigurs View biography
Kate Vigurs is a historian and author of "Mission France: The True History of the Women of SOE," with her second book "Mission Europe" due for publication in 2025. She speaks widely on women's history and both World Wars at museums, history festivals, and clubs. Kate works as an expert on trips covering the Western Front battlefields, Berlin, and Krakow/Auschwitz. She also has her own historical theatre company, "History’s Maid," and regularly produces scripts, films, and live performances in castles, stately homes, and heritage sites.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History
by Alistairi Moffat
This book follows the movement of hunter-gatherers north, the growth of fishing, and the establishment of farming. The author also covers cultural evolution in Scotland - the roles played by megalith builders, Celts, Picts, and others.
Waverley (1814)
by Sir Walter Scott
Waverley (1814), tells the story of Edward Waverley, a naïve young man who is posted to Scotland with his regiment. Edward must decide whether he will follow the civilization he has always known, or be drawn into an older world of honor.
Scotland: the Story of a Nation
by Magnus Magnusson
Encompassing everything from the first Mesolithic settlers in 7000 B.C. to the present movements for independence, Scotland: The Story of a Nation is history on an epic level, essential reading for anyone interested in the rich past of this captivating land.
Trainspotting
by Irvine Welsh
Trainspotting is Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh’s 1993 work of fiction. Set in the late 1980s, the novel follows the “Skag Boys,” who are involved in Edinburgh, Scotland’s heroin scene, particularly in the neighborhood of Leith.
Sunset Song
by Lewis Grassic Gibbon
The first and most celebrated novel by Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song evokes village life in the early twentieth century and offers a powerful portrait of a land and people in turmoil.
Scotland: a New History
by Michael Lynch
Michael Lynch, named as 'one of the most influential historians in Scotland of the last thirty years', has written an extraordinary one-volume history of the country that spans twenty centuries, from the Picts to the present day.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)
by Robert Louis Stevenson
This gothic novella by Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson was originally published in 1886. The story is about a legal practitioner in London, named Gabriel John Utterson, who investigates bizarre incidents that occur between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.
Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon
# 1 New York Times Bestseller, the first book in Diana Gabaldon’s acclaimed Outlander saga. Based in the Scottish Highlands, this spellbinding novel of passion and history combines exhilarating adventure with a love story for the ages.
How the Scots Invented the Modern World
by Athur Herman
As historian and author Arthur Herman reveals, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland made crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics—contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since.
The Wasp Factory
by Iain Banks
The literary debut of Scottish author Iain Banks, The Wasp Factory is an imaginative and disturbing look into the mind of a child psychopath.
The Complete Poems and Songs of Robert Burns
by Robert Burns
Burns is an icon for the UK and Scotland he is a national symbol. This volume of poems and songs is a best selling, beautiful edition of his work.
Robert the Bruce: King of Scots
by Ronald McNair Scott
Using contemporary accounts, Ronald McNair Scott tells the story of Scotland's legendary leader, and one of Europe's most remarkable medieval kings.
No Gods and Precious Few Heroes (Vol 8: Scotland, 1914-80)
by Christopher Harvie
Harvie analyzes the pressures and influences that, over the past ninety years, have eroded Scotland's position as a world industrial power.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.