Your Ship Awaits. Fingal was formerly a Sixties Northern Lighthouse Board ship [1963] ferrying lighthouse keepers and vital supplies between the Isle of Man, the Orkneys and the west coast of Scotland.
Fingal is now a luxury floating boutique hotel with a glamourously elegant Art Deco feel and old-world elegance permanently moored in Leith, Edinburgh’s hippest hood.
Take a walk along the scenic Water of Leith and visit one of the many artisan microbreweries, fine dining hot spots, and the famous Martin Wishart and Tom Kitchin’s Michelin-starred restaurant, The Kitchin. She’s only a few minutes away from Her Majesty’s Royal Yacht Britannia, and a 10-minute taxi ride from the city centre.
A Historic Background
Fingal’s life began life in Glasgow. She was the last ship built by the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company Fingal, commissioned by the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) in 1963 and registered in Leith. Thirty years followed in Oban and then six years in Stromness, ferrying lighthouse keepers, essential supplies and maintenance staff to lighthouses and undertaking repairs to navigational aids throughout the West Coast and the North of Scotland.
The lighthouse keepers knew it was time to go home, their three week posting was over, and the replacement lighthouse keepers and vital supplies were on the way.
After retiring from the NLB service in 2000, Fingal found a new owner who maintained it on the River Fal in Cornwall, renaming it “Windsor Castle’ for fourteen years before approaching The Royal Yacht Britannia [The Trust] to sell it. The transaction took six years of negotiations before the Trust eventually acquired the ship in July 2014.
The vessel’s renovation was in Leith, and her original name, Fingal, was restored as a tribute to her outstanding role for the NLB, the great affection she held throughout the coastal communities she served, and a new life in Leith began.
£5million Refurbishment for Fingal
The former Northern Lighthouse Board ship – and sibling to Britannia – has undergone a £5 million refurbishment. The brand-new Fingal took more than two years to complete. The removal of the funnel made way for two new decks, the lower of which has eight larger cabins and the Presidential Suite.
The upper floor houses the Lighthouse Bar and a small private dining room, The Bridge. The top half of the funnel is now over the Lighthouse Restaurant, looking like it has always been there.
The Princess Royal has travelled aboard Fingal on multiple occasions in her role as patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board since 2003. The Princess was given a private tour of the new Fingal before its launch party. She slept in what is now part of the Skerryvore Suite, Fingal’s penthouse.
Traditional Luxury Accommodations
There’s a wall of monochrome photographs celebrating Fingal in its heyday. A swooping sunken wood-lined ballroom has a stunning glass roof with an openable skylight, while an unexpected glass nod to the top of a lighthouse takes centre stage in the reception, and there’s a glass walkway over the pristine engine room. Golden circles play a repeating design feature throughout the boat, echoing the light from lighthouses.
The Stevenson family designed all of Scotland’s lighthouses, and each of the 22 cabins aboard Fingal take their name from the Stephenson lighthouses. The Stevenson’s talented family also included the famous Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Ian Cowe, a pharologist, photographed all of the Stevenson lighthouses in Scotland and the Isle of Man that the Northern Lighthouse Board operated, displayed throughout the ship.
You’re on a ship, so it’s portholes, not picture windows and some walls follow the curve of the hull. There are cunningly compartmented storage with trunk-style leather fittings hiding minibars, Nespresso machines and hair straighteners- very welcome if the sea air wreaks havoc with your hair.
The palate comprises soft sea greens, heather, rich burgundy, and soft tartans. The tartan bed throws by Araminta Campbell have a pattern echoing the beams emanating and circling from a giant lamp and lens, another subtle nod to Fingal’s lighthouse history. Her studio is just along the road.
Custom leather headboards have a nautical map showing the location of whichever the lighthouse takes its name, crafted by the team behind leatherwork at Rolls-Royce. The curved, plain textile-covered wall of the lower floor bedrooms follow the silhouette of the boat’s exterior.
The bathrooms all have drench showers with glossy green mother-of-pearl mosaic tile. Cabin sizes vary according to the category, starting with a 21m2 Classic Cabin and ending with a two-level Luxury Duplex with a living room and an extra spacious bathroom. The absolute cherry on top, however, is the Skerryvore Suite An ode to luxury, this magnificent suite comes with a private deck. Skerryvore Lighthouse is one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world, so it’s only natural that the most lavish cabin on board should take its name.
Dining Aboard Fingal
The Lighthouse, the ship’s restaurant, has a relaxed, luxurious feel with vast floor-to ceiling windows and a round granite bar with booths clad in purple leather. The rippled copper mirroring lining the ceiling casts beautiful glowing light across the room. The room leads out to the beautiful spacious teak deck, a glorious sun trap when the Scottish sunshine reveals itself.
For breakfast, the Full Scottish comes complete with black pudding, haggis and a choice between streaky or back bacon, omelette, eggs Benedict, waffles and pancakes.
Expect indulgent afternoon teas with delectable sweet and savory bites such as miniature rare-breed pork rillette and smoked salmon on board, followed by strawberry meringues and blueberry profiteroles – all best-enjoyed champagne.
The evening menu is equally split into “from the sea” and “from the port” and has eight small sharing plates. Think langoustines with celeriac and green apple, followed by pork belly with truffled potato.
Enjoy cocktails any time of the day. Light jazz plays in the background as you sip your nautical Negroni of an evening.
Fingal also makes a fabulous party venue. You can hire the jaw-dropping ballroom for hire, too – in case you want to throw a party for 60 or so friends for an exceptional celebration, and your friends and family can join you on board.
Find out more on Fingal’s website.
An internationally recognised interior architect and landscape designer, she has worked on numerous projects around the world. An eye for detail and love of all things art, architecture, travel and design have led to a nomadic lifestyle resulting in a greater focus on travel and lifestyle feature writing. She is a contributor for a range of international print publications. Living between Hong Kong, Cape Town, and London, traveling anywhere.
