Category: British Isles

The final leg of our adventure took place after we disembarked from our cruise ship. We spent two days in London, staying at the Conrad London St. James just a half mile from Westminster Abbey. in many ways this was the best part of our trip. The cruise itself was great: the staff was wonderful,…

We had a slight change of plans today. High winds and potential storms prevented us from docking in Greenwich, so we sailed further north and docked in Tilbury. After disembarking in Tilbury we rode a charter bus an hour to Greenwich to meet up with our tour guide. Greenwich is the “ground zero” of time…

We arrived in Dover this morning, in full view of the famous white cliffs. After docking in Dover we were off by bus to Canterbury, home of the world famous cathedral. Founded in 597 AD by Augustine, the first archbishop of Canterbury, this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town itself was quite bustling…

Sailing from Dublin to Dover is a multi-day affair, so we are at sea all day today, arriving in Dover (and Canterbury) on Saturday morning. So what does one do all day while sailing the English Channel? Enjoyed a full breakfast in the ship’s excellent restaurant. Attended a lecture on the history of the Vikings….

Our time in Dublin was a bit disappointing, in that almost our entire trip was spent on the tour bus, making it difficult to take photos. We did make one stop at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the National (Anglican) Cathedral of the Church of Ireland. The Cathedral was built in 1220, on the site of a…

Holyhead is a small town in the northwest of Wales. Its main tourist draw is an unfinished castle begun in the 13th century by King Edward “Longshanks”, later abandoned when he turned his attention to Scotland and sent his armies north. The castle and the surrounding area are presently being used to film a Game…

Liverpool could be renamed Beatleville these days. The Fab Four’s presence is sprinkled everywhere throughout the city. All of the buskers have Beatles tunes in a loop. Our cruise offered a lecture on the impact of the Beatles music. The ship’s theatre staged a musical performance pf the “Beatles Songbook”. There are tours of Penny…

We spent the day in Belfast on July 28. Belfast was a more cosmopolitan city – at least to me – than I had anticipated. The downtown area had a very modern feeling, and a lot of new construction was evident. A lot has been written about “The Troubles”, which is still evident in some…

Ullapool is one of the most remote settings in the Unite Kingdom, and is situated on the shores of Loch Broom. The town is the only significant dwelling place for miles in all directions, surrounded mostly by wilderness and dramatic mountain peaks. Ullapool is historically a fishing village, where “crofters” (small farmers in Northern Scotland)…