A cruise around the British Isles


 

I have been lucky enough to have travelled quite a lot in Europe but there are still many places in the British Isles that I have not visited yet. This was my first visit to the Scottish Islands.

So, when my husband saw an advertisement for a cruise going right round the British Isles departing from Avonmouth, our local port we thought it was too good to miss.   We booked with CMV, cruise and Maritime Voyages.  The ship used was the Marco Polo.  This liner has an interesting history having been built sixty years ago for the Soviet Union.  I had never been on an ocean cruise before and was not sure what to expect. I know that cruising is extremely popular with the over sixties and hoped to find out why this is.

We were very lucky to be given a cabin high up on the 11th floor well away from the noise of the entertainment and the bars.  I had wondered whether I would be bored being on a boat for a week as I normally enjoy walking but in fact, there was plenty to do with lectures and shows. Some of the entertainment reflected the age of the passengers who were mainly elderly with games like throw the bean bag and rock and roll evenings.

I had booked walking tours at our various ports as I thought I would get cabin fever but instead, I found I was surprisingly tired when I came home.  This might have been something to do with the amount we ate.  There was a lot of good food provided.  If you wanted you could have six meals a day, breakfast, eleven o’clock snacks, lunch, four o’clock tea and cake, dinner and even a midnight feast.

I certainly needed those walks.  My favourite places were the Scottish Isles which I had never visited before particularly Tobermory  on the Isle of Mull with its colourful houses, instantly recognisable from the children’s television show, Balamory and Kirkwall in Orkney with its whitewashed stone houses.

A photo of the womble Tobermory outside a shop in Tobemory
Tobermory in Tobermory wombling free.

I also enjoyed my first visit to Dunfermline where we saw the birthplace of Carnegie and learnt something of his life story:  How he went from Weaver’s son to one of the richest men in America.  He did not forget his native city and endowed it with a concert hall, library, park, swimming pool and technical college.

A statue of Andrew Carnegie
This statue is of Andrew Carnegie, the philanthropist in the park which he bought for the city after not being allowed to play in it as a child.

   The homeward leg

We then sailed south visiting Honfleur, a well-preserved seaside town at the mouth of the Seine in France and Jersey the largest of the Channel Islands.

Bronze cows wandering through St. Helier
Realistic statues of cows in St. Hellier Jersey.

Our last port of call was my favourite, Tresco in the Scilly Islands where we were lucky enough to be taken on a tour of the Abbey Gardens by a retired gardener. The gardens were established by Augustus Smith in the 19th century in the ruins of a Benedictine Abbey. They are home to a large collection of plants from the southern hemisphere. Plants from New Zealand to South Africa flourish in Trescos mild climate.

A picture of chocolate colour succulents.
Succulents in the Abbey Garden in Tresco
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3 responses to “A cruise around the British Isles”

  1. Sounds wonderful! Have never heard of ‘throw the bean bag’ though – what is it?

  2. This is an interesting way to explore to a little more, sounds fab and good to hear the food was plentiful to keep you fuelled up! 🙂

  3. Sounds like an interesting way to see one’s own country. Like you, I’ve always thought I would become bored easily on a cruise but obviously that wasn’t the case for you.