Wild Britain

This voyage to the British Isles provides an opportunity to explore three timeless lands steeped in the lore and history of the Celts, Anglo-Saxons, King Arthur, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Macbeth. Explore villages and islets with intriguing names such as Iona, Staffa, Saltee, Bass Rock, the Isle of Man, Orkneys, Shetlands, and many more. Raise a pint with the chaps in a local pub, shop for woolens in Lerwick and silver in Kirkwall, and enjoy close encounters with jaunty puffins. Be ready with your camera, as the photographic opportunities here will be staggering!

This is the perfect time of year to visit Britain, as late spring turns to early summer, and the countryside is ablaze with a profusion of wildflowers. This expedition puts us in the midst of heathered moorlands, ancient woodlands, Neolithic monuments, stone abbeys, and Celtic fortresses. Just offshore, on isolated islands, lie Europe’s largest seabird colonies—resonating with the constant caws and cries of puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, gannets, and many others, all in a frenzy of breeding activity.

The long days preceding the solstice give us the chance to enjoy an action-packed itinerary that includes visits to some of the most isolated and remote regions of the British Isles. And the superb, 100-passenger Island Sky—intimate and comfortably elegant—is the perfect vessel for maneuvering the narrow channels and waterways of the region. We also make full use of her fleet of Zodiacs, not only for landings but for scenic exploration along the spectacular coast of Britain.

This adventure around the British Isles offers the perfect blend of historic castles, breathtaking botanical gardens, impressive cliff scenery, quaint villages, charming people, and an astonishing array of birds. Among the many highlights are visits to the World Heritage Sites of Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, St. Kilda in Scotland’s Hebrides, and the Neolithic stones of Orkney. Excursions by Zodiac bring us to grottoes that echo with history, from infamous Bruce’s Cave on Rathlin Island to the enchanting formations of Fingal’s Cave whose sonorous sea sounds inspired an overture from Mendelssohn. We stroll through the subtropical gardens surrounding the stunning medieval Tresco Abbey in the Scilly Isles; drive through sublimely beautiful Killarney National Park and the legendary Ring of Kerry; and savor a cuppa with the charming residents of remote Fair Isle.

We look forward to sharing with you many favorite spots and hope you’ll join us, along with our outstanding team of naturalists and authoritative historians, as we explore and discover the beguiling treasures of the British Isles.

Itinerary

DAY 1 — USA / London, England
Depart on your independent flight to London.

DAY 2 — London
After independent check-in at the Crowne Plaza London - St. James in central London, we are at leisure to explore the city on our own. This evening we gather for cocktails, a welcome dinner, and a briefing at our hotel.

DAY 3 — London / Portsmouth / Embark Island Sky
After breakfast we depart for Portsmouth where we board the Island Sky. After lunch we enjoy time to explore and settle into our home for the next twelve nights.

DAY 4 — Isles of Scilly
Once the scourge of seamen whose ships were frequently lost among these 150 or so granitic isles, the Scillys are known today for their lovely beaches, rocky promontories, and ideal climate. Warmed by the North Atlantic Drift, the Isles of Scilly have given their fortunate inhabitants the luxury of turning a passion for flower growing into a major industry. In the morning we visit the capital of Hugh Town, situated on St. Mary’s Island. Boarding Zodiacs in the afternoon, we cruise to Tresco for a visit to the ruins and exquisite subtropical gardens at the medieval Tresco Abbey. We set sail in the late afternoon for southern Ireland.

DAY 5 — Sneem / Ring of Kerry / Cahirciveen,
Ireland
Our full-day excursion encompasses some of the world’s finest scenery as we drive east from Sneem to the market town of Kenmare. The circular route then climbs through Moll’s Gap, revealing idyllic lake and mountain panoramas. We visit Muckross House in Killarney National Park, a restored 19th century Elizabethan-style manor house and
gardens, where artisans ply their traditional trades and craftwork in the Kerry Folklife Centre. After lunch in nearby Killarney town, we have time to explore before continuing
along the northern route through Killorglin with its grand land- and seascapes and along the shores of Dingle Bay. We re-embark the ship in Cahirciveen.

DAY 6 — Waterford / Saltee Islands
We make our way up the River Suir this morning to the town of Waterford. Settled by Danish invaders who were in turn driven out by the Normans in 1170, this historic town has a wealth of monuments, including a tower built by the Danes in 1003. Our tour here includes a visit to the renowned Waterford Crystal glassworks, where we watch master craftsmen at work. After a drive through the beautiful countryside, we arrive at a fine old pub whose walls date back to Viking times.

The two privately owned islands of the Saltees, along Ireland’s east coast, attract nearly three million birds to their craggy masses. On Great Saltee Island we search for puffins, murres, razorbills, gannets, and more of the 47 bird species known to inhabit the island.

DAY 7 — Isle of Man
A mid-morning arrival brings us to Port St. Mary on the Isle of Man, situated halfway between Northern Ireland and England. On shore, we board the Isle of Man Steam Railway,
the single remnant from the extensive Victorian system that served the main centers on the island. Our ride takes us through quaint and picturesque villages and to the southern
resort of Port Erin. At 15 and one half miles, the railway is the longest narrow gauge steam line in Britain.

DAY 8 — Portrush / Giant’s Causeway / Rathlin
Island, Northern Ireland
We spend the morning along the North Antrim Coast, witnessing the dramatic landscape of Northern Ireland. Our ship docks at Portrush, from where we travel overland to the World Heritage Site of Giant’s Causeway. This three-mile section of coastline is a geological masterpiece—some 40,000 closely-packed hexagonal columns of varying heights line the coast and descend like a staircase into the sea. These were formed by the shrinking of basaltic lava that fractured into vertical pillars as it cooled. Those who wish may take a hike through the formations from the interpretive center.

In the afternoon we visit the rugged cliffs of Rathlin Island, greeted by colonies of guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, and puffins. The natural beauty of the island belies its tumultuous place in history, and among its infamous sites is Bruce’s Cave, the refuge for the fugitive Scottish King, Robert the Bruce, who later returned to Scotland to rout the British.

DAY 9 — Isles of Iona / Staffa, Inner Hebrides,
Scotland
Long regarded as a sacred place, Iona was the early center of Celtic Christianity. In A.D. 563 the Christian missionary St. Columba built a monastery here and spread Christianity
throughout Scotland. Though it suffered repeated attacks by Vikings over the centuries and the original was destroyed, the monastery was rebuilt each time, and some of these later buildings still stand. We visit the monastery
site; the nearby cemetery of St. Oran, where numerous Scottish kings are buried; and the 12th-century Iona Abbey.

Weather permitting, we spend the afternoon exploring the uninhabited island of Staffa by Zodiac and its most famous feature, Fingal’s Cave. The cave’s peculiar rock formations and unusual coloring are a delight to behold, and the wonderful echo of the sea from within once served as the inspiration for Mendelssohn to write an overture.

DAY 10 — St. Kilda / Flannan, Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides, a group of stark and dramatically rugged islands, are one of Britain’s most isolated spots. We spend the morning at St. Kilda, the westernmost island of the group. At one time, St. Kilda was home to a small community; we visit their abandoned houses and cleits, beehive-shaped cells of rough stone where goods were stored.

As we sail among the Flannan Islands this afternoon, puffins, fulmars, murres, and kittiwakes should be plentiful. Of special interest to birders is the Leach’s petrel colony on the grassy slopes of Eilean Mor beneath the lighthouse. Weather permitting, we go ashore.

DAY 11 — Kirkwall, Orkney Islands
We arrive in the capital city of Kirkwall on Mainland Island in the Orkneys today for visits to magnificent St. Magnus
Cathedral and some of the island’s major archaeological sites. Maes Howe, a chambered tomb dating from 3500 B.C., is also noted for its runic hieroglyphs left by visiting 12th-century Vikings. We also explore the enigmatic Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar, and Skara Brae, a remarkably well preserved Stone Age village buried in sand some 4,500 years ago. This afternoon, we enjoy a walking tour of this charming town.

DAY 12 — Mousa / Isle of Noss / Lerwick,
Shetland Islands
The Shetland Islands, a group of remote islands with a distinctly Norse feel to them, are replete with ancient archaeological sites. One of these, Mousa (our next stop if the weather permits) boasts one of Britain’s finest Iron Age ruins, an unusually well preserved 40-foot broch, a dry stone structure, dating from about A.D. 200. After visiting the broch, we walk to a nearby beach where gray and common seals often haul out to loll on the beach.

Departing Mousa we cruise by the Isle of Noss, one of Europe’s largest and most diverse seabird colonies, home to 80,000 seabirds. Here we view spectacular cliffs, jampacked
with guillemots, razorbills, gannets, shags and more.

In the early afternoon we arrive in Lerwick, capital of the Shetland Islands. We enjoy a guided walking tour of the town and environs, which are steeped in Norse heritage.
There is also time to browse through the shops and narrow streets, shopping for the world famous Shetland sweaters. This evening we are dockside on board the Island Sky.

DAY 13 — Fair Isle
Regarded as the most isolated settlement in the British Isles, the island is renowned for the high quality and intricacy of its woolens and as a haven for seabirds. After a short walk, we join some of the islanders, who number only about 70, at their community center for tea and cakes, and visit the local
museum.

DAY 14 — Isle of May / Bass Rock / Leith, Scotland
The Isle of May is another of Scotland’s great seabird islands. Conditions permitting, we use our Zodiacs to land and visit the small bird observatory on the island. The number of birds is staggering, and they are astonishingly fearless. This is a wonderful ending: puffins by the thousands, kittiwakes by the cliff-full, shags on every available rock, and eider ducks at your feet.

On our way to Leith we circumnavigate Bass Rock, renowned for its 100,000 resident gannets—the largest gannet colony in the world. Seals haul up on the surrounding rocks and numerous other seabirds command the lower regions of the island, including guillemots, razorbills, and shags. The pioneer nature documentary broadcaster, David Attenborough, calls Bass Rock “one of the Twelve Wildlife Wonders of the World.”

In the evening we arrive in Leith, the port for Edinburgh. Dinner and overnight pierside on board the Island Sky.

DAY 15 — Leith / Edinburgh / USA
After breakfast on board, transfer to the Edinburgh airport for independent flights homeward.

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