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Peregrine Travel Centre

Islands on the Edge 2018

Islands on the Edge 2018

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Description

This expedition voyage will appeal to those who wish to see some of the most remote and inaccessible islands in England, Ireland and Scotland. It is a truly unique itinerary visiting the remarkable islands on the edge of the British Isles with only one non-island call during our voyage; such is the advantage of having a self-sufficient vessel with the qualities of the MS Serenissima. We will sail from Portsmouth and during our cruise visit both inhabited and uninhabited islands and places of great natural beauty, rich in wildlife and mystical history. We have also included a number of gardens such as the renowned Abbey Gardens in Tresco and the beautiful Ilnacullin Gardens in Bantry Bay which, given the timing of our cruise, will be coming into bloom. For keen birders there are numerous highlights including sailing past the Cliffs of Moher, home to an estimated 30,000 birds and also cruising past two of the largest gannetries in the world at St Kilda.

The sheer diversity of the landscapes and lifestyles will amaze you as will the spirit and warmth of the small communities we will encounter. In an age of rapid centralisation and common identity it is fortifying to know that life with its unique traditions and values can still be found on the edges of our islands. This is not a cruise in the traditional sense, more an exploration with 100 or so fellow travellers who wish to enjoy the peace, beauty and tranquility of the islands. Learn something of their history, see the abundant bird and marine life, but above all revel in the timeless enchantment that these islands exude to all those who appreciate the natural world.

Trip Name
Islands on the Edge 2018
Days
13
Overview
Vessel Type: Small Ship Length: 87 metres Passenger Capacity: 107 (from Dec 2018 - 95) Built / refurbished: 1960 / 2013 / 2018 We are delighted to have had the MS Serenissima on long term charter since 2013. There are so few ships of her generation still cruising and the fact that she is is a great testament to her owners who invest considerable sums to keep her in top form. In December 2018, the vessel will once again undergo a significant refurbishment after which she will accommodate a maximum of just 95 guests. MS Serenissima is a charming vessel and one of her best known and loved features of this vessel is its unique style. During a major refit the then owners commissioned Swedish interior designers to create a Gustavian style interior. This bright Swedish 18th century influenced, country house style works particularly well on a vessel of this vintage, providing intimacy and classic nautical sensibility often lacking in larger vessels. The vessel is equipped with a fleet of Zodiac landing craft allowing us to visit remote places where normal tender arrangements are not possible. The European Captain, Officers, Expedition Staff, and crew offer a first class service and have been selected for their professionalism and caring attitudes. The atmosphere on board is warm and welcoming and dedicated to discovery and relaxation. AIR-CONDITIONING The ship is air conditioned throughout. Please note that only the Serenissima Suites have individually controlled air-conditioning. DAILY PROGRAMME A Daily Programme, detailing the following day’s arrangements as well as any specific information about the day’s activities is produced onboard and delivered to your cabin each evening during the turn down service. DINING, DRINKING AND DIETARY REQUIREMENTS The Venice Restaurant onboard serves international cuisine and accommodates all guests at a single open seating. Tables seat 4 to 10 diners. In addition, there is an outside dining area for when the weather and itinerary permit. Breakfast and lunch are both buffet style, dinner is waiter service only. Complimentary (red and white) house wine, beer and soft drinks are included with lunch and dinner. Bar drinks and other beverages with meals are not included; these may be purchased onboard and paid for at the end of your cruise. Complimentary tea and coffee are available between 07:00 hours and 23:00 hours at the tea and coffee station located in the Andrea lounge. Please advise of any special dietary requests in advance. DISABLED FACILITIES The ship can accommodate passengers with mobility restrictions and wheelchair dependent passengers in cabin 407, which has a wider door and no step into/out of the bathroom and shower area. There is a lift serving decks 3 to 6, but there is no stair lift. DOCTOR A medical doctor is available on board 24 hours a day. A fee is charged for any consultations and medication prescribed. Please ensure you carry adequate supplies of any regular medications you may require.  ELECTRICITY The electrical outlets in the cabins and public areas are 220V and take a two-round-pin plug (as in continental Europe). There is a 110/220V, 60Hz outlet for electric shavers in the bathroom. We recommend that you bring an international adaptor. GRATUITIES Gratuities to crew and whilst on excursions are included in the cost of your holiday. INTERNET The onboard library has a computer equipped for email/internet access and Wi-Fi access is available in public areas, although you will require your own laptop, tablet or smartphone, and charges apply – 100mb for €15 Euros, or 500mb for €25 Euros. Please note that connection is dependent on weather conditions and location. LANGUAGE All members of the crew speak English. MONEY The following payment methods are accepted for settlement of shipboard accounts: Cash (Euros or British Pounds), Credit Card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express), Debit Card (MasterCard and Visa). Please note that personal cheques and Travellers’ Cheques are not accepted. PUBLIC AREAS • Andrea Lounge (on Deck 5). The bar is open from 11.00 until 24.00. • Harald Jarl Lounge (on Deck 5). There is a small library here with books and games. There is also a computer for public use (charges apply for internet access) • Lido area (on Deck 5) with a Jacuzzi and fitness room with two running machines • Observation Deck (access from Deck 5 lido area) • Deck 5 and Deck 6 outside seating areas SNORKELLING Snorkelling equipment is kept onboard. Please note that there is no snorkelling from Zodiacs. All snorkelling stops will operate from a beach.  TELEVISION The ship is equipped with a satellite TV system which receives 15 channels. TV reception depends on the satellite dish and on occasion it may not be possible to receive a signal. There is one central video channel on which it is possible to listen to the lectures delivered in the Andrea Lounge. There is also a channel for the ship’s camera located in front of the ship. ZODIACS Some destinations may require the use of Zodiacs to go ashore. These are usually on expedition cruises though may sometimes be used on destination cruises.  PLEASE NOTE: Deck plan varies for 2019 cruises, no inside cabins.

Itinerary



Day 1 - Day 1 - Portsmouth.
Embark the MS Serenissima in the afternoon. Transfers will be provided from Portsmouth Harbour Railway station at a fixed time. Sail this evening for the Channel Islands.
Day 2 - Day 2 - Guernsey and Herm, Channel Islands.
Arrive this morning on Guernsey, the ‘Island of Flowers’. There will be the option of a walking tour of St Peter Port including a visit to Castle Cornet, a 12th century battlement which guards the entrance to St Peter Port Harbour. Alternatively, enjoy a panoramic drive during which we will see the beautiful coastline and beaches and also visit the Little Chapel, built in 1914 as a miniature version of the famous basilica at Lourdes and covered in fragments of shattered china. Over lunch we sail the short distance to Herm, the smallest inhabited Channel Island and at just one and a half miles long and half a mile wide, perfect for exploring on foot. You will have free time to explore, perhaps take a stroll over to Shell or Belvoir Beach. Alternatively, join our naturalists on the lookout for wildflowers and birds.
Day 3 - Day 3 - Tresco & St Agnes, Isles of Scilly.
Spend the morning on traffic free Tresco, walking its idyllic lanes from the beach to the famous subtropical Abbey Gardens. Defying the Atlantic weather, this miracle of a garden is home to more than 20,000 species of plants from over 80 countries. Enjoy time to wander at your own pace along the paths, maybe visit the Valhalla collection of ship figureheads from ships wrecked on the islands or relax in the cafe. Sail over lunch to St Agnes, the most south westerly community in the United Kingdom. Surrounded by rocks and reefs, this delightful tiny island offers marvellous coastal walks with over one third designated as “sites of special scientific interest”. The small island of Gugh lies across a narrow sandbar and here we find a single stone monolith called the ‘Old Man of Gugh’ which dates back to the Bronze Age. The active may wish to walk up Kitten Hill with views over to St Marys or alternatively, enjoy a drink at the Turk’s Head.
Day 4 - Day 4 - Garnish Island and Bantry Bay, Ireland.
Sail this morning into the sheltered harbour of Glengariff. Here local boats will take us to Garnish Island and the beautiful Ilnacullin Gardens. These remarkable gardens owe their existence to the creative partnership, some seventy years ago of Anna Bryce, then owner of the island and Harold Peto, architect and garden designer. The sheltered position and Gulf Stream is favourable to the growth of ornamental plants, many normally only found in sub-tropical or Mediterranean climates. We return by local boats sailing past “Seal Island”, home to 250 common seals before enjoying lunch on board. This afternoon you may wish to stay on board, enjoy some free time in the small town or join the excursion to Bantry House, overlooking Bantry Bay. We will explore the house, one of the finest historic houses in Ireland along with the gardens.
Day 5 - Day 5 - Aran Islands.
This morning we will cruise by the magnificent Cliffs of Moher. Rising to 213 metres and over five miles long they are home to an estimated 30,000 birds including Atlantic puffin, razorbills, guillemots and choughs. A little further up the coast and some 30 miles from the Galway Coast are the Aran Islands. We will call into the largest, Inishmore, and explore some of the early Christian sites. This island was a place of monastic study from the earliest Christian times. Also, see the dramatic stone fort of Dun Aengus, parts of which date back some 3,000 years. Late May is the perfect time to see these islands as the wild flowers should be at their best.
Day 6 - Day 6 - Tory Island.
After a morning at sea we arrive at Tory Island, located off the northwest coast of Ireland and home to 150 or so Gaelic speakers. Although only 14 miles offshore, it feels like many more and island life here is full of traditions. Meet some of the local community in the village hall and enjoy some of their legendary storytelling, music and dance. Tory Island is also famous for its migratory birds; seabirds nest here in large numbers and a puffin colony nests on the northern cliffs. Look out for guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmars, storm petrels and manx shearwaters whilst the corncrake has become a main attraction on the island.
Day 7 - Day 7 - Iona & Lunga, Scotland.
Arrive this morning at Iona which for more than 1,000 years has been a place of deep spiritual significance. No less than 62 kings of Scotland are buried here and St Columba came here from Ireland in 563A.D. as early Christianity spread through northern Britain from this remote island community. We have time to explore the Abbey, take a walk amongst the wildflowers across the island to the “Bay at the Back of the Ocean” or keep an eye and ear out for the elusive corncrakes. Over lunch we sail to the tiny Treshnish Isles, located in the waters between Mull and Tiree. Now uninhabited, this group of low lying islands is home to thousands of sea birds and a large population of common and Atlantic grey seals. We hope to land on the largest of the islands, Lunga to walk amongst the amazingly tame puffins and see the remnants of past habitation that dates back to Viking times. This evening we sail to the Isle of Skye for an overnight anchorage.
Day 8 - Day 8 - Loch Scavaig & Canna, Small Isles.
Enjoy breakfast in lovely Loch Scavaig on the island of Skye. Just beyond is the freshwater Loch Corruisk with its breathtakingly beautiful view over the Cuillins. This is great walking country and our expedition team will run a series of hikes for all interests. For those who prefer a less energetic morning our Zodiacs will explore the coast looking out for seals. Over lunch we sail to the Small Isles. Strategically placed between the mountains of Rum and the Outer Hebrides, the island of Canna and its adjoining neighbour Sanday are bound together like some rare text that reveals over 60 million years of Hebridean geology and history. They have an amazingly rich archaeological landscape with remains dating to all periods of settled occupation in Scotland. Canna is run as a single farm and bird sanctuary by the National Trust for Scotland and enjoys the best harbour in the Small Isles, a horn-shaped haven. The fertile soil and its diversity of habitats mean that the island has an incredibly rich plant life with 248 native flowering plants recorded. We will see Canna House and wander across grassy basalt plateaus to the 600 foot cliffs on the north shore.
Day 9 - Day 9 - St Kilda, Outer Hebrides.
Arrive at first light in St Kilda, a remarkable uninhabited archipelago some fifty miles beyond the Outer Hebrides. Dominated by the highest cliffs and sea stacks in Britain, Hirta, St Kilda’s main island was occupied on and off for at least two thousand years, with the last 36 Gaelic speaking inhabitants evacuated at their own request in 1930. Immediately after the evacuation, the island was bought by the Marquess of Bute to protect the island’s thousands of seabirds including puffin and fulmars, and in 1957 it was bequeathed to The National Trust for Scotland. St Kilda is one of only two dozen UNESCO World Heritage Sites with dual status reflecting its natural and cultural significance. The local ranger will join us on board before our expedition staff lead a number of guided walks on the island. Later, cruise past two of the largest gannetries in the world at Stac Lee and Boreray. These impressive stacs rise 170 metres from the sea and are home to up to 60,000 breeding pairs of northern gannet.
Day 10 - Day 10 - Stornoway and Shiant Islands.
On leaving the island capital of Stornoway, we will head across the island to the beautiful west coast. Described as Scotland’s Stonehenge, the Callanish Standing Stones date from around 3000B.C. There are a total of 32 stones in a circular and avenue design which stand like a petrified forest on the flat top of a peninsula which reaches out into East Loch Roag. We also visit the Dun Carloway Pictish Broch, probably built sometime in the last century B.C., it would have served as an occasionally defensible residence for an extended family complete with accommodation for animals at ground floor level. Our final stop is the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village – a reconstructed settlement of traditional black houses which were made using dry stone masonry and have thatched roofs, distinctively weighted down with rocks. Visit the small museum, enjoy a display of a typical crofting activity such as weaving and take in the views at this dramatic site on the wild Atlantic coast. Sail this afternoon past the Shiant Islands, a group of little islands located a few miles off the shores of Lewis. If weather permits we will use the Zodiacs to explore the island closer as this is an excellent place to spot seals and hopefully white-tailed eagles.
Day 11 - Day 11 - Fair Isle.
Spend the morning at sea as we sail out to remote Fair Isle arriving during lunch. Here the tiny population of sixty or so islanders always extend us a warm welcome. Enjoy an afternoon to explore; maybe walk across the island, visit the Bird Observatory, search out the puffin slopes or meet the local community and perhaps purchase some of the famous knitwear. Return to the ship for dinner as we sail this evening.
Day 12 - Day 12 - Kirkwall, Orkney Islands.
This morning we arrive at the Orkney capital of Kirkwall from where we will head into the west of Mainland, Orkney’s largest island. We will pass through gentle rolling landscape and into the Neolithic Heartland of Orkney; an area designated as a World Heritage Site due to its wealth of pre-historic archaeology. We will see the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar; a huge ceremonial circle of stones dating back almost 5,000 years. We continue to the 5000-year-old village of Skara Brae and see the remarkable dwellings revealed from beneath the sand dunes by storms only 150 years ago. Time permitting we will also visit Birsay, the ancient centre of Viking power and explore St Magnus Church which dates back over 900 years. This afternoon is free to explore Kirkwall independently or to join our naturalists on a guided walk looking at the local flora and fauna.
Day 13 - Day 13 - Aberdeen.
Disembark after breakfast. Transfers will be provided to Aberdeen railway station and airport.

Trip Dates

StartEndPrice FromRoom Type
19-05-201831-05-2018£7,295Standard Stateroom Plus Sole
19-05-201831-05-2018£6,995Standard Stateroom Sole
19-05-201831-05-2018£5,095Standard Stateroom Plus
19-05-201831-05-2018£5,795Deluxe Stateroom
19-05-201831-05-2018£5,595Superior Stateroom
19-05-201831-05-2018£6,195Junior Suite
19-05-201831-05-2018£4,695Inside Cabin
19-05-201831-05-2018£5,195Inside Single
19-05-201831-05-2018£4,895Standard Stateroom
19-05-201831-05-2018£5,295Standard Single
19-05-201831-05-2018£6,595Owners Suite
19-05-201831-05-2018£6,595Executive Suite

Inclusions

    • Discover the islands around the edge of England, Scotland and Ireland. These are home to remote communities, wonderful wildlife and a history that dates back thousands of years.
    • Access some of the remotest places where we can meet the locals be they farmers or landlords, puffins or seals.
    • Visit the Channel Islands, Isles of Scilly, Aran Islands, the Outer and Inner Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland Islands on our quest to visit the outlying islands.
    • Find beautiful blooming gardens, walk through islands of wildflowers and watch in wonder as thousands of birds fill the sky as we cruise past their breeding grounds.
    • Appreciate the history of the region from the archaeological sites of the Aran Islands and Isle of Lewis to the more modern history of St Kilda.

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