Fred. Olsen Borealis
Round Britain Cruise
By Mike Pickup, Mike writes about travel for numerous UK newspapers and magazines, both consumer and trade. He is also the Editor of Holiday Magazine and a professionally trained photographer. For more information click here
The drive round the M25 towards Dover was easier than expected. I turned off the motorway at Folkestone where Holiday Extras had arranged parking for my cruise. The simplest of check-ins was followed by a ten-minute shuttle to Dover and saved the long queue for port-side parking.
Fred Olsen’s Borealis is an attractive, friendly ship holding around 1400 guests and I quickly settled in to my balcony cabin. It was large and comfortable with a jacuzzi bath and plenty of storage space so unpacking was a breeze. Later I joined fellow passengers on deck for the sail-away party before enjoying an excellent dinner.
Next morning found us in Guernsey. This unique Anglo/French island is a self-governing British dependency which was under German occupation during WWII. Many old fortifications remain but the island is now a great tourist destination, easy to explore and with lots to offer, including lovely beaches and attractive golf courses. A major focal point is the 800-year-old Castle Cornet and the firing of the Noonday Gun by gunners in 19th century costume. Other major attractions include Hauteville House, the former home of Victor Hugo. It was here that he wrote several memorable works including Les Miserables and Sausmarez Manor with its amazing outdoor gallery of unusual statues.
One of the interesting aspects of the island is shopping for fruit and vegetables. Many people grow their own and excess produce is for sale in roadside stalls. Shoppers merely pick what they want and pay in adjacent 'honesty boxes'. It's a system that works well and suits everyone.
Fred Olsen’s Borealis is an attractive, friendly ship holding around 1400 guests and I quickly settled in to my balcony cabin. It was large and comfortable with a jacuzzi bath and plenty of storage space so unpacking was a breeze. Later I joined fellow passengers on deck for the sail-away party before enjoying an excellent dinner.
Next morning found us in Guernsey. This unique Anglo/French island is a self-governing British dependency which was under German occupation during WWII. Many old fortifications remain but the island is now a great tourist destination, easy to explore and with lots to offer, including lovely beaches and attractive golf courses. A major focal point is the 800-year-old Castle Cornet and the firing of the Noonday Gun by gunners in 19th century costume. Other major attractions include Hauteville House, the former home of Victor Hugo. It was here that he wrote several memorable works including Les Miserables and Sausmarez Manor with its amazing outdoor gallery of unusual statues.
One of the interesting aspects of the island is shopping for fruit and vegetables. Many people grow their own and excess produce is for sale in roadside stalls. Shoppers merely pick what they want and pay in adjacent 'honesty boxes'. It's a system that works well and suits everyone.
I would have liked to have seen more but it that evening it was time to set sail and spend a sea day on our way to Ireland, so I had time to explore the ship. There was the usual theatre, spa, and a pool with a sliding roof for use in all weathers. In addition to the buffet and main dining rooms there were two speciality restaurants. Colours and Tastes served Oriental food whilst Vasco focussed on Indian cuisine. Numerous delightful bars and lounges made it easy to find a cosy place to relax, read – there is a good library - and have a drink when on board.
The route to our next port of call took us past Skellig Michael island and its sixth-century Christian monastery perched on a ledge some 160m (520ft) above sea level. In the middle of nowhere, monks chose this remote spot as they believed it was the furthest they could get from civilisation. That hasn’t changed much.
Our next stop was Killybegs, on the tip of Ireland’s north-west coast. It was the country’s largest fishing port and famous for weaving fine carpets found in important building throughout the world. The mills have now closed and fishing is in decline. However, wind turbines are now an important part of the economy and their huge blades were stored at the dockside. I toured the stunning coastline, part of the Wild Atlantic Way, and was treated to an amazing demonstration of sheep-dog skills at Away to me by ‘FJ’, a sheep-dog trainer, and one of his lovely dogs, Lucy. The speed and intelligence of the dogs have to be seen to be believed and I spent a magical hour watching Lucy at work.
Our next stop was Killybegs, on the tip of Ireland’s north-west coast. It was the country’s largest fishing port and famous for weaving fine carpets found in important building throughout the world. The mills have now closed and fishing is in decline. However, wind turbines are now an important part of the economy and their huge blades were stored at the dockside. I toured the stunning coastline, part of the Wild Atlantic Way, and was treated to an amazing demonstration of sheep-dog skills at Away to me by ‘FJ’, a sheep-dog trainer, and one of his lovely dogs, Lucy. The speed and intelligence of the dogs have to be seen to be believed and I spent a magical hour watching Lucy at work.
The next morning found us in Stornoway on Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides. Harris is world-famous for its lovely tweed cloth and weaving is both a major industry and tourist attraction. Being led through the town by a piper was a new experience and we immersed ourselves in music and song at An Taigh Cèilidh, a community project and cafe, leading a revival of Gaelic language and culture. They have even created Gaelic Scrabble. Order refreshments in Gaelic for a 10% discount!
Then it was on to Portree on the Isle of Skye, a popular destination for visitors to Scotland. The row of multi-coloured houses on the harbourside is probably one of its best-known landmarks and boats of all sizes were moored in the sheltered harbour. The tiny town centre is easily explored on foot and the local woollen shop, full of Harris Tweed jackets and bags, sweaters and a range of men’s kilts and ladies tartan skirts proved a popular place for a spot of retail therapy.
Then it was on to Portree on the Isle of Skye, a popular destination for visitors to Scotland. The row of multi-coloured houses on the harbourside is probably one of its best-known landmarks and boats of all sizes were moored in the sheltered harbour. The tiny town centre is easily explored on foot and the local woollen shop, full of Harris Tweed jackets and bags, sweaters and a range of men’s kilts and ladies tartan skirts proved a popular place for a spot of retail therapy.
Another sea day followed as we sailed to Orkney. On our way we passed the island of Staffa and the famous Fingal’s Cave. Its hexagonal columns of rocks were formed millions of years ago and legend has it that this was the other end of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. It is probably best known through the music of Mendelssohn as part of his overture The Hebrides.
Our final call was Kirkwall. A combination of warm sunshine and the gulf stream, which ensures temperatures rarely drop below 5oc, meant shirt-sleeve weather. I visited the Churchill Barriers, constructed to keep the Royal Navy’s fleet safe in Scapa Flow, and the famous Italian chapel. During WWII, Italian prisoners of war were moved from north Africa to Orkney to build the barriers and were given a Nissen hut to use as a place of worship. A number of them were skilled craftsmen and using what little they had in raw materials they built the lovely chapel which has been carefully preserved and now visited by people from around the world.
Our final call was Kirkwall. A combination of warm sunshine and the gulf stream, which ensures temperatures rarely drop below 5oc, meant shirt-sleeve weather. I visited the Churchill Barriers, constructed to keep the Royal Navy’s fleet safe in Scapa Flow, and the famous Italian chapel. During WWII, Italian prisoners of war were moved from north Africa to Orkney to build the barriers and were given a Nissen hut to use as a place of worship. A number of them were skilled craftsmen and using what little they had in raw materials they built the lovely chapel which has been carefully preserved and now visited by people from around the world.
Back on board we were ready to set sail for Dover when the sound of bagpipes came wafting across the quay. We were treated to favourites such as Scotland the Brave, Mull of Kintyre, Auld Lang Syne and my favourite, Highland Cathedral. A huge sign read ‘Cheerio Borealis’ and as we pulled away from the dockside everyone waved.
We couldn’t have wished for a better end to our cruise.
Fact Box
For details of this and all other Fred. Olsen cruises world-wide go to www.fredolsencruises.com or call 01473746175.
Holiday Extras is the market leader in UK airport & cruise parking, hotels, lounges, transfers and more. Call 0800 316 5678 or visit www.holidayextras.com
Fact Box
For details of this and all other Fred. Olsen cruises world-wide go to www.fredolsencruises.com or call 01473746175.
Holiday Extras is the market leader in UK airport & cruise parking, hotels, lounges, transfers and more. Call 0800 316 5678 or visit www.holidayextras.com
First image courtesy of Fred. Olsen Cruises. All other images (c) Mike Pickup
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