Landscapes of Legends
16th to 26th June 2021
Portsmouth to Liverpool aboard the MS Island Sky
Thursday, 16th June 2021 – Portsmouth
Island Sky docked at 7.30am alongside the passenger terminal in Portsmouth Harbour on a warm sunny morning. Every single crew member had been in quarantine on the ship since 24th May and it was hugely pleasing to see the first passengers come aboard at 12 midday. Owing to the additional pandemic procedures in the Portsmouth Harbour terminal building it took nearly 4 hours to get everyone on board. After enjoying refreshments in the lounge and the usual administrative formalities for embarking on Island Sky there was time to walk around the ship, enjoy the fresh air, and to start the unpacking, before the mandatory safety and abandon ship drill at 4.30pm. Once the drill was accomplished there was time for a “cuppa” before being on the outside decks as we set sail just before 6.00pm.
Sue, a member of the expedition team, gave information over the public address system as the ship carefully edged out of this busy harbour. We could see frigates and one of the new ‘Type 45’ Royal Navy destroyers in the modern Naval Dockyards and Nelson’s flagship ‘Victory’ in the Historic Dockyard Museum. The Spinnaker Tower, a 170 metres tall observation tower, dominates the re-developed waterfront. The design, a nod to the maritime history of the area, was chosen by public vote by the people of Portsmouth and the Tower was opened in 2005.
At 6.45pm Brenda, our cruise director gave a brief introduction to the pandemic protocols which will be followed on board before Colin, our expedition leader, gave an introduction to the ship and our planned activities tomorrow in the town of, and around the river of, Fowey (pronounced “foy”). Phoebe, another member of the expedition team, gave the mandatory Zodiac safety briefing because we will use our Zodiacs for our first activity tomorrow – a cruise up the River Fowey. She finished this in a timely manner at 7.30pm just as dinner service began. While there are some new protocols to be observed on the ship it seemed that everyone was very happy to be on board and we all look forward to the coming voyage.
Friday, 17th June 2021 - Fowey
Warm and sunny and calm conditions in the mouth of the River Fowey meant that our first disembarkation of the cruise – and of the season – went smoothly and we were able to enjoy a 90 minutes Zodiac cruise this morning. Our ship was moored directly opposite Fowey town so we set off upstream for our cruise taking care to avoid the Bodinnick ferry which runs constantly across the river between Fowey and Bodinnick during the summer days.
There are over 1400 mooring buoys in the river around the area of Fowey town and it is a very popular boating spot. We cruised upriver passing the Carne Point china clay loading port. West of Fowey is St Austell moor which is composed largely of weathered granite. The weathering of certain minerals in the granite has produced kaolin, better known as china clay, and the production and the export of it via Fowey has been a local industry for over 200 years. Along the river banks we spotted several Grey Herons and also Cormorants, and one buzzard.
After lunch on board Island Sky, at 2.00pm passengers wishing to take part in a strenuous walk around the Fowey estuary area disembarked by Zodiac to the town. Phil, Ian and Justin accompanied our walkers as they took the ferry to Bodinnick and walked up the hill to begin the ‘Hall Walk’, a National Trust route which is very popular with locals and visitors alike. Meantime a Zodiac shuttle service was offered to those who simply wished to enjoy the delights of Fowey town which include the renowned the ice cream and the craft shops selling everything from hand-made glass to beautifully knitted wraps. The walkers returned at 5.30pm and everyone was on-board Island Sky by 5.45pm. A briefing from expedition leader Colin at 6.15pm was followed by a welcome reception in the lounge hosted by Captain Fonseca and then dinner as we sailed out of the Fowey river and turned west for our overnight sail to the Isles of Scilly.
Saturday, 18th June 2021- Isles of Scilly
This morning we used our Zodiacs to visit the Tresco Abbey Garden, a beautiful sheltered spot on the island of Tresco where a wide variety of subtropical plants have been carefully nurtured in the grounds of a former-abbey by generations of the Dorrien-Smith family for over 150 years. Careful planting and a sheltered and warm climate have encouraged a huge variety of plants to thrive. The gardens were spectacular today in the sunshine with gorgeous red “bottlebrush” flowers, exotic succulents, and a variety of wildlife which includes red squirrels and golden pheasants. Three gardeners were strategically placed within the gardens to offer information and everyone could enjoy the garden in their own way – exploring the plants, sitting in the sunshine or the shade, enjoying the landscaping, visiting the area called “Valhalla” where historical artefacts from ships wrecked in the islands are exhibited, enjoying a coffee in the café garden – or even buying a bottle of Tresco Abbey Garden gin. There was something for everyone here today.
We returned to the ship for lunch and our afternoon excursion was to visit the island of St. Agnes. Local regulations do not permit us to use our Zodiacs anywhere except Tresco within the Islands of Scilly so local boats are used for the other islands. Today, however, a northerly wind of 25 knots speed and the “chop” it created on the water prevented the local boats from tying up to our ship marina. The expedition team transferred all passengers back to Tresco in our Zodiacs and the Carn Near slipway and the local boat was able to tie up there and take passengers on board and then we sailed 25 minutes to St. Agnes. Here the expedition team offered three activities – a guided “wilderness walk” with Phil and Ian over the tombolo (sand spit) which connects St. Agnes to the smaller island of Gugh, or a guided island walk to visit the St. Agnes lighthouse, or the afternoon at leisure to wander in the sunshine at will. Our local boat picked us up at 5.00pm; we sailed back to Tresco and expedition team transferred passengers back to the Island Sky by Zodiac. Everyone was back on-board by 6.10pm and at 6.45 pm we had a briefing from Colin about proposed activities on Bryher and St Mary’s Island tomorrow, and then a recap. Recap items included Susan who talked about the China Clay Industry in Cornwall which we witnessed yesterday on our Zodiac cruise on the Fowey River; Justin who described the most common seals we are likely to see on our voyage, the Common Seal and the Grey Seal; and Ian who described some of the ‘resident’, ‘vagrant’ and ‘immigrant’ birds which have been described from Scilly.
Sunday, 19th June 2021- Isles of Scilly
Our morning excursion was to the charming island of Bryher, one of the lesser visited and quieter islands in the Scilly archipelago. The transfer from Island Sky by local boat was accomplished without mishap this morning in flat calm conditions. Once ashore there were three options – a long walk for exercise, a moderate walk with stops for items of interest, or time at leisure to explore at one’s own pace. Bryher offers quiet lanes with “chocolate box picture” houses and a very attractive coastline with sandy beaches, offshore rocky islets, and beautiful blue-green seas. There is a church with 4 modern stained-glass windows, the pride of the island, and there is the Veronica Farm which offers locally-made fudge for sale from road-side with honesty boxes. We enjoyed Bryher in the sunshine and returned to the ship for
lunch. After lunch the local boat moored alongside our marina again for the transfer to St. Mary’s, the largest island in the archipelago. 1600 of the 2,200 people living in the islands live at Hugh Town, the main town. In a commanding position on a small hill above the town is the Garrison, a large stone building which is a former military powder store from the 18th century. It was built as part of a significant re-build/improvement of the original 16th century fortifications on the hill which comprised a stone, star-shaped fort.
Hugh Town has a supermarket and souvenir shops selling locally-made crafts, paintings, and jewellery. It also has a chemist, an outdoor-supplies store, clothes shops and a number of cafes and pubs. It sits between two small hills and has a beautiful beach for bathing called Porthcressa. There is also the harbour which provides docks and moorings for boats and a large jetty for the inter-island ferries (and the Penzance ferry).
Three options for activities with the expedition team were offered including a long walk for exercise, a moderate walk incorporating wildlife spotting, a visit to the Garrison, and also time in town, and then the third option was to explore the town area at leisure. The sun shone most of the afternoon and Hugh Town is clearly a tourist centre with a constant stream all afternoon of island ferries dropping off and picking up tourists from other islands.
Our own local boat arrived punctually and we departed St. Mary’s at 5.20pm and everyone was back on-board Island Sky by 5.45pm. At our briefing session by Colin at 6.30pm he described our proposed activities on Lundy Island tomorrow. Recap included items by Kevin on the rat eradication programme on St. Agnes and the beneficial effects this has had on the bird life there, and also an item by Susan on the lighthouses of the Isles of Scilly and the most famous shipwreck which occurred in the archipelago in 1707.
Monday, 20th June 2021 – Lundy
Today was a real expedition day. Island Sky anchored off the south-east coast of Lundy Island just before 7.00am. Colin and the expedition team went ashore in two Zodiacs to assess conditions, both in the (rather choppy) water and at the landing area. There is a large metal jetty used by the ferries which bring tourists to Lundy but this was far too large for our Zodiacs to use. There is an old stone jetty and also a concrete slipway in a small, usually-sheltered area adjacent to the large jetty. This morning low water was at 08.30am and so the only feasible landing site for the Zodiacs was a “beach” landing on the rocky and pebbly area seawards of the slipway. The operation was complicated by an easterly wind predicted to veer towards the north during the day. The small jetty area is sheltered from the south and west, the prevailing wind directions, but not from the north and east.
An announcement was made to offer a Zodiac landing on to the pebbly beach which might be a wet landing, depending on how conditions developed. Twenty two intrepid passengers braved the choppy sea and the prospect of a wet landing and came ashore at Lundy at 9.15am. The walk up to the “village” area is quite steep and a bit of a slog on the tarmac road up the hill from the landing site. The island manager helped out by transferring up the hill a small number of people in his long-wheel-base land rover while everyone else enjoyed the exercise.
Lundy measures about three miles long by half a mile wide and is orientated north-south. It is the largest island in the Bristol Channel and lies about 12 miles off the Devon coast. The resident population is about 20 people which includes an island manager, a warden a ranger and some bar and house-keeping staff for the pub and the holiday accommodation. The entire island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and it was England’s first statutory Marine Nature Reserve. There was plenty of time to take either a long and fast walk with Phil or a moderate walk with Kevin and Ian and also time to explore the small shop and the post office. Special stamps are sold on Lundy which celebrate the natural heritage of the island.
The re-embarkation on to the Zodiacs was via the stone jetty. The tide had risen during the morning which submerged the beach. Everyone was back on-board Island Sky by 1.00pm. At 3.00pm the Captain commenced a ship cruise around Lundy which began at the southern end. We sailed northwards along the west coast and expedition team members shared information over the public address system about the history, geology and geography of the island. We were able to see many Razorbills and some Manx Shearwaters and Puffins flying towards, or away from, the island.
A special afternoon tea was served in the deck 4 Club with cakes and sandwiches as we completed the circumnavigation of the island. At 6.45pm Colin gave us a briefing about our proposed activities for tomorrow. We will dock at Swansea early tomorrow morning and spend the morning walking along the Gower Peninsula and the afternoon visiting Aberglasney Gardens. Items at recap included Michelle who gave a short workshop about ways of taking photographs with mobile ‘phones, Ian who talked about the recent sighting on Lundy of the Sulphur-Bellied Warbler, the first time that bird has been seen in the British Isles, and Phil who talked about the pirates who have used Lundy as base for their nefarious activities. The mild evening enabled Antony, hotel manager, to offer dinner in both the Lido outside and the Restaurant inside. The Lido was very popular this evening!
Tuesday, 21st June 2021- Swansea
Island Sky sailed in to Swansea and docked alongside the quay before 7.00am today. It was another full programme with a choice of walks in the morning and a visit to a historical garden in the afternoon. We were welcomed into Swansea by the tourist board representatives who presented everyone with a “Welcome to Wales” bag. Island Sky was the first cruise ship to stay here since the peak of the pandemic last year. Our coaches arrived and at 8.45am we began the drive to the west of the city for our choice of walk along this part of the Gower Peninsula. One coach drove further west away from Swansea with a local guide and expedition staff to accompany those passengers who wanted to stretch their legs by walking a longer section of the coastal path. The other two coaches disembarked passengers and expedition staff 1.5 miles west of the islands called The Mumbles and began a shorter-distance walk back towards Swansea.
There were many items of interest along the coast which is indented with small rocky bays. The path itself was excellent with a hard surface all of the way, although the gradients varied, there were a few uphill sections, and once or twice a pause was needed! The sky was bright but cloudy and there was a light breeze which kept walking very comfortable. The guide pointed out the gaily painted beach huts - which cost £1400 to rent from the Council for the 9 month season (March to November). Our geologist shared information about the Carboniferous age limestone which forms much of this Gower Peninsula, which was in equatorial latitudes at the time that the limestone was being laid down. The walk ended beside the two rounded islands called The Mumbles and towards the end there was time to stop for an (excellent) ice cream. We boarded the coaches at 11.00am and everyone from the shorter walk was back on-board by 11.30am. The “longer” walkers arrived soon afterwards.
This afternoon we boarded coaches at 2.00pm for the hour-long drive through green and pleasant rolling countryside to Aberglasney Garden. This gorgeous garden, covering about 10 acres, surrounds a mansion began by the Rudd family during Tudor times. The ownership of the Manor around which the gardens were created is complex throughout its 500 years history and the mansion and garden have changed hands many times and for much of twentieth century were almost derelict. They were restored in the 1990’s and opened to the public in 1999. The garden complex includes the Elizabethan Cloister Garden with formal lawn and intricately-worked stone pathways, the Pool Garden with the rectangular pond and water-lillies, the Upper Walled Garden with an amazing array of spectacular flowers, and the tranquil and natural Stream Garden. Well-formed pathways link the garden areas and the mansion, shop and tea-room. After an orientation and introduction to the garden complex by our guide there was time for everyone to explore the gardens at their own pace.
We gathered together at the entrance at 4.55pm and boarded our coach for our 5.00pm departure and arrived back at the ship at 6.00pm. Our briefing this evening from Colin, Expedition Leader, told us about the proposed activities for tomorrow which include a Zodiac cruise in the morning and a visit to the town of St. David’s in the afternoon. Recap items included a feature on basking sharks by Justin and a Welsh language “lesson” by Ian who lives in Pembrokeshire.
Wednesday, 22nd June 2021 – Skomer & Fishguard
Another beautiful sunny morning and Island Sky was positioned off the island of Skomer. As a marine reserve area there is a voluntary no-anchoring policy operating here. Our Captain decided that the sea conditions were such that we could drift rather than anchor in one position and the bridge team used the engines to hold position off the island. The Zodiacs were lowered at 7.00am in preparation for a Zodiac cruise straight after breakfast. The first Zodiac with passengers departed the ship marina at 8.30am to motor towards the northern coast of Skomer Island and, in particular, the bay called North Haven.
Skomer is deservedly renowned for the bird life which can be viewed here. There are 10,000 puffins, 20,000 guillemots and 5,000 razorbills which nest here each year and raise chicks on the island. In our Zodiacs we were able to view the birds flying to and from their nests and to see them in rafts on the water of the North Haven. The puffins nest in burrows which they dig using their feet and beaks. They are true marine birds and come ashore only in the breeding season to lay and then incubate their single egg and, hopefully, raise their chick to fledging.
The guillemots nest on cliffs and do not make a nest but lay their single egg on rocky ledges. Guillemot eggs are slightly pointed at one end and the ornithologists think that this is a shape trait which aids the egg to stay on a ledge if it is knocked accidentally – the egg rolls in a circle rather than rolling straight off a narrow rocky ledge. Skomer is also home to grey seals and nearly everyone saw seals this morning. All passengers were back on-board ship by 10.00am and all Zodiacs were stowed away by 10.30am when Island Sky set sail for the port of Fishguard. Arriving here at 2.00pm we were welcomed by the Mayor of the town and a reception committee of tourist officers and volunteers. Everyone was given a cloth bag with a jolly Fishguard emblem on it as we boarded coaches for the 30-minute drive to St. David’s city. With a population of around 2,000 it is the smallest city (by population) in the UK. Three options were available this afternoon – a more strenuous walk along the Pembrokeshire coastal path with a local guide and expedition staff, a less strenuous walk also with a local guide and expedition staff from the centre of St. David’s to the coast to view St. Non’s Chapel (ruin), the reputed birthplace of St. David, and a third option of free time at leisure in the town centre.
St. David’s is famous for the huge cathedral which has had three main periods of construction between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. The cathedral has a variety of stained-glass window styles, including a brightly-coloured rose-style window, and it boasts a magnificent (and huge) organ. It is particularly known for the complex wooden ceiling art, both the woodwork and the painting decoration on the wood. There is also a stall in the choir – or what was the traditional choir area – which is reserved only for the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom! The city has a variety of tourist service shops, cafes and pubs, as well as the local services including a City Hall, a post office and a really excellent ice cream shop where ice cream is made daily using locally-sourced milk. Many passengers sampled the product of this shop and everyone agreed that it was good.
After our afternoon in St. David’s we boarded our coaches at 5.15pm for the drive back to Fishguard harbour and all passengers were on-board by 6.00pm. At our briefing this evening Colin, expedition leader, summarised our proposed activities for tomorrow which include a visit to the South Stack RSPB Reserve at Holyhead in the morning and a visit to the Plas Newydd garden in the afternoon. Recap items by the expedition team this evening included a summary of the habits of migrating birds by Kevin and a summary of the historical gold mining in Wales by Susan.
Thursday, 23rd June 2021 - Holyhead
Holyhead welcomed us with drizzling rain this morning but we set off in our three coaches at 08.45am for a scenic 30 minutes drive around the coast to South Stack. Our drivers took us the “long way” around using small roads so that we could see some of the coast with its gorgeous little bays and beaches, rather than use the more-direct main road. We arrived at 09.15am at the South Stack RSPB Reserve and Lighthouse car park to be greeted by a fresh breeze and rain which was threatening to be more strident than a “drizzle”. Undeterred we set off to see the Iron Age round houses which are situated just three hundred metres from the car park back along the road. The closest round house, which has complete walls but no roof, is only set back about 20 metres from the road but a series of similar round houses can be seen by walking a well-beaten grassy track which leads up the low hill. Phoebe, our archaeologist, gave a talk at the round houses about the lifestyles of the people who lived there about 3000 years ago and also told us about their discovery and excavation.
After the visit to the archaeological site a choice of activities was offered by the expedition team. A slow-paced, guided walk for about 500 metres along the narrow and occasionally rocky and uneven cliff-top path to Ellin’s Tower was offered for those who wanted to see the magnificent views along the cliffs. It is a short walk of a further 100 metres, incorporating some uneven steps, beyond Ellin’s Tower to a view-point over the cliffs with the main bird colonies which provide the “star” attraction at the South Stack. There is, also, an alternative level gravel path between the ancient round houses and Ellin’s Tower for those who are less able.
The second option was a longer guided walk with expedition staff which started at the round houses, continued along the cliff-top footpath to Ellin’s Tower and then continued down and up (and down and up, etc.) the long flights of steps leading to the lighthouse. This walk afforded opportunities for watching birds at closer quarters. The third option this morning was to explore the site at one’s own leisure; all the footpaths are well-marked. Most of the paths incorporate some steps and small elevation changes but, apart from the long, stepped, path to the lighthouse, all of these are minor. The weather was “inclement” and so many chose shorter walking options and explored the RSPB café and shop as well. There were two departure times for coaches back to the ship with one departure at 11.00am which attracted almost thirty passengers (it was raining quite well by this time) and a second departure at 12.00 midday for the hardy longer-walkers. Everyone was back on-board Island Sky by 12.20pm and Antony, hotel manager, had to announce that owing to the rain lunch would be served only in the restaurant today. A hot lunch was very welcome!
Our excursion this afternoon was to Plas Newydd, a beautiful mansion with landscaped gardens on the main Anglesey Island. We departed the ship at 1.30pm and a pleasant drive of 30 minutes brought us to the car park for Plas Newydd. There was a short orientation talk by one of the volunteers there and we were all given a map of the gardens. Unfortunately, the house was not open as it is being renovated and they have not determined fully the pandemic protocols they need to incorporate before re-opening. The surrounding gardens which border the Menai Strait are spectacular.
Plas Newydd (“Mansion New”) was built in the 1600’s although there has been some settlement around the site, which overlooks the Menai Strait separating Anglesey from the mainland of Wales, for over a thousand years. It was substantially improved and extended by the 1st Marquis of Anglesey who fought, and who lost a leg, at the Battle of Waterloo. One of his descendants still retains an apartment in the house although the building has been operated by the National Trust on behalf of the nation since the 1970’s.
The gardens include terraces in the formal Italianate style. Here there is statuary, a small water-lily pond, and wide borders of flowers cared for by a large team of gardeners. The Arboretum, which is home to a thriving population of red squirrels, has a range of deciduous trees including large mature oaks and examples of “foreign” trees from the West Indies. There is also a wildflower area, the Coronation meadow. Vast lawns surround the immediate area of the mansion and there are some quirky elements in the grounds, like a tree house in one of the large oak trees. There is also a café and a shop (of course).
We were able to enjoy an hour and a half at leisure in the gardens during which time the rain mainly held off. We boarded the coaches at 3.45pm and our coach drivers took us on a scenic tour of some of the more rural areas of Anglesey including the area where Prince William of Wales lived and worked while he was part of the Air Sea Rescue organisation on Anglesey. We returned to the ship at 4.35pm and so there was plenty of time for a cuppa and to relax before the briefing and recap by the expedition team. Tonight Colin, expedition leader, gave us information about our tours tomorrow when we will be alongside in Belfast – the Mountains of Mourne or the Titanic Belfast Centre in the morning, and the Ards Peninsula or the Castle Espie Wetlands Centre in the afternoon.
We had been advised about these tours earlier in the cruise and everyone has made their choices! The expedition team recap tonight included items by Ian on the Chough birds seen around the South Stack today, by Phil on the ancient tribes of Wales, by Phoebe on the round houses that we saw today at South Stack and a very topical item by Michelle about taking photographs in the rain!
Friday, 24th June 2021- Belfast
After docking in Belfast at 7.30am we departed by coach for our morning excursions at 8.30am or at 8.45am. The earlier departure was for those passengers who had chosen the Mourne Mountains Panoramic Drive excursion. The Mountains of Mourne, immortalised in the song of the same name by Percy French in 1896, are granite mountains the same age, approximately, as the granite of Lundy Island which we visited earlier in the voyage. They are about 55 to 60 million years old and formed in association with the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean. The Mourne Mountains contain twelve peaks over six hundred metres in height and include Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland’s highest mountain at 850m. To the north the Slieve Croob Massif stands out as distinct rocky summits with thin grass cover and shattered rocky screes. The land rises to a height of 534m at Slieve Croob. We were able to view the gorgeous scenery, although the weather did not co-operate and we did have rain, while our guide regaled us with information about the area, facts about the mountains, and lots of “irish stories”. Our excursion also included a refreshment stop at the Victorian-era Slieve Donard Hotel which is next to the Royal Country Down golf course.
The later departure at 08.45am was for those passengers who had chosen the Titanic Experience excursion. A 15 minutes drive brought us to the Titanic Quarter of the city (Belfast has 7 “quarters”) and the Titanic Experience itself, a unique building on the site of the original Harland and Wolf ship-building yard which constructed this doomed ocean liner. The building and the site are redolent with symbolism – the park outside the building has pillars of metal in the exact placement of the original spars which were used in the construction of the ship; the metal plates on the outside of the building represent shards of ice; the metal plates forming the main wall of the central atrium inside are scaled (down) pieces of metal coloured to resemble the rust which now covers the wreck of the ship thousands of metres below the surface.
The Titanic Experience is set over three main levels and is a self-guided tour. Audio guides shaped like mobile phones with headsets offer lots of information about Belfast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the building of the Titanic, the collision with the ice-berg, the aftermath of the accident and the way it changed regulations for ships from then onwards, and also about the locating of the ship in the 1980’s. The audio guides offer the freedom to move around at one’s own pace. The ship-building section offers an insight in to the industrial heritage of Belfast and the pride of the town in their construction of the White Star Line’s most famous ship. The whole museum is designed to be an immersive experience and makes excellent use of holograms, surround-sound, and film, including film footage shot by Bob Ballard, the man who searched for, and eventually located, the wreck of the Titanic. After leaving the Titanic Experience we were taken in our coach on an extensive city tour of Belfast. We drove along the Falls Road and the Shankill Road – streets still very much a part of our shared memory of “The Troubles” and also drove around the park surrounding, and drove along the front of, Stormont Castle, seat of the Northern Ireland Parliament. Our guide was very knowledgeable about many of the quirks of the city, being a Belfast lady born and bred, and was clearly very proud of her city.
After the morning tours everyone was back on-board Island Sky by 1.00pm in good time for lunch. The afternoon tours departed at 2.30pm and 2.45pm. The first tour to depart was the coach tour to the Ards Peninsula. This tour began at Scrabo Tower located near the town of Newtonards. Set on high ground giving a commanding view over the whole area, the hill on which Scrabo Tower stands has been the site of a fort, or other defensive structure, since the Iron Age. The Tower is 135 feet high, has small windows, and presents a very forbidding aspect when approached from the paved and gravel path leading up the hill from the car park. Alas, it was raining quite heavily when we arrived at the top after our walk up from the car park but the views over the northern end of Strangford Lough were still very worthwhile.
Having exerted ourselves to walk up to the Tower we re-boarded the coach and drove to the quaintly-named Donaghadee, a very pretty seaside town with gaily painted houses along the beach promenade. Here we were able to refresh ourselves with an Irish Coffee in an upstairs room of the Harbour café, which offered excellent views over the wide sandy beach, before returning to the ship at 5.30pm.
The alternative afternoon tour was to the Castle Espie Wetlands Centre. Set on the shore of the Strangford Lough this wetlands centre is famous as the resting place of most of the world’s Brent Geese during the northern winter. Within the grounds of the wetlands centre are woodlands, lagoons and a ‘sensory area’ with native and exotic birds, and a collection of endangered birds from around the world. Castle Espie boasts the largest collection of ducks, geese and swans in Ireland (in either Eire or in Northern Ireland). In summer the ‘duckery’ hosts many goslings, ducklings and cygnets as the adult residents are able to breed and raise their chicks in a very favourable environment. The visitor centre and observatory have been created with sustainability and harmony-with-nature in mind. There is a sustainability trail at the centre which offers information about the materials used in construction of the buildings and the design ethos.
All passengers were back on-board Island Sky by 6.00pm and Colin, expedition leader, welcomed everyone “back home” over the p.a. system and reminded us of the Farewell Reception at 6.45pm. We were welcomed in to the lounge at 6.45pm with champagne, mimosas, and kir royale together with a wide array of appetisers provided by the hotel team. Colin briefed us about the proposed activities for tomorrow, which include a Zodiac cruise in Strangford Lough in the morning and a ship cruise around the Calf of Man (the small island off the coast of the Isle of Man). He also gave a brief review of our cruise using half a dozen photographs as a “taster” for the slide-show which will take place after dinner tomorrow evening. Captain Fonseca thanked everyone for travelling with Noble Caledonia on this inaugural “re-start” cruise following the peak of the pandemic and expressed his hope that it had been an enjoyable experience for everyone. The applause following his short speech suggested that everyone has been enjoying themselves tremendously!
Saturday, 25th June 2021 - Strangford Lough
Island Sky sailed in to the narrow entrance at the south end of Strangford Lough just after 7.00am on a rather cold and dull morning with drizzling rain. As we sailed along the “neck” of this sea inlet we passed the ferry which connects the small towns of Strangford on the western shore with Portaferry on the eastern shore. A 25 knot wind gusting to 30 knots (force 6 on the Beaufort scale) combined with rain, low visibility and also an ebbing tide creating swift currents, did not conduce to dry Zodiac-cruising conditions! Colin and Phoebe took a scout Zodiac out at 8.00am to assess the conditions on the water.
On their return to the ship Colin said that a Zodiac cruise could be offered in the Lough and he announced that this was still “on” for those who wanted to go out. He did warn passengers, however, that it would be bumpy and that everyone would get wet. Colin asked passengers to sign up for this activity in order to gauge how many Zodiacs should be lowered. An intrepid 10 passengers decided to brave the elements and the choppy waters and go out for a 45 minutes Zodiac cruise with Phil, Justin and Kevin, and the boats departed the ship at about 9.30am.
Strangford Lough has a long history of settlement and exploitation. 7000 years old shell middens have been found here indicating that early hunter-gatherer people exploited the sea food resources of the area. St. Patrick sailed in to the Lough in 432AD to spread Christianity in eastern Ireland. The monasteries established here after that time offered rich plunder opportunities to Viking raiders in the 8th and 9th centuries. Norman invaders/settlers came here in the 12th century. Kelp growing and harvesting (for fertiliser and, when burned to ash, for bleaching) and also fish trapping were activities carried on over the centuries at an almost-industrial scale by the monasteries and local inhabitants in to the middle ages. There were Common Terns and a variety of gulls seen around the Zodiacs and the ship. Seals and Basking Sharks are known to inhabit these waters although the visibility and the choppy seas did not assist wildlife-spotting this morning.
Meantime, back on-board Island Sky, Colin announced that there would be a presentation entitled “Climate Change Through Geological Time” by Sue in the lounge at 10.00am. She summarised the three main factors that influence climate on a global scale – plate tectonic activity which changes global ocean circulations, variations in the earth’s orbit around the sun, and the gas-and-particle content of the atmosphere. Sue made the point that of major concern today is the speed of climate change – that is the rate of change, rather than the fact that it is happening. Sue also said that climate change itself was not all “bad”. Some populations, for instance in Greenland and in some circum-arctic nations, welcome a warming climate which will melt ice and give better access to resources either around their coasts of on their arctic continental shelves. However, although there have been many major changes of climate during the geological past we have never before had such a rapid period of climate change which affects food and water availability when there has been over 7,000 million people on the planet who all need water and food.
Sue finished her presentation at 10.35am just after the Zodiac cruisers returned back to the ship. The Zodiacs were hoisted and there was time for all passengers to spend the hour before lunch on the deck of Island Sky looking at the low-lying islands and small towns around the Lough and bird-watching from the “stable platform” of the Island Sky decks. During the later morning the sky cleared and brightened a little although the wind was still strong and gusting.
The entrance channel to Strangford Lough is about three miles long and half a mile wide. Twice per day the tide rises and falls and 1,800,000 cubic metres of water (the Lough is 20 miles long and averages 6 miles wide) flow in and out of this narrow “neck”. The resulting tidal race, eddies, whirlpools and upwellings in the narrow channel are further complicated by rocky pinnacles extending to just below the surface at low tide. Consequently Captain Fonseca kept Island Sky in sheltered water within the main Lough before sailing out of the “neck” just after lunch when the tide was most favourable for our passage. Once we had safely made our exit from Strangford Lough Colin announced that the afternoon programme was to be amended and instead of a 2.30pm lecture we would have an “ask the experts” session in the lounge with the expedition team. Many passengers joined the team in the lounge and questions ranged over ornithological subjects, like how do birds navigate, to archaeology, to marine topics like whirlpools, and to magnetism and earthquakes. After 45 minutes the questions were answered and afternoon tea was served in the club.
Island Sky continued sailing eastwards over tea time towards the Calf of Man and Captain Fonseca gave us some excellent views of this smaller island off the south coast of the Isle of Man. The bird-spotting “tally” for today included Common Terns, Arctic Terns, Sandwich Terns, Guillemots, Black Guillemots, Gannets, and a wide variety of Gulls. At around 5.00pm we rounded Chicken Rock off the south coast of the Calf of Man and Ian gave information about the lighthouse on this rock which was designed and built by the Stephenson family. Shortly afterwards a Minke Whale and a Basking Shark were spotted in the water. We spent a very exciting hour spotting these elusive marine creatures, first off the bow and then the stern, then at the 7 o’clock position and then off the 10 o’clock position. The Captain carefully manoeuvred the ship slowly to offer the best opportunities for viewing from the decks. The basking shark was very clearly identified by its thick triangular fin and the minke whale by its hook-shaped, backwards-pointing, fin. Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the ocean (after whale sharks) and move slowly, swimming at 2 to 3 knots speed filtering huge volumes of sea water through their gaping mouths to glean the plankton on which they feed. This wildlife spotting opportunity was an excellent addition to a super “first-cruise-of-the-2021-season” for Island Sky around the coasts of England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Everyone saw something and many photographers were able to get some excellent wildlife photographs. It was a very fitting close to a wonderful expedition-cruise experience.
Sunday, 26th June 2021 –Liverpool
All too soon our memorable voyage was at an end and we had to disembark in Liverpool for our various routes home.
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