British Isles: Portsmouth to Glasgow

Arrive in London and make your way to the group hotel for the first night of the expedition. With a history stretching back to Roman times, the British capital provides a fitting starting point for a journey through the landscapes and stories of the British Isles. This evening, meet fellow travellers and members of the expedition team over dinner.

Meals:  D

After breakfast, travel by coach to Portsmouth, a city shaped by centuries of British maritime history. There is time to explore independently, with possibilities including Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the Mary Rose Museum and the city's waterfront. This afternoon, board Heritage Discoverer and settle into your cabin. Meet the captain and expedition team before sailing towards the Channel Islands and the start of our exploration.

Meals:  B,D

Explore two distinctive islands within the Bailiwick of Guernsey. On Guernsey, discover a coastline and landscape that inspired both Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Victor Hugo, with opportunities to visit St Peter Port and the intricately decorated Little Chapel. Later, travel by zodiac to neighbouring Sark. Cars are absent from this small island, where quiet lanes, coastal scenery and the gardens of La Seigneurie offer a glimpse of a slower island way of life shaped by English, Norman French and Channel Island traditions.

Meals:  B,L,D

Scattered beyond the south-western tip of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly combine white-sand beaches and clear waters with historic sites, abundant birdlife and an unusually mild climate. On Tresco, explore the celebrated Abbey Garden, where thousands of plants from around the world thrive behind protective hedges and walls. Depending on the day's programme, there may also be opportunities to discover Civil War fortifications or spend time on St Mary's, the largest of the inhabited islands.

Meals:  B,L,D

Arrive in Waterford and travel inland to Kilkenny, where medieval streets and Norman architecture reveal centuries of Irish history. Explore landmarks including Kilkenny Castle and its extensive gardens, with time to discover the city's historic centre. Returning to Waterford, there may be an opportunity to visit the House of Waterford Crystal or explore independently, discovering a city founded by Vikings more than a thousand years ago.

Meals:  B,L,D

Arrive at Holyhead on Holy Island, off the north-west coast of Wales. The surrounding coastline is characterised by rolling heathland and dramatic sea cliffs, with walks around South Stack providing excellent opportunities to look for Choughs, Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins. Continue to Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens, where restored historic gardens unfold across woodland, walled gardens and a secluded river valley overlooking the Menai Strait.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we plan to explore the wild Calf of Man, a small nature reserve lying off the southern tip of the Isle of Man. Zodiac cruising and clifftop walks reveal a landscape important for nesting and migratory birds, with surrounding waters also frequented by seals, dolphins, porpoises and whales. Later, sail to Peel to explore its Celtic, Viking and maritime heritage. Dominating the harbour is Peel Castle, whose history stretches back to the Vikings and encompasses centuries as a royal residence, military stronghold and centre of government.

Meals:  B,L,D

Sail into Northern Ireland for a day combining extraordinary geology with complex human history. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Giant's Causeway, where tens of thousands of basalt columns meet the Atlantic along the dramatic Causeway Coast. This afternoon, explore Derry~Londonderry, one of Europe's finest surviving walled cities. Walk its historic streets and walls and discover landmarks that reflect more than four centuries of history alongside the city's more recent story.

Meals:  B,L,D

Enter the Hebrides and some of Scotland's most dramatic coastal landscapes. On the Isle of Skye, explore the wilderness surrounding Loch Scavaig and Loch Coruisk beneath the jagged Cuillin mountains. Depending on conditions and interests, explore on foot with the expedition team or take to the water by Zodiac, watching for Harbour Seals along the shoreline. Later, continue to the Isle of Rùm, the largest of the Small Isles and a National Nature Reserve renowned for its wild landscapes and ecological importance.

Meals:  B,L,D

Weather permitting, today brings us to one of the expedition's most remarkable destinations. Lying far beyond the Outer Hebrides, St Kilda is Britain's most remote archipelago and its only dual UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for both its natural environment and extraordinary human history. Explore Village Bay, where stone houses, cleits and dry-stone walls remain from the community evacuated in 1930 after thousands of years of habitation. The surrounding cliffs and sea stacks support immense concentrations of seabirds, and we plan to cruise past formations including Stac Lee, Stac an Armin and Boreray, watching for Gannets, Puffins, Skuas and other seabirds.

Meals:  B,L,D

Visit the tiny island of Iona, one of Scotland's most important early Christian centres. Explore the restored Benedictine Abbey complex and discover an island shaped by Gaelic, Norse and Scottish history, with opportunities to walk through its peaceful landscapes and look for local birdlife. This afternoon, continue to Islay, the southernmost of the Inner Hebrides and renowned for its distinctive peated whiskies. Explore the island's whisky traditions and learn more about the distilling process before raising a final dram to our journey through the British Isles.

Meals:  B,L,D

Arrive at Greenock on the River Clyde this morning. After a final breakfast aboard, disembark Heritage Discoverer and transfer by coach to either a central Glasgow location or Glasgow Airport. *Due to possible delays caused by weather or port operations, onward travel should not be booked before 12 noon.

Meals:  B