SUTTON Travels: Scotland

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27 September 2022

Royal Yacht Britannia Edinburgh Scotland

Royal Yacht Britannia

We visited the Royal Yacht Britannia in August 2022. Britannia launched 16 April 1953.

The included audio tour flows from one deck to another.

Captain's quarters and lead officers

Where royals slept--rather modest I would say.

The Queen's Bedroom

Prince Philip's room

Guest room

And a place to relax

Royal dining

A place to wine and dine heads of state.

A royal place to work

For dinner guests

A place for the crew-- there were 250 crew members.

Sleeping area

Snack and sundry shop

laundry

The ship was in service for 44 years and sailed 1 million miles.

engine room

Our group wanted to have tea and scones on board so this is what the tea room looks like.

Tea Room

Travel notes

We were on a cruise around the UK. Our ship anchored near South Queensferry--we arrived via water shuttle. Then we shared a taxi to Britannia where I had booked an early entry.

There is a fee to enter Britannia. It's a beautiful yacht- glad I went.

The women enjoyed the tea and scones. I didn't think it was worth the price. The view was nice but not outstanding.

There is a gift shop.

There are toilets on board.

To save time, we shared a taxi to Edinburgh Castle, which took us the rest of the day until closing time.

Britannia website https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/

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26 September 2022

Cruising the United Kingdom

Island Princess near Guernsey 2022

We cruised around the United Kingdom in July and August 2022.

In this post, I provide highlighted links to the cruise ports. At the bottom of the page are comments on the overall experience including the Island Princess cruise.

Our Pre-cruise plan

We've learned from experience with flight and cruise delays to arrive before a cruise so we arrived at London's Heathrow on 26 July. I planned to head to Southampton by coach but we needed a test for Covid to board the ship so we went to the walk in clinic at Paddington station via the Heathrow Express. Here we got some British pounds for the trip. We were early so I took our group round the corner to see the Little Venice Canal.

We then went to Waterloo station for the direct train service to Southampton Central.

Then we headed to East Cowes on the Isle of Wight by ferry. I had booked us into the Prince of Wales hotel across the road from Osborne House, which my wife considered the highlight of our trip. I renewed our English Heritage cards here because they were unable to enter a US address when I called from the US. Visitor passes are available outside the UK, but I preferred the annual membership plan, which I used again in the Spring of 2023. Once purchased, we entered most places at no additional cost.

Osborne House

After Wednesday's visit to Osborne House, we visited the restored Carisbrooke Castle via bus from the hotel. At the end of the day, we crossed back to Southampton for an evening at the Holiday Inn near the cruise port.

The 14-day Cruise

Friday.

We walked to the cruise terminal from the hotel and boarded the ship at the early time slot. The roller bags were fine on the pavement. We arrived at the same time as our friends who came by taxi.

Saturday. Guernsey

We used local busses to tour the small and picturesque Channel Island of Guernsey. We paid for things with a credit card. The Guernsey pound is based on the UK pound but is not used elsewhere in the UK and Guernsey is not part of the UK.

Guernsey

Sunday. Cork, Ireland

I wandered about Cork, Ireland (not part of the UK) whilst my wife and her friends shopped. We had some Euros from previous trips but it is easy to find cash points (ATMs).

Blarney shopping by Cork

Monday. Holyhead, Wales.

My wife and I headed to the fabulous medieval Conwy Castle by train from the Holyhead port. The return train was very late, which caused some anxiety for those of us taking the DIY approach to excursions.

Conwy Castle, Wales

Tuesday. Belfast, Northern Ireland.

We've been here before. I recommend the Titanic Museum and coastal sites if you are new to the area.

Wednesday. Greenock / Glasgow.

It was a rainy day. I took the train to Glasgow and spent most of the day at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. My wife and her friends shopped locally.

Thursday - A Day at Sea

Friday. Lerwick Shetland.

We used the local bus to visit the ancient settlements at Jarlshof then wandered about Lerwick before boarding the shuttle service to our cruise ship anchored offshore. Suggestion: Read or watch the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves.

Lerwick, Shetland

Saturday. Orkney

We enjoyed our visit to the Orkney Main Island. This time we took a Princess excursion to see several sites on the west side including the Ring of Brodgar.

Orkney scene

Sunday. Invergordon / Inverness

We docked at Invergordon and went by coach to Dunrobin Castle. We skipped Inverness, which we had visited before but we do recommend a visit to this picturesque town and would have included a visit if there were enough time.

Dunrobin Castle

Monday. Edinburgh, Scotland.

I booked us into the Royal Yacht Britannia for a 9.45 am visit. We shared a taxi and arrived when they opened. Britannia is a large yacht so we spent a couple of hours following the audio-guided plan. The women in our group wanted to have tea on board so that was our lunch stop.

HMS Britannia

Next, we walked across the street to the Holiday Inn and ordered a taxi to Edinburgh Castle. I had booked mid-afternoon tickets, which were selling out quickly; however, we arrived early and were able to walk in with no queue. We had free entry with our English Heritage pass. We purchased the audio guide, which was well worth it.

At the end of the day, we took the train to the cruise port, which was South Queensferry and boarded a water shuttle back to the cruise ship.

Edinburgh Castle 2022

Tuesday. A second day at sea.

Wednesday. Dover.

We walked to Dover Castle and spent most of the day there. It's a fabulous castle with great views above the white cliffs, centuries of British and European history, and an amazing network of underground tunnels vital to the island's safety in World War II.

Dover Castle view 2022

Thursday. Portland, Weymouth

Portland and Weymouth. We took the free local shuttle bus to Weymouth.

Weymouth, Dorset, UK

D-Day Museum

On the way back to port, I stopped at Portland Castle and the nearby D-Day Museum.

Friday. Southampton.

The cruise ended and we had to be out of our rooms early. We walked off without using luggage service. There was no hassle with passport control.

Post-Cruise London

We reversed our earlier journey by taking the train to Waterloo Station in London where I booked a small air conditioned apartment hotel near Paddington station. After stowing luggage, I led our group to Westminster for photos and an experience along Queens Walk.

Saturday. My wife and I visited family whilst our guests had a full day London tour on an air conditioned coach. They were happy with the tour and I certainly think it best for first time visitors.

Sunday. My wife and I visited more family whilst our guests occupied themselves in London.

Monday. Our guests wanted to visit the famous Harrods store in Knightsbridge and the impressive Westminster Abbey so I led our small group to the luxurious halls at Harrods then to our timed entry tickets at the Abbey. We ended the day at the Liberty store where my wife bought some fabric (my wife and her friends are quilters).

Westminster Abbey 2022

Harrod's Food Hall 2022

Tuesday. We took our return train to Heathrow and arrived in the US with our first port of entry at Charlotte, NC.

Notes

If it weren't for the covid-19 testing, I would have gone direct to Southampton by coach from Heathrow. The testing at Paddington Station was an easy walk-in clinic though I did book in advance.

The English Heritage passes are a great value if you are a do-it-yourself traveller like us.

There are advantage to the Princess Cruise sponsored tours in low worry about getting back on board on time and enjoying some interesting commentary on your journey. The choice of a cruise sponsored tour or a local DIY approach is a matter of choice and budget. I do recommend the cruise tours on days when, or at locations where, there is limited public transportation such as a Sunday or national holiday near a small rural town.

Also, there were transportation strikes in the UK so I had to check the latest information to avoid messed up plans. I only had to do one work-around but it's good to think about strikes and transportation delays when planning tours.

Air transportation delays and missing luggage are reasons we arrive one or more days early before package tours and cruises.

Heathrow

The entry into the UK is smooth for UK and US visitors. We scanned our passports and had no hassles.

When I'm by myself, I use the London underground (tube) or busses to save money for London locations. But with a group, the Heathrow Express and a taxi may be best. Heading to Southampton by National Coach Service was direct from Heathrow in 2022.

In London, you tap your credit card or use your phone to pay for tickets on the underground or busses. Passes are also available for various time frames.

Planning travel

I've found Google Maps work fine for selecting the best option to get from one place to another by bus or train throughout the UK.

I save money on UK trains with a digital railcard good for discounts throughout the UK.

Phone Service

My wife and I have Google Fi and change from the budget plan to Unlimited plan when traveling outside the US. We change back to the low cost plan when we return. The Google Fi plan is flexible. There is a small charge for phone calls. I called our grandchildren and paid $1.00 for a 10 minute call before we lost signal on the cruise ship.

Island Princess Cruise

We chose the cruise based on the itinerary. We were pleased with the the ports of call and would recommend the itinerary to others.

We generally like Princess cruises. The staff are friendly and the food is good to very good.

I was disappointed that the cruise did not feature UK food and entertainment for the full cruise.

We do not like the "Formal Nights"-- for us, the extra clothes are a waste of precious space in our luggage so, we don't attend the slow and fancy dining on those nights. Unfortunately, we did not have another option for the itinerary.

As noted above, there are options to taking the Princess shore excursions. The best reason to purchase a Princess tour is the peace of mind but they are expensive compared to DIY alternatives.

We found the stateroom smaller than expected with a very small shower but it was fine for the two weeks.

If you are new to cruising, do note that it does not always work out to stop at every planned port. We were fortunate to enjoy the full planned itinerary. It doesn't always happen--usually due to weather conditions.

Related Posts

Visit the United Kingdom

Visit London

Please check out my website www.suttong.com

and see my books on AMAZON or GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on FACEBOOK Geoff W. Sutton

TWITTER @Geoff.W.Sutton

You can read many published articles at no charge:

Academia Geoff W Sutton ResearchGate Geoffrey W Sutton

30 August 2022

Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

Eilean Donan Castle, Geoffrey Sutton 1990

The picturesque castle of Eilean Donan is on the small island of Eilean Donan, which is at the point where three lochs meet: Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh.

The island is also known as Donan and may be named for Bishop Donan, an Irish Saint who visited in the late 500s.

Defensive structures and castles were built here over the centuries. Spanish soldiers held the castle in 1719 in support of the Jacobites. They were attacked by the English. The rebuilt castle is available for visits.

Learn more at https://www.eileandonancastle.com/