Join us aboard the all-suite MS Island Sky for a delightful seven night voyage to the charming Channel Islands and the beautiful Isles of Scilly. Our journey will be a leisurely one visiting some truly idyllic islands where you can be as active and footloose as you choose. Sailing distances are short allowing us to visit multiple isles and on each island there will be organised walks with members of our expedition team as well as ample time for you to explore independently. With just over 100 passengers, we will not overrun the islands but instead will be absorbed into island life.
We will be visiting some of the most bewitching of places in the UK beginning in the Channel Islands where each island has its own unique character and where we head to some of the least explored including Alderney and Herm. Upon arrival in the Isles of Scilly we will witness the grey Atlantic dissolving miraculously into turquoise, and white sandy beaches giving way to verdant islands and palm trees. The nurturing warm waters of the Gulf Stream have helped to create a microclimate endowing the islands with great botanical and ornithological diversity.
There is so much to see on the islands whether your interest lies in botany, horticulture or maritime history and the joy of many of the islands we will visit are the gentle walks along car-free lanes and paths, absorbing the flora and birdsong without the background hum of traffic and modern-day life. The islands are small, the walks undemanding and, instead of hopping on and off coaches, our transport will be provided by Zodiacs or local tenders.
Embark the MS Island Sky this afternoon. Transfers will be provided from Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station at a fixed time, alternatively car parking will be available at the port. Enjoy welcome drinks and dinner as we sail this evening.
We will have three days to explore the Channel Islands beginning on the islands of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. On Alderney, visit the island’s only town, St Anne, which has all the old-world charm of a Normandy village with tiny squares and pastel shaded cottages and shops. Maybe join a short walk to see the German fortifications, a longer walk with our naturalists heading to the cliffs or see Nunnery Heritage Site where we find one of the best preserved Roman forts in Britain. We will use our Zodiacs to land on the peaceful traffic-free island of Sark. Horse-drawn carriages take us along the narrow lanes alive with the songs of chaffinches, skylarks and mistle thrush as we see the narrow isthmus which joins Little Sark and Big Sark and the enchanting gardens at La Seigneurie. We will also visit 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. Here, you will have free time to explore, perhaps take a stroll over to Shell or Belvoir Beach whilst our naturalists will be ashore on the lookout for wildflowers. Our last day is on Guernsey where a panoramic drive will see the beautiful coastline and beaches and visit the Little Chapel, built in 1914 as a miniature version of the famous basilica at Lourdes and covered in fragments of shattered china. Our time discovering the Channel Islands comes to an end after a leisurely afternoon to explore the charming town of St Peter Port after which we will set sail for the Isles of Scilly.
Arrive this morning in the Isles of Scilly for two and a half days of exploration. From our central anchorage, we will use our Zodiacs and local tenders to visit a number of the islands in the group. We will visit 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 café. On St Agnes we find the most south westerly community in the UK. Surrounded by rocks and reefs this delightful tiny island offers marvellous coastal walks. 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. We will tender ashore to Bryher, the smallest of the inhabited Isles of Scilly where you can wander along the tracks that cross the island amongst hedgerows and fields with wildflowers. Those feeling active may wish to climb Watch Hill, where in the past islanders would keep watch for ships in distress or alternatively take a stroll to one of the beautiful beaches. Visit the northernmost island of the group, St Martin’s, a small island community of just 120 residents. Enjoy time to explore independently, climb to one of the viewpoints for vistas over the islands and the offshore seal colonies or maybe visit the vineyard. On St Mary’s, the largest island in the archipelago (yet still only six square miles), you can enjoy some time in the shops in Hugh Town or walk the historic Garrison Walls.
Disembark this morning. Transfers will be provided to Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station at a fixed time.
Itineraries are subject to change.