British Isles 2023

We toured the British Isles from 13 April to 13 May 2023. We started in Dublin and spent about a week taking day tours and scouting out the city center on our own. Then we joined an Insight bus tour on 20 April that took us around Ireland, through Northern Ireland, and finished in Edinburgh, Scotland. Then we took the train down to Manchester, England for 4 days. We took a day-long bus tour through Wales, so we covered all the countries of the Isles. Then we travelled to London by train for our last 6 days of the trip. We arrived in London the day after the coronation, so we missed all that madness.

Some things require more than a static photo to fully appreciate. Here are a few that we found on our trip that deserved a video.

We arrived in Dublin in the morning. Fortunately, we were able to check into our hotel early. Debi rested while I went out exploring the north side of the river at the city center. Everyone navigates relative to the Spire of Dublin, a 390-foot stainless-steel post on O'Connell Street. We took a pub tour that evening to get into the spirit. That tour ended at a pub with three female musicians playing traditional Celtic music.

We took a walking tour called, Dublin's Best Kept Secrets. We enjoyed the tour, but we didn't feel inclinded to take any photos.

We took a one-day bus tour entitled, "Coastal, Castles and Whiskey Distillery Day Tour" from Dublin. We visited Malahide Castle and Gardens, Ardgillan Castle, and Pearse Lyons Distillery.

We took a Small-Group Celtic History Tour from Dublin. Highlights includee the UNESCO-listed neolithic ruins of Newgrange and Knowth; a trip to the 1690 battlefield in Boyne; and the St. Bhuite monastery.

Debi was not feeling well, so Ron spent the day exploring the Dublin's city center, the Grafton Steet shopping district, and Saint Stephen's Green Park on foot. Then he stopped at the Whiskey Museum for a tour and tasting.

We visited the Guinness Storehouse for a self-guided walking tour and a visit to their Gravity Bar with skyline views of Dublin. We also took a Big Bus Hop-on Hop-off Tour of Dublin that included a nighttime bus tour of Dublin.

We enjoyed a second day of the Hop-On-Hop-Off tour bus, and we visited the Teeling Distillery for a tour and a whiskey tasting. We finished the day with a night of traditional food and entertainment at the Irish House Party in Dublin. This included authentic Irish fare, diverse music, dancing and storytelling.

We changed hotels to join up with our Insight bus tour. We joined our Travel Director, Robbie Joyce, and our travelling companions for a warm and friendly Welcome Dinner with wine at your hotel.

The day started with a bus tour orientation with a Local Expert who took us past the Custom House and along the River Liffey. We drove past the Guinness Brewery, Christ church Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then we saw the 9th century Book of Kells and walked through the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College to gain insight into the establishment's impressive history. Then we took an optional tour of the Irish Countryside and Glendalough. This afternoon drive took us through the rural countryside of County Wicklow, the garden of Ireland. We passed through the Wicklow Mountains to the picturesque setting of St. Kevin’s great 6th Century monastic site at Glendalough. Afterward, we explored the monastic remains before returning to Dublin via the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain. We ended the day with an excellent dinner of quality Irish food, and enjoyed an evening of comedy, dance, song and music. We ended our meal with an Irish Coffee.

We visited the National Stud Farm, where many legendary racehorses are bred. Then we saw the finest Japanese gardens in Europe, where the gardens portray the symbolism of life and trace the journey of a soul, designed by master horticulturists, Tassa and Minoru Eida. We continued on to Cork, Ireland's second most populous city, built on the River Lee. We traveled along Grand Parade to see Cork's City Hall and Georgian Buildings.

We visited the ruined 15th century Blarney Castle, home of the famous Stone of Eloquence. Then we were off to Cobh, County Cork to experience this intriguing port town, home to the world's second-largest natural harbour. We visited stunning St Colman’s Cathedral and the Queenstown Story to hear about the town's past and to discover how it became the single most important Irish port of emigration. We saw the Lusitania and Titanic memorials, and the decaying White Star Line dock that was Titanic's final port of call.

We began the day with a memorable ride on a horse-drawn jaunting car driven by local jarveys. We travelled along the lake shore and past the grounds of Ross Castle, admiring the incredible scenery of the National Park. Then we boarded the bus to tour the superb seascapes, towering cliffs and spectacular mountains of the Ring of Kerry. We travelled past lush lakelands and through delightful villages like Sneem. Then we crossed the peat bogs of the Black Mountains to Moll's Gap and admired Queen Victoria's Ladies View.

We began our day with a short ferry ride across the Shannon estuary. We enjoyed magnificent views of the Clare coast, as you journey to the Visitors' Centre at the 700-foot Cliffs of Moher. In Galway we saw the infamous Lynch Memorial and the Church of St. Nicholas, where Christopher Columbus reputedly prayed before his discovery of America, and the aged Spanish Arch and Eyre Square, dedicated to the late US President, John F. Kennedy.

We toured the wild Connemara region, a scenic wonderland of rivers, lakes and silent hills. Then we drove along the scenic shores of Sligo Bay.

We cross into Northern Ireland and visited Londonderry. A local tour guide, Ronan, walked with us inside the city walls, still topped with cannons. We walked down steep Shipquay Street, with its elegant Georgian houses, stopped to see the Gothic Guildhall. Then we boarded the bus to visit the iconic Giant's Causeway. This geological masterpiece was created by the cooling of lava which burst through the earth's crust millions of years ago. Then we took a spectacular drive along the Antrim Coast to your hotel, overlooking the sea at the head of Ballygally Bay.

We crossed the Irish Sea by ferry and journeyed to Ardgowan where Sir Ludovic Shaw Stewart welcomed us to his family castle, set on a 10,000-acre coastal estate. He gave us a guided tour of the castle and told us about the Shaw Stewart family's conservation efforts to protect the land. The we continued on to Glasgow where our Travel Director showed us the city's grand public buildings, including George Square and St. Mungo's Cathedral. The door to the dining room at our hotel appeared in the Game of Throwns show.

We took a scenic drive along the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond and absorb the dramatic landscape of Glencoe still echoing with the cries of massacred clansmen at Culloden.

Our tour continued on to Loch Ness and embarked on a cruise to soak up the scenery, historic monuments and intriguing tales of Nessie in the heart of Scotland's great glen. Then we stopped at the Singleton Distillery for a tour and a tasting. We ended the day with a talk by Steve Feltham, a man who has devoted over thirty years of his life to hunting for the elusive Loch Ness Monster.

We took a scenic drive throug the Grampian Mountains past the Duke of Atholl's Blair Castle. Then we crossed the Tay to visit St. Andrews and the Old Course, the home of golf since its invention in the 15th century. We had some free time to explore, so we visited St. Andrews University where the love story of Kate Middleton and Prince William began, and strolled to West Sands Beach where the famous 'Chariots of Fire' scene was filmed. The the tour continued over the majestic Forth Road Bridge to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.

Our Insight bus tour ended in Edinburgh, so we took a train to Manchester, England.

We took a Full-Day North Wales Sightseeing Adventure. The tour included the pretty seaside town of Llandudno, historic Conwy Castle, Swallow Falls, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and cute little Betws-y-Coed, the area’s fairytale capital. The hidden roads and routes made Snowdonia National Park even more beautiful.

Shortly after arriving in London, we took a Ghost, Ghouls and Gallows Walking Tour that included a cruise on the Thames River.

We took another day-long buss trip to Oxford, Stratford, the Cotswolds and Warwick Castle. We paid a visit to the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-Upon-Avon.

We visited the British Museum to see all the booty that was looted by the colonial British Empire.

We took another day-long bus trip to see Stonehenge. This was an evening visit that included access to the inner circle. We ended the day with a traditional dinner at the George Inn, the oldest pub in Lacock and the home of the historic dog wheel. The dog wheel is a dog powered rotisserie spit over a stone fireplace.

We walked around London and visited their China Town area. We ended the day with a Broadway show at the Prince of Wales Theater.

Debi needed a recuperate, so Ron went walking around London.

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