It is almost time for me to hit the high seas again and on this cruise I will find myself spending 11-nights aboard Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Boudicca, as she takes me on a ‘Myths & Legends’ cruise around the beautiful British Isles. This will be my first time aboard Boudicca and my first British Isles cruise, so it should be fun!

Our ports of call are: Portsmouth, Falmouth, Cobh, Dublin, Belfast, Kirkwall, Invergordon and Rosyth.

I have a few shore excursions planned, but I haven’t chosen to do something organised in every port. I like a balance of organised tours and “see where I end up” days – it’s no fun when everything is planned for you all of the time – so on this cruise I am exploring without a plan in Portsmouth, Dublin and Rosyth.

There are two excursions that I am looking forward too a little more than others, and the first one is The Lost Gardens of Heligan. The gardens were created by members of the Cornish Tremayne family from the mid-18th century to the beginning of the 20th century, and still form part of the family’s Heligan estate, but they were neglected after the First World War and only recently restored in the 1990s. I’m not entirely sure what to expect from the gardens in October, but I thought it would be quite interesting and also nice to spend some quality time among nature.

The second excursion that I am looking forward to is Titanic Belfast. The exhibition extends over nine galleries, with multiple dimensions drawing together special effects, dark rides, full-scale reconstructions and innovative interactive features. Visitors can explore the shipyard, travel to the depths of the ocean and uncover the true legend of Titanic, in the city where it all began.

My other shore excursions are – the Jameson Distillery during our call to Cobh, Orkney Island tour during our visit to Kirkwall and a Sea Safari Adventure in Invergordon. The Sea Safari adventure is right up my street! It involves a high-speed RIB and a waterproof suit – need I say more?

As I mentioned earlier, I have never sailed on Boudicca before, so I am looking forward to that, and I am also excited to once again embark in Port of Tyne. As an added bonus, I will also disembark in Port of Tyne – thank you Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines for your Newcastle round-trip itineraries!

So, with just one week to go until departure, it might be a good idea if I gave packing some thought, don’t you think?! 😉