MS Caledonian Sky - Noble Caledonia

Sailing to the Isles
Visit some of the finest gardens and houses in Wales, Ireland & Scotland
20th to 30th May 2012 with Professor Stefan Buczacki
As spring gives way to early summer join us
aboard the MS Caledonian Sky for a journey
to some of the finest gardens on our western
shores. This is a spectacularly beautiful time.
Many of the gardens, estates and national
parks will be at their most appealing and the
countryside will be lush and inviting.
Iona
The sheer diversity of the
coastline, makes for a most
appealing sea journey,
whether you be an avid gardener,
historian, birdwatcher or simply enjoy
sailing past and visiting some of the
most enchanting places in the world.
Of course our main emphasis will be
on gardens and without doubt we shall
visit some of the best in Wales, Ireland
and Scotland. Gardens warmed by
the North Atlantic Drift have a unique
quality, the temperate weather and
green mountain backdrops make for
lovely views whether you are in a grand
and dramatic highland setting or in
a simpler island landscape. From the
formal and manicured, to the wilder
and more natural, the gardens are
well stocked with some of the finest
collections of plants and flowers in
the world.
As you might expect such gardens
are often accompanied by splendid
houses and castles whether it be
the neo classical splendour of
Mount Stewart in County Down, the
eccentricity of Rum’s Kinloch Castle
or lonely isolation of Skye’s Dunvegan
castle. All offer a fascinating history
which will be brought to life by our
guest speakers and local guides.
Powerscourt, Dublin
Strangford Lough
REPUBLIC
OF IRELAND
Dunmore East
ISLES OF
SCILLY Tresco
St Mary’s
Rum
Staffa & Iona
Dublin
Portsmouth
Isle of Skye
Oban
Gigha & Islay
Portmeirion
The Itinerary
Day 1 - Portsmouth. Embark in the
afternoon and sail for the Isles of Scilly.
Day 2 - Tresco, Isles of Scilly.
After a morning at sea we spend the
afternoon on Tresco, to many the
most attractive of the Isles of Scilly. It
is leased by the Dorrien-Smith family,
who have done much to preserve the
island’s great charm and created a
wonderful 40 acre sub-tropical garden,
close to their Tresco Abbey home.
Stroll the traffic free lanes and enjoy
a walk along one of the lovely whitesand
beaches where the sea colour
has more in common with the Aegean
than the North Atlantic.
Day 3 - Dunmore East. Land this
morning in the picturesque fishing
village on the Waterford coast. The
main purpose of our call is to visit
UNITED
KINGDOM
14 www.noble-caledonia.co.uk
N O R T H
S E A
Our voyage is
planned at a
spectacularly
beautiful time of
the year. Many
of the gardens,
estates and
national parks
will be at their
most appealing
and the
countryside
will be lush
and inviting.