Embark the MS Island Sky this afternoon. Transfers will be provided from Glasgow International Airport and Glasgow Central Station at a fixed time. Enjoy welcome drinks and dinner this evening as we sail.

Located just a few miles from the North Antrim coast, Rathlin Island has been settled for more than 6000 years. Today, there are only 80 or so souls, whereas before the famine there were 1200 inhabitants. History is everywhere and on a guided walk we will discover historic buildings and ruins as well as the unique “upside down” Rathlin West Light, a great feat of engineering and one of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland.

Arrive this morning on the Isle of Man at the main fishing port of Peel. Settlements have been here since the Mesolithic Age and the island also claims to have the longest continuous parliament which was founded in 979 AD. Leaving Peel we will visit Tynwald Hill, located in the little village of St John’s. This grass-topped, tiered hill is made from the soil and stones from each of the island’s 17 parishes and is the point from which, each 5th of July, all the laws enacted in the year preceding are promulgated to the gathered government officials and the public at large, both in Manx and English language. Continue to Castletown where we board the vintage steam train for a delightful and traditional journey to Douglas. Dating from 1874, the Isle of Man Steam Railway is the island’s oldest Victorian rail system and this narrow gauge railway still runs with its original locomotives and carriages. Return to the ship for lunch and enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore Peel at your own pace.

Spend the morning at sea as we continue our journey south. Over lunch we arrive at Lundy, a remote island in the Bristol Channel. Although small, just three miles long by half a mile wide, its isolation has made it a home for a range of wildlife as well as a selection of listed buildings and monuments. The towering cliffs and rocky shoreline are a haven for migrating seabirds, whilst Sika deer, red deer and Soay sheep can also be seen as we walk along its traffic-free lanes and paths. Using our Zodiacs to land ashore, spend the afternoon being as active as you wish, maybe explore the wide bays and coves by way of hanging valleys, climb the lighthouse, have a drink at the tavern or buy the island’s ‘puffin stamps’ at the shop.

We have two days to explore the idyllic Isles of Scilly. 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. See the northernmost island of the group, St Martin’s, a small island community of just 120 residents. Enjoy time to explore independently, climb one of the viewpoints for vistas over the islands and the offshore seal colonies, join one of our expedition team on a guided walk or maybe visit the island’s vineyard. We will tender ashore to Bryher, the smallest of the inhabited Isles of Scilly. Take the chance to wander along the tracks that cross the island amongst hedgerows and fields bursting 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. 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.

We spend our last day exploring Guernsey and during a panoramic drive will see the beautiful coastline, rocky cliffs and wild sandy bays. Along the coast we will see the Martello Towers, built during the Napoleonic wars, and the fortifications built by the Germans during the occupation in the Second World War. Return to the ship via country lanes and the Little Chapel, built in 1914 as a miniature version of the famous basilica at Lourdes and covered in fragments of shattered china, seashells and pebbles. This afternoon is free to explore St Peter Port at your own pace or to join a cliff walk where, if the weather is fine, we should be able to see the nearby Channel Islands and possibly the French coast.

Disembark this morning after breakfast. Transfers will be provided to Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station at a fixed time.

Itineraries are subject to change.