July 10, 2026 We toured the Isle of Louis where we visited the Calanais Standing Stones, the Iron Age broch of Dun Carloway, and the Gearrannon Blackhouse Village. On the way, we passed by Loch Meavaig with a carpet of wildflowers. The Calanais Standing Stones are a prehistoric stone circle that predates the standing stones of Stonehenge. Erected 5,000 years ago, the stones are made of gneiss from the Isle of Lewis and arranged in unique cross pattern. Archaeologists theorize

July 9, 2026 After the Isle of Mull, we traveled to the Isle of Eigg in the afternoon. "Eigg" in Gaelic means "notched island" because of its unusual shape. The ship anchored off shore and we took a zodiac in. and enjoyed a nice walk near the shore. An oyster flew with a snack it caught and brought it to it's young. We enjoyed watching a common eider and its ducklings. On the way back, we saw a hooded crow.

July 9, 2026 Thanks to Brent's early booking of excursions we and four others were able to go on a wildlife tour of the island in search of red deer, white-tailed sea eagles, and otters. We were lucky and saw all three! The white-tailed sea eagle was the first we found. There were two in the trees. The Isle of Mull is nicknamed the Eagle Island because it has a high population of both the white-tailed eagle and the golden eagle. The white-tailed sea eagle is the largest bir

July 8, 2026 We visited the Isle of Bute today. We took the zodiacs in to the town of Rothesay. We then met our guide for a walking tour around town. We first visited the Rothesay Victorian Toilets. These well-preserved toilets are probably the most complete Victorian toilets in Great Briain. They remain open to the public both as a tourist attraction and a public toilet. We then explored the town. The Winter Gardens (Bute Discovery Center) Rothesay's Coat of Arms Rothesay Fo

July 7, 2026 In the afternoon, we visited the Isle of Man. Although located near the Scottish Isles, the Isle of Man is not actually a part of Scotland or even the United Kingdom. It is a self-governing island that was granted its independence by the English monarch who is the "Lord of Mann," a largely symbolic title. We did a panoramic bus tour of the island. King William's College Castle Rushen is one of the best-preserved medieval castles. Milner's Tower atop Brada Head Po

July 7, 2026 On July 6, we sailed away from Dublin on the Seabourne Venture and headed back to Scotland. The adventures started early in the morning the next day when we explored the Isle of Calf by Zodiac. Our photography group went out first and got to stay out a bit longer - a great perk of joining the Image Masters. The Drinking Dragon Chicken Rock Lighthouse The Puffin Project - these plastic puffins combined with speakers broadcasting puffin calls are meant to attract p

July 5, 2026 As our companions on the Gate 1 Tour returned home, we were on our own for a day in Dublin. We had booked a tour of The Book of Kells at Trinity College, so we purchased a Big Bus pass to make our way there and see more of Dublin. We began with a morning trip around the Big Bus Route. It was a live narration by the bus driver instead of the recorded track that we often hear on Hop On Hop Off Buses. Rosie Hackett Bridge The Kennedy's Bar, once Conway's, was a popu

July 4, 2026 We did a city tour of Dublin with Gate 1, visited the Epic Museum and then gathered for a farewell dinner for the Gate 1 group. We first stopped at the St. Patrick's Cathedral, the national cathedral of Ireland. It was founded in 1191, but mostly built in 1220. It has the tallest steeple in Ireland at 101 feet. It was built next to the well where St. Patrick is said to have baptized many Irish converts to Christianity in the 5th century. We were able to spend ti

August 19, 2026 Although I grew up in the San Juan Islands, I never went whale watching or saw an orca there. In fact, until this July as we were approaching Heimaey, Iceland I had never seen an orca in the wild. My best friend from high school, Ranatta, had never been whale watching and it was on her bucket list, so we got together finally went! We booked with Island Adventures and had an amazing experience. The boat was the best I had been on for whale watching. (I had been

July 3, 2026 We left Killarney in the morning, passing by the Franciscan Friary on our way out. Then we enjoyed a beautiful drive to County Cork. We stopped for a 2 to 3 hours at Blarney Castle. The highlight of Blarney Castle is to kiss the Blarney Stone which involves over 100 steps on a narrow winding staircase and then bending backwards to kiss the stone with help from supportive attendants (at least you no longer need to be hung by your feet). Brent and I already done it

July 2, 2026 From Killarney, we went around the Ring of Kerry. In Killorgin, they celebrate the Puck Fair, one of Ireland's oldest festivals. In this unique festival, they capture a wild mountain goat. The goat is then crowned king and reigns over the 3-day festival. This statue honors "King Puck". We stopped at the Red Fox Inn for some Irish Creme Coffee (I had hot chocolate.) This artisan with his donkey and little dog are a common site on this scenic spot. He makes St. Bri

July 1st, 2026 Today we left Galway and drove along the Wild Atlantic Way to Killarney. As we started out in Galway County, we saw a glimpse of Dunguaire Castle. The castle was originally built in the 1520 by the O'Hyne clan on the same strategic site as a 7th century fort. In 1924 it was restored by Senator Gogarty who used it as a meeting up for the great literary forces in the Celtic Revival. W.B. Yeats often visited, as well as other famous authors such as Lady Gregory a

June 30, 2026 We drove through the Connemara National Park on a day trip out of Galway to Kylemore Abbey. As we drove out of Galway, we crossed over the 200-year old Salmon Weir Bridge, giving us a good view of the newly-buily Salmon Weir Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge. We also passed by the Galway Cathedral with its distinctive copper dome. About half an hour outside of Galway, we visited the historic Ross Railroad Station, now a private home restored by the Joyce family who ma

June 29, 2026 We departed Northern Ireland today and made our way to Galway in Ireland. On the way, we stopped at Donegal Town, Sligo, and Knock. As we approached Donegal Town, we passed by St. Agatha's Church built from 1869 to 1871. Like many churches in Scotland and Ireland, there was a graveyard on the grounds so that people could be buried on holy ground. Donegal Town was our first stop for a weaving demonstration. Prominently displayed on the Diamond, the Four Masters m

June 28, 2026 We left Belfast and headed to Derry today. The limestone cliffs along the Causeway Coastal Route were stunning. This one reminded me of a turtle. We stopped briefly at the Magheracross Viewpoint so we could get a better view that from the bus window. We were even able to see the ruins of Dunluce Castle in the distance from the view point. Stories of Dunluce Castle include that of the "Falling Kitchen". It is claimed that during a violent storm in 1639, the kitch

June 27, 2026 We left Glascow today and traveled to the ferry that would take us to Northern Ireland. After a pleasant ride on the ferry, we reboarded the bus and headed to Belfast for a tour of the city. Our first stop was the Titanic Belfast, a museum on the grounds of the Harland and Wolff shipyard where the doomed ship, Titanic, was built. Each of the four wings of the building resemble the hull of the Titanic. Once inside the Titanic Experience museum, you learn about th

June 26, 2026 We started the day with a Gate 1 city tour of Glascow. Mostly it was a bus tour, but we did have stops at the Glascow Cathedral and the Glascow Botanic Gardens (although the latter was mostly a bathroom stop with very little time to actually explore the gardens). The Glascow Cathedral of St. Mungo was the only mainland Scottish medieval cathedral to survive the Scottish Reformation led by John Knox. They were iconoclasts who believed the images and statues in Ca

June 25, 2026 On June 25, we left Aviemore and headed to Glascow where we would stay the next 2 nights. We enjoyed our drive through the Western Highlands. Our first stop was at Laggan Dam on the River Splean. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs. We continue our drive, passing by the Beinn Sgulaird Munro. A munro is a moutain in Scotland that is over 3,000 feet tall. Many mountaineers in the United Kingdom make it a goal to climb all 282 munr

June 24, 2026 We headed out to explore the Highlands and visit the Isle of Skye. It was a long ride, but the scenery was beautiful. Findhorn Viaduct for the Highland Main Line Railroad. River Ness running through the town of Inverness. South American Alpaca grazing alongside a donkey in Inverness. A common style of house throughout Scotland. Our first stop was at Loch Ness in Inverness. We took a walk down for a view of the lake and a possible Nessie sighting. Since Nessie fa

June 23 After leaving St. Andrews, we enjoyed more scenic driving. Sheep are a common site along the Scottish roads. The next stop after St. Andrews was the Scone Palace (pronounced "skoon"). The lands upon which the Scone Palace stands hold a rich history. Fifteen hundred years ago, this was the capital of the Pictish kingdom. In later years, between the 9th and 13th centuries it became the place where Scottish Kings were crowned while seated on the "Stone of Scone", also kn