Say what?? My third Contiki in less than a year?
I know, I’m starting to think I have a problem too 😉 . But there are definitely worse things than having caught the travel bug!
I was originally going to do this trip one year on from my Europe one. But lo and behold, Air New Zealand had to have some fabulous flight deals to London… and before I knew it and I was booked in and ready to rumble for May 2018.
So: Contki #3. Great Britain and Ireland.
Or more specifically: England, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Another whirlwind trip, arriving the day before the tour started, and leaving the day after we got back to London.
But hats off to Contiki for another fantastic trip and with another amazing group of humans. This time I was the only New Zealander (the “token Kiwi”) but that’s okay cause the Aussies, Americans and Canadians that made up the rest of the group weren’t tooo shabby 😉 Even if we did have a few awkward lost-in-translation moments with my West Auckland accent.
So, without further ado, buckle yourself in for my longest blog post yet (!!) documenting this amazing trip! I’ve tried to fit in as much possible without sending ya’ll to sleep too quick 😉
ENGLAND
London – as always, the starting position for any UK or Europe Contiki trip. And again, I had no way near enough time to explore this beautiful city. Next time I will be spending a decent amount of time in London for sure.
After a short driving tour around the city, we were off on our big adventure!
Liverpool
Our first stop on the trip was Liverpool, aka the home of our “scouse” trip manager, Kevin!
Liverpool was where the Beatles came from, so of course much of our visit here was dedicated to checking out where it all started. We had a fabulous bus tour taking us to the most important Beatles-related sights in the city.
Our visit to Liverpool wasn’t just made up of Beatles though. We visited the cathedral, the Docks, and had a drink at the famous Cavern Club.
York
Next up, the history-rich city of York. (Much of Game of Thrones story/characters/’houses’ were based off history that happened in York!).
After a walking tour we had lots of free time to explore, so I checked out Clifford’s Tower, The Shambles, had tea in a beautiful tea house, and of course sussed out the famous cup cake and fudge stores.
At dinner I tried my very first Yorkshire pudding! (Kinda odd having pastry with meat and gravy, but I liked it).
Lastly, we took part on a ghost walk tour, where “Creepy Clive” took us around town, telling us of famous and gruesome ghost stories that haunt York. Much to my relief we didn’t stay in a haunted York hotel, but travelled out to a hotel in Leeds for the night. Phew 😉
Lake District
Onwards to a beautiful area in England aptly named ‘Lake District’ due to it’s lovely lakes!
We had a boat cruise on Lake Windermere in the town of Bowness. This is where Beatrix Potter lived, so of course there were numerous Peter Rabbit shops and souvenirs to go around. I tried my first Cornish pasty (not bad, but not my fave either) and Contiki decided to share my Lake Windermere photo on their Instagram #winning #instafamous
Later in the afternoon, some of the group had signed up for some ‘outdoor activities’ (think archery and rock climbing). While others (like me) decided to visit the quaint little town of Keswick.
(There seems to be lots of ‘quaint’ little towns in England 😉)
That night, we stayed in a small town called Carlisle, as it was close to the border of Scotland… and our next day’s activities!
England / Scotland border
We briefly crossed the border and visited Gretna Green, a small town in Scotland. Gretna Green is famous for being a wedding destination, as ‘back in the day’ it was legal to get married in England at 18 years old, whereas in Scotland it was legal to get married at 16. So rebellious English teenagers would pop over to Scotland and get married at the closest place to the border, Gretna Green.
But before we knew it, we were back into England!
We checked out part of the remains of Hadrian’s Wall, and the remains of Housestead’s Roman Fort which resides along it.
Hadrian’s Wall was inspo for the Wall in Game of Thrones, so some of us could not pass up the opportunity to have a GoT photoshoot 😉
SCOTLAND
… and then back to Scotland, for good this time!
Edinburgh
After a driving tour of this stunning city (I think I’m in love) we had a “Scottish evening’ of great food and music (courtesy of a hilarious Bagpiper) in a beautiful Georgian building.
Proud moment: Stepping outside of my culinary comfort zone and trying haggis (and kinda sorta enjoying it!)
On day 2, we explored the magnificent Edinburgh Castle. One of the main things I was looking forward to on this tour was the CASTLES. And this one did not disappoint.
During a largely free day to roam the city, I visited Greyfriars Bobby’s graveyard (and found Tome Riddles grave, the inspo for Tom Riddle in Harry Potter), rubbed the famous dog statue’s nose “so I will return to Edinburgh”, and took part in a delicious Scottish whisky tasting.
Many aspects of the world of Harry Potter was inspired by Edinburgh and you can see why. We stopped at Victoria street which was the inspo for Diagon Alley, and The Elephant House cafe where JK Rowling apparently started writing the books.
I also did the Mary Kings Close tour, which was tour of an old road / alleyways from the middle ages (now underground, as they’ve built newer streets on top of them). And the houses and shops that used to reside in there. I definitely recommend this while you’re in Edinburgh, particularly if you’re a history nerd like me!
Then for our second and last night in Edinburgh, we had a night on the town at some quintessential Scottish pubs.
Can’t wait to be back here!
Scottish Highlands
Onwards north to the beautiful Scottish Highlands!
(This is about the time I started to catch a mild Contiki Cough. But thanks to my super-organised self, I had packed a whole pharmacy into my suitcase and was able to contain it into a manageable little snivvle for the rest of the trip. Phew.)
We had a morning tea stop in St Andrews, famous for it’s university, golf course, and the café where Kate and Wills supposedly met for their first date!
Loch Ness
A trip to Scotland would not be complete without a trip to the famous (or infamous?) Loch Ness!
Unfortunately, we did not find the Scottish Taniwha , but it was a stunning day on the water for our included cruise!
Some brave souls decided to jump into the Loch to complete the ‘Loch Ness Challenge’, but as I was starting to get a bit sick, I opted just for the whisky afterwards instead 😉
Now the hotel at Loch Ness was certainly the oldest hotel we stayed at on the trip. And contrary to other people’s beliefs… I felt like it was most definitely haunted 😛 Loch Ness was beautiful, but I was glad we only stayed there for one night! #justsaying
West Highlands
We had a big driving day, but we had lots of little stops to see some sights along the way:
- First we visited Eilean Donan Castle
- Had lunch in Portree (which included a post shop that features a doggo as their chief ‘stamp licker’)
- Saw the Commando Monument
- Because the weather was so good, we could see the top of the Ben Nevis (the tallest mountain in the British Isles)
Then we arrived at our overnight stop, the quaint seaside town of Oban. Here we went Scottish dancing which was so much fun!
Glasgow
On the way to Glasgow:
- We met some Scottish locals – ‘hairy coos’
- Had a quick photo stop at Stirling Castle
- Had lunch at the Wallace Monument
Even though we only had a very short amount of time in Glasgow, it seemed to be a great city that I’d love to spend more time in. Glasgow is known for it’s night life, so of course our one night there was spent out and about on the town (does it still count as a night out on the town if I headed back at midnight?) 😉
And with that, it was time to say goodbye to Scotland…
And hello to Ireland!
IRELAND
We took the ferry to Northern Ireland and drove south until we came to our first stop, Dublin. Well to be more accurate, the outskirts of Dublin. This was just for the night though (and not to worry, we’d be back in a few days to explore properly!)
Kilkenny & Cork
Green little Kilkenny. We did a bike tour of the city and saw the castle, lots of churches, the old jail and ate delicious ice cream. A morning well-spent, I thought.
Next stop: a short drive to Jameson’s Whiskey Distillery in Midleton. I mean, the tour was interesting, but the free whiskey afterwards was even better 😉
That night, we stayed in Cork. Kev took us to a pub to see one of his favourite bands, and we left Cork early in the morning, so unfortunately didn’t see much of the city. Another one for the list to see more of when I come back!
We left early to get to Blarney Castle (which was also our first and only rainy day). I ventured to the top and tried my best to kiss the Blarney stone while perilously hanging over the edge of the wall, but alas, I was too short ☹. Or maybe I didn’t shuffle as close to the edge as I should have. Either way, I had to blow it a kiss and hope that that was sufficient in giving me ‘the gift of the gab’.
Next up? The Cliff’s of Moher! Windy and grey, but very picturesque and a must-see while in Ireland.
Galway
I loved Galway! Kev gave us a walking tour and then we started the night in O’Connell’s bar – famous for the fact that it was the set of Ed Sheeran’s music video for ‘Galway girl’.
The next day I opted for a free day to wander the town and do some shopping (rather than going to the Arran Islands). It was nice to have a day to explore a smaller city.
And now back up to…
NORTHERN IRELAND
LondonDerry / Derry
We checked in to our overnight stop, LondonDerry (or Derry). This city is so full of history and of course was the location of many of the conflicts that happened between folks in Ireland / Northern Ireland (or Irish / British, or Catholic / Protestant).
During a walking tour by a local guide, we walked along the city walls and visited both ‘sides’ of the city which you can clearly differentiate, with the Irish flag flying on one side and the Union Jack flying on the other. To commemorate and remember much of the conflict, lots of street art / murals have popped up all over town.
So what did we call the city? Kev told us that if we got talking to a local, it was probably best to ask them what they called the city, and then go with whatever they called it.
Belfast
Before heading on to Belfast, we stopped at the Giant’s Causeway for some stellar photo ops, to also see the ‘Dark Hedges’ which was used as the Kingsroad in Game of Thrones, and we had a lunch stop in Donegal.
In Belfast we visited the Titanic Experience, had a driving tour of the city, caught a glimpse of Titanic Studios, which is where Game of Thrones is filmed (the green screen scenes, at least), and had a stroll around the awesome night market.
Dublin
And back to Ireland, and our last stop, Dublin (again!). I didn’t do the Guinness Storehouse tour (not a fan of Guinness), but I had a free day to see the rest of the city.
I loved Dublin.
I saw Trinity College, went inside Dublin Castle, Kev gave us a walking tour of the city, I did some shopping and enjoyed lunch at a pub in Temple Bar, a busy area full of food and drinks places.
For our last night, we went to the famous Merry Ploughboys pub and enjoyed amazing food, whiskey and entertainment from a band and Irish dancers.
Of course, I always seem to get picked out of a crowd to join entertainers on stage, so I was plucked out of the crowd by one of the lovely male members of the troupe to join in some dancing (I secretly love it 😉). The cultural nights are always my favourite on all the tours.
A great last night to end a great trip.
Back to London
After some goodbyes, it was a long day to travel back to where we started, London. The two and a half weeks went way too fast! But I think that’s a sign of an enjoyable holiday!
This Great Britain and Ireland Contiki was incredible. No one should bypass these countries in their travels. There’s so much history, beautiful scenery, magnificent sights, and not to mention the people are lovely.
There’s nothing quite like walking around a city like Edinburgh and bagpipes are playing on nearly every corner.
It’s magic.
Book yours now!!
