Lowes Travels

Sept 18- 24

It’s been over a month since we returned from our back-to-back Viking cruises. Dealing with jet lag and getting our yard back into shape after a brutal summer put blogging on the back burner. Now that it’s finally cooling down I’m ready to sit in front of the computer to write posts about our time in the British Isles and Portugal. At least that’s my best excuse 🙂

The first voyage was a Viking Saturn ocean cruise from Bergen, Norway to London along the coast of the British Isles. The second was a river cruise aboard Viking Osfrid through the Douro Valley in Portugal. In between these two cruises we also spent some time in London and Paris.

Our itinerary included a total of 11 port stops in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England:

Viking Saturn welcomed us with a bottle of sparkling wine and something covered in a red gel, and it was very yummy! And we looked forward to our breakfast array each morning.

We embarked in Bergen but skipped the first excursion there because of heavy rain. Fortunately we had visited the city previously during our Homelands cruise in 2022 (click here to learn more). I just took pictures of the city from the ship where we could see colorful architecture and houses on the port and hillsides:

We’d heard many good things about how beautiful Scotland is, and looked forward to seeing and experiencing it. The Scotland segment included stops at Lerwick, Edinburgh, Scrabster and Ullapool.

Lerwick (Shetland Islands)

The first stop (where we were anchored and then tendered to shore) was at Lerwick, Shetland Islands. Lerwick is the gateway to some of the Shetland Islands’ most beloved residents – the Shetland ponies.

Our bus tour took us to striking landscapes, farmlands and dreamy meadows. We stopped for a few photo ops along the way as a reminder of how scenic and serene this island is:

Next we met the famous four-legged residents of the island. Shetland Ponies are small ponies that have existed in the Shetland Islands for more than 2,000 years; the ponies are thought to have been in domestic use since the Bronze Age. They were short and very stout:

Back on board we had a delicious fresh fish dinner at the World Cafe, created by our onboard culinary team:

Rosyth (Edinburgh)

The Rosyth port stop was an alternate to what was originally planned due to bad weather. From this port, it was about an hour’s drive to Edinburgh instead of just 13 minutes from the original planned stop.

Edinburgh has been Scotland’s capital since the 15th century. They claim there is no capital like Edinburgh because of its gorgeous setting on green rocky hillsides with Edinburgh Castle overlooking the city from Castle Rock. We had a short time to walk around and check out the medieval Royal Mile:

There is so much to see and experience in this capital city, so little time.

Back on board we had unlimited lobsters for dinner, not bad!

Scrabster/John O’ Groats

John O’Groats is a highland village near Dunnet Head, the northernmost point of mainland Great Britain. It was an hour’s drive to get there from Scrabster Harbor, where Viking Saturn was docked. Because it was raining heavily when we arrived, we couldn’t appreciate the iconic location nor its jaw-dropping scenery. After taking some photos we went back to the bus until our departure 🙁

From where the ship was docked at Scrabster I took some pictures of the harbor and the surrounding beautiful coastline holding the distant town of Thurso:

While the excursion was a letdown due to the rain, the day was anything but wasted because Sept 23rd was our 20th wedding anniversary. Little did I know that my wonderful honeybunch had something truly magical planned for that evening.

He secretly orchestrated a renewal vow wedding ceremony with help from the ship’s activities director. It was nothing short of a perfect surprise: with a beautiful wedding bouquet I walked down the red carpet crying as our cherished wedding song filled the air.

The ceremony was completed with a champagne toast and wedding cake surrounded by a group of Viking Saturn officers who bore witness and was officiated by the Captain. It was a moment etched in my heart forever. My honeybunch pulled this one off with flying colors, and I just wished some of our friends and family could have been there to witness our vow renewal!

Afterwards, dinner was at Manfredi’s Restaurant and we were treated as special guests:

Ullapool (The Highlands)

Our final port stop in Scotland was at one of the most remote settings in the United Kingdom, the fishing town of Ullapool. We joined a walking tour around town where the guide showed us the village with its own unique features and stories. Many of the buildings go back hundreds of years. He pointed us to many houses dating from their fishing heritage, and churches that have been places of worship for generations:

This far flung village is also a tourist destination, for it is surrounded by the stunningly scenic Western Isles and dramatic mountain peaks. The locals believe that Ullapool’s beauty lies in its tranquility, and yes it was indeed a sleepy village with breathtaking landscapes to enjoy.

Dinner that night was a suckling pig, also known to us Filipinos as lechon:

Our journey along the stunning coastline of Scotland with four port stops began under overcast skies, occasional rain, and a biting chill. Yet, as we sailed onward the heavens opened up, revealing breathtaking landscapes of the highlands, vibrant villages with stories, and rich local history. It lived up to our expectations despite the weather. Without a doubt, the highlight was the wonderful surprise that Steve orchestrated to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary – a beautiful memory cherished forever.

And then it was time to sail away…

So long, Scotland!

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Up next: Ireland