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Travel Highlights

We like to get about and this page brings together a number of our more memorable trips over the time we have been keeping a record on the web - since 1995. They are in reverse date order - the newest at the top. The recent reports are more comprehensive and are fully illustrated. New Zealand is covered more fully in the Uniquely New Zealand pages also accessible through the link at the top of the page.

We have gradually working back through the pages making them "Mobile Friendly" with a responsive design which adapts to all screen sizes and 'Lightbox' style overlay images and navigation more suited to touch sensitive displays. Those fully converted have a icon. Unfortunately most of the very early pages (pre 2003) with pictures from film cameras can probably never be fully converted and are best viewed on a computer.

New - An Atlantic Coast Adventure on the Queen Victoria in 2022 A cruise just before Christmas but with the entire Christmas experience, the ship is decorated, the Gingerbread village is being built, Carols on arrival and so on. Lots of port days in La Coruña, Cadiz, Malaga, Gibraltar and Lisbon with a few surprises.
New - A Mediterranean Cruise on the Queen Victoria in 2022 A long awaited return to cruising, this time in the Princess Grill. This 19 day cruise, over Pauline's 70th Birthday, covered many favourite ports and several new ones namely: Cartagena - Spain, a transit of the Messina Strait - Sicily, Corfu - Greece, Dubrovnik - Croatia, Hvar - Croatia, Trieste - Italy, Cagliari - Sardinia and finally Malaga which replaced Gibraltar which closed for the Queens funeral.
Recent - Australia and a Christmas/New Year Cruise in 2019 Three weeks in Perth and a Cruise on the Queen Elizabeth round New Zealand and Australia. Incomplete - Australia mostly complete, New Zealand progressing slowly.
Recent- Two consecutive cruises on the Queen Elizabeth in Autumn 2019 over our Sapphire Wedding Anniversary, taking us first to Amsterdam in the Princess Grill, followed by a longer Norwegian Explorer Cruise visiting Alesund, Tromso, Narvik and back via Stavanger. There there were overnights at the two northern ports to give an opportunity to look for the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) In 5 parts with 140 pictures.
Recent - Revisiting the Queen Mary 2 to celebrate Pauline's birthday in 2019 - a two day cruise to Hamburg with a sightseeing tour before flying home.
A Cruise from Japan to Alaska and Canada on the Queen Elizabeth in 2019 - a memorable month cruise from Yokohama and returning from Vancouver after an extended period cruising in Alaska including the 'Inner Passage'. The full itinerary was Yokohama, Aomori and Muroran (for Sapporo) in Japan, seven sea days to Kodiak in Alaska, Anchorage, Juneau, Vancouver, Juneau for a second half day visit, Skagway, the Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria and Vancouver in Canada. In 5 parts with 320 pictures.
Touring in New Zealand 2019- 3 months mostly spent in South Island. A comprehensive write up, in particular of South Island, with 400 new pictures overall. Currently some pages are long and hence slower to load so they may be split with a resultant change in page numbering.
A Cruise to the Canaries on the Queen Elizabeth in 2018 - a fortnight cruise from Southampton to the Canary Islands visiting Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Tenerife before returning via Funchal in Madeira and Vigo in the Galician region of Spain.
A Mediterranean Cruise on the Queen Victoria in 2018 after arriving on the Orient Express. The three week cruise covered many favourite ports and a few new ones namely: Korcula - Croatia, Valletta in Malta, Messina in Sicily, Naples, Civitavecchia (for Rome), Barcelona, Ajaccio in Corsica, Villefranche in France, Livorno (for Florence and Pisa), Corfu, Split in Croatia, Piran in Slovenia and an overnight in Venice on our anniversary before flying back to the UK. In 14 parts.
The Orient Express 2018 - A Journey from London to Dover on the British Pullman and Calais to Venice on the Venice Simplon Orient Express - the Blue Train. An Experience of a lifetime starting on Pauline's Birthday and linking with a cruise on the Queen Victoria.
An Exotic Voyage on the Queen Victoria 2018 This was almost a World Cruise taking us from Southampton through the Caribbean, all round South America, including passing Cape Horn and back via the Panama Canal taking a total of 75 days and giving significant extra benefits to those going the whole way round. 14 ports were new to us and many were maiden visits for the ship. An unbelievable chance to experience places and cultures we new little or nothing about. Even the 16 parts with a 1000 new pictures can hardly do justice to such a journey.
Christmas on the Queen Victoria 2017 - A cruise to the Canary Islands in the Britannia Club taking us to Madeira, La Palma, Tenerife, Lazarote and back via La Coruna in Spain.
Autumn in Tenerife 2017 A fortnight break in Puerto de la Cruz at the Tenerife Playa, a hotel we used to stay in nearly 35 years ago and returned to again last year.
A Grand Voyage on the Queen Victoria 2017 7 weeks from Fort Lauderdale to Auckland through an area of the world we had hardly touched in the past. Highlights include the Amazon, the Chilean Glaciers and Fiords, Easter Island and Pitcairn Island. In 11 parts with 450 new pictures.
Christmas and New Year on the Queen Victoria 2016 This was actually two cruises booked separately but the Christmas cruise alone was rather short and there was a bargain in the Princess grill for the previous cruise. The itinerary was Lisbon - Portugal, Cadiz - Spain, Malaga - Spain, Tangiers - Morocco, La Coruna - Spain, back through Southampton Vigo - Spain, Casablanca - Morocco, La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Madeira to watch the New Year Fireworks and finally a second visit to Lisbon before returning to Southampton.
A Voyage to the Greek Islands on the Queen Elizabeth in Autumn 2016 This 17 day cruise was chosen to coincide with our anniversary. The itinerary was unfortunately changed because of the troubles in Turkey so we did not go to Kusadasi or Mykonos. Instead we went to Saranda in Albania, a disappointing alternative and Heraklion in Crete which enable us to visit Knossos, an impressive site dating back to 1700 BC. The final itinerary was Southampton, Palma de Mallorca, Piraeus, the port of Athens, Heraklion in Crete, Katakolon in Greece for Olympia, Saranda in Alamania, Messina in Italy and Cadiz in Spain - a total of three new ports to us.
Autumn in Tenerife 2016 An eleven day break in Puerto de la Cruz at the Tenerife Playa, a hotel we used to stay in nearly 35 years ago.
The final sector of the 2016 World Cruise on the Queen Elizabeth We picked this 23 day sector because we wanted to visit Petra and it also went to other favourite destinations such as Istanbul, Athens and Malta, . We flew to Dubai the to Muscat and Salalah in Oman, Petra, the Suez Canal, Istanbul, Athens, Malta and Valencia in Spain before disembarking in Southampton.
Touring in New Zealand 2016 - 80 days mostly in South Island with the Highlight being 3 days at the Warbirds over Wanaka Airshow over Easter. Our most comprehensive guide ever to South Island with 18 web pages and over 500 extra pictures.
Christmas and the New Year 2015 - 2016 on the Queen Elizabeth The cruise started just before Christmas and took us to the Canaries visiting La Palma, Gran Canaria and Tenerife (Lanzarote was cancelled due to bad weather). Our return was via Madeira for the big New Years Eve Fireworks then back via Seville and Lisbon.
Queen Elizabeth 5th Birthday Cruises 2015 This was actually two cruises booked separately, both with celebrations of the five years for the Queen Elizabeth. The first was very short and took us to Amsterdam and Zeebrugge, the second was a Mediterranean cruise taking us to Gibraltar, Cagliari in Sardinia, Naples where we visited Herculanium, Civitavecchia where we visited Rome, Mone Carlo, Barcelona and Cadiz.
Christmas 2014 on the Queen Victory This was actually two cruises booked separately but as we realised the Christmas cruise alone was rather short. The first cruise took us into the Mediterranean and the second down to the Canaries where we had our best Christmas ever. Between the two cruises we visited La Coruna, Gibraltar, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Madeira, Tenerife, La Palma and La Coruna for a second time.
French Riviera and Adriatic Wonders 2014 - a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth which was a last minute bargain taking fly cruise for 14 days on the Queen Elizabeth from Heathrow to Rome, Pisa, Monte Carlo which we did not make through bad weather, Toulon, Barcelona, Rome, Corfu, Kotor Dubrovnik and a whole day and overnight in Venice before flying home to Gatwick. Toulon in France and Kotor in Montenegro were both new to us.
Wonders of the Mediterranean 2014 - a cruise on the Queen Victoria which was an Autumn cruise to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary. It was 17 days long taking us from Southampton to Cadiz for Seville, Catania in Sicily, Corfu the Greece Island, Dubrovnik an old favourite in Croatia, our first visit to Korcula in Croatia on to the Highlight of Venice in Italy and back via Gibraltar to Southampton.
A Christmas Cruise from Tilbury to the Canary Islands & Madeira 2013 - A Cruise on the Marco Polo A 14 day cruise with the major objective of seeing the spectacular Firework Display in Madeira.
Mediterranean Discovery 2013 - a cruise on the Queen Victoria A 12 days cruise to the Mediterranean in December. The main attraction was the itinerary which took us to new places (Cadiz, Valencia and La Coroba) and favourites we wanted to visit again such as Barcelona where we wished to see Gaudi's famous Basilica of the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) which we had been unable to get tickets for the last time we went to Barcelona. This cruise was opportunistic and booked only 5 weeks before as we were returning from the Black Sea. The route was Cadiz, Malaga, Valencia, Barcelona, Gibraltar and La Coruna.
Black Sea and Turkish Splendours 2013 - a cruise on the Queen Victoria A 24 day cruise to the far end of the Mediterranean which featured the best of our last three Mediterranean cruises. The routing took us first to Lisbon which we had not visited for many years then a long passage to a favourite of ours, Malta. It was then on to Ephesus which had been an unexpected highlight of the Ancient Wonders Cruise in 2012 followed by Istanbul, the highlight of the Black Sea and Turkish Splendours cruise in 2012. Yalta and Odessa followed and certainly Yalta merited a second visit before we went to Piraeus, the port of Athens, where we wanted to visit the nearby Corinth Canal. The return took us through very familiar places, Palma in Mallorca and then finally Vigo in Spain which is good for last minute stocking up on Cheese and Wine being EU.
Return from the Antipodes on the Queen Mary 2 - a 46 day section of the 2013 World Cruise taking us from Auckland round New Zealand to Wellington, the Akoroa Peninsula and Fiordland before crossing the Tasman to Australia to visit Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth followed by a long passage across the Indian Ocean to Mauritius. It was then on to Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town in South Africa and the the passage north to Namibia. We crossed the equator and on to the Canaries, Madeira and finally Vigo in Spain before home to Southampton.
A Magical Mystery Tour - a cruise on the Cunard Queen Victoria in 2012 taking us from Southampton to see the Ancient Wonders of the World. The itinerary was changed several times both due to bad weather and the problems in Egypt so we did not go to Port Said or Alexandria in Egypt for the Pyramids and gales prevented use entering Rhodes but we did go to Cyprus where we met up with a college friend and to Ephesus which was the highlight of the trip. Other ports were Vigo in Spain, Palma in Mallorca, Valletta in Malta, Piraeus for Athens in Greece,Katakolon (for Olympia) in Greece and Malaga in Spain. It was the Queen Victoria's 5 th birthday at the end of the 21 day cruise.
The Black Sea and Turkish Splendours - a cruise on the Cunard Queen Victoria in 2012 taking us from Southampton to an area which we have never visited before - the Black Sea. The cruise took us to Palma in Mallorca, through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits into the Black sea to visit Yalta and Odessa in the Ukraine, Constanta in Romania and two days at Istanbul in Turkey before returning via Catania in Sicily and Vigo in Spain. We had plenty of days at sea to soak up the sunshine during the 20 day cruise.
A Summer Getaway Voyage in the Princess Grill on the Cunard Queen Elizabeth - a bargain booked at the last minute which took us to Zeebruge and Cherbourg but most import, allowed us to sample the luxury of the Grills.
Fjordland Vistas - A cruise on the Saga Ruby to Norway in 2012 - the Saga Ruby started life as the Vistafiord and was taken over by Cunard where she became the Coronia before passing to Saga in 2006. We were keen to go on her before she goes out of service.
Touring and Sailing in New Zealand 2012 - Three months mostly spent touring in South Island. (Usable on most mobile and Tablets)
Caribbean Odyssey 2011 - A cruise on the Cunard Queen Elizabeth starting late November from Southampton to the Caribbean via the Ponto Delgada in the Azores to Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts, Tortola, St Maarten and back via Madeira to Southampton with all the Christmas preparations onboard. The write up includes visits behind the scenes in the Theatre and into the galley.
A Cruise on the new Cunard Queen Elizabeth to New Zealand in 2011 - Including the Maiden Atlantic Crossing in tandem with the Queen Victoria, the meeting of the Three Queens in New York, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Mexico, Los Angeles and Pacific Islands as far as New Zealand. This includes an An Overview of the Queen Elizabeth, our cruises on her and a comprehensive Picture Gallery which includes pictures taken during "The Inaugurals" open day before her naming by the Queen in September 2010.
An Autumn Cruise on The Ocean Countess to the Canary Islands and Madeira 2010. This is about a trip down memory lane - the Ocean Countess was originally owned by Cunard as the Cunard Countess. We had three memorable cruises in the Caribbean on the Cunard Countess in 1991, 92 and 94. This cruise departed from Plymouth, and the itinerary for the 12 days included four days at sea and seven days ashore – in Vigo, Agadir, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Gomera, Madeira and Leixoes for Oporto.
Baltic Explorer and Jewels of the Mediterranean Cruises. We had wanted to go to Tallin and St Petersburg for a long time so we started by booking the Baltic Explorer Cruise but it seemed very short so we decided it would be nice to continue for another 12 nights round the Mediterranean. This gave us an overall cruise of 26 nights with tremendous contrasts within an overall theme of historic cities, diverse cultures and opulent buildings. In 6 parts with lots of pictures plus an overview. We have also updated our comprehensive Introduction to the Cunard Queen Victoria
The Dutch Canals in 2010 - A Journey round the Ijsslmeer and Frisia on 'Klein Schip' a 40.9' Linssen Grand Sturdy steel cruiser belonging to friends. Note - this page is currently under development. Most of the text is complete although one short part is still in note form and only a limited number of pictures are available.
Journey to the Antipodes 2010 - a cruise on the Cunard Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to Auckland via the Suez canal and the Pacific including India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, Pacific Islands and the Great Barrier Reef off Australia followed by 5 weeks in New Zealand. In 6 parts with lots of pictures.
Autumn Colours 2009 - a cruise on the Cunard Queen Victoria to New York and up the Atlantic Seaboard to through Canada and Quebec before returning from Newfoundland.
Touring and Sailing in New Zealand 2009 - All 9 parts are now available and illustrated
Malta and the Final Visit of the QE2 in 2008 - a holiday timed to coincide with the last visit of the QE2 on her way to retirement in Dubai.
A Tandem Atlantic Crossing - Our first cruise on the Queen Mary 2 across the Atlantic and back in tandem with the QE2.
The Lands of Fire and Ice 2008 - our last cruise on the QE2 starting with three days in Iceland, land of geysers , bubbling mud and magnificent waterfalls then back down the Fiords to Stavangar where we had a memorable send off by the Nordsteam festival of old steam boats and everything else that floated before reaching our final stop at Oslo.
The Land of The Midnight Sun 2008 - a cruise on the QE2 taking us to Longyearbyen, Svalbard on the island of Spitsbergen only 12 degrees from the pole then Gravdal in the Norwegian Lofoten Islands as well as the Norwegian Fiords.
Touring and Sailing in New Zealand 2008 - All 7 parts are now available and illustrated - include our visit to Warbirds over Wanaka 2008 (Both usable on most mobile and tablets)
The Cunard Queen Victoria's Maiden Atlantic Crossing and World Cruise 2008 - Southampton to Los Angeles via the Panama canal, then a stay on the The original Queen Mary, now a floating hotel in Long beach California.
QE2's Christmas Markets Cruise - A short cruise through the North Sea where the destination was of secondary importance. It was booked as an indulgence to try the Queen's Grill Restaurant and Accommodation for the first time.
QE2's 'Mediterranean Splendour' and 'The 40^th Anniversary' Cruises 2007 - The story of two consecutive but very different cruises, the first a typical cruise on the QE2 that took us to familiar and new places. The second was not only a journey round Great Britain but also a nostalgic and often emotional trip in time commemorating the 40th anniversary of the World's Greatest Liner.
Pennine Extremes - Corinna's 20th Birthday cruise to the recently restored Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the Rochdale Canal involving the highest summits, deepest and longest tunnels crossing extremely challenging countryside, not to speak of the extraordinary weather and floods.
The QE2's Silver Jubilee World Cruise 2007 - We join the QE2's for the part of her 25th World Cruise taking us from Hong Kong to the UK via Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, India, the Seychelles, Mauritius, South Africa, Namibia, The Canaries and Madeira.
A Stop-over in Hong Kong - Four nights in Hong Kong before joining the QE2 for our return to the UK on our way back from New Zealand
Touring and Sailing in New Zealand 2007 - All 5 parts are now available
Southern Delights - A Cruise on the QE2 in 2006 from Southampton to the Azores, the Everglades, New Orleans, the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and back via Madeira.
Autumn Contrasts in Malta - Ancient History and Sunny Beaches
Jubilee Junction - Our Shortest Journey - The opening and first visit to the Wilts and Berks Canal
Touring and Sailing in New Zealand 2006 - All 9 parts now available, and illustrated, plus a number of other extended pages.
Canadian Crossing and Mediterranean Adventure - A Cruise on the QE2 in 2005 from Southampton to Newfoundland, down the Canadian Atlantic Seaboard to the USA, Boston, Newport and New York then back across the Atlantic and finishing with a fortnight in the Mediterranean including Gibraltar, Greece and Dubrovnik.
The Northern Reaches - A Summer cruise to the farthest North part of the connected inland waterways, The Lancaster Canal, which has recently been joined to the main system by the Millennium Ribble Link, with associated thoughts on Planning and Preparing for Serious Tidal Crossings in a Narrowboat.
Touring and Sailing in New Zealand 2005 - All 10 parts now available and illustrated plus a number of other extended pages.
A Wicked Time in Australia - Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, the Outback, National Parks, Rivers and River Boats, the Great Ocean Road, many Wineries, Mines (Gold, Copper, Silver and Opals) and much more.
The Matthew - A trip on the replica of Cabot's Matthew from Portishead for a sail in the Bristol channel and then up the Avon Gorge to Bristol.
The Land of the Midnight Sun - A Cruise from Southampton to Norway and the Fjords with an introduction to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Liner and coverage of the journey in three parts.
Touring and Sailing in New Zealand 2004 - All 8 parts now available and illustrated plus a number of other extended pages.
South American Adventure - A Cruise from Southampton to South America and down to the Falklands with an introduction to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Liner and coverage of the journey in four parts.
The Cape Town Line - A Cruise from Southampton to Africa and round to Mauritius with an introduction to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Liner and coverage of the journey in three parts.
Taking the Tube to Bedford - The story of the 2002 DPOC summer cruise to the Eastern parts of the inland waterways system, the Nene, the Middle Levels, the Great Ouse, the Cam and the many associated smaller rivers, drains and lodes.
France - Food, Wine and Water or from Chateaux to Church - fully illustrated.
Voyage of Discoveries - A section of the Queen Elizabeth 2 World Cruise from Singapore to England via the Suez canal. In three parts all fully illustrated.
Singapore - a very enjoyable 3 day stopover on our way to connect with the QE2. Fully Illustrated
An Autumn Journey through France - fully illustrated
Our Silver Anniversary Cruise on QE2 - A Silver Anniversary needs a very special commemoration and there are few greater indulgences than a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2 across the Atlantic to the Panama Canal and back through the Caribbean and Canaries.
"Corinna Goes to Basingstoke" - a write up of our trip on the Basingstoke canal. Initially written for the David Piper Owners Club.
The Northern Ring - Our first really big canal trip - A Visit to the Northern Canals taking 1150 miles and 664 locks in 1997.
Berlin
A Classic Indulgence - We believe there are three Classic Indulgences one should sample during ones life. This was the first - a Cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2 to celebrate Pete's first retirement in 1996.