The ship is a moving hotel with 38 guests who enjoy a house party atmosphere where nothing is too much trouble for the staff. If champagne is your tipple, then you'll never go thirsty. My own dietary needs were catered for with ease and without fuss while Steve revelled in the range of foods offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you're a foodie and a wine buff then this could be your idea of heaven. I hasten to add that I'm neither of these and it still was my idea of heaven!
The bar and lounge area is the hub of the ship as far as entertainment goes. We had a guest speaker on board, the erudite Michael Buerk, who regaled us with tales from his times on the front line as a journalist along with other talks on his pet hates and observations on how lucky we are to be living in these times of privilege. Steve and I were joined by Michael and his wife Christine for dinner one night where we spoke on our specialist subject; life on Tresco.
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This was our first impression as we arrived into our cabin. The view is of Skye bridge taken from our balcony. I have to brag a little here, to say that there were only four cabins that had a balcony and we had one of those. The compromise was twin beds, but we found two can fit snuggly into one of those leaving the other with curtains open to enjoy the undisturbed view through the picture window.
My darling husband had to put up with my pointing the camera in his direction far too often, but he did his best to smile. I took as much pleasure in finding the right outfit for him each evening as I did for myself. We really did have a wonderful time. Our little cabin and balcony were the site of much laughter and fun - how good it was to get away from it all, with no talk of work or home.
Tuesday was our first bit of sightseeing, by coach, to Eilean Donan Castle. All of the rooms are still dressed as if the family from long ago still live there. It was fascinating to see all of the artefacts, including the rolecall of the soldiers who had lost their lives in battle.
Later we set sail and took a detour back to see the castle from the sea then continued to Inverie where we all had a drink at the small harbourside pub before we had dinner.
We moored up there for the night which afforded us some breathtaking views.
Lighting proved to be a challenge for our evening photography, but at least you can see us in our finery!
I think I'm in danger of running out of adjectives to describe the scenery that drifted past us day after day. The vantage point from the ship gave us views that you could never experience otherwise. We drank it all in, locking images away to be compared later and for a long time to come I'm sure.
The next morning, Wednesday, we set off to Tobermory on Mull, arriving in time for a very grand seafood buffet lunch on board. Lobster, langoustines, oysters, salmon (three different kinds) and endless salads were displayed like a work of art, with the chef in attendance to serve. Our view was of the colourful quayside houses of Tobermory which are a famous sight to everyone who is a fan of the Scottish islands.
Steve and I milled about the tiny centre, shopping at the Chocolate Factory for gifts to take home as well as some new binoculars for him. All too soon it was time to return to the ship ready for our departure to the port of Craignure on Mull, just a couple of hours away through the Sound of Mull. We docked there for the night in time for our first Gala Dinner...
Looking dashing as ever Steve did explain to our companions that his wife was renowned to dress up for the opening of an envelope. This worked perfectly in paving the way for my subsequent outfits.
On Thursday we travelled across Mull to Fionnphort to catch the ferry across to Iona. We visited the Abbey which is known as the centre of Gaelic monasticism for three centuries and as being the Cradle of Christianity. Its modern Scottish Gaelic name means 'Iona of Columba'.
Iona had a familiar feeling to it, very much like Tresco in its size and sense of space. We walked away from the Abbey towards the top of the island to find a beach so that I could swim.
We stopped at a small art gallery to ask for directions; I liked the notion of doing this as this role is part of my everyday life at Gallery Tresco - acting as a tourist information point. I explained this to the owner, but my humour was kinda lost on him.
Again, this felt very much home-from-home. The white beach was empty; perfect for my holiday dip.
I swam around in circles, unsure of the local currents, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the water temperature was warmer than on Tresco. It was a glorious swim, curtailed only by a walking group appearing over the sand dunes. Time for us to move on...
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This dress was the only new purchase for my cruisewear. It's from Primark, so not exactly what you might expect to pack for a high-end cruise, but it was a lovely fit and I felt good in it.
Our balcony came into its own for lots of reasons; photoshoots, moments to be alone or simply to savour the view.
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Oban from the shore was very pretty. It's quite a busy tourist resort and we suddenly noticed lots of traffic after our time away from the rush of everyday life. We were only there for an hour or so before we cast off to the Corpach Basin, the start of the Caledonian Canal.
We were taken by coach to Glenfinnan Visitor Centre and the viaduct which was featured on the Harry Potter movies. After a painful delay of 40 minutes the steam train did arrive, much to the delight of everyone who had perched themselved onto every available rock and promentory around the viaduct. I'll be posting a short video of that on my Instagram if you follow me there.
The delayed train's appearance impacted on our drive back for dinner - we arrived with only 10 minutes to spare - thank goodness I'd ironed everything in advance!
Who is that handsome chap who keeps turning up here?
Our post-dinner entertainment was from two young local girls (award winning ones, no less). They were great in both traditional highland dancing and modern interpretations too. Fab!
Saturday morning saw the start of our climb up Neptune's Steps to join the Caledonian Canal. This transition took over an hour, but was accompanied by drinks on the foredeck, or in fact the aft deck if you wished.
This tree lined section of the canal is called Lagon Avenue. Sounds like a continuation of the Harry Potter land we'd visited yesterday.
The canal has a huge number of locks along the way and some of us chose to get off the ship at Kytra Lock to stretch our legs after being on board all day. The stroll to Fort Augustus was a two mile walk along the tow path which was pretty as a picture.
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Sunday heralded the final day of our cruise bringing us into Inverness with one last sightseeing opportunity, to Culloden Moor.
We wandered about this expanse where so many lost their lives, trying to imagine the fear, the noise, the brutality of the day. The visitor centre shows a video representation which is a shocking sight, but gives an insight before you arrive onto the battlefield. Coachloads of visitors arrive at this important attraction daily, bringing the field alive with inquisitive souls, keen to learn, to see, to imagine.
And so, on to the last gala dinner and my dressing up finale.
Did I feel out of place? Not at all. This is who I am, forever ready to put on the glitz and glamour at the drop of a hat. And Steve was very handsome to boot.
Just a couple of shots to finish - Loch Ness...
... and Castle Urquhart as we were ending the cruise. It was a memorable week, one we'll never forget. We met lots of lovely people on board from all over the world - how often do you get the chance to have dinner one evening with friends from Texas and St Lucia the next? The cruise was all we could have wished for, and more. Hurrah!
And if you're still in the mood for more from me, then I'm back tomorrow with our Monthly Style Challenge. See you then!
Anna x
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