Enjoy Britain in Full Bloom - Sailing Small Ship Cruise

In the wake of the Celtic Tiger boom and financial crisis, Dublin, the Irish capital in the east of the Emerald Isle continues to be young, dynamic and European. It adeptly combines tradition and innovation in a small space. O'Connell Street in the Northside of Dublin shimmers with the lofty steel Millennium Spire and a brand new district has sprung up in the docklands with futuristic glass buildings and a Calatrava bridge. The old Half Penny Bridge takes you right into the heart of the city. Here you will find the lively, cobbled Temple Bar district with its numerous Guinness pubs, Dublin Castle, which is over 800 years old, and the soaring spires of St. Patrick's and Christ Church Cathedrals. Behind the neo-classical façade of the historic Trinity College, founded in 1592, is a magnificent library and the 1,200 year-old Book of Kells.

Climbing the rigging, untying ropes, setting sails – today is all about sailing. Time to lean back and relax in the deck chair and watch the passionate crew hoisting the sails by hand.

Cobh is beautifully situated on Ireland’s southern coast in Cork Harbour and is one of the country’s most historically significant towns. The colorful port became famous as the final port of call of the Titanic in 1912, when the town was still known as Queenstown. In the 19th century, Cobh was also a major departure point for millions of Irish emigrants heading to North America. Today, brightly painted houses, the lively harbor, and the striking St. Colman's Cathedral define the town’s skyline. Museums, waterfront promenades, and rich maritime history make Cobh a fascinating destination.

Off the south west coast of Cornwall, some 150 small islands and islets emerge from the sea. The privately-owned Tresco is the second largest of the five inhabited British Scilly Isles and has a reputation as an 'island in bloom' thanks to the mild Gulf Stream climate. The subtropical Tresco Abbey Gardens, set up in the 19th century by Augustus Smith on the lands of an old Benedictine Abbey, are home to exotic plants from many regions of the world. This small Garden of Eden is set in a natural paradise with subterranean caverns, sheer granite cliffs, idyllic white sandy beaches, emerald water and spectacular violet-red sunsets.

The old harbor town of Dartmouth in the southern English county of Devon is set in forested hills on the west bank of the Channel estuary. Since the 15th century, Dartmouth Castle and Kingswear Castle, which faces it, have guarded the entry to the town. Little has changed since 1539 in the cobbled Bayard's Cove with its small fort on the old harbor. Sailing boats and yachts now roll gently where great ships once set sail for new shores. Charming old houses line the narrow streets leading from the promenade up the steep slope with its numerous steps. Located in a dominant position above the town, the Britannia Royal Naval College bears testament to the historic significance of seafaring and the navy.

A piece of France fallen into the sea and grabbed up by the English' is how Victor Hugo described his place of exile in the Bay of St. Malo, which is closer to the northern coast of France than the south coast of England. Guernsey, the second largest British Channel Island, later inspired Auguste Renoir to produce a whole series of paintings. Narrow, meandering roads bordered by hedges and embankments wind through the interior of the island, which boasts luscious vegetation courtesy of the mild Gulf Stream climate, while in the south, green hills give way to rocky cliffs on the sea's edge. Here, spectacular crags, bays and sandy beaches have been shaped by the vast tidal range pummelling the rock. The pretty island capital of St. Peter Port overlooking the large sheltered harbor and castle boasts a fascinating mixture of styles in a tangle of terraces and stepped gardens.

Many famous impressionists caught the quaint atmosphere of this town at the mouth of the Seine on canvas in the 19th century. This small town in Calvados is still one of the most charming places in Normandy. Tall and narrow slate-clad buildings crowd around the quayside, the exquisite Vieux Bassin and the old 17th century dock. Honfleur honours its famous sons, painter Eugène Boudin and composer Eric Satie, in a museum. East of Honfleur, the breathtaking Pont de Normandie spans the Seine estuary and links Honfleur with Le Havre, an engineering masterpiece and one of the longest bridges in Europe.

Itineraries are subject to change.