Silverseas  Southampton to reykjavik cruise

Home of the ill-fated Titanic departure, Southampton has a long maritime history. Henry V’s fleet bound for the battle of Agincourt left from here, as did the Mayflower (not from Plymouth as many believe) and the great British ocean liners, Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary both departed on their maiden voyages from the port. So suffice to say, that Southampton is a seafearing place. Today Southampton is the cruise capital of Northern Europe, so expect a city that understands how to have fun.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Once a shipbuilding city, Newcastle, remains proud of its history and there’s plenty of it to see, from Roman ruins to its more recent industrial days. Today it’s a city of innovation, using its past to embrace the future.

Welcoming visitors to the area is the unmissable modern sculpture, Sir Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North. This is public art on a massive scale at over 20ms high, a cherished landmark.

The cities of Newcastle and Gateshead face each other across the River Tyne and are united by seven bridges across a spectacular riverside. See for yourself the innovative Gateshead Millennium Bridge in action, a sweeping arc of steel, tilting to allow boats to pass.

Edinburgh is to London as poetry is to prose, as Charlotte Brontë once wrote. One of the world’s stateliest cities and proudest capitals, it’s built—like Rome—on seven hills, making it a striking backdrop for the ancient pageant of history. In a skyline of sheer drama, Edinburgh Castle watches over the capital city, frowning down on Princes Street’s glamour and glitz. But despite its rich past, the city’s famous festivals, excellent museums and galleries, as well as the modern Scottish Parliament, are reminders that Edinburgh has its feet firmly in the 21st century.Nearly everywhere in Edinburgh (the burgh is always pronounced burra in Scotland) there are spectacular buildings, whose Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian pillars add touches of neoclassical grandeur to the largely Presbyterian backdrop.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

There have been people living in Egersund, southwestern Norway since the Stone Age. Protected from the rough waves of the North Sea by the island of Eigerøy, which acts as a natural breakwater, it’s harbour has provided welcome shelter over many centuries. Today, visitors to the picturesque town will find that Egersund much offers so much more than shelter from the sea.

One of the most striking features of the town are the pretty painted wooden houses, some of the best-preserved examples in Norway. Admire the facades of Standgaten, the former main street of the town before visiting Hauen, Egersund’s charming old town which is an organic spread of wooden houses, barns and workshops, developed and modified since the 18th century. A lovely place to wander, this is now a bustling area of specialty shops, cafes and art galleries. There is even a chocolate and soda factory to make your visit even sweeter.

The crooked, pastel-coloured warehouses of Bergen’s World Heritage waterfront lean together charmingly, welcoming visitors to this city at the heart of Norway’s most extraordinary cinematic landscapes. It may be the country’s second largest city, but the villagey feel here always provides a warm welcome – even when the weather is living up to its famously damp reputation. Bergen’s colourful waterfront, Bryggen, is a ramshackle line-up of incredible Hanseatic warehouses, built following the devastating fire of 1702, which ransacked the city. These iconic warehouses have stood proudly ever since, with Bergen growing and expanding around the colourful facades. Behind them, a labyrinth of narrow alleyways and wooden decking waits, alive with artisan craft shops and bustling galleries. Fløyen mountain watches over the city, and you can take a short but steep hike up to the panoramic viewpoints, or jump on the funicular, which trundles visitors up and down the incline.

If we haven’t said it already, Norway’s luxury is its sheer natural beauty. And at the very top of the pile is the all-inclusive Flam, a destination that is home to Glacial waterways lined by evergreen forests amidst jagged mountains and sheer cliff walls. Situated inland, on the arm of the 204-kilometre Sognefjord, the village has just 400 inhabitants. Its little size does not belie its gigantic heart, and Flam’s expansive loveliness knows no bounds. In fact, UNESCO has dedicated the Sognefjord as a World Heritage Site for its exquisite natural beauty. There are many ways to imbibe in the beauty of this destination. 

Quaint wooden farmhouses sit below jagged mountain peaks, in this land of superlative natural features. Witness nature at its most spectacular, as you visit tiny Olden – a village of just 500 people, which is swallowed whole by its colossal surroundings. The village nestles at the mouth of the Oldeelva River, on the southern banks of Norway’s sixth-longest fjord, Nordfjord. Embark on dreamy lake cruises, confront cascading glaciers, and ascend to staggering viewpoints to survey the majesty from above. Olden is surrounded by valleys, carved by the slow grind of mighty glaciers, peeling off from immense ice caps. See mainland Europe’s largest, Jostedalsbreen, with its 22 arms spilling down into branches, which rest between mountains. 

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Sitting in the finger-like scenery of the Westfjords – which flays out from the mainland to form one of Europe’s most westerly points, Patreksfjordur has barely 700 inhabitants and – like so many Icelandic communities – is built on time-tested fishing traditions. Discover wonderful crowds of birdlife clinging to the dramatic cliffs, as you embark on adventures amid the Westfjords, discovering flat-topped mountains, cutting inlets and evocative, windswept beaches. With their bright beaks and amiable features, puffins are some of the most beautiful birds in the world – and they nest in huge quantities on Látrabjarg cliff, close to Patreksfjordur. Vertically steep and imposing, the birds are safe from predators like foxes here, as they live and breed on the dramatically steep drop-offs. Wander to see them thriving in their natural habitat, clinging to cliff ledges. You can also encounter gannets and guillemots, as well as an estimated 40% of the world’s Razorbill population. Rauðasandur beach is one of Iceland’s more unusual sights, a huge copper-red stretch of sand.

The capital of Iceland’s land of ice, fire and natural wonder, Reykjavik is a city like no other – blossoming among some of the world’s most vibrant and violent scenery. Home to two-thirds of Iceland’s population, Reykjavik is the island’s only real city, and a welcoming and walkable place – full of bicycles gliding along boulevards or battling the wind when it rears up. Fresh licks of paint brighten the streets, and an artistic and creative atmosphere embraces studios and galleries – as well as the kitchens where an exciting culinary scene is burgeoning. Plot your adventures in the city’s hip bars and cosy cafes, or waste no time in venturing out to Iceland’s outdoor adventures. Reykjavik’s buildings stand together in a low huddle – below the whip of winter’s winds – but the magnificent Hallgrímskirkja church is a solid exception, with its bell tower rising resolutely over the city. Iceland’s largest church’s design echoes the lava flows that have shaped this remote land and boasts a clean and elegant interior.