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We left Tilbury and cruised down the Thames, swinging a left at Shoeburyness and then headed up the North Sea for a couple of days until we arrived at our first port of call.
Friday 21st July - Kirkwall, Orkney Isles
We had been here before but it was very foggy then. This time it was raining but I still had the opportunity to look for some caches. We walked down to St Magnus Cathedral where I had another try for the trad. It was missing last time but there were no problems this time. I embarked on the Walk through Kirkwall AL series but there were only four bases, closely placed so this didn't take long. I found three more trads incuding the tricky Odin Stone Kirkwall, before we scuttled back to the ship.
Saturday 22 July - Stornoway, Western Isles
It was sunny but we had to be tendered into port from the ship, which cut down our time in town. I ventured out in the afternoon to look for a few. My first cache in the Western Isles was the easy trad - Do you know you are being watched?! I have now cached in all the Scottish Islands and only have those counties around Glasgow to visit.🥴 Cankita, a local cacher had published a series of five trads - Stornoway Town Trail. I found four of these but even after a few visits, I couldn't find #1. I was particularly moved by a memorial in the harbour to those who died just off shore when HMY Iolaire hit rocks on New Year's Day 1919. 205 soldiers returning to the islands after WW1 perished and ripped out a generation of local men.
Sunday 23rd July - Tobermory, Isle of Mull
We've been here before and there's not really much to see but it is a picturesque place. However the Tobermory AL series plus a couple trads had been added so I was keen to search for these. However, the mobile phone signal was atrocious here, probably the worst I've ever come across, and I've been around.😀 Cue, Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman".🤣 I managed to stand in the right spot three times to log AL bases and one of these was at the top of the hill at Tobar Mhoire (Mary's Well) with great views over the harbour. Luckily there was a trad here too as another one near the the harbour.
Monday 24th July - Belfast, Northern Island
I caught an early free bus into the centre and was dropped off at City Hall. I crossed the road to pay my respects at the James Magennis VC memorial. I am always keen to visit the grave or memorial of a VC holder and this one had a Virtual cache associated with it. I crossed the road to try for the 3/1.5 Belfast City Hall trad. I quickly found this one thanks to a security guard who asked what my business was. I said that I was looking for a geocache. He said "It's over there behind that wee box, so it is". 🤣
I walked to the Victoria Square complex hoping to visit the Great Glass Dome, a viewing platform overlooking the city. There was a Virtual cache here. I had to wait a couple of minutes as the Dome didn't open until ten and even then the security guard was late.🥴 Once I had picked out the various landmarks from the top, I took the required photo and set off towards the Titanic Exhibition.
I was torn between finding a bus to take me there or walking the couple of miles. I stood more chance of finding an extra cache or two on foot so that was it.😀 I crossed the river and added a trad to the list on the way into the Titanic Quarter. I started on the AL series of the same name and worked my way up the river to HMS Caroline, the last surviving battleship from the Battle of Jutland in WW1. I had passed SS Nomadic, a tender that as used to ferry passengers out to the Titanic on its voyage.
I took a photo of myself to qualify for the T I T A N I C virtual and on the walk up to the battleship, I picked a few of the Titanic Quarter series of trads. There were a couple of multis en route but they had about ten waypoints each so I just didn't have time for them.🥴 Our ship was berthed across the channel from Caroline but it was probably a five mile walk around the quays to get back to it. I walked back to the Titanic Experience museum passing one base of the Jesus, Mary, Joesph and the wee donkey AL series. I'm a huge fan of the Line of Duty television series so I had to get just the one. I hailed a cab at the Titanic Hotel and agreed a tenner to get back to the ship at Stormont Quay. It was a great morning, so it is, so it was.🤣
Tuesday 25th - Ringaskiddy, Cork, Ireland
This was some back of beyond place across the bay from Cobh, the last port of call of the Titanic, with passengers tendered out on the Nomadic. We would rather have docked in Cobh but at least there was a free shuttle bus into Cork. I only had the chance of one cache here but I made it count. I visited the ornate fountain in the English Market in order to claim the Virtual there.
The Rest of the Cruise
The weather turned for the worse and the next two ports of call, the Scillies and Guernsey meant that we would be tendered in. In the Scillies, only the Boatmen's Association are allowed to provide the tenders. As most of these have no shelter except for the crew, we decided to give this a swerve. My wife was coming down with something and we didn't need a soaking. In Guernsey, the harbour master banned any tenders leaving the ship as the sea was too dangerous. In Le Havre, it was pouring with rain and the port authorities were charging a ludicrous amount for the shuttle so we decided to stay in the warmth and safety of the bar.😀
4 Virtual 13 AdLab 18 Traditional
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