It would be easy to assume that Great Britain and Ireland have few “hidden corners” left. The islands are small…and the visitors numerous. But it’s remarkable how much difference a few miles, and an unusual mode of transport, can make.
Just outside big cities like Windsor, Oxford, Inverness or Galway lie beautiful country filled with charming waterside villages, manor homes and castles, gardens, nature parks and friendly local people. Relatively few visitors see England, Scotland and Ireland from a river- or canal-side vantage point, and that’s part of its charm. A cruise along the River Thames or Shannon, along Lough Derg or the Caledonian Canal, offers a chance to savor the real life of the landscapes through which you pass.
Canal and river cruising is one of the most relaxing and intimate ways to experience the beauty of Europe, without crowds and in great comfort. For those who appreciate fine food and wines, peaceful vistas and an exciting new destination each day without ever leaving “home,” this has become a favorite way to celebrate a special birthday, anniversary or time together as a family.
Your first visit to Europe may have been to Great Britain or Ireland, and you may think you’ve seen it all. But it’s remarkable how much difference a few miles, and an unusual mode of transport, can make. Seeing it by canal or river barge is like seeing it for the first time.
Just outside big cities like Windsor, Oxford, Inverness or Galway are charming waterside villages, manor homes and castles, gardens and nature parks. You can step off the barge and right into the life of the friendly local people. Cruise on the ‘Actief’ or the ‘Magna Carta’ on the River Thames through a tapestry of English history, a world of picturesque villages, winding backwaters, tidy locks and paddling ducks. Superb private tours, gourmet cuisine and excellent service come together for the most relaxing and refreshing holiday imaginable: a luxury barge vacation. Relatively few visitors see England, Scotland and Ireland from a river- or canal-barge vantage point: a close-up look at the “backyards” of local life.
Cruise the length of the Great Glen on the ‘Scottish Highlander,’ through lochs, along rivers and down the scenic Caledonian Canal. This is inland cruising at its finest, with ancient castles, heather-clad hillsides and fine golf courses at each turn along the way. Begin with a visit to 14th-century Cawdor Castle, forever linked with Shakespeare’s Macbeth as the scene of the murder of King Duncan by Macbeth, thane of Cawdor. The castle is one of the most stunning in Scotland and is known for its three beautifully landscaped gardens. The journey continues through a staircase of locks, making a stop en route to visit Urquhart Castle, whose ruins jut from a rocky peninsula on the banks of Loch Ness, home of the legendary “monster.” Your barge cruises past glens and stunning highland countryside, battlegrounds of the Jacobite Rebellion that led to the final defeat of “Bonnie Prince Charlie” and on to another Scottish legend: the home of Glen Nevis whisky, where barge travellers stop to learn whisky-making secrets (and have a tipple or two).
Buoyed by spectacular scenery and Ireland’s legendary hospitality, a barge cruise through the fjord-like reaches of the River Shannon onto Lough Derg puts you in the center of the enchanting history and culture of the land. Visit Leap Castle, Ireland’s most haunted house, and once a stronghold of the O’Carroll family who were powerful Irish princes. Owing to occasional “sightings” of spirit activity, the local people avoided it at night and the castle lay in ruin for years. Now visitors flock to Leap Castle for a chance interaction with the primitive ghost thought to “live” within its walls.
Another stop on your barge cruise gives you a chance to witness the re-creation of everyday life at the Craggaunowen Project, where ring forts, ancient dwellings and farmsteads replicate early Christian civilization from the 5th to the 12th centuries. A major feature is a crannog (or young tree), a reconstructed lake dwelling common in the Iron Age and early Christian period. People built cone-shaped dwellings out of timber for themselves and their livestock on these circular, artificial islands and lived in relative security. You can also see the Brendan Boat, a replica of the hide boat that a 9th-century manuscript claims St. Brendan the Navigator sailed to North America — 500 years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
The ‘Shannon Princess II’ will take you to charming riverside towns such as Terryglass, a two-time winner of Ireland’s coveted national designation as “Tidiest Town.” You have time to shop for local crafts and listen to talented traditional musicians. What could be more relaxing than cruising through rural Ireland and meeting the people who always give you a céid mille fáilte (a hundred-thousand welcomes)?
