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13 Days / 12 Nights
TRIP DATE:
TBA for 2010
CLICK HERE FOR
ITINERARY MAP
Places visited on this Adventure Small
Ship Cruise...
DAY 1:
VIGO
Vigo and Mino River, Spain
More than the main Atlantic port for
Galicia, Vigo is the largest fishing centre
in Europe and hosts a number of annual
sailing regattas. The Celtic hill fort of
San Cibran de Las borders the city as does
the fine wine district of the Mino River
forming the border between Spain and
Portugal. We enjoy scenic coastal views as
we make our way toward the Andrea in Vigo.
Our home for the next couple of weeks, the
Andrea sets sail for the protected nature
preserve of the Cies Islands.
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DAY 2:
VIGO - SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA - LA CORUNA
Santiago de Compostela, Barona
"Castro de Barona" is an old Celtic iron age
fortress settlement situated on a highly
exposed and rugged outcrop of land in the "Rias
de Muros y Noia" a region of yellow-white
beaches, mountainous slopes and a backdrop
of pine and eucalyptus forests. The
pilgrimage to Santiago became the most
outstanding and most profoundly experienced
religious phenomenon of the Middle Ages. The
European Parliament, which designated "The
Way" as the First European Cultural
Itinerary, and by UNESCO, which named it
a World Heritage route. We journey to the
'end of Pilgrim's way', Santiago de
Compostela, the capital of Galicia with a
visit to the shrine of St. James in the
famous cathedral bearing the same name.
B, L, D
DAY 3:
SANTANDER - SANTILLANA DEL MAR - SANTANDER
Santillana del Mar, Altamira Caves
Santillana del Mar has been called the
Spanish Florence. With narrow cobblestone
streets and medieval architecture this
timeless village is a living museum on the
north coast of Spain with many important
buildings dating from the 14th and 15th
centuries. Just 2km outside of Santillana
del Mar is one of the biggest archaeological
treasures of Cantabria: the Altamira Caves.
They were discovered in 1879 by Marcelino
Sanz de Sautuola and his daughter Maria, and
have been named a UNESCO cultural
heritage site. The cave, about 300m (990ft)
long, has 150 engraved figures made by the
Palaeolithic man approximately 14,000 years
ago. Access to the caves is heavily
restricted, but we will visit an exact
recreation nearby.
B, L, D
DAY 4:
SANTANDER - BILBAO - SANTANDER
Bilbao
Our visit to Bilbao includes a visit to the
Guggenheim Museum, a truly unique
architectural creation housing over 19
galleries in 11,000 square meters of
exhibition space. Its architect, Frank O.
Gehry, is Canadian-born and duly possesses a
love for the sport of hockey. Despite the
many differences of opinion on his designs,
the Bilbao Guggenheim´s titanium curves and
limestone orthogonal blocks are no match for
one of his smaller creative masterpieces:
the trophy for the World Cup of Hockey. In
the evening we set sail for France, saying 'Hasta
Luego!' to Spain!
B, L, D
DAY 5:
LA ROCHELLE
La Rochelle, France
Enroute to Brittany, we stop in the quaint
seaport of La Ville Blanche (the white
city), or La Rochelle, named such for its
luminous limestone facades. Early French
settlers in Canada set sail from La
Rochelle, including the founders of
Montreal. La Rochelle's seafaring past is
reflected in its cobblestone streets,
partially fabricated from ballast of ships'
coming back from across the Atlantic.
B, L, D
DAY 6:
CARNAC - PONT AVEN
Carnac and Pont Aven
An archaeological stop at Carnac is not to
be missed, as it has the world's greatest
concentration of megalithic sites. Predating
Stonehenge by 100 years, over 3000 upright
stones (the heaviest being over 300 tonnes)
can be found in this region. The exact
reason behind the construction of these
standing stones is not known, though the
consensus is that they served a spiritual or
sacred purpose. At the artist colony known
as the 'School of Pont-Ave' led by the
painter Paul Gauguin, we visit this pretty
market village of white houses and sloping
riverbanks. Pont Aven was a centre for
milling with the river Aven being divided
above the town to provide a mill race which
powers a series of picturesque water mills
along the waterway.
B, L, D
DAY 7:
DOURNAREZ - LOCRONAN
Douarnarez and Locronan
Douarnarez, at the mouth of the Pouldavid
Estuary, is a fishing port once known for
its sardines. Today, its location with views
of an emerald sea and warm climate have
created an ideal stop for ocean lovers with
marinas, a maritime museum, regattas and
sandy beaches. We drop into medieval France
with a visit to Locronan one of Brittany´s
most beautiful towns. A former linen
manufacturing centre, the cobbled streets
and stone buildings gives the feeling of
being in another time completely.
B, L, D
DAY 8:
CORNWALL
Cornwall, England
The Cornwall coast is generally understood
to be the home base of the mythic King
Arthur and hosts a dramatic landscape of
rocky cliffs and green meadows crisscrossed
with stone walls. The castle at Tintagel and
Merlin's Cave beneath are frequently
associated with the legendary Arthur.
B, L, D
DAY 9:
CAPE CLEAR
Cape Clear, Ireland
Cape Clear is home to Ireland's southernmost
seabird colony, tucked into the southwest
coast. From the picturesque county town of
Glengariff, as we cruise north to the
Skellig Islands. An isolated and now
abandoned monastic community once clung to
the bare and dizzy heights of Skellig
Michael, now populated by thousands of
seabirds.
B, L, D
DAY 10:
ARAN ISLANDS
Aran Islands
The songs and stories of the Aran Islands
and nearby Inishbofin and Inishark enshrine
much of Ireland's Gaelic folklore and
culture. The impressive 6,000 year-old stone
fortifications of Dun Aengus sit high on
perpendicular cliffs above the sea. Nearby
are the Cliffs of Moher, the highest sea
cliffs in Ireland. The fort consists of
three irregular semicircles, each a line of
defense. The inner wall is awesome, thirteen
feet thick and eighteen feet high in places,
mortared with stone laid by hand upon stone.
The enclosed space is 30m (90 ft) north and
south and 27m (80 ft) east and west. The
cliff at the western edge of the fort is as
sheer as the Cliffs of Moher, but at 100m
(300 ft) not as steep. The view from atop
the parapet is stunning.
B, L, D
DAY 11:
WESTPORT
Westport
On to Westport, a quaint County Mayo town,
where we take in such landmarks as Matt
Molloy's Pub, flutist for the traditional
Irish band, The Chieftains. Westport is
located on the shores of Clew Bay, a body of
water said to have 'an island for every day
of the year'. A planned city, Westport´s
tree-lined boulevard, the Mall, is a popular
stop for visitors coming to any of the many
festivals held here annually.
B, L, D
DAY 12:
RATHLIN ISLAND
Giant's Causeway and Rathlin Island,
Northern Ireland
The result of an ancient volcanic eruption,
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about
40,000 interlocking basalt columns. In 1986
it was named a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO. The tops of the columns form
stepping stones that lead from the cliff
foot and disappear under the sea. Most of
the columns are hexagonal, although there
are also some with four, five, seven and
eight sides. The tallest are about 12m (36
ft) high, and the solidified lava in the
cliffs is 28m (90 ft) thick in places.
Rathlin Island is is home to tens of
thousands of seabirds, including Kittiwakes,
Puffins and Razorbills - about 30 bird
families in total - and has been designated
a Special Area of Conservation in Northern
Ireland. It It is a popular place for
birdwatchers, with a Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds nature reserve offering
spectacular views of Rathlin's bird colony
which inhabit the island?s 70m (230 ft) tall
cliffs.
B, L, D
DAY 13:
GLASGOW (GREENOCK)
Glasgow
We will disembark this morning at Greenock,
at the mouth of the River Clyde. Dubbed the
Empire's Second City, Glasgow is a bustling
metropolis and is the economic engine of
Scotland. Known for its architecture, we
will make our separate ways home or onto
further journeys from this contemporary
city.
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END OF SMALL SHIP ADVENTURE CRUISE
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Our voyage then takes us to Brittany, a large peninsula in the northwest of
France. Physically separate from the rest of the country, it lies like a finger
pointing out into the north Atlantic. Picturesque and welcoming,
Brittany is
well known for its megalithic monuments, which are scattered over the peninsula,
the largest alignments are near Carnac. It is also famous for its calvaries,
elaborately carved sculptures of crucifixion scenes, Brittany hosts them in
churchyards of villages and small towns, especially in the western regions of
the province.
Crossing the channel we stop briefly in King Arthur's England on the Cornwall
Coast, then pay a visit to the lively Irish. With close ties to their past,
Celtic tradition is alive and thriving on the Emerald Isle's western coast.
Our
journey to Ireland will be filled with modern day traditions mixed with old as
we enjoy storytelling over a pint of Guinness. We'll explore ancient settlements
on the Aran Isles, venture past the remote hermitage of Skelligs, head toward
the territory of famed pirate Grace O'Malley, a woman well known for her piracy
at the head of Clew Bay. Here we experience the county town ambience of
Westport.
Further north we'll stop at the
Giant's Causeway, a World Heritage Site and
unique collection of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns in
County Antrim. Nearby
are the fine bird cliffs of Rathlin Island, with over 30 nesting species. Our
visit to Scotland ends at Glasgow, the enigmatic metropolis on the Clyde.
We had a fabulous time on the Camino de Santiago! Everything worked as
it should have and all contact we had with anyone associated with
EATours was very friendly, very helpful and totally professional. You
can be sure that we will be passing the word. A real pleasure... 
