Celtic Sea and Silver Coast

Crossing the English Channel from continental Europe to Great Britain, the first view of England is the milky-white strip of land called the White Cliffs of Dover. As you get closer, the coastline unfolds before you in all its striking beauty. White chalk cliffs with streaks of black flint rise straight from the sea to a height of 350’ (110 m).

Numerous archaeological finds reveal people were present in the area during the Stone Age. Yet the first record of Dover is from Romans, who valued its close proximity to the mainland. A mere 21 miles (33 km) separate Dover from the closest point in France. A Roman-built lighthouse in the area is the tallest Roman structure still standing in Britain. The remains of a Roman villa with the only preserved Roman wall mural outside of Italy are another unique survivor from ancient times which make Dover one of a kind.

Jersey is a Crown dependency. It has formal relationships with, but is not part of the European Union nor the United Kingdom. As might be expected, its setting between those two has shaped a great deal of its history. The medieval castle of Mont Orgueil overlooking Gorey Harbour is a mute testament to the shifting political tides that have washed the island, as are the elaborate works created during the German occupation between 1940 and 1945. Wineries such as La Mare take advantage of the pleasant climate, as does the 32-acre Durell Wildlife Park, founded by author and naturalist Gerald Durrell. His foundation now supports the facility, which is dedicated to preserving species at risk of extinction in the wild. Visitors are welcome to see and learn about the over 130 species they maintain, including a famous family of lowland gorillas. During your time on Jersey, you are also likely to spot an example of an indigenous domestic species: Jersey cattle, which are renowned for their high production of milk and cream.

Known as ‘the city of the seven hills,’ Bristol’s characteristic landscape of rolling hills, softened by the curves of the Avon River, is easily recognizable. Its key landmarks include the Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the 878-year-old, 300′ (90 m) Bristol Cathedral towering above the old town. The stone structures of historic Bristol University with their awe-inspiring pillars, statues and fountains stand in stark contrast to the many ultra-modern buildings. Cabot Tower, built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot’s 1497 voyage to the New World, stands on Brandon Hill. Though Bristol sustained significant damage during WWII, it remains a unique mixture of Victorian, Georgian, and post-war architecture.

It was the Romans who first noted the area’s mild climate and built a number of villas along the Frome and Avon rivers. Bristol enjoys more sunshine than most of England and is one of the country’s warmest cities.

The town of Milford Haven lies along the northern bank of the Milford Haven waterway in the region of Pembrokeshire in Wales. This area offers a wealth of Celtic and pre-Celtic historical sites, formidable castles and fascinating islands. Although it has been an active port since the Middle Ages, the town was founded in 1790 and was originally intended as whaling center.

Milford Haven, with its 13,000 inhabitants, makes a great starting point for exploring nearby Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only coastline national park in the United Kingdom. This wild and incredibly beautiful landscape is one of Wales’s greatest natural assets, and in summer people flock here from all over the UK to enjoy the spectacular walking, surfing, coastal hiking and sea kayaking. Popular local attractions include the Fort Hubberstone fortification, completed in 1863, the Milford Haven Museum, expansive beaches, abundant marine life and pleasant towns. The name is from the Norse word melrfjordr, with melr meaning ‘sandbank,’ and fjordr meaning ‘inlet.’

Bantry Bay, framed by the Sheep’s Head Hills and the Caha Mountains, offers one of the Ireland’s most magnificent seascapes and picturesque harbors. As with other areas on Ireland’s south-west coast, Bantry claims an ancient connection to the sixth-century Saint Breandán the Navigator, who was, in Irish folklore, the first person to discover America.

A highlight of the area is stately Bantry House and Garden Estate. The magnificent garden is laid out in the Italian style over seven terraces. In addition to the many spirited Irish pubs are the Bantry Museum and the architecture of St. Brendan’s and St. Finbarr’s Churches. There are pristine, white-sand beaches, interspersed with jagged outcrops of rock and bordered by the verdant-green hills that make Ireland famous. County Cork is renowned for its megalithic stone circles and standing stones. Historic castles dot the landscape. The coastline of Cork is also home to basking sharks and fin, pilot, and minke whales.

The village of Foynes has a population of 600. It is situated on the southern bank of the legendary River Shannon Estuary and is surrounded by the lush, green hills of County Limerick. Foynes is best known for its aviation history, especially from 1937-1945 when it became one of the world’s aviation hubs. Land-based aircraft lacked sufficient range for Atlantic crossings, so it was here that they would stop and refuel. The Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum tells the exciting story of how seaplanes would use Foynes as their last port of call before crossing to North America. Within the museum is a full-size replica of a Boeing 314 flying boat. Walk in the footsteps of JFK, Bob Hope, Eleanor Roosevelt and other dignitaries, movie stars and refugees who landed at Foynes during the Second World War.

The award-winning, three-acre (1.2 hectare), Knockpatrick Garden, which overlooks the Shannon Estuary, is well worth a visit. Knockpatrick is, in fact, a private farmhouse garden owned by Tim and Helen O’Brien.

Belle-Île is an island off the coast of Brittany in northwest France. In the main town La Palais, Citadelle Vauban is a star-shaped fortress. The fort at Pointe des Poulains, the island’s northern tip, houses a museum dedicated to 19th-century actress Sarah Bernhardt. Sandy Donnant Beach lies on the rugged west coast. Nearby, the Grand Phare lighthouse looks out over the needles rock formations of Port-Coton.

Bordeaux is the starting point for many exciting excursions into the surrounding wine country. The patricians of Bordeaux have always been merchants and shipbuilders. Under the Romans the city had a flourishing trade with Spain and Britain. In 1154, as a part of the dowry of Eleanor of Aquitaine, it became English and remained so until 1453. In the 18th century, Bordeaux prospered from the slave trade, and later in commerce with French colonies in Africa. Since Roman times the quality of the region’s vines and wines has been zealously maintained.

Smaller than its neighbors St-Jean-de-Luz or Biarritz, Hendaye forms the political border between France and Spain on the Cote Basque, where the Pyrenees come down to meet the Atlantic. Politics aside, the whole area is culturally Basque, and the Basque language and flag are frequently heard and seen. Biarritz benefitted from the presence of the Empress Eugenie of France, who built a palace on the beach there in 1854 that survives as the Hotel du Palais. That attracted Europe’s crowned heads and secured its reputation as a seaside resort.

Straddling the banks of an estuary opening into the Bay of Biscay, Bilbao is the largest city in Spain’s northeastern Basque Country. Its earliest beginnings are preserved in the Casco Viejo, seven medieval streets that used to be guarded by walls. There visitors will find the city’s old churches, a large market, a public theater and the Academy of the Basque Language. Nearby sources of iron ore made Bilbao an important industrial and shipping center from the 14th century onward. The Spanish Civil War also started here. Today the city is being transformed by a growing service economy, and its prominence on the global traveler’s radar may be dated from the 1997 inauguration of the striking Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. In fact, the estuary town has become a veritable magnet for architects, boasting notable masterworks including Santiago Calatrava’s beautiful Zubizuri (“White Bridge” in Basque) and airport complex, the 541-foot Iberdrola Tower by the Argentine Cesar Pelli, a subway system by Norman Foster, the 1909 wine warehouse called Alhóndiga, converted a century later by designer Philippe Starck and the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall by Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacios. The Zorrozuarre area is also being redeveloped, following a 2007 master plan by the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. For views of all of this, take the funicular from the city center to the top of Mt. Artxanda, where a sports complex, restaurants and a balcony await you.

This ancient port city on the green Atlantic coast of Spain has a history of some 3,000 years. From its humble beginnings the city has grown to become an important port city in Spain. Its old historic fishing village Cimadevilla with its picturesque cobble stoned streets and old-world architecture remains today its main tourist attraction.

The great period of “the Discoveries” accounted for phenomenal wealth brought back from India, Africa and Brazil by the great Portuguese navigators. Gold, jewels, ivory, porcelain and spices helped finance grand new buildings and impressive monuments in Lisbon, the country’s capital city. As you sail up the Tagus River, be on deck to admire Lisbon’s panorama and see some of the great monuments lining the river. Lisbon is one of Europe’s smallest capital cities but considered by many visitors to be one of the most likeable. Spread over a string of seven hills, the city offers a variety of faces, including a refreshing no-frills simplicity reflected in the people as they go unhurriedly through their day enjoying a hearty and delicious cuisine accompanied by the country’s excellent wines.