Cruising around the UK – Day 7

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Friday 18 September 2026

Hi everyone! Thanks for reading my latest Post. We’re aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – courtesy of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. We’re now on Day 7 of our 10-day sail around the UK.

Last night’s overnight sail was an uncomfortable one for many, and we suspect a few ‘no-shows’ today! 😵‍💫. How so? Just as we retired for the night around 10pm, the Ship began to ‘rock and roll’ (literally) after upping-anchor and sailing north out of Belfast, heading for Tobermory. OK, so far, fairly normal, for the some cruise experiences, but it didn’t let up. In fact, it turned out it was a Force 8! Yikes! 😮😮

Me, aka ‘Mr Sensitive’ slept through most of it, and when I woke briefly, at just after 3am – we were still ‘on a roll’.

Happily, by 5am, things had returned to a more stable situation, and we had now docked in this small picturesque town of Tobermory. However, after yesterday’s cancellation of Killybegs due to the weather/sailing conditions, at one point it looked like this one might be another casualty.

By 6.45 this morning, the Ship was eerily quiet, possibly as the majority of passengers attempted to catch up on about 8 hours of lost sleep! Breakfast was no doubt a ‘no-no’ for some, but we ‘took one for the team’ and showed our faces in the Buffet.

Normally, a busy affair, the Buffet was quiet, and we then headed for the Neptune Lounge awaiting the call for ‘T6’ – that’s our group! We’re ‘doing our own thing’, rather than an organised event because we weren’t confident that the weather would hold.

Tobermory

Tobermory is a charming, colourful village on Scotland’s Isle of Mull, known for its brightly painted buildings lining the harbour as well as the BBC Children’s series ‘Balamory about 30 years ago. The surrounding hills and bays offer incredible views and peaceful walks, making it a haven for nature lovers during the Summer. The Mull Museum on the main street – and on our list – celebrates the island’s history with artefacts that include working tools used by local craftsmen. Legend has it that the village’s sheltered bay is where one of the Spanish Armada ships sank in 1588 carrying gold bullion. Watch out for eagles too!

Full marks to Mrs P for scheduling our Tender departure whilst the weather was ‘OK’ (yes, just ‘OK’ – not warm, but breeze-free and at least it wasn’t raining!)

The Town was quiet when we arrived around 9.45 after the short 10-minute Tender trip. It seemed that many places weren’t open until 10am, so, in theory, there wasn’t long to wait for this little town to come alive.

I say ‘in theory’ because on our list was the island’s Mull Museum, where we’d checked online before we left last week about its opening times for today – yes, 10am! But by 10.30, there was no sign of anyone, and the door was firmly shut. A quick revisit to the website after we got back revealed that they’d revised their opening hours – it was now an 11am opening! (insert appropriate words of frustration here!) 😡.

Instead, we compromised by stopping nearby for a coffee and a pastry. Perfect timing again, as there was now rain in the air as we sought shelter inside. We enjoyed fast service and a great couple of cappuccinos with a shared pastry (I’m watching my waistline, before others do!) 😁. We also got nattering with a couple of fellow ‘Fred Cruisers’ (they’d seen 20!) and compared notes on our experiences so far. We’re all ‘happy bunnies’, it seems!

We decided to head back to the Ship before the rain got worse, after grabbing the last few shots of Tobermory. It did get worse! ☔☔ and by the time the Tender was in sight, it was chucking it down in a way that only rain in Scotland can! When we eventually were back onboard the Bolette and looked through the window of The Observatory, we knew we’d made the right decision! 👏👏

It was a pity about today with the wet weather. I’m sure in the sunshine, Tobermory looks very appealing, especially against the backdrop of those brightly painted buildings (and they sure are bright – nothing subtle about them at all! 😮). Today, overall, left us disappointed, where it became REALLY easy to imagine the town when the weather turns nasty. Not being able to get into the Mull Museum after travelling all this way, was also a real downer. If it had been located anywhere else in the UK, we might have thought: “maybe next time” but realistically, I don’t think we’ll be back ☹️☹️.

Enjoying the comfort of the Ship and after a quick relaxing read, we dropped by the Buffet for a quick Lunch. Another lazy afternoon followed! More reading, some relaxing, plus me dealing with some technical challenges from back home.

Evening Meal – Friday

What can I say? Another superb meal, and great service from our Waiters! 👏👏

Just before we went to the Restaurant, Captain ‘Courageous’ came on the in-room tannoy and announced another cancellation to the planned itinerary.

Kirkwall is OFF, and instead, we have a whole day at sea tomorrow, now taking us to Cobh (pronounced ‘Cove’) on the southern tip of Ireland.

In order to make everything fit, the ‘Cruise by’ event, originally scheduled for Day 10, was rescheduled for tonight with the promise of live commentary. The only challenge was that for many, the commentary wasn’t piped through to the restaurant or the cabins, leaving the only option as actually being outside on deck… at 7.30pm… where it was cold… and more crucially, dusk and misty too! I’m not sure they thought that one through, but you’ve got to feel sorry for those trying to organise these things at such short notice! 🤔

Entertainment

Another implication of the ‘cruise switcheroo’ was that they brought forward Berni Flint – singer/songwriter/comedian and genuinely nice bloke to tonight (I bet that messed with his rehearsal schedule!). Well, at least there is some positive news from all this chaos!

It was no surprise to all of us there that he was simply fantastic! What a talent! singing, playing and joking his way through the next 50 minutes.

Tomorrow

On Saturday, we head for Kirkwall in the Orkney Isles. Note to self: Sometimes it doesn’t pay to plan ahead!

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Nighty-night! 💤💤. Oh, and we’re promised another mighty Force 8 ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ event tonight! 😮😮