It was a welcome sight to see that our bikes and luggage had arrived with us in Dublin. We were met by Santana Adventures representatives to begin our cycling cruise of the British Isles.
My first impression of Ireland as we left the airport was green, green and very green. Everything is thick and lush varying shades of green. What we didn’t know then but soon found out was that the price for all of that green was rain every day during our first week. Luckily it was not a lot of rain, just enough to get us wet on our tours and rides.
Our two day tour of Dublin began with an interesting visit to the Epic Immigration Museum where we learned about the Irish’s long history of leaving their homeland for a better life. From the mid 1800’s potato famine to the 2020 Covid pandemic, the Irish have a tradition of emigration. Statistically there are more Irish who live outside of Ireland than in the country.
While in Dublin we also got to tour the Jamison Whiskey Factory with a tasting at the end. It was interesting learning how whiskey is made and about the Jamison company but it just cemented that I do not like whiskey. Michael drank my samples for me.
We took an entertaining tour of the Guinness Beer facility. Our “Guinness Experience” included an Irish meal along with Irish music and dancing for the entertainment.
After two site-seeing filled days we arrived at our ship, the Star Legend. There were about 300 passengers, most with bicycles. It took a lot of logistics to get us and our bikes on and off the boat each day.
Some days we were allowed to just ride off the dock on our rides but in the busy ports we had to queue up and be escorted out of the port. Each day we had three choices of rides of varying lengths and difficulty. There were also two non-riding options of either staying on the boat or taking the tour bus.
As we sailed the British Isles we rode our bicycles out of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the area around Glasgow, Scotland, two locations in Wales and Portsmouth, England before sailing up the Thames River to London.
Travel the World Backpacking 
What an amazing trip! My husband and I were married in Ireland almost two years ago, so the country is very near and dear to my heart and I was happy to see photos of your adventures there. We traveled all over Ireland on our honeymoon and absolutely loved it there. The combo boat / bike tour is something I have never heard of, but what a great way to explore the British Isles! Love following your travels and wish you a safe and fantastic trip full of fun and excitement while creating incredible memories of your time there!
I hope you are loving Ireland. It is one of my favorite places I’ve traveled. I experienced a lot of rain while bike touring there even though it was summer. Have a great time and thanks for your communications.
Great pictures! Keep them coming!