Galavanting Around Northern Spain on MV Boudicca

Fred Olsen have some great local departure ports, and seeing as I live in the North of England, I took advantage of the opportunity to take a 4-night cruise out of Liverpool down to northern Spain, to experience the one part of the Iberian peninsula left on my ‘to do’ list.

The MV Boudicca has been lovingly maintained and refurbished, so that despite being an older, traditional vessel, she has a light, fresh and airy feel once aboard.  All the usual British traditions are preserved, including Sunday roast, afternoon tea, and bingo.

After a typically choppy crossing of the Bay of Biscay, we arrived at the port of La Coruna, which I used as a launch point to make a visit to the impressive cathedral at Santiago de Compostela, which is actually considered the 3rd most sacred place of pilgrimage in the Roman Catholic church, after Jerusalem and the Vatican.  The Cathedral hosts the tomb of St James, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, but it’s well worth queueing around the beautiful interior to be able to say you paid a visit.

Next port of call was Aviles, which is a lovely, charming town that can only receive smaller ships, hence there is a very traditional, unspoiled feel about the town.  This area is famous for the local cider, and you can take a tour to see how it’s produced, and to have a sample, of course!

Unfortunately I had to leave the ship as soon as we arrived at the next port of Santander, as it was time to fly back home.  I must say I suddenly became very jealous of the other passengers still aboard, who had the full day in Santander, plus the next day in Bilbao, to enjoy, prior to cruising back to Liverpool.  I suppose half a cruise is better than none at all!