Greenock was our last port of this rather epic trip. After Reykjavik and all the other places that we visited across the Baltic and Scandinavia calling in Scotland gave a soft arrival back to reality of home. Greenock was a replacement port as the call Liverpool had to be cancelled due lack of space for ships.
After my upset stomach and the “lost” two seas days I was really looking forward to setting foot on dry land.
Day 27: Monday 24th July 2023: Europe and Iceland: Greenock, Scotland
We were woken by the sounds of bagpipes welcoming Island Princess to Greenock.
After a late breakfast we watched passengers leaving the ship saving themselves the trek back home from Southampton. As we left the terminal were were greeted by the Greenock tourist welcomers who gave us a local map and double checked that we weren’t going on a trip. We had decided that visiting Glasgow or even Edinburgh would be too much travelling and of course we had lived here for many years!
As we crossed over towards the centre we were passed three Police Scotland cars – more than we see in a week at home. On the opposite side of the road was this statue celebrating James Watt. The statue is close by to where he was born.
As we reached the shopping centre this statue celebrated Greenock’s shipbuilding past.
The entrance to the upper floor of the centre was closed. When we were here the whole upper floor was closed. We waled down to a lower entrance . Once inside we passed a row of empty shops until we came to a Costa.
We bought lattes and joined shoppers sitting outside. Sadly this coffee had to be some of the worse coffee that I had ever tasted and we only had a couple of sips.
As we walked back to the cruise terminal we called at the Tesco Superstore and bought some treats and clothes that were on special offer. This is the
Afternoon in Greenock
Looking at the map we had been given we decided to walk around the small container port and walk along the Esplanade at the side of the Clyde.
As we walked along the Esplanade we could see very large houses up on the hill with gardens that came down towards the road. At the side of the road were rows of houses. My guess is that the Esplanade and its accompanying houses were built at the bottom of these gardens.
We were now opposite Gare Loch where the Royal Navy bases the UK’s nuclear submarines. I see them coming and going on Sheila Weir’s Instagram feed – @she_lily. We did not go as far Holy Loch where the US Navy used to host their nuclear submarines in the height of the Cold War.
Then we met a photographer who was hoping to see dolphins in the Clyde. He explained that often dolphins could be seen at this spot. We were opposite Madeira Street. A quick check on Google Maps will highlight this spot as “Greenock dolphins”.
Rather than walk back past the container port we walked up to Eldon Street and turned back towards the centre.
By the Greenock sign was this statue.
Back in the cabin as we unpacked our purchases to our surprise we found security tags on the clothes. Dashing back to Tesco and we had to explain our mistake at not having the tags removed, luckily for us everyone was very understanding. A late lunch was a sandwich on Deck 5 then a long rest until 4:15pm!
Leaving Greenock
The tower on the town hall was higher than the one on Glasgow’s town hall. This reflected just how important and wealthy Greenock had been in its heyday. Our departure was delayed as four coaches were delayed returning to the port. As the ship left the dock the piper band played us away from the port.
Evening on Island Princess
After the evening meal we went into the theatre to watch the cellist Andrei Cavassi.
Day 28: Tuesday 25th July 2023: Europe and Iceland: Greenock, Scotland
After yet another late breakfast we walked around the deck. In the afternoon played our last games of Rummikub with our American friends. Then it was back to our cabin to finish packing.
We shared a table with our friends of the last 24 days or so. Then we went to the theatre to see the magician Rick Green perform.
Day 29: Wednesday 26th July 2023: Southampton
Our arrival in Southampton was the end of one of our longest cruises.
After a not so relaxing breakfast in the restaurant we went back to our cabin to pick up our carry-on bags. As we walked down the corridor we could see games in cabins rather than in the library. This explains why we had so such difficulty finding games for our afternoon games!
Then it was the usual scramble in the baggage hall and outside the terminal to find our ride home.