Countdown = 14 days to go!

The days are flying by and it is now 14 days to go! In fact, as I write this, in 14 days I will be on the second of four flights for the day... and on my way to Singapore.

The joys of NZ being down at the bottom of the world with... well.. it being a long way to pretty much anywhere!

Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/geralt-9301/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=774842">geralt</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=774842">Pixabay</a>

From Wellington to Edinburgh - total journey time: 34 hours 45 minutes

Leg 1: Wellington to Auckland (Wellington airport is too small for any larger/long-haul international flights) - flight time 1 hour 5 minutes

Transit: 3 hours 10 minutes, transfer terminals

Leg 2: Auckland to Singapore - flight time 10 hours 50 minutes

Transit: 2 hours, transfer terminals

Leg 3: Singapore to London - flight time 13 hours 55 minutes

Transit: 2 hours 20 minutes, transfer terminals

Leg 4: London to Edinburgh - flight time 1 hour 25 minutes

From Belfast to Wellington - total journey time: 35 hours 10 minutes

Leg 1: Belfast to London - flight time 1 hour 20 minutes

Transit: 2 hours 10 minutes

Leg 2: London to Hong Kong - flight time 13 hours 5 minutes

Transit: 3 hours 50 minutes (I have booked the lounge)

Leg 3: Hong Kong to Auckland - flight time 10 hours 35 minutes

Transit: 3 hours 20 minutes, transfer terminals

Leg 4: Auckland to Wellington - flight time 1 hour 10 minutes

Puffins! 2026 - Itinerary

All dates - British Summer Time (BST)

My itinerary is below in varying degrees of detail. I have three little tours - six days in Shetland, 8 days on a Highlights of Scotland tour, and 9 days on a Highlights of Ireland tour. The rest of the trip I am on my own - about 4 days in Scotland, 4 days in London, and a couple days in Dublin.

I might add detail to the itinerary as things get scheduled... more for my records than for anyone else!

Date	Details
9 July	Arrive Edinburgh (AM) Day to acclimatise and explore Dark Secrets of the Old Town Ghost Walking Tour (PM)
10 July	Early pick-up at hotel, bus to Aberdeen (AM) Board overnight ferry to Lerwick (PM)
11 July	Arrive Lerwick, Shetland (AM) Sightseeing, including archeological site, Sumburgh Lighthouse, Lerwick beach
12 July	Sightseeing, including St. Ninian's Ayre, coastline of Eshaness
13 July	Sightseeing, including the northernmost point of the UK, the Muckle Flugga lighthouse, Unst's Hermaness peninsula Hopefully, puffins!
14 July	Minn Beach, Kettla Ness, Shetland ponies Board overnight ferry to Aberdeen (PM)
15 July	Aberdeen, Donnottar Castle, St. Andrews Edinburgh (PM)
16 July	Edinburgh Castle (AM) Train to Glasgow (PM)
17 July	Day in Glasgow Join Highlights of Scotland tour (PM)
18 July	Board train to Fort William Explore, Nevis Range Gondala
19 July	Board train to Mallaig Board ferry to Isle of Skye
20 July	Short morning hike Trotternish Peninsula (the Quiraing, Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock)
21 July	Travel over the Skye Bridge back to the mainland Fort Augustus, Loch Ness boat cruise Arrive Inverness
22 July	Visit Culloden Battlefield Walk alongside the River Ness Afternoon to explore
23 July	Morning train to Edinburgh Invisible Cities walking tour Afternoon/evening to explore
24 July	Early pick-up at hotel, bus to Aberdeen Free day in Edinburgh Comedy Horror Ghost Bus Tour (PM)
25 July	Day trip - Kelpies, Stirling Castle Luss, on the shores of Loch Lomond Immersive gin experience (optional) Return to Edinburgh (PM)
26 July	Islander Workflow Experience (AM) Train from Edinburgh to London (PM)
27 July	Explore London Brunch/lunch with a friend, in Piccadilly area Hadestown (matinee) Dinner at Nopi (Ottolenghi)
28 July	Tower of London Tour of Shakespeare's Globe Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare's Globe
29 July	Explore London, V&A South Kensington Lunch with a friend, in South Kensington area Six the Musical (PM)
30 July	Explore London (AM) Flight London to Dublin (PM)
31 July	Explore Dublin Claddagh Ring Workshop (PM)
1 August	Explore Dublin  Join Highlights of Ireland tour (PM)
2 August	Explore Dublin
3 August	Travel to Killarney Killarney National Park visit Muckross House visit Ross Castle Killarney visit (optional)
4 August	Ring of Kerry day trip Return to Killarney for the evening
5 August	Cliffs of Moher visit and hike Travel to Galway for the evening
6 August	Guided walking tour of Galway City Explore Galway
7 August	Travel along the coast towards N Ireland Stop for lunch in Derry, visit the Dark Hedges End the day in Belfast
8 August	Day trip to the Giant's Causeway Bushmills Distillery guided tour Return to Belfast
9 August	Meet a friend, have early lunch Whistlestop tour of the sights of Belfast (AM) Belfast Titanic (midday) 2.30pm head to the airport Depart Belfast, and start the long journey back to NZ

Puffins! 2026 - Introduction

After give years of dreaming and planning and saving, the time has come to head off on my UK and Ireland adventure. This started off as a huge wishlist of "if resources were no issue" (budget, time)... but had to be whittled down based on priorities and what made sense with me wanting to travel with a mix of small group tours (max. 12) and me being left to my own devices. 

My priorities, in approx. order:

Scotland - seeing the Highlands, Edinburgh, the Isle of Skye, the Kelpies, and getting to the Shetlands and see the Puffins (hence the name of the blog). 

- My McDonald ancestry, my 3rd Great Grandparents were born in Scotland. My 3rd Great Grandfather, James Kenneth McDonald was born around 1805 in Armadale, Isle of Skye. He married Catherine Martin, born around 1818, from Loch Hourn. 

- The Shetlands - there's a long and silly story about an experience I had with my dad while I was caring for him post-cardiac surgery during lockdown in 2020. We were watching Shetland, the TV series, and he was feeling the cold and I was way too hot with the fire blazing... Of course, the landscape of Shetland was bleak and cold and sparse. Dad and I turned to each other to comment on the environment... with very different comments! At the same time dad declared, "what a prick of a place! I would hate to be that cold!", I exclaimed "I would give anything to be there right now... somewhere cold and stark and isolated!". I had also been quietly looking up "how to get the the Shetlands"... of course, it was lockdown in the UK, so the usual ferry service wasn't running... but anyway. It is now! And six years later, with the help of a bit of inheritance (we lost dad in July 2024), I'm going.

Oh. And Puffins. I mean, come on... they're adorable!

Photo by Bob Brewer on Unsplash

Ireland - I also have Irish ancestry... and while I won't be getting to Tipperary (my 2nd Great Grandmother, Eliza Perry, was born there), I want to explore a little of what Ireland and Northern Ireland have to offer.

London - I'm only able to fit in a few days in London. I would love to spend more time in England, and also have managed to get to Wales, but alas... resources. My priorities for London are... museums, shows, Shakespeare (I have a ticket to Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe) and just soaking it all in. 

Ok. So, for those who care... my next post will be my high-level itinerary. I hope to maintain the blog throughout the trip. Where I can, I'll add details for the daily activities, as much for my memory and benefit as it will be for anyone else.