The English Channel might not sound like the sexiest holiday destination, but I’m nonetheless surprised by my friends’ reaction when I say I’ll be cruising there. Foreheads scrunch; eyebrows are raised. Someone even asks: “Why?”
When I board my cruise ship, Ambience, however, it’s clear I’m not alone in my choice of destination; it’s a sell-out voyage. This might be in part to do with price. I’m sailing with Ambassador Cruise Line, a relatively new premium value British operator on which week-long voyages start from as little as £500 per person for a week. Once I get chatting to fellow passengers at the poolside bar it becomes obvious that everyone has picked this seven-night voyage for its English Channel ports of call: Fowey, Guernsey and the Isles of Scilly.
Depending on where you live in the UK, most of these destinations are lengthy and costly to reach by road, rail or plane, especially the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall where, to avoid the three-hour ferry journey, some tourists take £180 helicopter rides from Land’s End — and that’s just one way.
None of that hassle for me, though, as we set sail on the 1,400-passenger Ambience from London’s Tilbury Docks. I spend a very relaxing day at sea, flitting from Pilates to Zumba classes, lounging on a sunbed and venturing onto the promenade deck when I hear a commotion. What’s up? Porpoises are all around our ship, jumping out of the water. It’s joyous to observe. Swap this for a ten-hour car journey to Cornwall? No thanks.
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Dinner with the captain
As if that weren’t enough, I’m invited to dine at the captain’s table, where I tuck into chicken liver parfait, seafood chowder and lamb shank while chatting to Captain Hugh Maynard himself. No airs and graces on Ambience. The captain goes by his first name.
Ambassador might be a newish cruise line, but the vessels in its soon-to-be three-strong fleet have all previously sailed under different flags. Ambience, for example, used to belong to Princess Cruises. Back in 1991, when it was launched, it would have seemed the height of modern sophistication. Today, admittedly, it’s a little dated — but that’s part of its charm, and testament to how well the ship was built: 34 years on, it’s still going strong.
You won’t find any gimmicks — there’s not a climbing wall or waterslide in sight. But what you will find is a classic, beautifully crafted cruise ship with an abundance of gleaming wooden furnishings and cosy bars. Talking of which, drinks are good value, at £4.50 for a glass of prosecco and £7 for a cocktail. There are packages that include drinks and crew tips starting at £42.95 per person per night but unless you plan to booze from dawn to dusk, pay-as-you-go might be cheaper.
Ambience is also the perfect size: nowhere takes too long to get to. My cabin has a balcony (admittedly, very small); a peek at one of the cheaper, inside staterooms reveals it’s a decent size, sleeps four and has excellent storage space. And the beds are superb, with soft linen and firm mattresses. I sleep better than I have in weeks.
The 1,400-passenger Ambience cruise ship
First stop is Fowey, where I hike along the South West Coast Path for half an hour or so before stumbling upon Polridmouth beach, a secluded sandy cove which I have practically to myself. I later treat myself to a £3.90 scoop of Cornish clotted cream ice cream from Ruby’s on Fore Street in Fowey.
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Jeopardy at the Isles of Scilly
Next, it’s the Isles of Scilly. There’s a sense of jeopardy before we arrive. This remote archipelago off the coast of Cornwall consists of 140 islands, of which only five are inhabited. Notoriously choppy seas often make it hard to anchor and tender passengers to shore; there are no docking facilities. Dion Quadros from Ambience’s shore excursion team tells me that last year Ambience was scheduled to visit the islands six times. How often did they make it? Once.
Will we make it? “Yes,” he promises. “Weather’s looking good.”
Dion’s right. The next morning at 8am, the first tender makes a beeline for the main island, St Mary’s, with a seal swimming by its side all the way. At first glance, everything about this 2.5 square mile island, population 1,800, feels distinctly like home, down to the Royal Mail van parked outside the parochial stone post office in the capital, Hugh Town. But this part of Britain is influenced by the Gulf Stream, which brings with it warm air. And so you’ll find white-sand beaches, crystalline turquoise waters and succulents sprouting on gates, walls and roofs.
A glorious hour-long walk circles its former garrison and offers spectacular views of the archipelago. No surprise that the former prime minister Harold Wilson wanted to be buried in Old Town churchyard on the other side of the island, where the cemetery has an extraordinary sea view.
Later, I join a £52 ship excursion to Tresco Abbey Garden, a subtropical botanical wonderland on the archipelago’s second-largest island. As well as being home to 20,000 plant species from 80 countries, it has red squirrels and golden pheasants. I don’t want to leave.
Tresco Abbey Garden is home to exotic plant species from 80 countries
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In between port visits, I laze by the ship’s pool and chat to fellow guests, a savvy, down-to-earth bunch who have found a cruise line they like and sail multiple times a year. One couple from Liverpool confide that they’ve travelled with Ambassador 14 times in two years.
The Channel Island of Guernsey is next on the itinerary. It’s closer to France than to Britain and street names in the capital, St Peter Port, are an intriguing Franglais. The colourful old town sprawls up a hill; Le Marchant Street leads to The Pollet, then at the top of the hill is Hauteville House, where the French author Victor Hugo was exiled for 15 years, banished from France for his republican views (£12; book ahead at maisonsvictorhugo.paris.fr).
Hugo designed the property’s interiors, a decadent mishmash of chinoiserie, lacquered oak walls, tapestry ceilings and wild colours — especially his opulent “red room”, designed to evoke a sense of his great romantic dramas. The bed he slept in is still in situ, as is the stand-up desk where he wrote Les Misérables. From his study you can see across to all the Channel Islands as well as to France.
There’s even time to take a 20-minute ferry to the neighbouring island of Herm, just a mile and a half long and crisscrossed by hiking trails that lead to unspoilt white-sand beaches. Can I lay down my towel and have one to myself? You bet.
Hiking trails lead to unspoilt beaches on the island of Herm
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Most people on my cruise are less interested in partying or karaoke — although both are on offer — than making the most of each destination. When Captain Hugh announces that he’s secured an unexpected overnight stay in our last port of Honfleur, Normandy, an almighty cheer erupts on the top deck.
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Exploring Monet’s garden in Normandy
The extra hours we’re there mean there’s time to explore this gorgeous town, which lies at the mouth of the River Seine, as well as to enjoy a £99 ship excursion to Giverny, 90 minutes away. This is where the impressionist painter Claude Monet lived and painted until he died in 1926. You can explore his house, including his bedroom and very yellow dining room, as well as its exceptional garden, immortalised in his paintings. Standing on the Japanese footbridge that crosses the famous lily pond, featured in so many of his pictures, is a goosebump-inducing moment.
Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny was immortalised in his paintings
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Honfleur itself is equally alluring, with a tangle of cobbled medieval backstreets. They’re lined by half-timbered Normandy-style houses and shops selling calvados (apple brandy) and salted caramel bonbons. There’s also a plethora of artists’ ateliers and crêperies.
You won’t find fancy toiletries or mod cons on Ambience, but there’s a consensus on the way home that everyone’s had a jolly good time and not paid a fortune for it. The best show is the vocal extravaganza Masquerade, in which female cast members wear froufrou hoop gowns made from recycled plastic fished from the sea. My best experience is a 90-minute Balinese massage (£139) in which Chokri, the masseuse, kneads me to perfection. My favourite meal is Indian, in the speciality restaurant Saffron. Here, the prawn green masala starter and butter chicken main is worth the £19.95 splurge. I just wish the restaurant wasn’t hidden in the corner of the buffet. It deserves a better setting.
As for those who mocked the English Channel for being a bit of a lame place for a holiday, think again. I was utterly captivated by each destination, and that they’re so close to home makes it all the sweeter.
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Jo Kessel was a guest of Ambassador Cruise Line, which has 14 nights’ full board from £1,199pp, departing on April 10 from London Tilbury (ambassadorcruiseline.com)
