2025 Great Britain and British Isles Recap and Reflection

Ann Silverthorn

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January 14th, 2026

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January 14th, 2026

When we travel, I like to keep a journal, but I usually wait until we get home to post to my blog. This allows me to look at the pictures Jim and I took and decide which to include with the posts. I can also research trivia that I think will add to the blog. It’s also a really nice way to relive the trip when it is over.

I like to say, things depreciate. Experiences appreciate. Any discomforts we feel on the trip fade away and what remains are mostly good memories. Kind of like childbirth. Am I right?

What follows are reflections on our October 2025 British Isles and Ireland trip. The blog posts illustrate the granular good, the bad, and ugly. This reflection synthesizes those and reflects on the trip as a whole.

I always knew I wanted to visit Wiltshire, where my Silverthorn ancestors came from in the 1700s. I wanted to walk where they walked and see the skies they saw. We weren’t scheduled to make this trip until 2026, but when Jim had the opportunity to visit London for a conference, we moved the trip up.

We originally planned a driving tour throughout all the British Isles and Ireland and then that seemed to be a little ambitious. So, then we revised our itinerary to just encompass England. When some health challenges caught up with us in the spring of 2025 (all is fine now, fingers crossed), and we didn’t know what the future held for us, a driving tour seemed impractical. So, we decided to look for group tours to let someone else do the heavy lifting, if you will.

This is how we landed on the Trafalgar tour, British Isles and Ireland. The decision was between Globus tour and Trafalgar, and we went with Trafalgar because its itinerary included the Lake District. Having studied the Lake District poets as an English major and then grad student, this appealed to me. The Globus tour included Hadrian’s Wall, however, and I was sorry to miss that. A friend tried to make me feel better about that and said it wasn’t that impressive, but, I mean, it’s HADRIAN’S wall!

So, we designed the trip around the Trafalgar tour with days before and after for genealogy and Jim’s conference. The initial Trafalgar salesperson was very helpful getting creative with tour dates, and we appreciated that. But then, he ghosted me after we put our deposit down. When I complained on X about it, someone from Trafalgar called me all the way from London to apologize and answer all my questions.

The goal of the first part of the trip was to visit the five villages my ancestors lived in all the way back to my 15^th great-grandfather in the 1400s! One of those towns happened to be Amesbury, where Stonehenge is located. I run a Facebook group on Silverthorn genealogy and posed the question about how to get to these little villages and where to stay. One of them told me about a great B&B, and it turned out to be perfect. The owner of the B&B also connected us with people in the town of Steeple Ashton who helped me with my research. We didn’t have nearly long enough for delving into family history, so I hope to go back!

Stonehenge. Did my ancestors help build this?

Soon, it was time to head to London to join the Trafalgar tour that took us through England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, and Wales. After driving on the opposite side of narrow roads for a few days, Jim was glad to leave the driving to our capable bus driver, who was great. So was the tour director.

We’ve only ever been on two large group tours, but I see some similarities between the Collette Australia/New Zealand tour and the Trafalgar British Isles and Ireland tour. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I suspect they save the best accommodations for the beginning and end of the tour. Also, it seems like the hotels do not assign their best rooms to group tours.

I did like that we didn’t have to worry about anything except being where we were supposed to be, and when, for ten days. And if you want to be able to say you’ve been to a lot of places, that works, too. Or to say you’ve been to a castle, but you never got to go inside. Kind of like, I can say I’ve been to Madrid, but only in the airport during a layover.

I really looked forward to Scotland, but we only went to Glasgow and Edinburgh, so we never saw the Highlands. Must go back! They always throw in experiences that might not excite you, like the stud farm and the tour of the Waterford crystal “factory.”

One experience, that I thought was rather random, but turned out to be perhaps the best, was a vineyard in Wales. Now, I guess Wales is not known for its vineyards, but that didn’t stop the owner decades ago. For anyone who wants an inspiring story, amazing food, and delectable wine, visit Glyndŵr Vineyard.

The building where we had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed much wine! Glyndŵr Vineyard.

I also enjoyed the pub in Dublin called The Old Punch Bowl, where I had to pinch myself because, although we have Irish pubs, with real Irish roots back home, we were in an Irish pub in IRELAND! There was live music, wholesome food, and friendly owners who asked if we wanted seconds! What?

Doesn’t this just look like the happiest place? The Old Punch Bowl in Dublin.

<pic Old Punch Bowl> Doesn’t this just look like the most-happiest place? The Old Punch Bowl.

The last few days of our trip were spent in London, for Jim’s conference, and a couple of days of pampering. I gave a rare negative review on his conference hotel, but the very last hotel, when we traipsed around the city, soothed us and was a great ending to the trip. Looks like we frontloaded and backloaded our trip with the best experiences, too!

Here are some words from Jim:

My favorite part of the trip was the first three days when we were on our own. It was exciting to try something new, driving on the left side of the road. I also enjoyed staying in a small community. That seems like real life in England. The people you meet seem friendlier in smaller communities, more willing to carry on a conversation. Less hustle and bustle. I like avoiding the tourists and seeing things that are different from what most tourists see.

What Jim would do differently: Because Ann planned the trip, I didn’t spend much time researching the various destinations and wonder what else I might have liked to see if I had.

Well, I think this means we must go back! Thanks for reading about our fall 2025 trip. We hope you return and read about more of our adventures!

Here are the posts from the trip:

Days 1 & 2: And we’re off to the British Isles and Ireland! 11/4/2025

Day 3: Exploring the Steeple Ashton Area 11/5/2025

Day 4: My Ancestors’ Villages 11/6/2025

Day 5: London Ho! 12/6/2025

Day 6: Start of the Trafalgar Tour, to Stratford Upon Avon, York, Harrogate 12/15/2025

Day 7: Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, and Scotland! 12/17/2025

Day 8: Off to Edinburgh & the Castle! 12/21/2025

Day 9: Off to Ireland via Ferry! 12/24/2025

Day 10: Dublin, Guinness, Glendalough, and Irish Cabaret! 12/26/2025

Day 11: Waterford Crystal, Real Italian Food, and a . . . Stud Farm? 12/28/2025