Kollafjørdur is a small fishing port on the Faroe islands of Streymoy. Initially there were just a few dwellings adjoining the village church, which dating from 1837 is a typical black-tarred wooden building with white painted windows and a turf roof. Today, although it is home to less than a thousand people, the village stretches over four miles along the northern shore of the Kollafjørdur Fjord. From the port of Kollafjørdur optional excursions visit the island communities that live on this isolated archipelago where the landscape is both wild and dramatic.

Akureyri lies at the head of the 60-kilometre long Eyjafjördur, which is the longest fjord in Iceland. The capital of the north, which was founded as a trading post, is today an attractive town with colourful houses and well-kept gardens. It is also home to both the northernmost botanical garden and northernmost golf course in the world. Optional excursions highlight Iceland’s extraordinary landscapes including surreal rock formations, the lunar-like pseudo-craters at Skutastadir and the stunning, crescent-shaped Godafoss Waterfall. Laufas Folk Museum, or Myvatn Nature Baths, Iceland’s newest spa, are relaxing alternatives.

Part old Norse, part modern city, the Icelandic capital has a quirky character of its own. Although Reykjavik is one of the world’s smallest capital cities, it is home to almost half of Iceland’s population. Mosaics, murals and sculptures are found throughout the oldest part of the town where brightly coloured houses with tin roofs are watched over by the towering Hallgrimskirkja Church. The classic ‘Golden Circle’ featuring vast lava fields, bubbling mud pools, crashing waterfalls and spouting geysers, is a popular optional excursion along with the chance to bathe in the famous geothermal Blue Lagoon.

Lying at the mouth of the River Lee, Cobh has one of the best natural harbours in the world. Known as Queenstown until 1922, it was the departure point for thousands of Irish emigrants to America and the last port of call of the Titanic. The ‘Queenstown Story’ is a wonderful exhibition telling of this rich maritime history. From Cobh’s waterfront, streets lined with brightly coloured houses climb the steep slope of a hill, which is crowned with the imposing St Coleman’s Cathedral. A charming little town, Cobh is a gateway to the city of Cork and excursions to Ireland’s legendary Blarney Castle.