Travel Ireland & Scotland

Travel Ireland & Scotland and beyond with Marc Gunn on an audio adventure. You'll hear stories and music from his Celtic Invasion Vacations as well as interviews with musicians from Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. www.celtfather.com

Itinerary for Celtic Invasion of Westport, Ireland 2023 01/20/2023

Celtic Invasion Vacations FAQ 08/29/2022

Celtic Invasion Vacations FAQ Celebrate Celtic culture and music through travel. I'm gonna tell you what you can expect on my ? If you go to the website you won’t find much information. I usually list the itinerary when it becomes available but that can be January or March before the trip. You will find podcasts and links to pictures and videos. I don't know that any of it really paints a good picture. So I thought I would try to break down how these trips work to help you decide if you want to join me in the future. Celtic Invasion Vacations are not your typical travel tour experience. Most tourists travel on big buses. They go place to place. You stay up late. You get up early. There’s 30, 60 or even 90 people packed on one to three tour buses. If you’re like me, that sounds pretty miserable. My first two trips were on tour buses. Everyone was a fan of my music. So that was pretty awesome. The bus drivers were awesome too. But that's a lot of people for an introvert like me. I don’t know how much of the fatigue was from so many people or the staying up late/getting-up-early business. But it’s not my preferred way of traveling. I like small groups. My mom moved to Italy in 1985. So I’ve gone back-and-forth to Europe for a long time. My mom is an awesome adventurer. I went to school on an American military base in Vicenza, Italy for my senior year of high school. While all the other high school seniors went to Remini to get drunk, my mom and I went on in artistic pilgrimage following the works of Piero Della Francesca. She instilled in me the value of planning as well as spontaneity. You see that in my Celtic Invasion Vacations itinerary. When I finally make one that is. Typically, I don't have a full itinerary when I announce the latest trip. I have… ideas. In fact, I usually have one big idea. Then I find a way to make it work. One person told me he was disappointed when my trip to the Highlands of Scotland a few years back did not also include the Isle of Skye, like it was initially listed on the early itinerary. That was because I had a big idea. But when I finally settled on details, I realized it was impractical. I learned from that error. If I make any big changes to what was planned, you are welcome to back out. I don’t usually settle on solid itineraries until December or January. I just don’t have enough details to make a solid decision. That might make some people uncomfortable, especially when you’re putting down nearly $3000, plus air travel, to join me. The adventure is worth it! The great thing about traveling on the Celtic Invasion Vacation in my opinion is that it is a small group. That means maximum flexibility for adventure. So let’s answer some questions. 3:11 - WHEN ARE THE CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS? This can always vary. But typically I run my trips in late May or early June. This seems to be the best time to travel to Ireland and Scotland. People talk about rain in Ireland. June seems to invariably have one of the lightest rain falls ever. It's just... perfect! 3:32 - HOW LONG IS EACH TRIP? Celtic Invasion Vacations are about seven days long. The trips are officially scheduled from Saturday to Saturday. That’s because that’s how long most vacation rentals book. But I’m not going to be taking you to seven hotels in seven days. We stay in one place most of the week. If the vacation rental is more than a couple hours from the airport or there's something cool to see closer, we may stay in a hotel near the airport on the last night of the Invasion. It just depends on how soon everyone on the trip has booked their departure. 4:04 - WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE? I usually ask Invaders to arrive the day before the trip. That way you can recover from jet lag and adjust to the time change. But that also allows us to leave first thing in the morning on Saturday to drive to our vacation rental. While it is recommended, it is not required. As long as you arrive by 11 am on Saturday, we will adjust. You are also responsible for the hotel on Friday night. But you might find a roommate with other Invaders. 4:43 - WHEN SHOULD I DEPART? Again, it’s up to you. I prefer you to set your departure after noon on Saturday. You can stay as long as you want. I usually leave on Sunday after the trip is over. 4:54 - HOW DO YOU SELECT THE DESTINATIONS? Destinations are chosen by invaders and of course me. I usually have an idea of a place I want to see. I look for a suitable vacation spot. But sometimes I ask for suggestions from Invaders. Our trip to Brittany and Cornwall were both chosen because some regular Invaders wanted to visit all seven Celtic nations. Of course, I get the final say. And if I can't get enough people to attend one of these more remote spots, I may make adjustments. Once we settle on a big destination, the next step is figuring out the generalized itinerary. 5:27 - IS THERE DOWNTIME? Yes. This is not an intense, constantly moving tour. Celtic Invasion Vacations are about relaxation, adventure, and fun. But how much can be up to you. There’s usually at least one day where we are near to the cottage and take it easy. We explore the local town. Wednesday’s have the option of a little extra downtime for those who need it. 5:52 - HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE ITINERARY? You can't make an itinerary until you know where you are going, right? Well, the challenge for me is that I need to know the exact place we are staying to figure out where our itinerary will go. My next step then is to start researching vacation rentals. I look for rentals in our destination area that hold between 8-12 people (sometimes more). I want it to look nice, comfortable and easily accessible. In fact, I want the majority of the cool stuff that we will explore to be within 30 minutes of where we are staying. Once I know the exact location, I can plan the itinerary. 6:26 - WHAT DOES A TYPICAL ITINERARY LOOK LIKE? The first day of the trip involves driving to our destination. We need at least one interesting place to stop along the way. Maybe two if you include lunch. When we arrive, we need groceries. I confess, there's something extra fun about going to a grocery store in Europe. Some of our Invaders join me for a shopping experience as we load up on breakfast and a couple dinners. I make dinner the first night, typically my secret pasta recipe. That evening is usually concluded with a little music by me. The second day is usually a good day to stay local. So we explore one or two of the cool things nearby. We try to spend time out of the car, walking around. It's good to stretch our legs after traveling. On either the second or the third day, I like to bring in a tour guide, if possible. My trips are not geared around "tours", but local guides are great for adding a little bit of history, culture, and legends to the experience. Guides are also good at giving us a local perspective of things we should check out that are not necessarily on our itinerary. In Brittany, we found some cool cairns that were not on our original itinerary. In Cornwall, we got an overview of Tintagel and found some standing stones I would've never found. In Wales, Gwilym Morus shared the incredible legends of Merlin and introduced us to an eco-resort, hidden in the mountains. In Donegal, we found some great restaurants and a former passage tomb. Around day three, we're ready for a different travel experience. That's when I try to get us out on the water or on a train. Something to shake up the feel of the trip. Day four is the midweek break. Again we stay local. Some choose to relax in our cottage. Others explore something new that’s local. Day five usually takes us on a long adventure. We'll get in the van and drive further to see something outside of our main region. This gives us a nice look at other regions nearby. It also adds to the fun adventure. Day six is intentionally left open. We usually find something cool by this time that we might not have realized before the trip began. Or perhaps a guide or a local we met had a recommendation. That's when we take the advice of others to explore something different The final day is usually spent fairly local. It’s time for last minute exploration of our area. Sometimes we pack up and make our way back \towards the airport. One or two bonus destinations end up on the final day. 9:20 - WHAT MAKES A CELTIC INVASION VACATION DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TOURS? I like to stress that Celtic Invasion Vacations are not tours. They are vacations. I want my Invaders to feel relaxed and happy by the end of the trip. Not exhausted, like I was on my first two trips to Ireland. You should be energized and excited for the next Celtic Invasion experience. 9:40 - HOW MANY PEOPLE JOIN THE INVASION? The number can vary. But I usually aim for between 8-12 invaders. Too many people and I start having trouble finding restaurants to eat at. 9:58 - WHAT PERSONAL PAPERS ARE NEEDED FOR TRAVELING ON A CELTIC INVASION VACATION? You DO need a passport. It's usually good to get your passport at least 90 days out. I would suggest applying for one a minimum of six months before you depart. But there are some expedited services that can get them sooner. Just plan ahead. You do NOT need a visa. You don't need an international drivers license either. In fact, your regular driver's license is fine if you plan to drive in Europe with any car company. Make sure you bring that at the very least. But of course, driving on the Invasion is usually done by me. Since the pandemic, you will need a vaccination card. Invasions are like family vacations. We want to take care of our fellow invaders. So your COVID vaccination card is essential for my trip and a lot of European travel. 10:48 - HOW MUCH DO CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS COST? That varies year to year. It starts at about $2800 for the land part of the trip, for each person on the trip. It does not cover the cost of air travel. You handle your own airline tickets. Your fee covers your housing for a full week. That's for a shared room, either a double if you’re a couple or two singles. Depending on our housing, it may cost extra to get a single room to yourself. Your fee covers a breakfast every day and dinner at least five times. Often I cover more than that. Sometimes it works well to make lunches if we're not planning to be near restaurants. So I happily pay for lunch supplies if we need them. But in general, you are responsible for your own lunch. You can have what you like for breakfast each morning. Some days we have a full breakfast with eggs, bacon, yogurt, fruit, cheese, or whatever you want. Grocery shopping usually happens on the first day. So whatever you need, we can probably find it. Other days, if we want to get going early, then we will have a Continental Breakfast with just breads, cheese, yogurt or fruit. And yes, there's coffee. Every morning. And tea too. I need my coffee! I cook dinner at least 2 days during the week. We have my world famous secret pasta meal. And then there's the Celtic Invasion specialty... Prince Charlie... Secret. It's a recipe we picked up years ago and is now a tradition on the Invasions. There may be more than two meals. But of course, we like to eat out too. The toughest thing about dining on the Celtic Invasions is finding a place to eat. If the group is under nine people. That's usually not too difficult. But if we have more than that, it can be a challenge. I plan ahead for that. Because who doesn't like to eat out in Europe!?!?! I consider that a big part of the experience. 12:41 - IS THERE MUSIC? At least twice a week, we spend the evening relaxing at our cottage with dinner... and music. I am, of course, host of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. But I'm also a musician. I play Celtic music with a sci fi drinking song twist. I call it Sci F'Irish music. You can hear my music through my website at celtfather.net. I plan to play for at least an hour. But a lot of it depends on you and how excited you are to hear some music. If we're really lucky, you might bring an instrument too. Then we can have an Irish session with songs and tunes afterward. And if we're really fortunate, I will find a musician or bring in a musician to come play for us. That's frequently difficult to pull off. But when it happens. It's absolutely amazing! 13:30 - WHEN DOES OUR DAY BEGIN AND END? Breakfast is usually around 7:30 or 8 AM with a departure time of 8:30-9 AM. We don't usually do too much in the evening. Since Irish sessions usually don't begin until 9 PM, it's not something we usually attend outside of our cottage. But if it's something you want to do, we might be able to make it happen. 14:32 - HOW OLD IS TOO OLD? HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG? I have had people ages 18 on into their 70s on my Celtic Invasion Vacations. I'd say the vast majority are in their 40s, 50s and 60s. But I don't really think much about it because I adjust each trip to who's on it. In 2019, the younger group hiked up Skellig Michael while the less physically able landed on the Greater Blaskett Island by boat. The physically active walk, hike and run ahead if they so desire. Those who aren't, take it at their own speed. The Isle of Skye was one of the few places we went where it was better to be physically active. There's a lot of hiking on that island. But ye know, I don't think anyone's vacation fun was hindered by their physical activity. As for younger folks, I typically don't prefer to have young kids on the trip. I know the challenges associated with that. But I'm willing to consider it as long as the you feel the kids are up to getting up and going. One lady asked about a teenager. I think I might be open to a teenager who is a bit more independent but still willing to follow the rules. 15:52 - HOW DO WE TRAVEL? Typically we travel in a van. These are usually large nine-seaters with lots of luggage space. Sometimes we will add a second van or a car to carry extra Invaders. Speaking of luggage, we do have limited space. I find one suitcase per person is plenty, plus a carry on. You typically don't need more. There's usually laundry facilities too. So you can always wash something extra. There's a whole bunch of videos on YouTube where you can learn how to travel light. If you truly need an extra suitcase, that's fine. But your experience is so much better when you travel light. 16:36 - HOW DO YOU SIGN UP? The first step is for me to open up the Invasion to the public. You see, former Invaders get first dibs. Once it's public, here's what you do. First, email an application form to me. Second, send me a check for your deposit. That reserves your spot on the Invasion within 2 weeks of emailing your application form. Finally, just send me your final payment before the deadline and you're golden. Speaking of your final payment, you are welcome to break it up into multiple payments if you don't want to or can't pay all at once. I'm happy to work with you to make the trip happen. 17:09 - HOW DO I CANCEL IF I NEED TO? First off, there is a $400 non-refundable deposit. Though there is a caveat for the "non-refundable" part. If I change the dates, you can get a refund. If you can find someone to take your spot, or someone willing takes your spot, then you can get a refund. However, if you are sick and turned away by an airline or country, I can't offer a refund. Typically, 30-60 days before the trip, once I start paying for things, like our housing, vans, tour guides, whatever, I can no longer offer a refund. That usually starts about the time of the Celtic Invasion deadline. I'm not a corporation though. So there may be flexibility. My goal here is to have people "sign up" and then not drop a month later as happened on my very first Celtic Invasion. If you wanna go, make a commitment with a non-refundable deposit. 17:57 - CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS – CLOSING REMARKS All in all, Celtic Invasion Vacations are about happily experiencing the fun culture, history, and legends of one small but magical location. I hope you'll consider joining me on the next Celtic Invasion Vacation. Sign up at CelticInvasion.com so you don't miss out on this incredible adventure! And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. /episode/index/show/celtfather/id/24174306

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Best and Worst of the Isle of Skye 07/19/2018

Best and Worst of the Isle of Skye The 2018 Celtic Invasion of the Isle of Skye is over. We had an amazing vacation. Every year, I ask my invaders for feedback. This year, I decided to do it a little different. I wanted to help you figure out what were some of the best things to see when you come visit. So I’m gonna share my Best and Worst things to see on the Isle of Skye, followed by feedback from Invaders, including some of their favorites. Best of the Isle of Skye. My favorite thing in Skye was the Quiraing. This is up in Trotternish. It’s June, lush and green with powerful, towering mountains. Now Skye is a big hiking area. I think most people go to Skye to hike. Most of our Invaders were not big hikers. We were all happy to hike and explore. But the hardcore hiking was not for us. Now I’m sure there’s some difficult hiking in the Quiraing, but the two places we visited were fairly easy. A third place looked even easier. I guess for me there was more room to relax and enjoy the magnificent mountain range in the Quiraing. If you’re looking for one thing to do in Skye, this is my suggestion. My second favorite thing to do in Skye was the out of Uig. They offered a three-hour boat tour of the ocean and shoreline. We saw a castle, seals, and even watched puffins flying about. The captain was very friendly. He and a friend started this cruise a couple years ago. It made for a very pleasant experience. They provided free snacks and drinks including Skye Beer from the local brewery. They had binoculars available for seeing the sea life too. Of course, it probably helped that the seas were calm. There was a little bit of rain that fell on us for about ten minutes. Then it was done. They had some good Celtic music playing in the back of the boat. And up front, I played songs and along with Pace. And happily Danny and Christine Faught of joined us. Okay so that was a benefit of me boating out there. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful relaxing trip. Third in my list of the Best of the Isle of Skye we’re The Fairy Pools. On day three of our Invasion, we got a tour guide to take us to The Fairy Pools. The guide was kind of a flop. Not much more than a driver sadly. But the Pools were brilliant. Tho a little tricky too. It was raining when we arrived. We walked down the hill to the starting point. I say walk, but to be honest l, there was a little sliding. I had my bad shoes. The ground was moist and squishy. So I fell a couple times. That didn’t bode well. At the bottom of the hill, there was a stream and no way to cross it but get your feet a little wet. I wasn’t quite in the mood to plunge in. In fact, I was about to skip it. I’m glad I didn’t. I took off my shoes and walked across the small stream. After that, the walk was a breeze. It was a gentle slope into the valley. A river guides you on the right. And all along it are bunches of small waterfalls and “Fairy Pools”. I didn’t go all the way into the mountains. I took my time and had fun making videos. I sat with my feet in the freezing water. It was delightful. Again, I’m so happy I went. The fourth coolest thing for me was the excitement of finding dinosaur tracks. So we stayed in . They are located a 3 minute drive from Staffin Bay Slipway. When we arrived, we learned that there were dinosaur tracks down there. So one evening, we hiked over to the beach and looked for the tracks. It took some time to find them, but eventually we did. They were covered in seaweed. They were also difficult to make out. But we went to the local dinosaur museum to confirm. That was cool and all. But 2-3 months ago, new tracks were discovered at Brother’s Point. On Friday, we finally headed to the point. We arrived just before low tide. So I should point out that there are no markers for these prints. You have to find them. Now what I learned at the dinosaur museum was the footprints were found in sedimentary rock. The first step was to find that. I am no geologist. But I did overhear, that sedimentary rock is layered rock. Most of the rocks out there, I think, are igneous. I found a big slab of sedimentary rock and started looking. I found some small impressions and called over Pace and Selena. Pace told me that they were about a foot in diameter. I spent the next thirty minutes staring at the rock. How weird is that! Eventually I noticed differences. I saw breaks in the rock and looking at puddles, I realized the indentations were different from the breaks. I called over Pace and we jokingly decided we found dinosaur tracks. I got some pictures and videos but I don’t think you’ll see much of anything. Pace got a good picture. We decided to take his picture to the dinosaur museum to confirm it. We were thrilled they said yes! Yay. I’m officially an amateur dinosaur track hunter. I was trying to settle on my top 5 of Skye but I couldn’t. So for number five, I picked two. First is the . It’s located in the north end of Trotternish. It was a small Croft community. But now it’s a museum. I guess I liked it because it’s the only bit of history we got on Skye. That’s because this was also the place that Flora McDonald was buried. Flora is the woman from the song “” who carried the Bonnie Prince Charlie to safety after his defeat at Culloden, which marked the end of the Jacobite Revolution. The museum told that story along with the story of the crofters. I also loved Neist Point. There’s a lighthouse and soaring cliffs and gorgeous ocean vistas. It was stunning. I also recorded a couple videos while I was out there. That was my best of the Isle of Skye. What was the worst? I’m sure many would disagree, but my least favorite thing about Skye was Old Man of Storr. There are some stunning pictures of Storr. As far as I can see, they are either aerial photographs or from way up top on Storr. I don’t have an airplane, and I didn’t have the desire to climb all the way to. I climbed up thru the third gate. About halfway. The view was nice. But not worth the effort. I’d rather go back to the Quiraing. Kilt Rock a beautifully named with almost pleated rocks. But it’s view is located in a very safe and boring park off the road. It was uninspiring. I was disappointed with Talisker Distillery. I like the whisky, but there was no tasting room. You had to do the tour. I’ve done whisky tours before. They’re mildly interesting. It’s the whisky that’s the best thing about them. I bought a bottle but even the store was limited. I think I’m a bit spoiled by Guinness and Bushmills. They’ve got a TON of incredible shops. Plus tastings. Now it’s not a least favorite location but Skye is pretty windy. When it isn’t windy, at least during the summer, the midges are our in full force. Midges are small biting gnats. Think of tiny barely visible mosquitoes. Unless they’re swarming. During the summer, restaurants book up. So make sure you get reservations unless you’re fine with eating at 9 or 10 o’clock. Finally, this is the ultimate in #FirstWorldProblems. But the internet was worse here than pretty everywhere we’ve invaded. Bad internet and bad cell phone. I know. I know. Whine whine whine. You’re on the Isle of Skye! But I was wanting to stay in touch with my girls back home and was sorely disappointed. The house internet was slow. The data on my phone didn’t work at all. Our house was a dead zone for phones as well. I guess the point is you should expect to disconnected. Alright. That’s what I thought of Skye. Let’s see what folks thought of the Celtic Invasion of the Isle of Skye. -- I hope you enjoyed my Invader feedback. Again, the Celtic Invasion of Skye was a huge success. I'm excited to share some photos and videos from the trip in the coming months. Now I just announced the net two locations that I am planning for the future. In 2019, we're gonna have the Celtic Invasion of Star Wars... We're going back to Dingle, Ireland and this time we're gonna visit Skellig Michael. That's the island from The Last Jedi film. Then in 2020, we're going to Venice, Italy. This is the Origin of Celtic Invasions Vacation. Because the area was conquered by a Celtic tribe called the Veneti that later migrated to Brittany in France, before heading to Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. If you find out more about that history, check out two episodes I released last year: and . And head over to if you want to join one of these awesome vacations. Now I want to ask you to head on . You will find links to everything I mentioned in the shownotes at where you can also subscribe to this podcast and download 21 songs for free. /episode/index/show/celtfather/id/6822597