News

• Espionage expert on board
• All-inclusive sailing

Saga’s new cruise ship Spirit of Discovery boasts a library of more than 3,500 books and guests on the boutique vessel will feel as if they have entered the pages of a true classic during the Riddle of the Sands cruise.

A talk from an espionage expert, Gill Bennett will be a highlight of the sailing! Gill was Chief Historian of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office from 1995-2005, and Senior Editor of the FCO’s official history of British foreign policy, Documents on British Policy Overseas. As a historian in Whitehall for over forty years, she provided historical advice to twelve Foreign Secretaries under six Prime Ministers, from Edward Heath to Tony Blair. A specialist in the history of secret intelligence, she published a ground-breaking biography, Churchill’s Man of Mystery: Desmond Morton and the World of Intelligence, in 2006.

The sailing takes its name from the 1903 adventure written by Erskine Childers, and will also feature a screening of the film adapted from the book, starring Michael York, Jenny Agutter and Simon MacCorkindale.

The Riddle of the Sands, referred to by Sir Winston Churchill as influencing his decision to create new North Sea naval bases, tells the story of Charles Carruthers and Arthur Davies, whose trip to the Frisian Islands reveals a plot to invade Britain.

Spirit of Discovery will sail the 4,400-square mile Wadden Sea, home to the Frisian Islands, a breeding ground for seals and migration site for more than 10 million birds each year.

There will be calls at Hamburg, where off-beat attractions include the world’s largest model railway with more than nine and a half miles of track, and Esbjerg, Denmark, home to nine-metre high coastal sculptures Man Meets the Sea.

The all-inclusive cruise with a door-to-door chauffeur service to and from the Port of Dover will also take in the island of Heligoland, with its red rock ‘stack’ formation of Lange Anna, and Emden, where one bank of the River Ems lies in Germany and the other in the Netherlands.

On board, guests can also enjoy the two pools, a luxury spa, three speciality restaurants, a 400-seater theatre and the wonderful library which has a coffee and snack station.

For details visit travel.saga.co.uk/cruises or call 0800 50 50 30.

Seven nights from £1,836 per person departing Dover on August 23, 2020.

Price includes UK travel package up to 250 miles to and from Dover, all meals and entertainment, all-inclusive drinks (a choice of table wines at lunch and dinner, house-branded spirits and soft drinks, afternoon tea, 24-hour room service, welcome cocktail party and unlimited tea and coffee in selected venues), free wifi, all on-board gratuities, porterage, free shuttle bus to nearest town centre (whenever possible and when the ship is berthed more than 500 yards away), optional travel insurance and additional cancellation rights, or a discount if passenger has own insurance.

All excursions mentioned are optional, at an additional cost, and are subject to availability and change. Some of the highlights detailed may only be seen on optional excursions or by exploring independently.

Price based on two people sharing the lowest available balcony cabin grade and includes any relevant booking discount. Fare was correct at the time of sending and is subject to availability and change. Further terms and conditions apply. Please call for details.