Cruise
Cruising in October, and the autumn sailings worth the shoulder season
October is one of the best months for a cruise from a British port. The summer crowds have gone, the sea in the south is still warm, the ports are quieter, and a voyage can follow the sun south to the Atlantic islands as autumn closes in at home.
By Walter Pellow2 November 20264 min read
For cruising from Britain, the year has a high season and two shoulders. The high season is summer, when the weather at home is at its best and the schools are on holiday. The shoulders are spring and autumn, and October in particular has a lot to recommend it. The days at home are shortening and the weather is turning, but a few days' sailing south, the Iberian coast and the Atlantic islands are still warm, often hot, with sea temperatures near their annual peak after the long summer.
Why October works
The first reason is the weather in the south. In the Canary Islands, October days are typically warm and sunny, and the sea is at its warmest of the year. Madeira, the Azores and the coasts of Portugal and southern Spain are mild and often bright, though the Atlantic can produce rain at any time.
The second is the ports. With the school holidays over, the crowds in the most popular places have thinned, and the old towns of Lisbon, Porto and Tenerife are easier to enjoy. The light is softer than in summer, and the heat less punishing for a day ashore.
The third is the voyage itself. A cruise heading south in October follows the warmth, so that each day is a little warmer than the last, and the crossing of the Bay of Biscay, although it can be lively in autumn, is part of the sense of going somewhere.
A voyage can follow the sun south to the Atlantic islands as autumn closes in at home.
Where the autumn sailings go
The Azores are one of the great Atlantic voyages, a group of nine volcanic islands in the middle of the ocean, a third of the way to America. They are green, rugged and quiet, with crater lakes, hot springs, hydrangea hedges and whitewashed towns. Ponta Delgada on São Miguel is the largest town, Horta on Faial is famous as a stopover for yachts crossing the Atlantic, whose crews paint their boats' names on the harbour walls, and the island of São Jorge is a long, steep ridge of cliffs and green pasture.
The Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa, are the classic autumn and winter sun destination, each island quite different: volcanic Tenerife, with Mount Teide, Spain's highest mountain; Gran Canaria and its capital Las Palmas; and La Gomera, small, steep and green. Madeira, with its terraced hillsides and its capital Funchal, is often combined with them, and Lisbon is a frequent last call on the way home.
Closer to home, October is also a good time for a short cruise to the cities of northern Europe, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Normandy coast, when the summer visitors have gone. And on the way south, a sailing can take in the north coast of Spain, with Vigo and Santiago de Compostela, or cross to Morocco, for Tangier and Casablanca.
The ports on the way are worth a day in themselves. From Vigo, on the Galician coast, it is an easy trip to Santiago de Compostela, where the cathedral at the end of the great pilgrim road holds what are said to be the remains of St James. Casablanca has the Hassan II Mosque, built on a platform over the Atlantic in the 1990s, with one of the tallest minarets in the world, and Tangier, at the mouth of the Mediterranean, has a medina above the harbour that has drawn writers and artists for a century and more.
The sailings
Ambassador Cruise Line's Scenic Isles of the Azores & Portugal, fifteen nights, sails from London Tilbury in October, with calls at Leixões for Porto, Ponta Delgada, Horta, Velas on São Jorge and Praia da Vitória on Terceira, then Vigo for Santiago de Compostela.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' Autumn Warmth in the Canary Islands, fourteen nights, sails from Southampton in October, calling at Vigo, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, San Sebastián de la Gomera, Funchal and Lisbon.
Fred. Olsen's Spain, Morocco & Portugal Discovery, fifteen nights, sails from Newcastle in October, calling at La Coruña, Tangier, Melilla, Gibraltar, Casablanca, Matosinhos and Honfleur. For a shorter break, Ambassador's Iconic Netherlands and Normandy, five nights, sails from London Tilbury in October for Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Honfleur.
October sailings are popular with people who do not need to travel in the school holidays, and they can book up early. Pack for both seasons: a jumper for the first and last days at sea, and summer clothes for the islands.
By Walter Pellow, the name Atlas & Passage’s editorial team writes under. Prices and dates in the trips below come from the operators and can change.
