Great Britain is renowned for its weather. The Falkland Islands is officially a British overseas territory—just a mere few thousand miles away in the midst of the South Atlantic—but it’s also renowned for its weather. And it’s not good weather.
As National Geographic Orion sailed through the narrow passage into Stanley Harbour the rain and the wind was ready to welcome us. Land Rovers and shipping containers were a clue to our arrival in civilisation and our Stanley Highlights tour certainly encompassed the important places in the capital: the one and only fuel station in the islands, Government House, and an impressive museum were just a few of the highlights.
Following the tour a hardy few stuck with their decision to hike up Mount Tumbledown—and fared a lot better than the name would suggest. A few more people opted to head out to Gypsy Cove, the opportunity to see different penguin species being the main draw. A number of Magellanic penguins were spotted and despite the relentless rain it proved an interesting and worthwhile contrast to the jagged and wild shorelines we had encountered thus far on our voyage.
The majority of us, however, decided to stick around town and the warmth of its shops, cafés, and pubs! The main road through town runs parallel with the shoreline and despite providing a great view of the harbour and its rugged shores, the steamed windows of the local café seemed more inviting and the chance to indulge in a pot of tea and a cream covered scone proved too tempting—not least for a few of the staff! Those needing a little more warmth headed to the Globe Tavern where a pint and a game of pool was the perfect way to end an afternoon in the Falkland Islands.
