After the Falklands we sail south east for 2 days until we reach another British Territory that Argentina wants to claim as its own – South Georgia Island.

It is a stark and beautiful island

Rugged and mountainous, it lies just north of Antarctica hundreds of miles from anywhere. Covered in snow for much of the year, inhospitable and bitterly cold, its only permanent residents are seabirds, penguins and seals.

So it will come as no surprise to you to learn that it is one of the least visited islands in the world. But even so, 5,000 tourists do make the extraordinary journey here, drawn to this remote spot either because of their interest in Ernest Shackleton and his epic trek to safety across the mountainous ridge that dominates the island, or because these islands have the highest concentration of wildlife found anywhere in the world. This is our second visit and we have returned because it truly is a remarkable place plus it gives us another chance to drink a lot of champagne and eat a lot of caviar. What could be better?

In the first half of the last century South Georgia was populated by huge whaling stations and the men who operated them. The whalers decimated the whale population, and when there were no whales left. they moved on to decimate the seal population. They brought with them unwanted guests such as rats and mice and invited guests such as reindeer and cattle. The rats and mice fed on all the birds’ eggs and chicks while the reindeer fed on all the native plants and grasses. The once thriving wild life both in and out of the water was in danger of becoming extinct.

In recent years a huge effort, lead mainly by the South Georgia Heritage Trust, a UK charity, has worked to return the island to its pristine state. In 2018 the island was finally declared rat free, an amazing and incredibly expensive task. Two years later the last of the reindeer were culled. The bird and penguin populations are now slowly rebuilding, as are the whales and the seals.

Now the task of the South Georgia Heritage Trust is to ensure that this recovery is maintained. To do this, the number and size of the ships visiting the island is carefully regulated. Each ship and their every stop is closely monitored. Permission must be obtained to land at each place and inspectors are there to make sure our clothes are clean when we land and again when we leave. It is quite an operation.

The day before we arrive we go through several Bio Security measures on board. The clothes we intend to wear to go ashore have to be inspected and where necessary cleaned to make sure that we do not carry any seeds, soil or insects onto the island that don’t belong there. Our boots have to be washed with biocide before and after each landing. We positively sparkle by the time we set foot on the island.

Our first stop is Hercules Bay, a spectacular bay where the mountains and the sea meet at almost a perfect right angle, allowing nowhere for a landing.

At the back of the bay there is a striking waterfall, plunging down in layers from the top of the mountain.

The surrounding rocks and cliffs are full of penguins and seals.

The ship lowers its zodiacs into the water and we take off on a tour of the bay, sticking close to the rocks and the wild life.

The temperature is just above freezing, the sun is out and the sky is blue. That is as good as it ever gets down here.

The cliffs are full of penguins. Penguins, with their slightly comical air, are always a delight to watch. In Hercules Bay it is mainly the macaroni penguin that calls these cliffs home, and they take the term “comical” a step further. Their long yellow feathers swept back at a rakish angle make them look rather stylish and just a little bit ridiculous all at the same time.

And the name doesn’t help. These penguins were christened by English explorers back in the late 1700’s who named them after a popular song with the well known lyrics

Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni

The cliff face is not an easy place to call home, but somehow these macaroni penguins manage it.

But the smarter penguins see the tussock grass further up the cliff and know that living up there would be a step up in more ways than one. Getting there involves a bit of a climb.

But it is worth it. A clear patch in the grass provides more comfort and some shelter.

In fact, as we look up, we realise that the grassy cliffs are alive with the sound and sight of penguins

Meanwhile on the rocks below dozens of young seals are playing while their parents take a nap on the pebbles

One pup, jealous of the penguins hairdo, seems to be attempting the same look

Two others are more interested in us

I am not sure what look they are giving us. It’s certainly not a welcoming look. A little disdainful perhaps or maybe distrustful. Hardly surprising when you think of how their ancestors were treated.

We decide to leave them in peace and return to the ship