On a balmy evening in June twelve members arrived in Croatia. On our first day we entered the ancient walled seaport of Dubrovnik through the Pile Gate built in 1537 and were struck by an attractive view of the Stradun, the lime-stone paved pedestrian street running through the old town to the port. Its current uniform appearance of shops and restaurants on the ground floor with living accommodation above owing much to the 1667 earthquake which destroyed most of the original 13th century thoroughfare. With its many historic buildings and monuments it serves as a popular esplanade for tourists.

The peace and tranquillity of the Franciscan monastery and cloister and the Dominican Priory provided a refreshing break from the heat and bustle. Some of us visited the local churches and museums whilst others took the ferry to the nearby Island of Lokrum, with its beautiful scenery and wildlife.

The next day we were treated to spectacular views of the Adriatic coastline on an excursion to Montenegro and the coastal medieval fortress town of Kotor, characterized by winding streets and squares with several Romanesque churches, including the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon. In the Piazza of the Arms, the old main square, we observed the stone clock tower and the beauty of the small stone houses with their colourful Venetian blinds and balconies decorated with flowers.

On the third day we travelled northwest passing through Bosnia and Herzegovina to our new base in Seget on the Trogir Riviera, near Split, stopping in the coastal town of Makarska along the way. The dramatic coastal mountains provided a perfect backdrop to the turquoise waters of the Adriatic.

The following day we embarked on a walking tour of Split stepping inside the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace, a most impressive monument built in the 4th century. We descended underground to view the Roman foundations which still support much of the city and visited the Cathedral of Saint Domnius which contains Diocletian’s mausoleum. This atmospheric city which has seen thousands of years of Dalmatian life has just the right balance of tradition and modernity with medieval houses interwoven with the many shops, bars and restaurants thriving within the old city walls.

The fifth day included an excursion by boat to one of the oldest towns in Europe, Stari Grad on the beautiful Dalmatian Island of Hvar, with its fine harbour, traffic-free marble streets, 13th century walls, Renaissance architecture, ornamental Gothic palaces and seafront Franciscan Monastery with its collection of religious art. Hvar has been inhabited since pre-historic times, the ancient Greeks founded a colony here. It’s location at the centre of the Adriatic sailing routes has long made this island an important base for commanding trade up and down the Adriatic, across to Italy and throughout the wider Mediterranean bringing with it prosperity in arts and culture.

On the final day our holiday came to a fitting end with a visit to Trogir, an island settlement connected to the mainland by bridges with an orthogonal street plan dating back to the Hellenistic period and Romanesque churches including the imposing triple-naved Cathedral of St Lawrence beautifully complimented by outstanding Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period.

The holiday was well managed by Michael Gill with his boundless energy and amusing daily anecdotes, the itinerary meticulously planned by Peter Drew in conjunction with Brightwater Holidays was varied and interesting and the local guides were excellent. We returned to York all the better for this and for seven days of glorious sunshine, and last but not the least for the scintillating company of our fellow travellers.