Mamma Mia's scene-stealer island is a top stop on a tall ship trip for Dave Monk

My singing abilities certainly aren't up to Meryl Streep's - or even Pierce Brosnan's. But when I stood at the spot where the pair performed The Winner Takes It All in the 2008 Abba movie Mamma Mia!, I couldn't help but hum the tune under my breath.

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The chapel of St John, on the Greek island of Skopelos, perched 200 steps up on top of an outcrop, made the stunning backdrop when Streep, as Donna, sang the emotive melody to Brosnan - the Sam she thought had abandoned her 20 years earlier.

While the scenery is just as impressive, filmmakers created a new exterior for the church and filmed the interior shots elsewhere. Handrails have been put on the steepest half of the ascent to help the thousands of fans who visit every week.

The beach elsewhere on the island that was also used in the box office hit is a lot more crowded now - and missing the jetty that was built just for the set.

Even so, the visit was a highlight of a week's voyage on the tall ship Star Clipper that combined ancient with modern. It began in Athens where, under a full moon, the sails on the four towering masts started to unfurl to the stirring music of Vangelis.

This was no ordinary cruise. As we ventured out on to the silvery sea in search of small islands, it was also a sail of the centuries back to the time when square riggers, barques and schooners ruled the seas.