Tour England,
Scotland & Wales
ARCHIVE PAGE !
Starts in London
Ends in London |
USA departure
Sundays
From April 1
To October 7
2007
|
 |
13 days
14 days incl. air
c9000 |
Tour price land only - - - - -
- - - - from $1390 to
$1650
Airline tickets from your home city also available
Your Travel Package Includes:
SIGHTSEEING:
Visits to Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, Coventry, Hadrian’s Wall,
Jedburgh, Edinburgh Castle, tickets for Edinburgh Military Tattoo (tour numbers 0808, 0815, 0822), St. Andrews,
Braemar, Culloden Moor, Inverness, Fort William, Glasgow, Gretna Green, Grasmere, Liverpool,
Caernarvon, Ludlow, Bath, Glastonbury, Widecombe in the Moor, Plymouth, Salisbury; orientation drive in Cardiff; walking tours in York, Chester
SCENIC HIGHLIGHTS:
Northumberland National Park, Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, Isle of
Skye, Loch Lomond, Lake District National Park, Lake Windermere, Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons National Park and "The Valleys", Dartmoor National Park, Stonehenge and Salisbury Plain
Inside visits are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges when applicable
GUIDES:
Local Guide for city sightseeing in Edinburgh; host
service in London. Professional Tour Director while touring
TRANSPORTATION:
Scheduled transatlantic flights and airport transfers in London if
Tour Operator issues the tickets; Private first-class air-conditioned motorcoach.
MEALS:
3 buffet breakfasts (B); 9 full English breakfasts (FB); 5 three-course dinners (D) with choice of menus and coffee
AIRPORT TRANSFERS:
Airport transfers may be included when you make your flight
arrangements with Tour Operator.
OPTIONALS:
Choice of optional excursions at reasonable prices to customize your
own experience. Please find a detailed list in your travel documents
Itinerary - England,
Scotland & Wales
Day 1 Sun. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.
Day 2 Mon. ARRIVAL IN LONDON, ENGLAND. Check into your hotel. In the afternoon there’s time to rest or start exploring the lively British capital; uniformed Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.
Day 3 Tue. LONDON. A full day to enjoy our exciting program of optional activities. Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: Knightsbridge with Harrods, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall's mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister's Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace. Highlights are a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral, and the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if held. This afternoon you may want to visit Windsor Castle or the Tower with the spectacular Crown Jewels, and tonight a leisurely cruise on the River Thames would be fun. (B)
Day 4 Wed. LONDON-STRATFORD-RETFORD. Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and depart at 8 a.m. for a memorable day’s sightseeing. Head for Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon to take your pictures of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, then explore the town at your own pace. After lunch, visit Coventry, whose center had to be rebuilt after the devastation of World War II bombings and hear the tale of Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom before admiring the splendid modern cathedral. Finally, head northwards out of the Midlands, passing the once-mighty Sherwood Forest, home of the legendary Robin Hood, to tonight’s destination.
(B,D)
Day 5 Thu. RETFORD-YORK-EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. In York, England’s most complete medieval city, stand in awe in front of the great structure of York Minster, then follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets including the narrow Shambles. Continue through wild Northumberland National Park and inspect a section of Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman coast-to-coast defense against marauding northern tribes. Then cross the Scottish border and at Jedburgh glimpse the house of Mary, Queen of Scots, and see the abbey ruins. Late afternoon arrival in Edinburgh. For tour numbers 0808, 0815 and 0822 tickets are included for tonight's performance of the world-renowned Military Tattoo.
(FB)
Day 6 Fri. EDINBURGH. A full day to enjoy this "Prince of Cities." Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide introduces you to the 200-year-old "New Town" and famous scientists, inventors and novelists. In the "Old Town", drive up the narrow Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle to admire Scotland’s Crown Jewels. Afternoon at leisure. A suggestion for this evening: join your Tour Director for a traditional Scottish night out with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and of course the Ceremony of the Haggis.
(FB)
Day 7 Sat. EDINBURGH-HIGHLANDS. A day of memorable sightseeing: St. Andrews, whose Royal and Ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of golfing;
Braemar, home of the Royal Highland Games for over 900 years; Royal Deeside, where the Queen is an annual visitor; the battlefield of Culloden Moor with its memories of Bonnie Prince Charlie; Inverness, the Highland capital. Finally skirt Loch Ness, looking out for the mysterious monster on the way to your Highland destination.
(FB,D)
Day 8 Sun. HIGHLANDS-ISLE OF SKYE-GLASGOW. More heather clad moors as you drive through the western Highlands to Lochalsh and the Inner Hebridean Isle of
Skye. The route back to the mainland is by ferry across the sound of Sleat to
Mallaig, then breathtaking scenery all the way to Fort William beneath Ben Nevis. Glen Coe, where the MacDonald Clan was treacherously massacred by the Campbells in 1692, and a drive along the "Bonnie Banks" of Loch Lomond are scenic highlights on the way to Glasgow, Scotland’s great cultural city.
(FB,D)
Day 9 Mon. GLASGOW-LAKE DISTRICT-LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND. South through the history-steeped Lowland Hills and a visit to Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. Drive through beautiful scenery in the Lake District, considered to be the finest of England’s national parks. Visit Wordsworth’s
Grasmere, then follow the shores of Lake Windermere. End the day in Liverpool of Beatles fame, once the departure port of the great transatlantic liners.
(FB,D)
Day 10 Tue. LIVERPOOL. NORTH WALES EXCURSION. A day dedicated to the mountainous splendor of North Wales. Follow the coastal road via the walled town of Conway to
Caernarvon, where the castle saw the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales. Then a scenic drive through Snowdonia National Park, over spectacular Llanberis Pass and via pretty
Betws-y-Coed. Time to relax back in Liverpool. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for this evening.
(FB)
Day 11 Wed. LIVERPOOL-CHESTER-CARDIFF, WALES. In Chester, the historic county town on the River Dee, your walking tour includes the Roman remains, black and white half-timbered buildings, and the two-tiered arcades called the "Rows." Pause in the pretty market town of Ludlow before heading back into Wales and Brecon Beacons National Park, land of salmon rivers and the Welsh mountain pony. Finally, through "The Valleys" whose iron ore and coal were the raw materials for the Industrial Revolution, to the Welsh capital. Here an orientation drive introduces you to the major attractions: Cardiff Castle, Cathays Park, Millennium Stadium and the stately civic buildings. Ask your Tour Director about tonight’s optional Welsh evening.
(FB)
Day 12 Thu. CARDIFF-BATH, ENGLAND-PLYMOUTH. Leaving Wales, cross the Severn Bridge for a visit to the elegant Georgian city of Bath, famed for its Roman relics, before heading into the romantically scenic West Country and Glastonbury with its King Arthur associations. In the heart of Dartmoor National Park, visit quaint Widecombe in the Moor, ghostly setting for Conan Doyle’s Hound of the
Baskervilles. Finally, in Plymouth, hear about Sir Francis Drake and see the Mayflower Steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked in 1620.
(FB,D)
Day 13 Fri. PLYMOUTH-LONDON. On the final leg of your journey, take in Thomas Hardy’s
Wessex; views of the intriguing prehistoric monument of Stonehenge; Salisbury with its vast cathedral, the ultimate in Early English Gothic. Return to London around 4 p.m. How about celebrating the success of your tour with a night out on the town?
(FB)
Day 14 Sat. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B)
Quality Hotels:
Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and service charges.
LONDON Kensington Close (ST), RETFORD Ye Olde Bell (ST), EDINBURGH Greens (ST), HIGHLANDS Ben Wyvis (ST) at
Strathpeffer, GLASGOW Quality (ST), LIVERPOOL Britannia Adelphi (ST), CARDIFF Park Inn (F), PLYMOUTH Novotel (ST)
Hotel Rating Abbreviations:
F = First Class
ST = Superior Tourist Class
T = Tourist Class
Hotel Rating Abbreviations:
F = First Class
ST = Superior Tourist Class
T = Tourist Class
|
