10 Day England, Scotland & Wales

Tour Description

Begin your holiday with sightseeing in London before heading to Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon. Pass Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest and take a walking tour of York, England’s most complete medieval city. In Scotland, see the mighty Edinburgh Castle with its Crown Jewels; visit the Highland capital of Inverness; and search for Nessie at mysterious Loch Ness. Continue through the lovely Lake District and spend the night in Liverpool of Beatles fame. In Wales, visit at Conway, Caernarvon, Betws-y-Coed, and Cardiff. Back in England, enjoy a walking tour of 2,000-year-old Chester; explore elegant Georgian Bath, famous for its Roman relics; and hear about King Arthur in Glastonbury and encounter the mysterious Stonehenge.

Your Hotels

• London, Kensington Close (ST),
• Leeds, Ramada Leeds North (ST)
• Edinburgh, Capital (F)
• Aviemore, Aviemore Inn (ST)
• Glasgow, Pond (F)
• Liverpool, Britannia Adelphi (ST)
• Cardiff, Park Inn (F)
• Plymouth, Novotel (ST)

Hotel Classifications: Deluxe (D), Superior First Class (SF), First Class (F)

Sightseeing

• Visits to Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon
• Coventry
• Hadrian’s Wall
• Jedburgh
• Edinburgh Castle
• St. Andrews
• Braemar
• Culloden Moor
• Inverness
• Fort William
• 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
• Loch Ness
• Glen Coe
• Loch Lomond
• Lake District National Park
• Lake Windermere
• Snowdonia
• Brecon Beacons National Park and “The Valleys”
• Dartmoor National Park
• Stonehenge
• Salisbury Plain

Tour Meals

• Full breakfasts (B)
• 5 three-course dinners (D)
• Choice of menus.

Day 1: London – Stratford – Upon – Avon – Coventry – Leeds.
Meet your Tour Director and travelling companions and depart at 8 am from your London joining hotel (see your travel documents) for a memorable day of 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 centre 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. (D)

Day 2: Leeds – 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 see 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. (B)

Day 3: 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. (B)

Day 4: Edinburgh – St Andrews – Braemar – Aviemore.
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; and Royal Deeside, where the Queen is an annual visitor. Spend the night in the Highland resort of Aviemore. (B/D)

Day 5: Aviemore – Inverness – Fort William – Glasgow.
Via the battlefield of Culloden Moor, and Inverness, the Highland capital, skirt Loch Ness as you drive to Fort William beneath Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. Enter haunting Glen Coe, where the MacDonald Clan was treacherously massacred by the Campbells in 1692, pass wild Rannoch Moor, and then drive along the “Bonnie Banks” of Loch Lomond to Glasgow. (B/D)

Day 6: 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. (B/D)

Day 7: Liverpool North Wales Excursion.
A day dedicated to the mountainous splendour of North Wales. After a stop in pretty Betws-y-Coed, drive over spectacular Llanberis Pass and through Snowdonia National Park to Caernarvon, where the castle saw the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales. Then, follow the coast road via the walled town of Conway back to Liverpool. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for this evening. (B)

Day 8: 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. (B)

Day 9: 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 The Hound of the Baskervilles. Finally, in Plymouth, hear about Sir Francis Drake and see the Mayflower Steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked in 1620. (B/D)

Day 10: Plymouth – Stonehenge – Salisbury – London.
On the final leg of your journey, take in Thomas Hardy’s Wessex; views of the intriguing prehistoric monument of Stonehenge; and Salisbury with its vast cathedral, the ultimate in Early English Gothic architecture. Return to London around 4 p.m., where your holiday ends. (B)

Dates and Prices for 2012

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Accommodation rating Represents the standard of hotel used most frequently throughout this tour

Extras Represents the individual operators suggested budget to pay for additional activities on tour (dinners,entertainment,excursions etc) NOT included in base tour price

Hotel legend:
D deluxe | SF superior first | F first | MF moderate first | ST superior tourist | T Tourist