11 Day Best of Britain

Tour Description

See the very best of Britain including the sacred sites of Stonehenge, Glastonbury and Tintern. Succumb to the charm of the Cornish peninsula. Rejoice in royal castles, medieval market towns and the splendour of the Lake District. See the beauty of Scotland and visit Stratford-upon-Avon.

Tour Highlights

• Stonehenge Visit the ancient stone circle.
• Plymouth Sightseeing includes the Mayflower Steps.
• Cornish Excursion View St. Michael’s Mount and visit pretty St. Ives.
• Bovey Tracey Visit the Devon Guild of Craftsmen exhibition of contempory craft.
• Bath Orientation including a visit to the Roman Baths.
• Cardiff View the impressive Castle.
• Tintern View the Abbey.
• Ludlow Visit this Norman town.
• Chester Orientation includes the Cathedral and a stroll along the ‘Rows’.
• Liverpool Beatles Visit this great port on the Mersey. Included drive of the city with a local expert.
• Lake District Admire the stunning landscape which inspired Wordsworth.
• Glasgow Orientation tour of the city.
• Glencoe See the valley of the famous massacre.
• Fort William See the Commando Memorial.
• Culloden Moor Visit the famous 1746 battle site.
• Scottish Highlands Excursion to the Isle of Skye.
• Balmoral Included visit to the Castle – Scottish home of the British Royal Family.
• Crathie Church Visit the Church where Princess Anne remarried.
• St. Andrews View the famous golf course.
• Edinburgh Sightseeing includes a visit to the Castle and views of Holyrood House, the Royal Mile and Scottish Parliament.
• Jedburgh View the Abbey ruins.
• York Orientation includes the Minster and the Shambles.
• Stratford-upon-Avon Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Visitors Centre and Anne Hathaway’s cottage.
• Oxford Visit one of the university’s colleges (when open).

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Jurys Inn, Plymouth
• Copthorne Plymouth
• Park Inn City, Cardiff
• Jurys Inn, Liverpool
• Jurys Inn, Glasgow
• Four Seasons, Aviemore
• Aviemore Highland
• Marriott, Edinburgh
• Cardrona,  Edinburgh
• Holiday Inn City West, Edinburgh
• Holiday Inn, York

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

Dining Highlights

• Welcome Pub Reception in Plymouth, which includes Traditional British Fare and Welcome Drinks.
• 10 full breakfasts.
• 2 three-course dinners.
• Be My Guest luncheon at a working dairy farm.
• Local highlight restaurant dinner with wine in Glasgow.
• Farewell Dinner with wine in York.

First Class Travel Highlights

• A qualified Local City guide in Edinburgh.
• Tickets are included for the world-famous Tattoo during the Edinburgh Festival.
• Capture treasured memories of your trip with a complimentary group photo taken at a landmark location.

Itinerary

Day 1 London – Stonehenge – Plymouth (2 Nights)

Welcome to Britain! Visit the mystical ancient monoliths at Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain. Drive west through Thomas Hardy country, past Dartmoor National Park to the historic naval port of Plymouth. This evening, get to know your companions and Travel Director at a Welcome Pub Reception, which includes a typical British pub meal and drinks. (Continental Breakfast / Welcome Reception)
Stay: Jurys Inn / Copthorne Plymouth

Day 2 Cornish Excursion

Your orientation of Plymouth includes the Mayflower steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for the New World. See the Royal Citadel overlooking Plymouth Sound. Consider taking an optional cruise around the famous harbour. Cross the River Tamar and follow the Cornish peninsula to St. Ives, the renowned artists’ colony. Photograph St. Michael’s Mount near Penzance. Relax and enjoy the stunning Cornish scenery! (FB)

Day 3 Plymouth – Bovey Tracey – Bath – Cardiff

Stop in Bovey Tracey on the edge of Dartmoor. Enjoy a short visit to the Riverside Mill which contains contempory craft produced by The Devon Guild of Craftsmen – a leading national educational charity with 250 members. Later enjoy a special Be My Guest lunch on a working dairy farm. Admire the splendid Georgian architecture and visit the Roman Baths before leaving Bath for Wales. Cardiff, the capital city of Wales is your final destination. View the impressive castle before checking into your hotel.
Stay: Park Inn City (FB/HD)

Day 4 Cardiff – Tintern – Ludlow – Chester – Liverpool

Marvel at the magnificent scenery as you drive along the beautiful Wye Valley. View the ruins of Tintern Abbey, which inspired the poets Wordsworth and Tennyson. Cross the beautiful Welsh Marches at Hereford to visit the Tudor market town of Ludlow in Shropshire. Your Travel Director takes you on a walking orientation tour of Chester, which includes the Roman Walls, the Cathedral and the famous Tudor Rows. Liverpool was once a thriving port and its famous skyline includes the fourth largest Cathedral in the world. This evening enjoy an included ‘Beatles’ drive through the city with a local expert.
Stay: Jurys Inn (FB)

Day 5 Liverpool – Lake District – Glasgow

Your drive north through Lancashire to the Lake District is characterised by glorious scenery! Along the shores of England’s largest lake, Windermere, and through countryside that inspired the Romantic poets you reach Grasmere, where William Wordsworth is buried. Across the border pass Gretna Green, where eloping couples married in secret against their parents’ wishes, and enter Glasgow on the River Clyde. Join your companions this evening for a Highlight Dinner of Scottish fare in a typical local restaurant.
Stay: Jurys Inn (FB/HD)

Day 6 Glasgow – Glencoe – Scottish Highlands (2 Nights)

An orientation tour of Glasgow includes the Cathedral, the magnificent George Square and the River Clyde, former heart of the shipbuilding industry. Journey along the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, immortalised in the well known Scottish song, towards the site of the 1692 massacre, Glencoe – ‘Valley of the Weeping’. At the Commando Memorial near Fort William, see breathtaking views of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Dine tonight at your hotel in the Scottish Highlands.
Stay: Four Seasons / Aviemore Highland (FB/D)

Day 7 Highlands And Skye Excursion

View Culloden Moor where Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated by the Duke of Cumberland. Stop for photographs on the shores of Loch Ness and see if you can spot Nessie! Cross over the sea to Skye, the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides, where you enjoy free time for lunch and a short scenic drive. (FB/D)

Day 8 Scottish Highlands – Balmoral – St. Andrews – Edinburgh (2 Nights)

Visit Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s highland home, and Crathie Church where Princess Anne was married for the second time. (When Balmoral Castle is closed, you will visit Glamis Castle, the childhood home of the late Queen Mother). Pass through Braemar, where the Highland Games take place, to the historic town of St. Andrews, the home of golf. Take a photograph on the 18th hole of the Old Course, where the game was first played 600 years ago! Cross the splendid Forth Bridge to the capital Edinburgh, your home for the next two nights. During the Edinburgh Festival, your visit includes tickets to the Edinburgh Tattoo in the Castle grounds.
Stay: Marriott / Cardrona / Holiday Inn City West (FB)

Day 9 Edinburgh Sightseeing And Free Time

Your expert Local Guide takes you on a sightseeing tour of this wonderful city, including a visit to Edinburgh Castle, perched high above the city. See the Royal Mile, the elegant Holyrood House in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat and the new Scottish Parliament building. Admire the elegant Georgian architecture in the New Town. Tonight, why not enjoy an optional night out including haggis, whisky and bagpipes. (FB)

Day 10 Edinburgh – York

See the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey and cross the border at Carter Bar. Marvel at the magnificent scenery as you cross the Northumberland National Park and see part of Hadrian’s Wall – built to keep the Picts out of the Empire! Your walking orientation of York includes the Mansion House, the Roman walls, the Shambles and the awe-inspiring Minster. This evening enjoy a Farewell Dinner with your fellow travellers.
Stay: Holiday Inn (FB/HD)

Day 11 York – Stratford – Oxford – London

Visit the house where Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon and see Anne Hathaway’s thatched cottage. Through rolling Cotswold countryside arrive in Oxford, the city of dreaming spires. See this beautiful city during your orientation on foot. Visit an Oxford college and get a taste of life at one of the most famous seats of learning in the world. Your amazing holiday ends in London later this evening. (FB)

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