17 Day Best of the British Isles

Tour Description

This comprehensive holiday offers the very best of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland for those who want to see it all, with four two-night stays. Your journey through England begins in London?and comprises visits to?Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and medieval York. Then it’s on to the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands for visits to Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Braemar and Inverness, and a cruise on Loch Lomond. Enjoy England’s serene Lake District, and Wales’s Snowdonia National Park en route to Ireland. The ‘Fair City’ of Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher, Connemara, Killarney, the Ring of Kerry, Blarney and Waterford are all Irish highlights. Take a ferry across St. George’s Channel and a drive through southern Wales to Bath to see the amazing excavations. Enjoy two nights in the seaside resort of Torquay, and an excursion into Cornwall, before returning to London via prehistoric Stonehenge and Salisbury.

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Park Plaza Westminster Bridge , London (SF),
• Hilton Hotel,Warwick (F),
• Hotel Novotel , York (F),
• Thistle Hotel ,Edinburgh (F),
• Inverness Ramada (F),
• Hotel Novotel ,Glasgow (F),
• Chester St. David’s Park (SF) at Ewloe,
• Royal Marine Hotel , Dublin, Dun Laoghaire (SF),
• Limerick Strand Hotel , Limerick (SF),
• Fels Point Hotel, Tralee (SF),
• Tower Hotel , Waterford (F),
• Mercure Holland House , Bristol (SF),
• Barceló Imperial Hotel ,Torquay (SF)

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

Tour Includes

• HAMPTON COURT: A special walking tour through the palace’s ornamental gardens.
• OXFORD: Walking tour.
• STRATFORD-UPON-AVON: Take pictures of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, visit Shakespeare’s birthplace.
• WARWICK: Welcome dinner; private guided tour of the castle.
• YORK: Walking tour.
• JEDBURGH: Take pictures of the abbey ruins.
• ABBOTSFORD: Guided tour of Sir Walter Scott’s house.
• EDINBURGH: Guided sightseeing, visit Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace.
• ST. ANDREWS: Visit the home of golf.
• BRAEMAR
• BALMORAL: Visit the castle (when open).
• CULLODEN MOOR: Visit the battle site’s visitor centre.
• FORT WILLIAM
• LOCH LOMOND: Cruise the loch in a private boat.
• GRETNA GREEN
• GRASMERE: Visit Wordsworth’s village.
• CHESTER: Walking tour.
• BETSW-Y-COED: Take a stroll in this popular resort.
• CAERNARVON: Admire the impressive castle.
• HOLYHEAD-DUBLIN: Cross the Irish Sea by ferry.
• DUBLIN: Orientation drive, visit Trinity College.
• KILDARE: Guided tour of the Irish National Stud.
• ROCK OF CASHEL: Take photographs of this famous landmark.
• LIMERICK: Orientation drive.
• CLIFFS OF MOHER: Savour the spectacular views.
• GALWAY: Orientation.
• CONNEMARA: Visit a marble workshop.
• ADARE: Admire the thatched cottages.
• RING OF KERRY: Scenic peninsula drive.
• KILLARNEY: Visit the popular resort town.
• BLARNEY: Visit the famous village.
• ROSSLARE-PEMBROKE: Cross St. George’s Channel by ferry.
• BATH: Visit the Roman relics.
• GLASTONBURY
• WIDECOMBE-IN-THE-MOOR: Take a stroll in the quaint Dartmoor village.
• CORNWALL EXCURSION: Visit the fishing village of Looe.
• PLYMOUTH: Orientation.
• STONEHENGE: Visit the prehistoric monument.
• SALISBURY: Visit the cathedral city.

Tour Meals

• Full English breakfast (B); 9 three-course dinners (D) with choice of menus, including a welcome dinner in Warwick.

Itinerary

Day 1 London – Oxford – Stratford-Upon-Avon – Warwick.

Meet your Tour Director and travelling companions and depart at 8 am from your London joining hotel (see your travel documents) for a lovely day of sightseeing: a special visit to admire the breathtaking ORNAMENTAL GARDENS of Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace; Runnymede, site of the sealing of the Magna Carta; and a walking tour in the university town of Oxford. At Stratford-upon-Avon, visit SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE and take your pictures of Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel.

Day 2 Warwick – York.

A spectacular start to the day with a special guided tour of magnificent WARWICK CASTLE. Later in York, stand in awe in front of the great Minster, then follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets including the narrow Shambles. (B/D)

Day 3 York – Edinburgh, Scotland.

See a section of Hadrian’s Wall, and in Jedburgh, take pictures of the abbey ruins and the house of Mary, Queen of Scots. Next, visit Sir Walter Scott’s ABBOTSFORD HOUSE for an enlightening guided tour. Spend the next two nights in Edinburgh, the “Prince of Cities”. Tonight, an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis. (B)

Day 4 Edinburgh.

Morning city 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, then explore HOLYROOD PALACE (except when the Queen is in residence). Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, to see how the Royal Family and crew of 240 lived and worked on board. Dinner rounds off this optional evening. For departures that arrive in Edinburgh during the Edinburough Tattoo tickets are included for tonight’s performance. (B)

Day 5 Edinburgh – St. Andrews – Braemar – Invernes.

Drive to St. Andrews, whose Royal and Ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of golfing and through Braemar, home of the Royal Highland Games, to BALMORAL CASTLE (when available). At CULLODEN VISITOR CENTRE, hear about the story of the crushing Hanoverian victory over Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish clans. Overnight at Inverness, the Highland capital. (B/D)

Day 6 Fort William – Glasgow.

A day full of Highland splendour: Loch Ness with its mysterious monster, FORT WILLIAM beneath Ben Nevis, Loch Linnhe, and haunting Glen Coe. Motor across wild Rannoch Moor to the “Bonnie Banks” of Loch Lomond for a CRUISE on the loch before heading south to Glasgow. (B/D)

Day 7 Glasgow – Lake District, England – Chester.

On the way through the Lowland Hills, stop at Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. Enter the beautiful Lake District and visit Grasmere, home of poet William Wordsworth. On your walking tour of Chester, see the Roman remains, black and white half timbered buildings, and the two-tiered arcades called the “Rows”. (B/D)

Day 8 Chester – North Wales – Dublin, Ireland.

Cross the border into North Wales and drive through Snowdonia National Park via lovely Betws-y-Coed and over spectacular Llanberis Pass. After a break at Caernarvon, board your FERRY at Holyhead for the crossing to Dublin. Ask your Tour Director for tonight’s dining suggestions. (B)

Day 9 Dublin.

An orientation drive in the Irish capital includes statue-lined O’Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Then, visit Oscar Wilde’s TRINITY COLLEGE, famous for the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells and the magnificent Old Library. Maybe take in an optional dinner outing to the Guiness Storehouse? (B)

Day 10 Dublin – Kildare – Limerick.

Across the Curragh to the IRISH NATIONAL STUD at Kildare. On the way to Limerick see the Rock of Cashel, Tipperary, and on arrival, an orientation drive acquaints you with St. Mary’s Cathedral, King John’s Castle, and the Stone where the Treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691. Tonight an optional banquet at Bunratty Castle. (B)

Day 11 Limerick. West Coast Excursion.

A breathtaking view of the Clare coast from the 204 metre (668 foot) CLIFFS OF MOHER, then a drive across the limestone plateau of The Burren to the port city of GALWAY. Enjoy the unspoiled region of Connemara, and at Moycullen, visit the Joyce family’s MARBLE WORKSHOP. (B)

Day 12 Limerick – Adare – Ring of Kerry – Tralee.

Via quaint Adare with its pretty thatched cottages, and Killorglin on Dingle Bay, join the spectacular RING OF KERRY for a 100-mile panoramic drive around the island’s southwestern tip. Take your photos of the Lakes of Killarney, then spend some time in this resort town before arriving in Tralee. (B/D)

Day 13 Tralee – Blarney – Waterford.

Morning visit to Blarney, renowned for its magical Kissing Stone. Time for lunch, to walk up to the castle, and to shop for traditional Irish handicrafts. In the afternoon, proceed via Cork to Waterford, a stronghold founded by the Danish Vikings. (B/D)

Day 14 Waterford – Bristol, England.

By FERRY across St. George’s Channel and drive through South Wales. Cross the River Severn and in Bristol your orientation focuses on Brunel’s daring Clifton Suspension Bridge, SS Great Britain, and the historic harbour from which John Cabot sailed in 1497 to discover America. (B/D)

Day 15 Bristol – Bath – Glastonbury – Torquay.

First this morning, Georgian Bath, with time to explore the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS, then focus on King Arthur’s Glastonbury. Visit pretty Widecombe-in-the-Moor as you head across Dartmoor to Torquay, your destination for the next two nights. (B/D)

Day 16 Torquay. Cornwall Excursion.

Cross into Cornwall on your way to the pretty shark-fishing village and former smugglers’ port of Looe. In Plymouth, see the Mayflower Steps where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked in 1620, and hear about Sir Francis Drake. Maybe an optional cruise on Plymouth Sound. Afternoon return to the resort of Torquay. (B/D)

Day 17 Torquay – Stonehenge – Salisbury – London.

Two sightseeing highlights on the last leg of your journey, first prehistoric Stonehenge, then pretty Salisbury with its vast cathedral. Return to London around 4 pm., where the holiday ends. (B)

Dates and Prices for 2011

Depart	Price	Tour Enquiry
Departure Dates	Price (AUD)	Tour Enquiry
Sept 13th	$3079	Enquire Today
Sept 20th	$3059	Enquire Today
Sept 27th	$3049	Enquire Today

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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