8 Day English & Scottish Discovery Tour

Tour Highlights

• London Welcome Dinner
• Scottish Cabaret Dinner/Show
• Hampton Court Palace
• Beatles Tour of Liverpool
• Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage
• Edinburgh & Stirling Castles

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel, London (2 nights)
• Hilton Hotel, Liverpool (1 night)
• Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights)
• Columba Hotel, Inverness (1 night)
• Menzies Hotel, Glasgow (1 night)

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

Tour Includes

• Group transfers at start and end of tour
  
• Sightseeing by luxury coach
  
• Professional tour director
  
• 7 nights in hotels listed above
  
• Full breakfast daily except on day 1 (B)
  
• 5 dinners (D) including:
  
• Welcome dinner in London
  
• Prezzo Italian Restaurant in Leith, near Edinburgh
  
• 3 table d’hote dinners
  
• Welcome get-together drink
  
• Tours of London, Edinburgh and Glasgow
  
• London open-top bus tour
  
• Beatles-themed tour of Liverpool with a local guide
  
• Sheepdog trials at Leault Farm
  
• Ceilidh with singers, piper and dancers in Inverness
  
• Loch Lomond cruise
  
• Edinburgh Military Tattoo on August 3 to 17 departures
  
• Visits and admissions to Tower of London, World of Beatrix Potter, Old Blacksmith’s Shop at Gretna Green, Edinburgh Castle and Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre
  
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
  
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Itinerary

Day 1: London Arrival & Orientation

Land at Heathrow Airport and transfer to your hotel. At 2:30 pm take a panoramic tour of central London to see famous landmarks including Piccadilly Circus, Nelson’s Column and lions of Trafalgar Square, Big Ben towering over the Houses of Parliament and Hyde Park. In the evening meet your tour director to discuss your trip over a welcome drink and dine in your hotel. (D)

Day 2: Tower of London & City Sights

Today you are free to schedule your London sightseeing as you wish when you take an open-top bus tour around the many famous landmarks. There are a number of different bus routes so that you can choose the part of London that you’d like to focus on. Your voucher also includes a walking tour and a cruise on the River Thames. Visit the Tower of London to view the magnificent Crown Jewels, guarded by Beefeaters in distinctive Tudor uniforms, and the many towers of this huge fortress. You are free to choose a restaurant to dine independently. (B)

Day 3: Stratford-upon-Avon & Beatles’ Liverpool

Drive through part of the Cotswolds, a delightful hilly region with mellow-hued stone houses, many dating to medieval times. Stop in Shakespeare’s town of Stratford-upon-Avon for a look around on your own to see many old black-and-white houses and also Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Continue to Liverpool where a Beatles-themed tour will show you Penny Lane and the world-famous Cavern Club while your guide will fill you in on the Beatles’ lives. Check in to your centrally-located hotel. (B, D)

Day 4: Lake District & Gretna Green

Travel through the glorious Lake District, associated with Beatrix Potter, who worked tirelessly to preserve much of the scenic region as a national park. Stop in Bowness-on-Windermere to visit the World of Beatrix Potter to see representations of the animal characters that she created in her children’s books. Cross into Scotland and stop at the Old Blacksmith’s Shop in Gretna Green, associated with elopements since the 18th century and today is one of the world’s most popular wedding destinations. Drive to Edinburgh and your hotel near the Royal Mile. Enjoy dinner at a popular restaurant this evening. (B, D)

Day 5: Edinburgh Castle & City Tour

Explore central Edinburgh this morning, starting in the 200-year-old “New Town” with its wide streets, planned squares and elegant Georgian houses where many famous writers and inventors lived. See the bustling Princes Street with excellent shopping. Travel along the Royal Mile where the old medieval houses are clustered and tour Edinburgh Castle to see the Crown Jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny. Enjoy great views over the city. The afternoon is free for independent activities. On August 3 to 17 departures, experience the world-famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo. (B)

Day 6: Sheepdogs & Culloden Battlefield

Travel north into majestic Highland scenery and stop at Leault Farm where dogs herd sheep through various obstacles and discover how each dog responds to individual whistles. Visit the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre to learn about the background of this event when British Government forces defeated the army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart in 1746 and ended hopes of restoring the Jacobite Stuarts to the British throne. Take part in a ceilidh, a musical evening, in your hotel. (B, D)

Day 7: Highlands & Loch Lomond Cruise

Travel south through more wonderful Highland scenery today, passing the shoreline of Loch Ness with views of this deep lake. Drive past Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest peak, and through the towering mountains of Glen Coe which is famous for the Massacre of Glen Coe in 1692. Take a scenic cruise of Loch Lomond, Britain’s largest lake, to admire panoramic views. Drive into Glasgow for a short orientation tour. (B, D)

Day 8: Tour Ends Glasgow Airport

Your tour ends with a group transfer to Glasgow Airport. (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