9 Day Olde England & Heritage Tour

Tour Highlights

• Scottish Cabaret in Edinburgh
• Old-World Tavern Dinner & Ghost Tour in York
• Beatles’ Tour of Liverpool
• Historic Steamer Cruise on Lake Windermere
• North Yorkshire Moors Vintage Train

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Macdonald Holyrood Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights)
• Old England Hotel, Bowness-on-Windermere (1 night)
• Marriott Hotel, York (2 nights)
• Hilton Hotel, Liverpool (1 night)
• CopthorneTara or Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London (2 nights)

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
  
• 8 nights in hotels listed above
  
• Full breakfast daily except on day 1 (B)
  
• 4 dinners (D) including:
  
• Edinburgh Nights Cabaret
  
• Tavern dinner in York
  
• 2 table d’hote dinners
  
• Welcome get-together drink
  
• Tours of Edinburgh and York
  
• Lake Windermere Historic Steamer Cruise
  
• York Ghost walking tour
  
• Walking tours of Whitby and Chester
  
• North Yorkshire Moors Railway vintage train ride
  
• Beatles-themed tour of Liverpool with a local guide
  
• London open-top bus tour
  
• Edinburgh Military Tattoo on August 5 to 19 departures
  
• Visits and admissions to Stirling Castle, Old Blacksmith’s Shop at Gretna Green, York Minster, Castle Howard, Brontë Parsonage, Sulgrave Manor and Tower of London
  
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
  
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Itinerary

Day 1 – Edinburgh City Tour

Your trip starts in Edinburgh Airport with a group transfer to your hotel, departing at 8:00 am, 10:00 am or 12:00 noon. Passengers arriving later will transfer to the hotel at their own expense. At 2:30 pm tour Edinburgh to discover the elegant 200-year-old Georgian “New Town.” Also see the narrow lanes and medieval townhouses along the Royal Mile, the oldest part of the city and catch a glimpse of the imposing Edinburgh Castle, perched high on a rocky outcrop. Meet your fellow passengers over a welcome drink and your tour director will suggest places to have dinner on your own.

Day 2 – Stirling Castle & “Braveheart”

A short drive will take you to the massive Stirling Castle, strategically located on a volcanic outcrop rock to defend the surrounding valley. It was recaptured from the English by “Braveheart” William Wallace in 1297 and several Scottish monarchs have been crowned at Stirling, including Mary, Queen of Scots. Enjoy great views of the surrounding countryside and explore the Great Hall, kitchens and chapel. Return to Edinburgh for a free afternoon. Dine at the Edinburgh Nights cabaret where you can sample local specialties, including haggis, and experience traditional bagpipe music. On Aug 5 to 19 departures enjoy the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B, D)

Day 3 – Beatrix Potter’s Lake District

Journey past gentle hills and rich sheep pastures of the Scottish Borders. Stop at the Old Blacksmith’s Shop at Gretna Green, famous for eloping couples, to look around and shop for Scottish goods before crossing into England. Drive through the Lake District National Park, a region of unspoilt beauty which Beatrix Potter worked tirelessly to preserve. See the charming hills and valleys that inspired William Wordsworth’s poetry. Take a cruise aboard a historic steamer on Lake Windermere, the largest natural lake in England, to appreciate nature at its loveliest. Check in to your elegant lakeside hotel and dine independently at one of the many restaurants within easy walking distance. (B)

Day 4 – Yorkshire Dales & York Ghost Walk

Drive into the Yorkshire Dales to experience more wonderful scenery with heathery moors, flower-filled meadows, hills, woods and ancient stone villages. Stop in the traditional village of Hawes before continuing through the Dales, the region where James Herriot worked as a vet and told his stories in “All Creatures Great and Small” and other books. On arrival in York take a guided tour around the city, including the Roman and medieval walls, and walk to York Minster, one of Europe’s largest Gothic cathedrals. See brilliant stained glass and memorials to prominent people. This evening head to a traditional tavern for dinner and later explore narrow medieval streets on a fun and informative ghost walking tour. (B, D)

Day 5 – Historic Train Ride & Castle Howard

Drive north to travel the North Yorkshire Moors Railway through magnificent scenery. The historic train will be a vintage Diesel or steam locomotive. Take a walking tour through Whitby, once renowned for whaling and today has a thriving fishing fleet. Everywhere you look in this town is a photographer’s dream with its picturesque port, winding streets, stepped walkways and quaint buildings. Drive to Castle Howard, an imposing 18th-century mansion where Evelyn Waugh’s celebrated novel, “Brideshead Revisited,” was filmed. Tour elaborate chambers to see world-renowned works of art, family portraits, crystal and furnishings. Admire the gardens and breathtaking landscape before returning to York. (B, D)

Day 6 – Brontë Parsonage & Beatles’ Liverpool

In the charming town of Haworth visit the Brontë Parsonage, where from 1820 to 1861 Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë penned some of the best-loved books in the English language. See the dining room where the three sisters worked on their novels, including “Wuthering Heights,” influenced by the surrounding moors. Continue to Liverpool where a Beatles-themed tour will show you the places where the “Fab Four” came to fame. See 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 beside the River Mersey and, after dinner, explore some places on your own. (B, D)

Day 7 – George Washington’s Ancestral Home 

Explore Chester on a leisurely walking tour to see black-and-white houses and walk along part of the medieval walls that encircle the city. Near Banbury visit Sulgrave Manor, ancestral home of George Washington that is now jointly owned by the peoples of the UK and USA. Set foot on American soil as you stroll through three centuries of English history and see the largest UK collection of memorabilia relating to the origins of the USA. Drive to London and your hotel in South Kensington where you will say goodbye to your driver and guide. The evening is free. (B)

Day 8 – Tower of London & City Sights

Today you are completely at leisure to plan your day as you wish. Use your included voucher for an independent open-top bus tour to explore London’s highlights with several routes to choose from, depending on your interests. You may stay on the bus for the entire route or get on and off to see places such as Piccadilly Circus, Nelson’s Column and Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament and Hyde Park. A Thames cruise and a walking tour are also included. Your second voucher will cover a visit to the Tower of London with its magnificent Crown Jewels, guarded by Beefeaters in distinctive Tudor uniforms. (B)

Day 9 – Tour Ends Heathrow Airport

Take a transfer to Heathrow Airport in time for check in formalities. Transfers to Gatwick Airport can be arranged at additional cost. (B)

B: Breakfast; D: Dinner

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