24 Day Britain & Ireland In Depth – Globus

Globus Coach Tour starting in London and finishing in London

This guided tour offers our most complete view of the British Isles. In England, enjoy a guided sightseeing of London, visits to Canterbury Cathedral and the exotic Royal Pavilion in Brighton, mysterious Stonehenge, historic Plymouth, Land’s End, St. Ives, and the Roman ruins at Bath. Travel through Brecon Beacons National Park, then take a ferry to the Emerald Isle. Via Waterford and Blarney journey to Killarney where you experience the 100-mile panoramic drive around the Ring of Kerry, then on to Limerick, the spectacular Cliffs of Moher, Knock, Belleek, and fascinating Giant’s Causeway. In Belfast, visit the Titanic Exhibition, and in Dublin, enjoy an in-depth orientation tour. Return across the Irish Sea and through North Wales to Liverpool for a visit to the Beatles Story. Head north through the Lake District to Scotland, with highlights that include Gretna Green, Glasgow, the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, the Isle of Skye, and Loch Ness. From Inverness, visit Cawdor Castle, setting for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Culloden Moor battlefield, then head south to pretty Braemar, St. Andrews, the Scottish capital of Edinburgh with its castle and Holyrood Palace, and fairytale Floors Castle. Back in England, explore medieval York, Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, and magnificent Blenheim Palace on your way back to London.

Day By Day

Day 1 Arrive In London, England

Welcome to London! Uniformed Globus Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.

Day 2 London

Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the Thames River, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall’s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister’s Downing Street residence, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. The highlight is a visit to ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL/ Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece built between 1675 and 1708. (B)

Day 3 London – Stonehenge – Dartmoor – Plymouth

Meet your Tour Director and travelling companions, and depart London at 8 am. First, visit prehistoric STONEHENGE and its visitor centre before travelling through Salisbury Plain into Dartmoor. Stop in Widecombe-in-the-Moor with its prominent church, cozy tea rooms, and lively pubs before arriving in Plymouth, where you will spend the next two nights. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel. (B/D)

Day 4 Plymouth. Cornwall Excursion

A day full of West Country sights as you head through Cornwall, of Poldark fame. After viewing St. Michael’s Mount, take time to explore the popular seaside resort of St. Ives. Then, follow in the footsteps of Drake, Raleigh, and the Pilgrim Fathers with a CRUISE on Plymouth Sound, one of the world’s great natural harbors. You will also have time at the historic Plymouth Barbican to see the Mayflower Steps. (B)

Day 5 Plymouth – Glastonbury – Bath – Newport, Wales

In Glastonbury, hear about King Arthur, and in Bath, see the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS. Overnight in Newport. Why not join an evening of Welsh entertainment and dinner tonight? (B)

Day 6 Newport – Carmarthen – Waterford, Ireland

Your journey through South Wales takes you to Carmarthen and then to Fishguard. Cross St. George’s Channel to Rosslare in Ireland and proceed to Waterford, a stronghold founded by the Danish Vikings in 853. After dinner, enjoy an IRISH COFFEE DEMONSTRATION. (B/D)

Day 7 Waterford – Blarney – Killarney

Start your day with a guided tour of the HOUSE OF WATERFORD CRYSTAL. Then, in Blarney, renowned for its magical Kissing Stone, there is time to walk up to the castle and to shop for traditional Irish handicrafts before continuing to the popular resort town of Killarney, your County Kerry base for the next three nights. How about joining an entertaining optional evening in Tralee, with dinner and tickets for the National Folk Theatre? (B)

Day 8 At Leisure In Killarney

A full day to relax or join our optional excursion that includes a horsedrawn jaunting-car ride through Killarney National Park to Ross Castle, and a boat ride to Innisfallen Abbey and across the lakes to Muckross House. After lunch on your own, the excursion continues with a visit to the house and gardens, returning to your hotel mid-afternoon. Later, walk to Scruffy’s pub for DINNER and join the locals in an evening full of live, traditional Irish music. (B/D)

Day 9 Killarney. Ring Of Kerry Excursion

Start a scenic day with a drive to Killorglin on Dingle Bay, and join the spectacular RING OF KERRY for a 100-mile (160 kilometre) panoramic drive around the island’s southwestern tip. Take photos of the Lakes of Killarney from Ladies View before returning to Killarney. (B/D)

Day 10 Killarney – Dingle Peninsula – Adare – Limerick

Breathtaking scenery on Dingle Peninsula. At the BLASKET ISLANDS CENTRE, learn about the way of life on the remote islands, evacuated by its inhabitants in 1953. Via quaint Adare, head for the city of Limerick. Tonight’s optional recommendation: a medieval banquet at an historic castle. (B)

Day 11 Limerick – Cliffs Of Moher – Galway – Sligo

Drive to the spectacular CLIFFS OF MOHER, rising 668 feet (204 metres) above the Atlantic, and step on to the edge of the world to admire the aweinspiring views and watch the birds glide along the rugged cliffs. Then, via the desolate limestone plateau of The Burren, head to Galway, a popular seaside destination and a buzzing cosmopolitan centre with cobblestone streets, colourful shops, and a busy café and bar culture. Your overnight destination is Sligo, a coastal seaport known for its literary heritage. Before dinner, you might want to join an optional excursion to a local pub. (B/D)

Day 12 Sligo – Belleek, Northern Ireland – Derry – Giant’s Causeway – Belfast

A fascinating day today: BELLEEK POTTERY, renowned for its exquisite Parian china; Derry, one of the finest examples of a walled city; and aweinspiring GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, composed of thousands of strangely symmetrical basalt columns jutting out to sea. Overnight in the vibrant city of Belfast. (B/D)

Day 13 Belfast – Downpatrick – Dublin, Ireland

First thing this morning, your Tour Director will show you Belfast’s main attractions during an orientation drive, ending at the fascinating TITANIC EXPERIENCE. Learn about the building of the largest passenger steamship, its maiden voyage, and the tragic night of April 14, 1912. Travel to Downpatrick and visit the inspiring SAINT PATRICK CENTRE before you drive back again into the Republic. Why not join an optional cabaret evening with dinner, followed by dance, song, and laughter? (B)

Day 14 Dublin

Your orientation drive in the “Fair City” includes statue-lined O’Connell Street, elegant Georgian Squares, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Oscar Wilde’s Trinity College. The afternoon is at leisure. Top the day with an optional dinner evening at the Guinness Storehouse. (B)

Day 15 Dublin – North Wales – Liverpool, England

Back across the Irish Sea for a photo stop at tongue-twisting Llanfair…. On the Welsh Isle of Anglesey, take a scenic drive through Snowdonia National Park, head over spectacular Llanberis Pass, and via pretty Betws-y-Coed to Liverpool. (B)

Day 16 Liverpool – Grasmere – Gretna Green, Scotland – Glasgow

Start the day with a visit to THE BEATLES STORY, an atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture, and music of the “Fab Four.” Enter the tranquil Lake District, recently awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, and in Grasmere, home of poet William Wordsworth, try original GRASMERE GINGERBREAD. Then, head north for the Scottish border and to Gretna Green, where the blacksmith would wed runaway couples. Overnight in Glasgow. (B/D)

Day 17 Glasgow – Fort William – Isle Of Skye – Inverness

Follow the “Bonnie Banks” of Loch Lomond, then proceed via Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe, and Fort William, and follow the “Road to the Isles” to Mallaig, where you board your FERRY for the crossing to the Isle of Skye. Visit the MUSEUM OF THE ISLES, then return to the mainland and trace the shores of Loch Ness on the way to Inverness. (B/D)

Day 18 Inverness. Highlands Excursion

Fascinating visits on today’s excursion. Stop first at CLAVA CAIRNS, featured in the popular TV series Outlander and one of Scotland’s most sacred prehistoric sites with three exceptionally well-preserved burial cairns, each enclosed by stone circles. At CULLODEN VISITOR CENTRE, the story unfolds of the crushing Hanoverian victory over Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish clans. Then, visit BRODIE CASTLE, the ancestral home of Clan Brodie, once one of Scotland’s most prominent families, and admire the outstanding art collection and magnificent library. Back in Inverness, the rest of the day is at leisure. Our recommendation would be to join the Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle optional excursion, which includes a cruise on the loch. (B)

Day 19 Inverness – Pitlochry – St. Andrews – Edinburgh

Main features today: the Victorian mountain resort of Pitlochry; St. Andrews, whose Royal and Ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of golfing; and the Forth Road Bridge to Edinburgh. Tonight, an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis might be fun. For departure numbers 0716 through 0806, tickets are included for tonight’s performance of the world-renowned MILITARY TATTOO. (B)

Day 20 Edinburgh

Morning city sightseeing with a Local Guide introduces you to the 200-year-old “New Town” as well as the “Old Town.” Visit EDINBURGH CASTLE, then explore HOLYROOD PALACE (when available). The afternoon is free to enjoy the Scottish capital at your own pace. Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, once the perfect residence for glittering state visits and family holidays, and enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. (B)

Day 21 Edinburgh – Jedburgh – York, England

This morning, visit FLOORS CASTLE, the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe’s family home and the largest inhabited castle in Scotland. Then, in York, England’s most complete medieval city, follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets, including the narrow Shambles. (B/D)

Day 22 York – Stratford-Upon-Avon

Discover the beautiful hometown and final resting place of Stratford’s most famous son, William Shakespeare. Stop first for photographs at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, then visit SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE, where he grew up and lived the first years of his married life. Later, enjoy a drive through the beautiful Cotswolds, followed by DINNER at a local pub. (B/D)

Day 23 Stratford-Upon-Avon – London

Today’s highlight is the visit to magnificent BLENHEIM PALACE, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, and there is also time to explore the landscaped parkland. Return to London around 3:30 pm. How about celebrating the success of your holiday by taking in a West End show? (B)

Day 24 London

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)