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Tour Code: 9000
Tour Length: 14 days
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ENGLAND, SCOTLAND & WALES
Day 1 - Sun. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT. Day 2 - Mon. ARRIVAL IN LONDON, ENGLAND. Check into your hotel. In the afternoon there's time to rest or start exploring the lively British capital; uniformed Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay. Day 3 - Tue. LONDON. A full day to enjoy our exciting program of optional activities. Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: Knightsbridge with Harrods, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall's mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister's Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace. Highlights are a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral, and the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if held. This afternoon you may want to visit Windsor Castle or the Tower of London with the spectacular Crown Jewels, and tonight a leisurely cruise on the River Thames would be fun. (B) Day 4 - Wed. LONDON-STRATFORD-LEEDS. Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and depart at 8 a.m. for a memorable day's sightseeing. Head for Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon to take your pictures of Anne Hathaway's Cottage, then explore the town at your own pace. After lunch, visit Coventry, whose center had to be rebuilt after the devastation of World War II bombings, and hear the tale of Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom before admiring the splendid modern cathedral. Finally, head northwards out of the Midlands, passing the once-mighty Sherwood Forest, home of the legendary Robin Hood, to tonight's destination. (B,D) Day 5 - Thu. LEEDS-YORK-EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. In York, England's most complete medieval city, stand in awe in front of the great structure of York Minster, then follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets including the narrow Shambles. Continue through wild Northumberland National Park and inspect a section of Hadrian's Wall, the Roman coast-to-coast defense against marauding northern tribes. Then cross the Scottish border and at Jedburgh glimpse the house of Mary, Queen of Scots, and see the abbey ruins. Late afternoon arrival in Edinburgh. For departure numbers 0730 through 0820, tickets are included for tonight's performance of the world-renowned Military Tattoo. (FB) Day 6 - Fri. EDINBURGH. A full day to enjoy this "Prince of Cities." Morning 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. Afternoon at leisure. A suggestion for this evening: join your Tour Director for a traditional Scottish night out with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and, of course, the Ceremony of the Haggis. (FB) Day 7 - Sat. EDINBURGH-AVIEMORE. A day of memorable sightseeing: St. Andrews, whose Royal and Ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of golfing; Braemar, home of the Royal Highland Games for over 900 years; and Royal Deeside, where the Queen is an annual visitor. Spend the night in the Highland resort of Aviemore. (FB,D) Day 8 - Sun. AVIEMORE-ISLE OF SKYE-GLASGOW. Via the battlefield of Culloden Moor, and Inverness, the Highland capital, skirt Loch Ness as you drive to Lochalsh and the Inner Hebridean Isle of Skye. The route back to the mainland is by ferry across the Sound of Sleat to Mallaig, then breathtaking scenery all the way to Fort William beneath Ben Nevis. Glen Coe, where the MacDonald Clan was treacherously massacred by the Campbells in 1692, and a drive along the "Bonnie Banks" of Loch Lomond are scenic highlights on the way to Glasgow. (FB,D) Day 9 - Mon. GLASGOW-LAKE DISTRICT-LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND. South through the history-steeped Lowland Hills and a visit to Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. Drive through beautiful scenery in the Lake District, considered to be the finest of England's national parks. Visit Wordsworth's Grasmere, then follow the shores of Lake Windermere. End the day in Liverpool of Beatles fame, once the departure port of the great transatlantic liners, and European Capital of Culture in 2008. (FB,D) Day 10 - Tue. LIVERPOOL. NORTH WALES EXCURSION. A day dedicated to the mountainous splendor of North Wales. Follow the coastal road via the walled town of Conway to Caernarvon, where the castle saw the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales. Then a scenic drive through Snowdonia National Park, over spectacular Llanberis Pass and via pretty Betws-y-Coed. Time to relax back in Liverpool. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for this evening. (FB) Day 11 - Wed. LIVERPOOL-CHESTER-CARDIFF, WALES. In Chester, the historic county town on the River Dee, your walking tour includes the Roman remains, black and white half-timbered buildings, and the two-tiered arcades called the "Rows." Pause in the pretty market town of Ludlow before heading back into Wales and Brecon Beacons National Park, land of salmon rivers and the Welsh mountain pony. Finally, through "The Valleys," whose iron ore and coal were the raw materials for the Industrial Revolution, to the Welsh capital. Here an orientation drive introduces you to the major attractions: Cardiff Castle, Cathays Park, Millennium Stadium, and the stately civic buildings. Ask your Tour Director about tonight's optional Welsh evening. (FB) Day 12 - Thu. CARDIFF-BATH, ENGLAND-PLYMOUTH. Leaving Wales, cross the Severn Bridge for a visit to the elegant Georgian city of Bath, famed for its Roman relics, before heading into the romantically scenic West Country and Glastonbury with its King Arthur associations. In the heart of Dartmoor National Park, visit quaint Widecombe in the Moor, ghostly setting for Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles. Finally, in Plymouth, hear about Sir Francis Drake and see the Mayflower Steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked in 1620. (FB,D) Day 13 - Fri. PLYMOUTH-LONDON. On the final leg of your journey, take in Thomas Hardy's Wessex; views of the intriguing prehistoric monument of Stonehenge; and Salisbury with its vast cathedral, the ultimate in Early English Gothic. Return to London around 4 p.m. How about celebrating the success of your tour with a night out on the town" (FB) Day 14 - Sat. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B) |
