Explore beautiful southern England as you combine independent days with the option of having private guided tours and a wide range of accommodations in London, and then spend 7 days in a small group environment as you explore the sights of Cornwall and the southern coast of England. Gourmands will love the fine food, history buffs will relish the architecture, literature lovers will delight in scenes straight from the printed page and breathtaking views will impress absolutely everyone. This is small group multi-day tour has it all, but even its busy schedule allows ample scope to embrace the back roads and add a few adventures of your own. With a maximum group size of 16, you will benefit from the customised services of a knowledgeable driver/guide, shared guided tours at places of interest along the way and travel in style in a luxury mini-coach.

Small group tours typically depart every Sunday (with a few exceptions) from April 15, 2012 - October 7, 2012 and are guaranteed with a minimum of 4 participants. In general, the maximum group size is 16.

Consider adding additional days to your trip with the services of a private guide and/or driver to see more of the country - your time on either side of your small group tour can be customized to suit your needs (and private guided tours can be added throughout your small group experience as desired).

London is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. An important settlement for two millennia, London's history goes back to its founding by the Romans. Since its settlement, London has been part of many important movements and phenomena throughout history, such as the English Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gothic Revival. London is one of the world's leading business, financial and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts contribute to its status as a major global city. The city boasts four World Heritage Sites: The Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church; the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Meet your driver at Heathrow airport, and take a private transfer to your hotel.

Celebrate Prince William and Kate Middleton's nupitals and embark on the Royal Wedding Walk. Stroll to the London locations and landmarks that help define the next Royal golden couple. Learn about the birthplace of Queen Elizabether II and the generations that came before, and see Richard Noel Middleton's Offices to gain an insight on Kate's 'commoner' background. Other royal features include Mahiki, the nightclub of Royal choice, White Gentleman's Club, and St. James Palace. See The Queen's Chapel, where Kate attended her second royal wedding, as well as the official residence of Prince Charles. Of course, no royal walk would be complete without a stop to Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey!

Within walking distance to your central London hotel, enjoy a fantastic meal out at one of the best restaurants in the West End. A few suggestions: J Sheekey, an incredibly smart seafood restaurant, Lindsay House, specializing in Irish cuisine, Mildred's, London's best veggie restaurant, Sketch, the trendiest place in London, specializing in some of the best french food you'll ever taste, or for those looking for something simple and cheerful, enjoy a nice meal out at Zipangu.

The Lancaster Gate Hotel Hyde Park (formerly Park Inn Hyde Park Hotel) and be a stone's throw away from the beautiful Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. The hotel is also just minutes away from underground stations, bus stations, and the airport.Lancaster Gate Hotel Hyde Park is a good place for business and leisure activities. It is equipped with recreational facilities that include a gym, as well as a health and fitness center, as well as Meeting rooms.

Overnight at Lancaster Gate.

You will meet your small group at the Lancaster gate hotel at 08.30am this morning. On your introductory morning you will leave London and travel along the old stage-coach route to Salisbury, gateway to the West Country and home to one of England’s most magnificent cathedrals. Built in the 13th century, the cathedral has the second highest spire in Europe and contains the oldest working clock mechanism in the world, as well as an original copy of the Magna Carta. From here you will follow the old Roman road to Dorchester, made famous by Thomas Hardy’s novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge. This sleepy town of Roman origin has as much to offer the casual visitor as it has to Thomas Hardy fans, with its award-winning town museum and typically eclectic English architecture - a country town par excellence. Just to the south you can climb a hill fort that’s even older than Dorchester - the prehistoric settlement of Maiden Hill, largest of its kind in Britain and site of a battle that secured Roman control of southern England led by Vespasian in AD 43.

This afternoon’s drive will take you along the UNESCO World Heritage ‘Jurassic Coast’ to the home of fossils, Lyme Regis. This unspoilt Georgian seaside resort was once an important port and retains its Saxon harbour wall called the ‘Cob’ where Meryl Streep gazes out to sea in the film The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Jane Austen was a frequent visitor and set part of her novel Persuasion here.

You will overnight in a comfortable property this evening in Sidmouth. (Hotel to be confirmed at a later date).

Overnight at Hotel To be confirmed.

The journey this morning takes you through Devon, stopping off if time permits at the magnificent Buckfast Abbey, then on to the gorgeous south Cornish coast. Visit the impossibly quaint fishing village of Polperro where some of the streets are so narrow you can touch both sides while standing in the middle. The region enjoys a temperate climate and the British love of flowers and plants is demonstrated by the large number of wonderful sub-tropical gardens in the area.

This afternoon visit one of the best, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, a 19th century paradise re-discovered and restored to its former glory by gardener-magician Tim Smitt. The late afternoon drive winds its way along the Cornish coast down country roads.

Overnight at Hotel to be confirmed.

Start today with a visit to the fascinating and historical St Michael's Mount. Legend says this fairytale island was once home to a giant, Cormoran, the last of his race, who inhabited Britain at some indeterminate, mythical time, when history was story and story was fact. Discover the medieval castle – once a monastery - and delve into the island’s past, the fortress, its church, and a harbour that saw the galleys of Phoenician traders. Depending on the tide, follow a cobbled causeway (walked by pilgrims since the Middle Ages) or take a small boat to the island from the little Cornish town of Marazion. From here we move on to the lovely Gardens of Trebah, a sub-tropical Eden on the tranquil Helford River. Stroll through the woodland glades down to the foreshore and wander around the numerous themed enclaves. But it is not only a beautiful garden in a striking setting. Learn about its wartime significance and also its place in British motor sport history and then, why not enjoy a snack in its award winning café.

The last visit today will be to Cornwall's largest fortress, Pendennis Castle, one of a pair which guarded the entrance to Falmouth Harbour. The castle was built by Henry VIII in the 16th century as part of a defensive chain to guard against attack by Spanish or French forces when England was challenging these two countries for control of the High Seas. Finally, for today, drive the short distance to your base for the next three nights.

Overnight at Green Lawns Hotel (B) or similar.

Today is free for you to explore the historic town of Falmouth. This town is situated on the west side of the famous Falmouth, Carrick Roads natural harbour, once one of England’s most important naval anchorages. There are numerous options to tempt different interests. Falmouth itself is home to the Cornwall branch of the National Maritime Museum and also to its own Falmouth Art Gallery. The town has also featured in films and TV series and been the home to both real and fictional characters.

Another alternative that you may like to do today would be a short ferry ride across the harbour brings you to St. Mawes Castle, the other half of the Falmouth protective castle pair, and possibly the best preserved example of Henry’s chain of fortifications. Alternatively, a short train ride alongside the Restronguet Creek and Fal River would bring you to Cornwall’s capital city, Truro, with its triple-spired Gothic Revival style Cathedral.

Overnight at Green Lawns Hotel (B) or similar.

More Cornish delights unfold as you admire the stunning scenery and wide vistas of a ship-wrecking turquoise sea on the coastal drive towards the British mainland’s south-western extremity at Land's End. You will start the day in the delightful old fishing town of St Ives. Being on a peninsula and surrounded by sandy beaches, St Ives offers some great walking and cycling opportunities and wonderful views of stunning coastal scenery. The town has always attracted artists for its light, and a host of galleries have sprung up; the most famous include Tate St Ives (of international fame) and the Barbara Hepworth Gallery - both well worth a visit. If you don’t have a passion for art you will find plenty to occupy you here in the maze of streets around the old harbour. Surfers and sunbathers, artists and foodies all flock to this special place. Here’s your chance to sample rich ice-creams, Cornish pasties or Atlantic crab & oysters.

Journey on through a landscape, unique in Europe, of tiny Iron Age fields bounded by stone walls, so old they’re now earthen banks, strewn with native flowers that proliferate in this most unpolluted of regions. Stone circles, Celtic crosses and the remains of ancient villages still dot the peninsula. Adding to the mix are the eerie stone engine-houses, remnants of Cornwall’s tin-mining past, a contribution to this coast that has earned it UNESCO World Heritage Status. Visit one of these sites and the late Iron Age village of Chysauster, making other stops at interesting spots throught the afternoon. Before returning to your accommodation, take a peek at another of Cornwall’s most celebrated fishing villages, Mousehole where you have time to stroll around the tiny harbour and poke a nose into one or two of the miniscule cottages that surround it.

Overnight at Green Lawns Hotel (B) or similar.

Today you glimpse the rugged north coast of Cornwall. Visit the picturesque fishing village of Port Isaac, famously featured in the television series “Doc Martin” and see other typical Cornish coastal villages.

Today's highlight may well be lunch in Padstow at “The Seafood Restaurant”, Rick Stein’s flagship restaurant in this gastronomic haven. Enjoy! (lunch included)

After a relaxing and delicious lunch, head inland across windswept hills towards Dartmoor and tonight's accommodation. If time allows, a possible call into we  the old capital of Cornwall, Launceston, may be on the agenda. The town boasts Cornwall's grandest medieval castle, supposedly the “White Castle” of Arthurian legend.  Take in the scenery on the drive towards Dartmoor to tonight's charming accommodation.

Overnight at The Two Bridges (B) or similar.

This morning explore the high lanes and sunken lanes of Devon's Dartmoor, keeping your eyes open for the wild ponies and roaming sheep that have right of way on many of the roads up here. You have time for a few stops before driving to the last major highlight of the tour, the cathedral city of Wells in Somerset. This is the smallest city in England and is often said to have the most beautiful cathedral. It may also have the best preserved medieval precincts of any cathedral in Europe. Your guide will make sure that you see both and you will also have some free time to explore the local shops, or perhaps enjoy a coffee before our return to London.

You will be returned to London city centre, and dropped off at the 66 Lancaster Gate Hotel at approximately 6pm this afternoon. Bid farewell to your Guide and fellow travellers before parting ways before considering your evening plans tonight in London! 

Overnight at Lancaster Gate.

Consider any number of shared or private tours such as a guided tour of the TATE modern museum, a city highlights tour, a hop on hop off city tour taking you to all of the main sights within the city and allowing you to get on and off as often as you like. For activities further afield, consider a day trip to Oxford and Blenheim palace or Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath. Please speak to your Sales Advisor if you would like more information on optional tours and activities that you could add to your itinerary.

Meet your driver at your hotel and be taken to Heathrow Airport by a private transfer.

Depart from International Airport. End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart (Int`l Airport).