Small Group Tour: 2013 Highlights of Britain (England, Wales & Scotland)

One of the world's great cities, vibrant London manages to shine in the greyest weather and its diversity defies a simple definition. This sprawling city has drawn people for centuries, looking for something and finding the unexpected. It's one of the world's most international cities and its influences blend to create something uniquely wonderful. Let your Guide know your particular interests and he/she will help you discover the city on your half day walking tour of central London. Learn how to take the "tube", explore the cobblestone streets, gardens, and markets, and be a Londoner for a day. Your Guide will meet you at your hotel. Please note that one should wear comfortable shoes and a hat; suitable for children. (No entrance fees included)

There is always plenty happening during the evening in London, regardless of the season or time of year. Consider spending an enjoyable evening at the theatre or watching a broadway musical. Alternatively, a dinner cruise or a medieval banquet dinner in the company of Henry VIII complete with jousting knights, minstrels, troupers and strolling players by flickering torchlight in the vaulted cellars of Ivory House, just a stones throw from the Tower of London and Tower Bridge may catch your fancy. Please speak to your Sales Advisor if any of these options are of interest.

Meet with your small group and driver/guide who you will be in the company of for the next nine days. The Meeting point is the Royal Garden Hotel, 2-24 Kensington High Street, London.

After London, there is no better introduction to England than Oxford. The ‘city of dreaming spires’ is beautiful but has more to offer than just looks. Its university has ensured that it is rich in the history. Poets and politicians, artists and scientists – they’ve been coming here for over 800 years. See the grandest of all Oxford’s colleges, Christ Church, once the home of Lewis Carroll, before enjoying a guided walk of the city.

After lunch you`ll drive to a traditional 18th century woollen-mill in the Cotswolds, to learn about the industry that represents the cornerstone of Cotswold heritage. Continue to  wind your way through the lovely, honey-coloured villages and little towns of the Cotswold Hills. The small group touring vehicles will allow getting down narrow country lanes as you travel to the selected Cotswold accommodation this evening.

Tonight you will have a welcome dinner at the world famous 'Pudding Club'.

After waking in this idyllic place, leave the Cotswolds to drive across the fruit growing Vale of Evesham to Worcester. Off the tourist trail here, enjoy a visit to one of England’s quietest but most interesting cathedrals, and see the tomb of infamous King John who was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215.

Continue northwards to the town of Much Wenlock. Impossibly quaint, this little town is home to a big secret, the birthplace of the modern Olympics. Then a short drive brings you to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ironbridge to see the first arch bridge in the world to be made ouf of cast iron. The day culminates  with a  drive across lush dairy country to historic Chester, once the Roman City of Deva, and your comfortable accommodation for the night.

Leaving proper exploration of Chester until tomorrow, be prepared to be awe-struck as you travel across the border into Wales to explore Snowdonia National Park, an area of outstanding beauty. This National Park is gathered around the highest mountain in England and Wales, Snowdon. It has narrow mountain passes, gushing streams (or ‘nants’), cascading waterfalls, sheep-covered uplands and verdant, hidden valleys that claim the resting place of the real King Arthur.

This afternoon, continue back to Chester along the North Wales coast, visiting the most complete walled town in Britain, Conwy, in Wales, and its stark 13th century castle.

This morning you'll get to explore charming Chester, a city whose 2000 year-old history is on display like no other. Complete medieval walls surround the city on Roman foundations from which the old Roman amphitheatre, the most complete in Britain, can be seen. Marvel at Chester’s unique Rows, Britain’s first shopping mall, whose rows of medieval, ‘black and white’ buildings with covered walkways, are built upon Roman cellars and accessed from the street.

Hitting the road again, you'll travel east across England’s backbone, the Pennine hills, to proud Yorkshire and the Bronte parsonage at Haworth. Go back in time to the world that inspired the Bronte sisters to write the likes of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. You will then briefly stop at Salts Mill, set in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saltaire. The Grade II Listed historic mill was built in 1853 by Sir Titus Salt along with the village to house his workers. Your final stop today is in the market town of Otley, for an early evening meal, before you continue to York, the historic capital of northern England.

Enjoy another tasty meal this evening.

York is the historic capital of northern England and home to the largest Gothic structure north of the Alps, the medieval Minster that’s a must-see for anyone visiting The North. This morning your guide will take you through the old city and point out the highlights, including the city walls, York Minster, the York Castle Museum, the Jorvik (Viking) Centre, Clifford’s Tower and the famous Shambles, which gets its name from the bloody medieval butchers’ shops that once lined this narrow, cobbled street.

This afternoon you'll have some free time to revisit some of these places or perhaps visit the National Railways Museum. You may prefer just to wander through the winding pedestrian streets, take tea at the world famous Betty’s Tearooms or something stronger in one of York’s numerous historic pubs.

Today you make your way to Whitby, dipping into the imposing North Yorkshire Moors on the way. First stop is at the Magpie Café to taste their wonderful fish and chips, reputedly the best in Britain. Then visit the museum chronicling a young Captain Cook’s training as a seaman before embarking on his epic voyages of discovery. Continue to travel west, stopping at a traditional Yorkshire brew house to sample award winning ale, before enjoying the wonderful scenery of the Yorkshire Dales. Next stop is Lake Windermere, your base for the next two nights.

Today you will enjoy one of Britain’s most beautiful national parks. Crossing Lake Windermere, your first stop is Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm, still as she left it and where some of her famous characters were created. Continue on to Hawkshead, home of the Beatrix Potter Gallery and the Old Grammar School attended by William Wordsworth, where the Museum still houses his original desk. Afterwards, wind your way through the beautiful back roads of this striking region, stopping for lunch in one of the countless picturesque villages in the area.

This afternoon, you will drive to Grasmere where you visit Sarah Nelson’s famous Gingerbread Shop, which has been making this delicacy since 1854. Taste gingerbread and learn about its history before you make your way to Dove Cottage, once home to the poet William Wordsworth and inspiration for his Daffodils poem. At the end of the day, enjoy a short cruise on the lake before returning to your accommodation.

Tuck into another hearty dinner this evening after your days exploration.

This morning you will drive to the village of Orton, where you visit a small family homemade chocolate producer. Then travel through the lush, green valley of the River Eden, one of England’s best salmon rivers, to Alston. Located high up in the North Pennies, Alston claims to be the highest market settlement in England. Driving through the lovely scenery of Northumberland, you follow Hadrian’s Wall until you reach Birdoswald Roman Fort, one of the best Roman sites on Hadrian’s Wall. Tonight you will stay in a restored 15th century medieval Scottish castle in Clarencefield.

Enjoy a 3-course Scottish themed farewell banquet dinner this evening together with your fellow travellers.

As you travel north you will stop briefly at the ruins of Hermitage Castle. This remote and spooky castle was the scene of many bloody battles in the territorial wars between the Scots and the English. Then pass through dramatic moorlands on the way to Scott’s View, loved by Scotland’s most famous novelist Sir Walter Scott. Continue to Melrose, home of the rugby sevens and Melrose Abbey, the burial place of Robert the Bruce’s heart.

In the afternoon visit one of the most mysterious sites in Scotland, Rosslyn Chapel, which was featured in the best-selling film The Da Vinci Code. Drive towards Edinburgh, where your tour comes to an end.

You will be dropped off at The Royal Terrace Hotel in Edinburgh at approximately 5.30pm. Bid you Driver/Guide and fellow passengers farewell as you get ready for your continuing travel plans. 

Meet your driver for your private airport transfer today. Please note that this service includes up to 3 hours of service.