Best of British Tour

Your tour departs from London at 9am. Travelling west we reach Salisbury Plain where we visit the remarkable megaliths of Stonehenge. After time at leisure in nearby Salisbury, we continue to Gloucestershire where we stay for the next four nights. Join us tonight for a welcome drink before dinner. This is an ideal chance to meet, and get to know, your Tour Manager and fellow travellers. 

A leisurely start this morning before we drive into Somerset to visit Britain’s earliest Christian sanctuary – the famous ruins of Glastonbury. Legendary burial place of King Arthur and his Queen Guinevere, Glastonbury was once the grandest and richest abbey in England. Later we visit Bath’s famous Roman Baths and Pump room. The remainder of your afternoon and evening is at leisure to explore Bath’s picturesque cathedral, the Georgian crescents, sights and shops. 

 After another leisurely start we skirt around Gloucester and enter the delightful Welsh borderlands, where we enjoy our first stop of the day in Monmouth, Wales. Later we enjoy a scenic drive south, alongside the winding and picturesque River Wye, to Tintern. A highlight of your day will be our visit to the ancient ruins of Tintern’s Cistercian Abbey, romantically set in a peaceful forest, providing inspiration to poets through the centuries. Later we enjoy a photo stop at Chepstow Castle. Set high above the River Wye, this Norman Castle dates back nearly 1000 years.

On the outskirts of Bristol we will also stop to take in the majestic Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by the great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, which gracefully spans the River Avon. The remainder of your afternoon and evening is free in Bristol to explore the beautifully rejuvenated wharves and discover a local pub or restaurant for an early dinner. 

Today we visit Oxford, home to one of Europe’s oldest and most famous universities. A local guide takes us on a walking tour around the city and its colleges. Later this afternoon we will wander leisurely through one of the most beautiful and unique regions in England – the Cotswolds. Our country drive will take us through famous villages such as Bourton-on-the-Water and we enjoy an afternoon stop in Chipping Campden. 

 

Heading north, we arrive into Chester late morning. Rich in Roman ruins, Chester also has a wonderfully preserved medieval centre, full of half-timbered houses and the famous ‘Rows’ – double level, balconied shopping arcades that date back to the Middle Ages, 700 years ago. Whilst exploring this incredibly historic town make sure you take a walk along the perfectly preserved, red stone, Roman city walls.
Mid afternoon we continue to the picturesque Lake District where we stay two nights. 

We will spend a delightful day touring the famous Lake District. This morning we visit Ambleside and Grasmere where we have included entrance to the Wordsworth Museum and a guided visit through Dove Cottage, once home to the poet William Wordsworth. In the afternoon we enjoy a cruise to Lakeside, on Lake Windermere. Here we board a beautifully preserved steam train for a short 6 kilometre ride through the glorious countryside of Beatrix Potter to Newby Bridge and Haverthwaite. 

Crossing into Scotland we enjoy a morning tea stop in Gretna Green before we reach the New Lanark World Heritage Site, a sensitively restored 18th century cotton mill village in South Lanarkshire. The giant mill wheels still sit over the torrential river and the 200 year old terraced houses have been restored offering an intriguing look at the workers family life two centuries ago. Later we continue to Edinburgh, where we stay for the next three nights. Before arriving at your hotel we have included a tour and tasting to sample a ‘wee tipple’ at the Scotch Whisky Experience. 

* 22 May departure stays 3 nights at Mercure Edinburgh Haymarket.
*  Subject to availability of tickets, the 14 August departure may include attending a performance of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo one evening during our Edinburgh stay.


 

After a hearty Scottish breakfast, we are joined by a local guide to discover this city’s rich history. The highlight of your morning will be crossing the drawbridge to visit Edinburgh Castle, which dominates the city’s skyline. Your afternoon and evening are at leisure in this grand city. 
 

This morning we travel to the Trossachs and the town of Callander, in the heart of Rob Roy country. Set dramatically beneath high, wooded crags, this delightful town with its tearooms, craft and woollen shops makes the ideal morning tea stop. Continuing on we visit Stirling, the ancient capital of Scotland, that lies at the heart of the nation’s history. The streets of the old town wind upwards towards the castle, 250 feet up on a craggy rock.

Our local guide takes us through this grand fortification, with its splendid views across the countryside to the Wallace Monument – built in commemoration of this legendary Scottish hero, William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace. Tonight we have arranged an unmissable evening. Enjoy dinner, including a taste of haggis, neeps and tatties & traditional Scottish entertainment including bagpipes, fiddles and dance. 

Crossing the border into England, and Northumbria, we reach striking Alnwick Castle where we have included a privately guided visit. Dating back 1000 years the grand staterooms and lavish furnishings will not disappoint. Home to the current Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, Alnwick Castle is also famous for having featured in numerous TV series and movies such as special editions of Downton Abbey, and of course as mysterious ‘Hogwarts’ in the Harry Potter series. In the afternoon we will also enjoy a stop in the beautiful city of Durham with its majestic cathedral. Later we continue to the spa town of Harrogate where we stay the next three nights. 
 

This morning will be spent in the nearby city of York. After a city orientation tour the rest of the morning will be at leisure. Make sure you visit the Minster, the largest gothic church in England, go shopping in narrow streets around the historic ‘Shambles’ (the preserved medieval street) or maybe walk along the Roman built city walls. This afternoon we return to Harrogate to indulge in a decadent afternoon tea of dainty sandwiches, handmade cakes, scones and specialty teas experience, in the Imperial Room at ‘Betty’s Café Tea Rooms’. This private room with its beautiful 1920s plasterwork and oak fittings offers unrivalled views of the Montpellier Gardens.
 

Driving east, we stop at Pickering where we board a heritage train of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for the ride to Goathland. With its charming 1930 village atmosphere, this station is known to many as Aidensfield in the television series Heartbeat, and also as the bewitching Hogsmeade Station in the first Harry Potter film. From here we drive to the coastal town of Whitby, once home to the famous explorer Captain Cook, where we enjoy lunchtime at leisure. This afternoon we visit Castle Howard, the setting for the famous TV drama ‘Brideshead Revisited’.  
 

A special treat today as we step back in time inside the notorious Galleries of Justice in Nottingham on our private ‘Crime and Punishment’ tour. You will be given a cell number and stand trial for your heinous crime. Will you be executed? Or worse still, be deported from here to that horrendous colony – Australia! Be locked in the old deportation cells before experiencing the ordeals on the ‘Convict Ship’. Voted Britain’s No. 1 Small Tourism Attraction in 2014, this amazing museum has a host of exhibitions and memorabilia. Arriving in Stratford-upon-Avon we visit Anne Hathaway’s cottage before settling into our central hotel, where we stay for the next two nights. Tonight enjoy a traditional roast dinner with all the trimmings in a local restaurant.  

This morning we visit nearby Warwick and its medieval castle. An expert local guide will join us to breathe life into a thousand years of secrets which hide in the shadows of the castle – tales of murder, mystery, intrigue and scandal. After also visiting Shakespeare’s Birthplace the rest of the day and evening will be free to relax and wander the streets of Elizabethan Stratford-upon-Avon.
 

Travelling south we skirt London and enjoy a morning stop in Windsor. Later we continue into the heart of Kent and arrive at Leeds Castle where we stay our last, and most memorable night! Set romantically on an island surrounded by a broad moat, the Castle, Gatehouse and Maiden’s tower comprise one of the world’s greatest sights. Tonight the entire castle becomes ours to enjoy! We have included a private tour through the grand staterooms, halls, library, chapel and the 13th century section of the castle. Later, in the Library, we will enjoy a pre-dinner drink before our farewell dinner in Lady Baillie’s Dining Room. 

Mid morning, after a leisurely breakfast, we will transfer to St Pancras and Paddington stations, in central London, where your tour ends.