Your itinerary
Map
Tour Pace
Well paced tour with two night
stays in the contrasting cities of
Edinburgh,
Dublin & Tralee; plus the variation
in pace with the two different Irish ferry
crossings to Dublin and from
Rosslare.
DAY 1
– LONDON
– YORK
A warm welcome from your Tour
Director this morning! We drive through
the Oxfordshire
countryside into the 'heart of England'
to
Stratford-upon-Avon,
where
we visit the birthplace of
the Bard, William
Shakespeare. Then we
head north to
York, the
ancient capital of Viking Britain. History
unfolds before us as we pass the crooked
houses of the
'Shambles'
to reach the
Minster,
England's largest medieval cathedral.
Tonight,
enjoy a Welcome Drink with
your fellow travellers.
Hotel: Marriott.
(Three or four course table d'hote or
buffet style dinner)
DAY 2 – YORK –
EDINBURGH
First stop this morning is a visit to
the city
of Durham
where
we see the
castle and the fine
romanesque
cathedral.
We see an interesting section of
Hadrian's Wall, Britain's most
impressive Roman
monument, before crossing the wild
Northumberland moors into Scotland. We
pass Jedburgh
Abbey and the house of the
ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots on our way
to the
elegant capital of
Edinburgh, for
our two night stay. Hotel:
Point. (Full breakfast)
DAY 3 – EDINBURGH
SIGHTSEEING
On our guided tour, we
visit the castle
dominating the city from
its rocky crag. We also drive down the
Royal Mile, past
the venerable
St Giles'
Cathedral, to see the
Queen's Holyroodhouse
Palace
before crossing over to the 18th century
New Town. This
afternoon
there is time to shop on elegant
Prince's Street. (This
evening selected
departuresenjoy
the Military Tattoo – a colourful
mixture of historic
battles and modern military
manoeuvres complete
with pipes and drums.)
(Full breakfast)
DAY 4 – EDINBURGH
– HIGHLANDS
We cross the Firth of Forth to
St Andrews,
where golf was born
in the 15th century. Then to Perth, to
visit the famous Caithness
Glass Factory.
Next we visit a whisky
distillery where the local
water, the finest
malt, and age old skills combine to
produce a 'wee dram' which we'll be able to
taste! Then over the Grampian Mountains
for a warm highland welcome in Newtonmore.
Tonight we enjoy a highlight
dinner with haggis, accompanied by the
sound
of the bagpipes.
Hotel: The
Highlander. (Full
breakfast, Speciality Highlight Dinner)
DAY 5 – HIGHLANDS
– LAKE DISTRICT
Mountains and glens greet us this
morning, as we drive through dramatic
Glencoe.
Then it's down to the
'bonnie' banks of Loch Lomond
to board our highlight guided cruise on
one of Scotland's most beautiful
lochs.
We then continue south through Glasgow
into the Southern Uplands of Scotland
before
crossing the border to arrive at our
hotel in the stunning English
Lake District.
Hotel: Windermere
Hydro. (Full Breakfast,
Three or four course table d’hote
or buffet style dinner)
DAY 6 – LAKE DISTRICT
– CHESTER
This morning we have time to enjoy
the beauty of the Lake
District,
whose combination of fells, lakes and
valleys has made it the best loved scenery
in England. There is time maybe to take
a cruise on Lake Windermere, before we stop
in Grasmere
where the Lakeland poet William
Wordsworth is buried.
Then we continue to our hotel in
Chester.
Hotel: Hoole Hall.
(Full Breakfast, Three or four course
table d’hote or buffet style
dinner)
DAY 7 – CHESTER –
DUBLIN
We step back into Roman times this
morning in Chester. We see the ancient
encircling
walls and the remarkable
13th century black and white galleried
'Rows',
now shopping arcades. We now continue
into Wales. We glimpse the massive
Conwy
Castle before crossing the
Menai Straits to
pass through the
world famous village with the very Welsh
and unpronounceable name of
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!
Next stop is Holyhead from where we
'sail across the sea' to Ireland and its
capital,
Dublin for our
two night stay. Hotel:
Burlington. (Full
breakfast)
DAY 8 – DUBLIN
SIGHTSEEING
Today our local guide
shows us Dublin's elegant
Georgian
squares, and the equally
impressive
Castle, which we
visit
(when open). We also see the Irish
President's home in Phoenix
Park,
famous O'Connell
Street and the historic
Customs House.
The afternoon is at leisure to shop in
elegant Grafton Street, or continue
sightseeing?
Tonight, an Irish cabaret show and
dinner is an option. (Full breakfast)
DAY 9 – DUBLIN
– TRALEE
Today we drive to County Kildare,
Ireland's premier thoroughbred horse
country,
for a guided tour of the
National Stud. We also
admire the adjoining
Japanese
Gardens. Now we view one of
the great sights of Ireland,
the Rock of
Cashel. Then across the
rolling pastures which encircle
Tipperary, immortalised in the famous
song! Tonight, we enjoy plenty of Irish
hospitality
in Tralee.
Hotel: Abbey
Gate. (Full Breakfast,
Three or four course table d’hote
or buffet style dinner)
DAY 10 –
RING OF KERRY
EXCURSION
Our excursion today takes us around
the magical Ring of
Kerry.
We venture into a world of towering
cliffs, lush lake lands and remote
villages,
and, above all, Ireland's highest
mountain range; The MacGillicuddy Reeks.
A sense
of the unhurried pace of Irish life
surrounds us as we view the three
peaceful Lakes
of Killarney. Before
returning to Tralee you might wish to
take a ride with
the locals on one of Killarney's
jaunting cars? (Full breakfast)
DAY 11 – TRALEE –
WATERFORD
We cross the rugged Derrynasaggart
Mountains to
Blarney, where
we visit the woollen
mill and the
ancient castle,
where we'll never be lost for words
after kissing
the famous 'Blarney
Stone'. Then on through the
scenic port of
Dungarvan
to Waterford.
Here, we admire the sparkling
display
of crystal
and then on to our hotel for the night.
Hotel: Dooleys.
(Full Breakfast, Three or four course
table d’hote or buffet style
dinner)
DAY 12 – WATERFORD
– CARDIFF
This morning we drive to Rosslare to
take the ferry across the Irish Sea to
Pembroke.
Then we continue past the valleys of
South Wales to the Welsh capital,
Cardiff,
famous for its imposing
Castle and the
new Millennium
Stadium.
Hotel: Jury's
Cardiff. (Full breakfast)
DAY 13 – CARDIFF
– LONDON
Today we drive across the
Severn bridge,
spanning the Bristol channel
between England and Wales, then on to
Bath with its
Georgian
streets and crescents,
where we visit the
Roman Baths. Now over
Salisbury Plain to stop and
visit the mysterious
megaliths of Stonehenge.
From here we're bound for London where
our tour
ends. (Full breakfast)
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