Highlights of Britain

Prices From: $2201
Days: 7 days

Enjoy an entirely unique sightseeing experience, on a 7 day journey for those who want to fully experience the true British culture and history. And as a mini-tour you also get to enjoy some of the best-kept secrets of this idyllic land from shimmering lakes, towering mountains, thatched cottage villages, quaint harbours and medieval towns and cities. On leisurely days and fun evenings you'll discover the people, the history, the landscape and our culture.

Itinerary

Tour Itinerary

Enjoy an entirely unique sightseeing experience, on an 8 day journey for those who want to fully experience the true British culture and history. And as a mini-tour you also get to enjoy some of the best-kept secrets of this idyllic land from shimmering lakes, towering mountains, thatched cottage villages, quaint harbours and medieval towns and cities. On leisurely days and fun evenings you'll discover the people, the history, the landscape and our culture.

Day 1 - Cotswolds

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. We 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 we wind our way through the lovely, honey-coloured villages and little towns of the Cotswolds Hills. Our vehicles allow us to get down narrow country lanes as we travel to our Cotswold accommodation.

(D)
Overnight accommodation: Dormy House Hotel, Broadway or similar

Day 2 - Chester

After waking in this idyllic place we leave the Cotswolds to drive across the fruit growing Vale of Evesham to Worcester. Off the tourist trail here, we enjoy a visit to one of England's quietest but most interesting cathedrals, and your guide will show you the tomb of infamous King John who was forced to sign the Magna Carta. We continue our journey north to the town of Much Wenlock. Impossibly quaint, this little town is home to a big secret, the birthplace of the modern Olympics. We have the chance to visit a little museum explaining why, before we take a short drive to the cradle of the Industrial Revolution and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ironbridge. We step back to times gone by as we visit its stunning gorge and local Victorian museums that bring Britain's industrial heritage to life. We finish today by driving across lush dairy country to historic Chester and our comfortable accommodation.

(B)
Overnight accommodation: New Blossoms Hotel, Chester or similar

Day 3 - Snowdonia, Conwy Castle and Chester

Leaving proper exploration of Chester till tomorrow, be prepared to be awe-struck as we 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. Listen out for the ancient language of Arthur's time in this corner of Britain that keeps its ancient Welsh culture. We explore it in true Back-Roads fashion, taking you beyond the regular tourist haunts down tracks and paths that will have you gasping! This afternoon we continue back to Chester along the North Wales coast, visiting the most complete walled town in Britain, Conwy, and its stark 13th century Castle.

(B)
Overnight accommodation: New Blossoms Hotel, Chester or similar

Day 4 - York

This morning we 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. We have time to dip into the cathedral, founded in the 7th century, or to shop in Chester's unique Rows. Britain's first shopping mall, these are rows of medieval, 'black and white' buildings with covered walkways, built upon Roman cellars that are accessed from the street. This is shopping the Back-Roads way. Hitting the road again, we travel east across England's backbone, the Pennine hills, to proud Yorkshire and the Bronte parsonage at Haworth. Here we go back in time to the world that inspired the Bronte sisters to write the likes of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. After visiting their parsonage home, we will explore the steep little town beneath it and drive to the nearby moors which they loved so. On the way to tonight's hotel in York we pass through the flower capital of the north, Harrogate, a colourful spa town with a very British, genteel reputation.

(B/D)
Overnight accommodation: The Churchill Hotel, York or similar

Day 5 - York

Get your cameras ready as we investigate this fascinating city, the historic capital of northern England. York is 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 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 we 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.

(B)
Overnight accommodation: The Churchill Hotel, York or similar

Day 6 - Lake District

A real Back- Roads day today. First we explore the small, ancient, market town of Richmond and its impressive Norman Castle. Dating from 1071, it was here that the Scottish king William (the lion) was imprisoned after his capture by the English in 1174. The stark brutal architecture reflects a barbaric age, but gathered around the hill on which the castle squats is a much friendlier place, dominated by a large market square and picturesque stone buildings that tell stories of a long history of a Yorkshire town and its rural hinterland. From Richmond we go up fell and down dale into the Yorkshire Dales National Park. As we travel along Swaledale (a Yorkshire valley) and climb the bare hills (fells) we see hedgerows replaced by miles and miles of dry-stone walls, whose course reflects a system of land ownership that goes back to Viking days. As always, our mini-coach will take the less frequented roads over this stunning landscape through little Yorkshire villages to our destination in Cumbria, England's Lake District and our home for the next two nights.

(B/D)
Overnight accommodation: The Wild Boar Inn, Lake Windermere or similar

Day 7 - Edinburgh Walking Tour and Free Time

Today's journey in England's Lake District will provide a feast of photographic opportunities as we visit waterfalls, quaint local villages, and travel through panoramic and dramatic countryside. Our highlights include Grasmere, where we pay homage to the life and work of William Wordsworth at Dove Cottage, the Wordsworth Museum and Art Gallery. We also stop at the mystical Castlerigg Stone Circle, one of the British Isles' most ancient, erected 5000 years ago during the Neolithic period. We immerse ourselves in the stunning natural beauty of the region before returning to Windermere. Enjoy a glass of wine or local ale in a local pub and explore the local town under your own steam before our final group evening meal.

(B/D)
Overnight accommodation: The Wild Boar Inn, Lake Windermere or similar

Day 8 - Edinburgh

Following another delicious breakfast, we say goodbye to the truly memorable Lakes as we head north to Scotland and its Border and Lowland country. This wild landscape offers us an opportunity to see the towns and castles of this once lawless landscape of Border 'Reivers' (the words 'kidnap' and 'blackmail' both originate here) immortalised in the novelist Walter Scott's work. We visit the writer's romantic home at Abbotsford before arriving into Edinburgh. This afternoon we enjoy a panoramic tour of Scotland's beautiful capital city, which is home to two UNESCO World Heritage sites (the Old and New Towns). We conclude our tour here, however, we recommend you don't leave Scotland without tasting a 'dram of whisky'.
(B)

Optional Extras

Pre tour accommodation in London or post tour accommodation in Edinburgh.
Rail Tickets from Edinburgh to London.
Private or rail airport transfers.
Make your mini-tour part of an extended London/Edinburgh city break.

Prices

Prices

Dates and Rates

Departs London every other Monday throughout the 2011 season.

Departs London	Concludes Edinburgh	Price pp (USD$)
Mon 11th Apr	Mon 18th Apr	$2295
Mon 25th Apr	Mon 2nd May	$2295
Mon 9th May	Mon 16th May	$2295
Mon 23th May	Mon 30th May	$2295
Mon 6th Jun	Mon 13th Jun	$2295
Mon 20th Jun	Mon 27th Jun	$2295
Mon 4th Jul	Mon 11th Jul	$2295
Mon 18th Jul	Mon 25th Jul	$2295
Mon 1st Aug	Mon 8th Aug	$2295
Mon 15th Aug	Mon 22th Aug	$2295
Mon 29th Aug	Mon 5th Sept	$2295
Mon 12th Sep	Mon 19th Sept	$2295
Mon 26th Sep	Mon 3rd Oct	$2295
Mon 10th Sct	Mon 17th Oct	$2295