LONDON

The Royal Treatment LONDON Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes sights of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, Prime Minister’s Downing Street residence, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Free time this afternoon.

Breakfast

TOUR HIGHLIGHT HISTORIC SITES

See the legendary landmarks of England’s historic capital city. Walk where voices have rung out for centuries in Parliament Square and where chimes rise high above you with the ringing of Big Ben’s quarter bells. See Westminster Abbey, where royal coronations, weddings, and funerals have made history

LONDON–STONEHENGE–BATH

Ancient Stones & Spa Days LONDON Meet your Tour Director and travel companions at 8 am before departing for Stonehenge. STONEHENGE Visit the prehistoric monument. (Departure 19 June: due to closure, Stonehenge visit replaced by Salisbury Cathedral visit). BATH Visit the excavations of the Roman Baths. Free time the remainder of the day.

Breakfast Dinner 

TOUR HIGHLIGHT CULTURAL GEMS

The traditions of one ancient Roman ritual are in full flow in Bath. Amid the remarkable Roman and Georgian architecture and the best-preserved Roman Baths of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, a good spa day is never hard to find in one of the “Best Spa Towns in Europe.” The city of Bath sits above geothermal springs that bubble up from the limestone below. Bath also turns up the heat with some of Britain’s grandest Georgian buildings, a mecca for elite 18th-century society.

BATH–LUDLOW–LLANGOLLEN, WALES–LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND

Welsh Country Beauties LUDLOW Visit the historic market town. LLANGOLLEN Visit the picturesque town. LIVERPOOL Free time the remainder of the day.

LIVERPOOL–GRASMERE–GRETNA GREEN, SCOTLAND–EDINBURGH

Sonnets, Sweets & Scottish Blacksmiths LAKE DISTRICT Take a scenic drive. GRASMERE Visit Wordsworth’s beloved village. Sample the original Grasmere gingerbread. GRETNA GREEN See where a Scottish blacksmith performed weddings for eloping young couples. EDINBURGH Free time this evening.

EDINBURGH

Crown Jewels & Castle Views EDINBURGH Morning city sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the New Town, the Old Town, and a visit to Edinburgh Castle to see Scotland’s Crown Jewels.

Free time this afternoon.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT THE ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO

Unpack your plaid! Edinburgh Military Tattoo performances included on departures July 28, August 4, 11 and 18.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT MUSIC & MASTERPIECES

Ascend to Castle Rock to explore Edinburgh Castle, one of the most important historical strongholds in the Kingdom of Scotland, with a 1,100-year history as “the most besieged place in Great Britain”. Here, you’ll find the royal regalia and Scotland’s Crown Jewels. The Castle forms the background of the Tattoo, an extravaganza of bagpipes and drums performed en masse in August each year

EDINBURGH–ABBOTSFORD–JEDBURGH–YORK, ENGLAND

Augustine’s Monks & Medieval Markets ABBOTSFORD Take a guided tour of Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford House. JEDBURGH Take photos of the Augustinian abbey ruins. YORK See York Minster on a guided walk through The Shambles.

LOCAL FAVORITE HISTORIC SPOT

While strolling the cobblestones of York’s Shambles, it’s easy to imagine the medieval butcher shops and boisterous crowds bartering for beef and bones outside the 14th-century timber-framed windows. The Shambles is one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe, said to have been the inspiration behind Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, and today is a vibrant gathering place with cheerful cafés and quirky boutiques brimming with the sweet aromas of chocolate, pastries, and pies.

YORK–STRATFORD-UPON-AVON–LONDON

Mr. & Mrs. Shakespeare STRATFORDUPON-AVON See Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Breakfast 256 mi / 411 km

GAVIN CRUICKSHANK

Escorting tours for more than 20 years ” Having spent most of my youth in the hospitality industry, I became a Tour Director many years ago. Originally from Edinburgh, I enjoy showing travelers Britain and Ireland-from Land’s End and John O’Groats to Giant’s Causeway and Waterford. It fills me with so much pride to show off the countries and tell the stories of my ancestors to our guests.”

TOUR HIGHLIGHT A LEGEND SLEPT HERE

Ah, young love! Even more true, as Shakespeare’s fiancée was eight years his senior. See Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the family home where the bard’s wife-to-be was born and courted by young Will. Built more than 500 years ago, much of the original structure remains. Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace and family home in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon. Hear tales about his family life, marriage, and children with a close look at fascinating artifacts in a world-class collection assembled by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

LONDON

Safe travels until we meet again!
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.