Best of Britain

Day 2 - Polperro and Dartmoor Excursion

Your orientation of Plymouth includes the Mayflower steps where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for the New World. See the Royal Citadel overlooking Plymouth Sound. Consider taking an optional cruise around the famous coastline. Visit Polperro, a quaint fishing village nested around a picturesque harbour. Travel along rugged Dartmoor, famous for its dramatic and breathtaking scenery. Later enjoy a Cultural Insight at Buckfast Abbey where Abbotts have lived and prayed for nearly 1000 years.

Day 3 - Exeter - Glastonbury - Cardiff

Enjoy a picturesque drive through the South West countryside to visit ruined Glastonbury Abbey, said to be the burial place of King Arthur. Later enjoy a special lunch in a 15th century Manor House on a working dairy farm in Somerset. Cardiff, the capital of Wales, is your final destination. View impressive Cardiff Castle and the Millennium stadium during your orientation, before checking in at your hotel.

Overnight: Leonardo Hotel, Cardiff (or similar)

Day 4 - Cardiff - Chester - Liverpool

View the Malvern Hills on your way to visit the Tudor market town of Ludlow in Shropshire. Your Travel Director takes you on a walking orientation tour of Chester, which includes views of the medieval walls, the famous Tudor Rows and Chester Cathedral. Liverpool is the home of the Merseybeat. This evening hear tales of the ‘Fab Four' as you drive through Liverpool with your Local Specialist on an included Beatles tour.

Overnight: Leonardo Hotel, Liverpool /Leonardo Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester (or similar) Your hotel will be dependent on your departure date

Day 5 - Liverpool - Lake District - Glasgow

Travel north through characteristically glorious scenery from Lancashire to the Lake District. Travelling along the shores of England's largest lake - Windermere, and through countryside that inspired the Romantic poets, you reach Grasmere. View the grave of William Wordsworth, buried at St. Oswald's Church. We cross the Scottish border and visit Gretna Green, where eloping couples would say their vows over the anvil. This afternoon your orientation tour of Glasgow includes views of Glasgow Cathedral, magnificent George Square and the River Clyde, former heart of the shipbuilding industry. Celebrate your first night in Scotland with a Regional Meal in a local restaurant

Overnight: Novotel Glasgow Centre /Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow (or similar)

Day 6 - Glasgow - Glen Coe - Scottish Highlands

Enter the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and journey along the "bonnie, bonnie banks", immortalised in the well-known Scottish song towards the site of the 1692 massacre Glen Coe - ‘Glen of the Weeping'. At the Commando Memorial near Fort William see breathtaking views of Britain's highest mountain Ben Nevis. Dine tonight at your hotel in the Scottish Highlands.

Overnight: The Laggan Hotel, Cairngorms / Craiglynne Hotel (or similar) (2 nights) Your hotel will be dependent on your departure date

Day 7 - Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Excursion

This morning travel to the coast and take a ferry over the sea to Skye from Mallaig to Armadale. Drive up the Sleat Peninsula and admire the spectacular scenery of the Cuillin Hills before stopping for time to have lunch. Cross over a road bridge to view scenic Eilean Donan Castle back on the mainland. Continue your journey through the majestic Scottish Highlands, winding past serene lochs and misty glens. Don’t forget your camera — you might just spot the elusive ‘Nessie’ along the way.

Day 8 - Scottish Highlands - St. Andrews - Edinburgh

Heading south, stop in the picturesque village of Pitlochry before driving to the historic town of St. Andrews, the home of golf. See the University, Scotland's oldest; ancient St Andrews Cathedral and take a photograph on the 18th green of the Old Course, where the game was first played 600 years ago. Cross the Firth of Forth to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, your home for the next two nights. During the Edinburgh Festival tickets to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in the castle grounds are included

Overnight: Marriot Hotel, Edinburgh (or similar) (2 nights)

Day 9 - Edinburgh City Tour and Edinburgh Castle

This morning your Local Specialist takes you on a sightseeing tour of this wonderful city, followed by your choice of sightseeing to Edinburgh Castle or Edinburgh's Camera Obscura. See the Royal Mile, the elegant Palace of Holyroodhouse in the shadow of Arthur's Seat and the new Scottish Parliament building. Admire the elegant Georgian architecture in the New Town. Tonight why not enjoy an optional night out including traditional song, dance and Scottish fare?.

Day 10 - Edinburgh - Alnwick - York

Visit the medieval market town of Alnwick. See impressive Alnwick Castle, home to the Duke of Northumberland and the Tenantry Column, topped by the Percy Lion. Marvel at the magnificent scenery as we travel through the Northumberland National Park. Cross the River Tyne at Newcastle en route to York where your walking orientation includes the medieval walls, the Shambles and the awe-inspiring York Minster. This evening enjoy a Farewell Dinner with your fellow travellers.

Overnight: Novotel Centre, York (or similar)

Day 11 - York - Stratford-upon-Avon - London

View Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage and visit Shakespeare's Birthplace and Visitor Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where the Bard was born and raised. Explore the cobbled streets or walk along the banks of the River Avon. Later, travel back to London where your amazing holiday comes to an end.