WONDERS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND

• Ponder the mysteries of the ancient megaliths of Stonehenge this morning, as we drive west to Bath with its elegant Georgian façades and the Roman Baths.
• Crossing the Severn Estuary to the Welsh capital, we view the Wales Millennium Centre and the National Assembly at Cardiff Bay.
• Enjoy warm hospitality and traditional Welsh pub fare and drinks this evening at a rousing Welcome Dinner with your travel companions and Travel Director.

Included Experience: Visit Stonehenge, Bath Orientation and Visit the Roman Baths

• This morning, we view the Principality Stadium during our orientation of Cardiff.
• Enjoy some leisure time in this modern capital.
• Perhaps visit the Victorian Gothic fantasy of Cardiff Castle at the heart of the city.
• We cross the Irish Sea by ferry to the ‘Emerald Isle’ and travel to historic Waterford, where we’ll dine in our hotel tonight.

Included Experience: Cardiff Orientation

Optional Experience: Cardiff Castle Tour

• Dive Into Culture and watch the master crafters of the renowned House of Waterford Crystal.
•  Then, kiss the Blarney Stone to acquire the ‘gift of the gab’, before travelling to the picturesque town of Killarney.

Included Experience: Visit Blarney Castle

Optional Experience: Explore Waterford’s History / Irish Ceilidh Evening / Celtic Steps

• Today we experience the enduring beauty of Ireland’s most scenic coastal drive around the Iveragh Peninsula.
• See Daniel O’Connell’s Cahirsiveen, the fishing village of Waterville, the Black Valley and Moll’s Gap with its panoramic views.
• Later, we Connect With Locals at Molly Gallivan’s 200-year-old cottage, sharing a memorable Be My Guest experience with the O’Sullivan family and their Kerry cows.

Included Experience: Join the O’Sullivan Family and their Kerry Cows for a Dinner Irish Stew at Molly Gallivan’s 200-Year Old Cottage and See the Ring of Kerry

Optional Experience: Experience a Jaunting Cart Ride

•  This morning as we visit the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary, the seat of Irish kings for centuries.
• We arrive this afternoon in Dublin, where we will join our Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour to see Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the stately Georgian Squares.
• This evening, consider joining an Optional Experience to enjoy the rousing sounds of an Irish cabaret.

Included Experience: Dublin City Tour and See the Rock of Cashel

Optional Experience: Dublin Dinner and Cabaret

• Dive Into Culture to discover the fascinating 250-year-old story of Guinness at its original home, the Guinness Storehouse.
• Then, top it off with a taste in their Gravity Bar while you enjoy the panoramic views of Dublin.
• The rest of the day is yours to soak up the cosy atmosphere of the Irish capital.
• Ramble through the buzzing streets of Temple Bar or visit Grafton Street, famous for its colourful street performers.

Included Experience: Discover how the world’s most famous stout is created at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin

Optional Experience: Experience the Ancient Monastic Site of Glendalough / Dinner in Dublin City

• Board the ferry to Wales.
• Admire the spectacular landscape of Snowdonia National Park as you travel to the ancient city of Chester, with its characteristic Tudor Rows and medieval walls.
• We arrive later in Liverpool, the haunt of the ‘Fab Four’, joining our companions for a tasty dinner.

Included Experience: Chester Orientation

Optional Experience: Famous Sights and the Fab Four

• Provides a mesmerising backdrop for our scenic drive from the lush green hills of Lancashire to the Lake District.
• Skirt the shores of England’s largest lake, Windermere, as we travel through countryside made famous by poet William Wordsworth.
• We cross the Scottish border and visit the runaway wedding capital that is Gretna Green.
• This evening, we arrive in beguiling Edinburgh, where we’ll spend the next two nights.

Included Experience: Scenic Drive Through the Lake District and Visit Gretna Green

Optional Experience: Johnnie Walker’s ‘Journey of Flavour’ Tour & Dinner on the Royal Mile / Scenic Cruise on Lake Windermere / Steam Train Ride and Windermere Cruise

• Join a Local Specialist this morning for a memorable sightseeing tour of this captivating capital, including a visit to Edinburgh Castle.
• See Auld Reekie’s Royal Mile and the elegant Palace of Holyroodhouse in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat, and admire the Georgian façades in Edinburgh’s New Town.
• Tickets to see the spectacular Edinburgh Tattoo are included on departures that coincide with performance dates.

Included Experience: Edinburgh City Tour

Optional Experience: Rosslyn Chapel / Dinner and Drive to Historic Torphichen / Ceilidh Evening and Dinner at Ghillie Dhu

• We journey south to the medieval market town of Alnwick with its impressive castle and Tenantry Column, upon which the Percy Lion sits and surveys the town.
• Marvel at the magnificent scenery as you cross Northumberland and the River Tyne at Newcastle en route to York where you’ll walk through the charming Shambles, see the medieval walls and York Minster, one of the greatest cathedrals in the world.

Included Experience: Alnwick Visit and York Orientation

Optional Experience: Ghost Walk and Dinner

• We visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Visitor Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon to see where the ‘Avon Bard’ was born and raised.
• View Anne Hathaway’s thatched cottage.
• This evening we join our fellow travellers and Travel Director for a Farewell Dinner.

Included Experience: Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon

Optional Experience: Shakespeare’s Schoolhouse Experience

• Journey to the Cotswolds this morning and the little churchyard at Bladon where Sir Winston Churchill is buried.
• Arriving in Oxford, the oldest university city in the British Isles, we’ll enjoy an orientation tour of the city to view the Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian Library and visit one of the university’s famous colleges (when open).
• We return to London this afternoon and bid a fond farewell to our Travel Director and newfound friends at the end of a wonderful holiday.

Included Experience: Oxford Orientation