Great Britain & Ireland (Reverse)

Jet off to the trip of a lifetime awaiting you in Europe!

Check-in to your hotel after 2pm and the remainder of the day is free to relax before meeting your fellow travellers at 6pm. After dinner take a short walk to explore nearby Covent Garden.

Hotel

Meet up with your fellow travellers and Tour Manager and jump on the coach for a look at London’s iconic buildings and UNESCO World Heritage sites in our included tour. Start your tour by learning about the Royal Family’s place of residence (Buckingham Palace), the horror tales of the Tower of London and the magnificent Westminster Abbey, where Princess Diana’s funeral service was held.

You’ll also get to see the UNESCO World Heritage site of Stonehenge. Choose to get up close to the famous ring of stones and learn more about the legends surrounding them in an optional excursion.

Next up: Bath and a taste of the high life. Time here means a look into the gorgeous city, complete with terraces, promenades and heritage buildings. Get the background on the city’s name and Roman past in an optional excursion to the stunning Roman Baths.

Later, we pull into the up-and-coming city of Wolverhampton for our overnight stay.

*Please note:* Tours departing in September & October 2011 will stay in Bristol instead of Wolverhampton. Please call our reservations team if you have any questions.

Hotel Dinner

Northbound, we continue on to the port city of Liverpool. Explore this cool town known as the birthplace of The Beatles and home to the famous Liverpool FC football club.

Back on the coach, take in the wild countryside of the Peak District as we head to York. It’s soaked in history and English traditions.

Your Tour Manager will wind back the clock and fill you in on York’s 2000-year-old history as you walk through the web of little lanes within the medieval city walls. You’ll see the impressive York Minister, the Shambles and Clifford’s Tower.

For legends and folklore, opt for a night-time ghost tour that takes you through dark historic alleyways of York. Our expert Local Guide, a typical story-teller, will give you the low down on whose ghosts haunt which houses!

Hotel Breakfast, Dinner

Back on the coach, we wind our way through the jaw-droppingly beautiful Lake District. The area has a reputation as England’s most scenic region and you’ll soon understand why. Filled with 16 major lakes, high peaks and cute, stone-built settlements, this region is all about picture-perfect countryside.

For a bit of action, have a go with the paddle and get out on the water in an optional canoeing or kayak activity. If you feel like getting some adrenaline pumping, try a high ropes course. For those who want to keep their feet firmly on the ground, there’s plenty of hiking trails through the beautiful English countryside.

This afternoon we travel to Bowness-on-Windemere. With free time, opt for a cruise on Lake Windermere and see for yourself why this region inspired so many poets. Otherwise, walk through this bustling town and find a cute tea room. If you’re keen, try a traditional English afternoon tea with tasty scones and hot tea.

Hotel Breakfast

Northbound, we’ll drop by the 2000-year-old Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman Empire’s most impressive engineering feat, before traveling on through the English countryside.

Afterwards, we farewell England and cross the border into Scotland, where we visit the small village and romantic hot spot of Gretna Green, famous for holding runaway marriages.

Later, we pull into the buzzing city of Edinburgh. Home to loads of festivals, cutting-edge Edinburgh serves up a fun, creative mix of ancient and modern.

You’ll get a good look around this striking city as your Tour Manager fills you in on the core sites of the Old and New Towns. Check out the Robbie Burns statue, the National Gallery and the Grass Market, where local artists, designers and craftspeople sell their wares.

Tonight, there’s a chance to experience a hearty Scottish meal, complete with haggis and a traditional bagpiper. After dinner, round up some friends and head out into the city’s pumping nightlife. Edinburgh has so much on offer – so ask your Tour Manager for some tips on the city’s cosy pubs, basement bars and happening clubs.

Hotel Breakfast

With a free day, decide how you want to shape your Edinburgh experience and explore this living time-line.

Explore the scene-stealing Edinburgh Castle, perched high up above the city on an extinct volcano, where the Scottish crown jewels and famous Stone of Destiny are housed. Retrace Scottish royalty’s footsteps and walk the Royal Mile with its jumble of medieval houses and buildings. See the Holyrood Palace, former home to Mary Queen of Scots.

For a one-stop shopping spot, make the most of Princes Street. From kilts and tartans to modern labels and cashmere, this street has it all.

At lunch, go local and order some traditional fish’n’chips and a deep fried chocolate bar if you’re feeling adventurous!

For a relaxing afternoon, spend some time in Edinburgh’s famous Botanical Gardens. Explore the 72 acres of grounds, exotic plants and stunning glass houses.

Hotel Breakfast, Dinner

Stop by St. Andrews, Scotland’s oldest university town and the “home of golf” where you’ll see the famous course of the same name that is used in major international tournaments. Then roll on through the Scottish Highlands, packed with wild mountain scenery, rugged green hills and the tales of old clans.

Next up is the stuff of legends – a cruise on the gorgeous & world-famous Loch Ness. This afternoon find out more as your Tour Manager fills you in on the lake’s mythical monster.

Back on the coach, plug in your headphones, sit back and take in the dramatic scenery. We drive past turreted castles and surging rivers before stopping for the night in this spectacular spot.

Hotel Breakfast, Dinner

This morning, we continue on past tiny villages, emerald green moors, lakes and seaside cliffs that the West Highlands are so famous for.

You’ll see the iconic Eilean Donan Castle – one of Scotland’s most recognized monuments. Sitting above the Alsh, Duic and Long Lochs, with a spectacular mountain backdrop, the 13th century castle is stunning.

On the stunning Isle of Skye, we visit the seaside town of Portree, known for its brightly coloured houses and charming fishing port. Next up: the bizarre landscapes of the Trotternish Peninsula, where sharp cliffs and stone pillars rise above the wild Atlantic Ocean. Your Tour Manager will tell you the stories and legends connected too this remote inner Herbridean Island and fill you in on how people live in this dramatic environment.

Later, we pass Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain, as we continue through the remote West Highlands.

Hotel Breakfast

We make our way to Glasgow this morning, via Stirling, famous for its iconic Castle and William Wallace Memorial. Your Tour Manager will tell you all about this historic point of conflict and the battles that took place here before we reach Scotland’s largest city.

We arrive in Glasgow this afternoon. It’s pulsing with urban soul, pubs filled with colourful characters and the most happening live music scene in the country.

There’s free time to explore this UNESCO city of music. Walk around the down town and see the city’s famed Victorian architecture, including Glasgow’s Gothic cathedral, the impressive City Chambers and St. George’s Square – located right in the city’s heart.

Tonight, get out amongst the locals and try some of Scotland’s tasty produce. Order yourself some of the country’s world-renowned salmon, trout or Aberdeen Angus beef and grab yourself a pint. Later, make the most of the live music scene and ask your Tour Manager where to go for door-to-door music venues.

Hotel Breakfast

Ferry across the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland and travel through County Meath and Boyne Valley - former seat of power for ancient kings and the site of one of Ireland’s most bloody battles.

Continue on to dynamic, down-to-earth Dublin. This bustling student town has a whole lot of heart and loads of things to do.

Discover Dublin’s fascinating heritage with your Tour Manager who’ll show you Trinity college, the 120m high Monument of Light, Parnell Square and St. Stephen’s Green, once the site of Dublin’s public floggings and hangings.

Afterwards, make the most of the night and head to the cultural hot spot of Temple Bar, where pubs, bars and cafes spill out onto cobbled lanes.

Hotel Breakfast, Dinner

Discover Kilkenny’s medieval charm and its signature sites, Kilkenny Castle and St. Canice’s Cathedral.

Hotel Breakfast, Dinner

En route for Cork, you’ll visit portside Cobh and its Heritage Centre, and get the background on the Titanic and her last port of call. Also find out about how 2.5 million people left Ireland from this spot during the famine.

Then stop by and see the Rock of Cashel. The former seat of power to the region’s kings is now a striking green hill topped with ancient ruins.

Later, we pull into colourful Cork, set on the banks of the River Lee. Make the most of your free time and enjoy some shopping. Rummage through the lively markets, bustling with friendly locals. There’s the rowdy Coal Quay street market where you’ll find local produce or the historic English Market, operating since 1785.

Hotel Breakfast, Dinner

See the medieval Blarney Castle, where you can kiss the magical Blarney Stone if you’re keen – your Tour Manager will fill you in on the legend. Continue on through the moors and woodlands past the vertical Cliffs of Moher.

Cruise on to the traditional town of Galway. Loaded with Irish soul and packed with lively pubs, Galway gives you a chance to experience the typically Irish. Get a feel for this pretty town’s atmosphere, where street performers, magicians and traditional musicians busk outside colourfully painted buildings.

Make the most of your free night, round a group of friends and head to the pub. Listen out for locals speaking Irish as you try out traditional Irish stew or order some of the region’s famous oysters.

Hotel Breakfast

Get out there and discover this quintessential Irish town where Gaelic is still spoken on the streets. You also have the option to jump on a ferry and cruise out to the stunning Aran Islands for a day away from it all. With rugged cliffs, wild flowers and pounding seas, the Aran Islands are all about natural beauty.

Hotel Breakfast, Dinner

Next up: riverside Londonderry. With loads of artistic activity, it’s the central point of Northern Ireland’s cultural renewal.

Your Tour Manager will show you the city’s famous 17th century walls. They’ve got a rep for a reason – standing at 8m high and 9m long, no enemy has ever succeeded in getting through them.

Explore more of Londonderry with our Local Guide in a fascinating optional tour around the historic city. Learn about epic battles of the past before taking a step back in time with the People’s Gallery in Bogside. Our Local Guide will explain how the colourful murals sum up and commemorate key events from the Troubles.

Hotel Breakfast

From Londonderry, we slide by Belfast, former hotspot of the Troubles (political conflict in Ireland) and learn about the city’s difficult past. Our Local Guide will introduce Belfast’s iconic political murals and Victorian buildings, while telling you the story behind the city’s history.

Later on, you’ll be amazed by the natural wonder and UNESCO World Heritage site, the Giant’s Causeway. With approximately 40 000 rock columns packed together, reaching heights of 12m (36ft),this unbelievable rock formation will give you goose bumps.

Back into buzzing Dublin, you’ve got time to explore more of this charismatic capital.

Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Guinness Storehouse and get the low down on Ireland’s national drink. Find out how the “black stuff” is made and how to pull a pint the Irish way. You’ll even get to satisfy your taste buds with a Guinness at the end.

Dublin has it all shopping-wise so get some pointers from your Tour Manager and hit the shops on Grafton Street or poke around Dublin’s many bookstores. For a bite to eat, head to the open air food and fresh produce markets and live a bit of the local lifestyle.

Cap off your tour with a night out with the group and opt for authentic Irish experience, complete with a traditional meal and Irish dancing in one of Dublin’s most popular pubs.

Hotel Breakfast, Dinner

Ferry back across the Irish Sea to Wales. Travel through the unspoilt and rock-strewn Snowdonia National Park and show off your pronunciation skills when we pass by the town with the longest name in the UK, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll.

Then it’s back to London where the tour ends, so make sure you get your new friends’ email addresses.

Breakfast