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Included
Features |
Meals:
• 5 full English breakfasts
• 2 three-course dinners with choice of menus
and coffee, and a welcome drink before dinner at
your hotel in York
Superior
Hotels:
• LONDON Novotel London West
• YORK Ramada
• EDINBURGH Mount Royal Ramada
• CHESTER Ramada
Vacation
Highlights:
• BELVOIR: Visit the Duke and Duchess
of Rutland’s castle
• YORK: Walking tour
• ABBOTSFORD: Guided tour of Sir Walter Scott’s
house
• EDINBURGH: Guided sightseeing, visit Edinburgh
Castle
• CHESTER: Walking tour
• WEDGWOOD: Visit the china factory
• STRATFORD: Picture stop
at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, visit Shakespeare’s
birthplace
Inside
visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE
in the tour description, including admission charges
when applicable |
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This
seven-day vacation offers a perfect sampling of the English countryside,
Edinburgh, and the Scottish Lowlands. Depart London to see some
of England’s highlights, including the university city of Cambridge,
beautiful Belvoir Castle, and the medieval city of York. In Scotland,
enjoy visits to Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford House; Edinburgh and
its mighty castle; and Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to
wed runaway couples. Then journey through the tranquil Lake District,
take a walking tour in Chester, and visit the Wedgwood china factory.
At Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, explore the Bard’s birthplace.
Top off your exciting vacation with a stay in London, and perhaps
an evening cruise on the River Thames.
Itinerary:
Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight. Day
2 Arrival in London England
Your Host will be waiting to welcome you. After checking into
your hotel and an afternoon at leisure we recommend our optional
Taste of London excursion with dinner followed by a guided illuminations
cruise on the River Thames.
Day
3 London-Cambridge-York
After a hearty English breakfast, meet your Tour Director and
traveling companions and depart London at 8 a.m. for a day of
northbound travel packed with attractions: the beautiful university
city of Cambridge, one of the country's oldest seats of learning;
BELVOIR CASTLE, the stately home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland
and film location for The Da Vinci Code, which houses one of England's
finest private art collections. In York follow your Tour Director
on a walking tour through a maze of quaint medieval streets, including
the narrow Shambles. Stand in awe in front of the great structure
of York Minster, then explore its treasures. Before dinner at
your hotel in York join your Tour Director for a toast to happy
touring with a congenial group. (FB,D)
Day
4 York-Edinburgh, Scotland
First today inspect a section of Hadrian's Wall, the Roman coast-to-coast
defense against marauding northern tribes. Vistas of wild Northumberland
National Park on the way to the Scottish border, then Jedburgh
Abbey ruins and glimpses of the house of Mary, Queen of Scots
before a fascinating guided visit to Sir Walter Scott's ABBOTSFORD
HOUSE. Arrive later this afternoon in Edinburgh, the elegant capital
city. Tonight an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers,
bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis. For tour numbers 0806,
0813 and 0820 the optional Scottish evening is replaced with included
tickets for tonight's performance of the world-renowned MILITARY
TATTOO; a vast spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands, which
takes place in an arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.
(FB)
Day
5 Edinburgh-Lake District-Chester, England
Morning city sightseeing with a Local Guide introduces you to
the 200-year-old “New Town” and famous scientists, inventors and
novelists. In the “Old Town” drive up the narrow Royal Mile to
EDINBURGH CASTLE to admire Scotland’s Crown Jewels. On the way
through the historysteeped Lowland Hills, visit Gretna Green,
where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. In the tranquil
Lake District, often considered the finest of England's national
parks, take a break in Wordsworth's beloved Grasmere. Later, on
your walking tour in the walled city of Chester see the Roman
remains, the black and white half-timbered buildings, and the
two tiered arcades called the "Rows". (FB,D)
Day
6 Chester-Stratford-London
A memorable last day: at the WEDGWOOD FACTORY learn the story
of the world-renowned china and its production processes with
an opportunity to shop for Wedgwood gifts; in Stratford-upon-Avon
take your photos of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, visit SHAKESPEARE'S
BIRTHPLACE, and stroll through the picturesque town. Skirting
the Cotswold Hills, return to London around 4 p.m. How about celebrating
the success of your tour by taking in a West End tonight? (FB)
Day
7
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (FB)
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A
Taste of Britain 