The Best of Britain

2. Arrive London
Arrive in London today and meet your tour director who will spend a couple of weeks with you.  Attend an orientation of London and tour briefing from your tour director.  You then have a free day in London to explore at will.  Your hotel is perfectly situated on the banks of the Thames River close the House of Parliamnet and Trafalger Square.  Dinner is served at the hotel this evening.
Included Meals: Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Royal Horseguards

3. London
Breakfast is served at the hotel this morning before we explore London with the help of our expert local guide.  Highlights include a visit to St Paul‚s Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben,
Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and Buckingham Palace, where you will experience the pageantry of the changing of the guard. See magnificent Westminster Abbey, the most ancient of London‚s great churches and the crowning place of
British monarchs since 1066.  You have the afternoon free at your leisure to do some exploring on your own. Some may want to browse some of the fashionable shops London has to offer.  Others may want to take an optional tour of Westminster Abbey.  Dinner is served at a local restaurant early evening.  Tonight maybe attend an optional theater production in London’s renowned West End.  
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

4. London to York
After breakfast at the hotel we depart into the rolling hills of England’s countryside to Oxford, the “City of Spires.”  A walking tour led by your tour director introduces you to the architectural charm of a handful of the university’s 36 colleges, founded over the past eight centuries.  Later visit Chatsworth House and Gardens. Home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, this is one of Britain’s most elegant country houses.  Tour the richly decorated Chapel and State Rooms with fine furnishings and priceless works of art.  In the afternoon drive north to York for your
overnight stay.   Dinner at a favorite local pub here in York.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner        
Hotel: Hotel Hilton York

5. York to Edinburgh
After breakfast we explore this amazing medieval city.  Your tour director will lead you through the medieval centre of York and the Shambles, where narrow streets and ancient houses contain centuries of history. Visit the imposing York Minster and admire its towers and stained glass.    As we leave York we’ll drive past Hadrian’s Wall, built by the Romans to guard their northernmost border.  Journey through the gentle Scottish Boders scenery to visit Abbotsfod House, Sir Walter Scott’s home, where he wrote most of his novels.  Continue to Edinburgh for a two night stay.  Your outstandin hotel is perfectly situated on charming Prince Street with all the best shops, restaurants as Edinburgh Castle looms high on the hillside.  Choose from one of the many wonderful restaurants surrounding the hotel.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Hilton Caledonien    

7. Edinburgh
Discover Scotland’s capital on a guided tour around the city center.  See Princes Street the main shopping thoroughfare, which divides the elegant Georgian New Town from the medieval city.  Explore the Royal Mile, and hear fascinating stories about its historic past.  Visit Edinburgh Castle and see the Crown Jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny.  Explore the Royal Mile, a fascinating street that connects the Edinburgh Castle, the Palace and many other historical sites.  Make sure to get a look at the splendid view of central Edinburgh. The afternoon is free to explore the charming shops of The Royal Mile just steps from your hotel.  This evening have dinner at Prestonfield House with traditional Highland dancers or Scottish Cabaret.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

8. Edinburgh to Inverness
Drive over the elegant Forth Road Bridge and throug Fife to St. Andrews, whose Royal and ancient Gold Club has given us the rules of golfing.  Through Braemar, home of the Royal Highlands Games, to Balmoral Castle for a visit to the Royal Family Summer Residence.  Motor along scenic vast expanses of heather in the Grampian Mountains.  At Culloden Visitor Center hear about the story of the crushing Hanoverian victory over Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish clans.  Arrive in Inverness, the Highland capital.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Marriott Inverness

9. Inverness to Loch Lomond  
Motor along the shores of scenic Loch Ness and keep an eye out for the famous Loch Ness Monster!  Skirt the shores of Loch Cluanie through Glen Shiel where the Five Sisters of Kintail surge us tp heights of 3,000 ft.  A photo stop at Eilean Donan Castle is given before we cross to the Isle of Skye and visit the Duntulm Castle.  The MacDonalds had lived at Duntulm Castle and we later abandoned because of ghosts.  You will be fascinated and intrigued as you learn the colorful and rich history of this area.  Depart Armadale and sail by ferry across the Sound of Sleat to Mailag and further to Glencoe,  the site of the famous MacDonald massacre in 1692.  See the Clan Memorial before we drive along the “Bonnie Banks” of Loch Lomond. and arrive at the deluxe baronialhotel, The Cameron House, set on over 100 acres of breathtaking landscapes that meet beautiful Loch Lomond.  Dinner is served at the hotel this evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Cameron House

9. Inverness to Loch Lomond  
This morning we drive to Stirling Castle for a guided visit. From then 13th until the mid-16th century Stirling flourished and shared with Edinburgh the rank and privileges of a capital city. The castle became a regular residence for the Stuart kings.  We then go for a scenic drive through the national park of the Trossachs and Loch Lomond taking in the airs of Scotland’s natural mystique. Tonight we stay in Glasgow, once the second city of the British Empire, taking in the Cathedral and St George’s Square.  Dinner is served at the hotel this evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Millennium Hotel    
    
9. Loch Lomond to Lake District   
Stop at the famous Moffat Woolen Mill, offering the best in Scottish Knitwear.  Later drive south to England, with a stop in Gretna Green, one of the world’s most famouswedding venues, conjuring up stories of romance, scandals, and illicit trysts. For 250 years, thousands of young lovers have made for Gretna Green, where they can wed in a hurry under Scotland’s lenient marriage laws.  Our days journey ends in the Lake District of England.  A must see while visiting England, the Lake District boasts incomparable beauty.  Much of the Lake District is a national park. Stop in the charming village of Grasmere, home of the poet William Wordsworth.  Continue to Lake Windermere for a pleasure cruise along the shores of the lake.  Later board the Haverthwaite steam train that gently chugs us through the charms of the deep countryside.  Arrive at your lakefront hotel offering spectacular views of the lake and rolling countryside.  A special dinner is served this evening at the hotel.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Lakeside       

10. Lake District to Stratford
This morning we make a stop in the Roman founded town of Chester, located on the banks of the Dee River. Today this is the town with one of the most completely preserved medieval aspects in England. The city still has its old town walls, a large number of half-timbered houses, and its characteristic “rows” an architectural feature of arcades or galleries running along the house fronts. See the red sandstone cathedral and join the guide for a walking tour of the charming streets.  A short drive out of Coventry takes us to Warwick Castle, complete with chilling dungeon, State Rooms, the baronial Great Hall, and 60 acres of grounds and gardens. Over 1,000 years of history comes to life as we tour this sure to be highlight of your vacation.  Arrive in charming Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.  Your hotel is the Shakespeare Hotel perfectly located in the town within walking distance
to the delightful shops and restaurants.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Shakespeare Hotel

11. Stratford Upon Avon
This morning we will visit Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage here in Statford Upon Avon.  This is an old wool market town with one of the most beautiful high street in UK and a  very old market not to be missed. Today we explore the Cotswolds villages with a stop in Chipping Campden, one of the most important of the medieval wool towns and famous throughout Europe. This legacy of fame and prosperity is everything that give the town it’s character.  Visit Stow on the Wold, perhaps the best known of the small Cotswolds towns, before returning to your hotel.  Dinner is served at a favorite restaurant before attending a theater performance at the famous Royal Shakespeare Theatre.  A must while here in Stratford Upon Avon.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

12. Stratford to Bath
After breakfast at the hotel we depart into the English countryside to Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, and is one of the offical residences of Her Majestry The Queen.  Continue into the awesome stone age monument of Stonehenge, a mysterious circle of stones which has presided over Salisbury Plain for over 4,000 years. Pass through the historic cathedral city of Salisbury, where we visit the magnificent cathedral and admire its spire, the highest in Britain.   Arrive in the Georgian city of Bath, architecturally one of the finest cities in England. 
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Waterside Hotel

13. Bath to London
After breakfast, enjoy a city tour of this interesting city.  Bath first became famous as a spa town under the Roman occcupation, when it was discovered that hot springs flowed from the earth beneath the city.  Then Britian made it fashionable during the 18th century as it is reflected by its splendid architecture which adorns the elegant crescents and terraces of the city.  A highlight will be a visit to the perfectly preserved Roman Baths.  Later we make our to London for our last overnight.  The remainder of the afternoon is at your leisure.  This evening we’ll experience a grand farewell dinner celebration.  You are guests aboard the elegant ship, “The Symphony” Enjoy dinner while viewing the illuminated  House of Parliment, BA London Eye, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and the St. Pauls Cathedral.  Enjoy a welcome cocktail, a four course meal, and live entertainment and dancing.  An evening you will long remember as we soak up the unforgettable atmosphere of London at night along The Thames.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Harrington Hall