• 3 Dinner (D)
• 7 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• Stratford-upon-Avon: Learn about the life of William Shakespeare, arguably history’s most famous writer, when you visit his birthplace. Then enjoy some time to explore this pretty town with its iconic Tudor houses.
• York: Your Travel Director will show you the York Minster, the city walls and the medieval Shambles during your orientation of the city.
• Durham: See Durham’s Romanesque cathedral and admire the innovative audacity of its architecture.
• Jedburgh: See the impressive 12th-century Jedburgh Abbey that dominates the centre of town. 
• Edinburgh: Explore the city with your Local Specialist as you travel along Princes Street to see the Scott Memorial, the neoclassical Adam facades of New Town and the official Scottish residence of the King, Palace of Holyroodhouse.
• St. Andrews: Visit the university town where the famous beach scene from ‘Chariots of Fire’ was filmed and see the golf course where the sport was created.
• Glasgow: See the grand public buildings of Glasgow, including George Square. 
• Scottish Highlands:
  Take in the beauty of the Highlands on a scenic drive past glens, lochs and dramatic peaks. Watch the landscape shift as you travel deeper into one of Scotland’s most striking regions. 

   

• Fort William: Enjoy an excellent view of Ben Nevis from the World War II Commando Memorial.
• Gretna Green: Visit the famous spot where runaway lovers were married.
• Lake District: Drive through the hauntingly beautiful Lakes District, immortalised by literary greats of the Romantic Movement.
• Bristol: See some of Bristol’s highlights on an orientation drive with your Travel Director.
• Ludlow: Explore the narrow streets and lanes in front of the castle. Admire the medieval timber-framed buildings and Tudor architecture.
• Bath: Admire UNESCO-listed Bath, with its elegant Georgian facades and the bimillennial Roman Baths from which the city takes its name.
• Stonehenge: Walk around the strange and awe-inspiring megaliths that have reputedly stood for 5,000 years.
• Bath: Visit the Roman Baths in the heart of Bath, where one of Britain’s best-preserved ancient sites reveals the city’s Roman past. As you explore the temple remains, bathing complex and steaming spring, you’ll see how this historic spa city first grew around its natural waters.

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• Standard regional accommodation

• Wick: Warm your heart with a little Scottish whisky at a traditional distillery in the Scottish Highlands.

Trafalgar

Attend the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on departures that coincide with performance dates. Watch massed pipes and drums, military bands and other performers in the open-air arena on Edinburgh Castle’s esplanade.

Against the illuminated castle backdrop, the performance draws on Scottish musical and military traditions alongside international acts. Tickets are included only for departures aligned with the Tattoo; this experience is not available on every tour date.

Visit the Commando Memorial near Spean Bridge and take in views towards Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. The bronze figures stand against a Highland backdrop of broad skies and rugged peaks.

The memorial honours the commandos who trained in this region during the Second World War. Its setting invites a moment of reflection while revealing the scale of the landscape in which those soldiers prepared for service.

Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace and its visitor centre in Stratford-upon-Avon to discover the family home and early life of the playwright. Explore the town’s streets and view Anne Hathaway’s thatched cottage, associated with Shakespeare’s future wife.

Stratford’s surviving Tudor buildings give a sense of the market town Shakespeare knew. The visit connects his plays and poetry to the places and people that shaped his life.

Join an orientation walk through York with your Travel Director, taking in the medieval city walls, York Minster and the narrow, timber-framed Shambles. See how centuries of building have shaped the streets within the old city.

York’s layers of Roman, Viking and medieval history are visible across its compact centre. The Minster’s Gothic stonework rises above streets that still retain the close-knit character of a medieval trading city.

Discover Durham’s riverside setting and see its imposing 11th-century cathedral standing beside Durham Castle above the old streets. Admire the cathedral’s exterior and its commanding position on the wooded peninsula formed by the River Wear.

A landmark of Norman architecture, Durham Cathedral is celebrated for the scale and ambition of its Romanesque design. Together, cathedral and castle express the power of the prince-bishops who once governed this part of northern England.

See Hadrian’s Wall as your journey crosses the former northern frontier of the Roman Empire. Take in the open landscapes of Northumberland National Park, with views towards the windswept Cheviot Hills near the Scottish border.

Begun in the second century under Emperor Hadrian, the wall once marked a fortified boundary across northern Britain. Its surviving stretches make the region’s Roman history tangible amid moorland, ridges and expansive skies.

Stop to admire Jedburgh Abbey, whose roofless stone arches dominate this Scottish Borders town. View the remains of the 12th-century abbey and the scale of a building that was once central to religious life here.

Jedburgh’s position near the English border exposed the abbey to centuries of conflict. Its surviving architecture offers a striking reminder of both the influence of medieval monasteries and the turbulent history of the borderlands.

Explore Edinburgh with a Local Specialist, travelling along Princes Street and discovering the contrasts between the medieval Old Town and the neoclassical New Town. See the Scott Monument, the Royal Mile, the Scottish Parliament and views of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Edinburgh’s steep streets and formal Georgian facades reveal two distinct chapters of the capital’s history. Local insight brings context to the royal landmarks, literary associations and architecture that define the city.

Visit Edinburgh Castle, set high on Castle Rock above Scotland’s capital. Explore the historic fortress and enjoy wide views across Edinburgh from its dramatic volcanic perch.

The castle has served as a royal residence, military stronghold and symbol of Scottish nationhood. Its position above the Old Town makes clear why this site mattered for centuries, while its stone buildings bring the city’s royal and military past into focus.

Visit St Andrews, a coastal university town closely associated with the history of golf. See the 18th green of the Old Course and its much-photographed Swilcan Bridge, set within one of the sport’s most recognised landscapes.

St Andrews combines university traditions, seaside views and a golfing heritage that stretches back centuries. Its shore also provided the setting for the celebrated beach-running scene in the film Chariots of Fire.

Visit a traditional whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands and sample a wee dram. Learn about the spirit that holds a distinctive place in Scottish culture while experiencing its aromas and flavours firsthand.

Whisky production draws on grain, water, fermentation and careful maturation, with each distillery developing its own character. This visit offers a closer look at a craft closely connected to the Highlands and the people who make it.

Travel through the Cairngorms National Park and watch the Highland scenery shift between wooded valleys, open moorland and distant peaks. The route offers a broad view of one of Scotland’s most distinctive natural regions.

The park is also important for wildlife conservation, with projects supporting species such as the red squirrel and Scottish wildcat. Its changing habitats give the scenery ecological significance beyond the views from the road.

Join a wildlife ranger in Glencoe to learn about the valley’s habitats and the work protecting its biodiversity. Discover the role of insects, invertebrates and mammals, including otters and fallow deer, in this Highland ecosystem.

Beneath Glencoe’s steep mountains lies a living landscape shaped by conservation efforts, including work to restore indigenous species. The visit offers a deeper understanding of the valley beyond its scenery and supports conservation of life on land.

See the banks of Loch Lomond and take in the water, wooded shores and surrounding hills of this celebrated Scottish landscape. The loch offers a gentler contrast to the steep-sided Highland glens.

Long associated with Scottish song and storytelling, Loch Lomond is Britain’s largest lake by surface area. Its broad waters and changing shorelines make it a distinctive scenic highlight of the journey through western Scotland.

Discover Glasgow on an orientation tour, passing George Square and St Mungo’s Cathedral. See the civic buildings and streets that give Scotland’s largest city its confident urban character.

George Square reflects Glasgow’s growth as a major commercial and industrial centre, while the medieval cathedral reaches back to the city’s earlier religious history. Together, these landmarks introduce two different sides of Glasgow’s heritage.

Visit Gretna Green, the Scottish border village renowned for runaway weddings, and discover the story of couples who exchanged vows over the Marriage Anvil. The stop brings a curious chapter of British social history to life.

For generations, couples travelled here because Scottish marriage laws differed from those in England. Gretna Green’s reputation endured in popular imagination, making it a memorable place to explore romance, rebellion and border traditions.

Meet Christine at Howbeck Lodge near Hesket Newmarket for a hosted introduction to life on a Cumbrian family farm. Spend time in the rural setting and enjoy Christine’s homemade British afternoon tea.

This Be My Guest experience offers a personal connection to the people and traditions of Cumbria. Conversation, home baking and the working-farm surroundings make the gathering more than a meal: it is a glimpse into local hospitality and everyday country life.

Travel through the Lake District and follow the shores of Lake Windermere, England’s largest natural lake. Take in a landscape of water, wooded slopes and fells from the scenic route.

The region’s lakes and mountains inspired writers of the Romantic movement, who found meaning in its changing light and terrain. This journey offers a sense of the scenery that helped make the Lake District a touchstone of British literature.

Explore Ludlow’s historic centre, with time to wander the lanes near its castle and admire medieval timber-framed buildings and Tudor architecture. The compact Shropshire market town rewards a closer look at its shopfronts and old streets.

Ludlow developed around its Norman castle and remains known for the character of its preserved centre. Exploring independently lets you notice the changing building styles and lived-in atmosphere of a town shaped over many centuries.

See Bristol on an orientation drive with your Travel Director, gaining an introduction to the streets and landmarks of this historic port city. The drive offers a broad impression of Bristol before any independent exploration.

Bristol’s identity was shaped by maritime trade, engineering and its position on the River Avon. Its mix of old streets and later civic development reflects a city with a long history of commerce and invention.

Explore UNESCO-listed Bath, admiring its elegant Georgian facades before visiting the Roman Baths in the city centre. Walk through the remains of the ancient bathing complex and see the waters of the Great Bath.

Bath grew around natural hot springs revered long before its Georgian heyday. Temple remains and Roman structures reveal the city’s earlier life as Aquae Sulis, while its later honey-coloured streets show how it became a fashionable spa destination.

Visit Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain and walk around the ancient stone circle, viewing its towering megaliths against the open Wiltshire landscape. See the arrangement of stones that has prompted centuries of study and speculation.

Built and altered over many generations during the Neolithic and Bronze Age, Stonehenge remains one of Britain’s most significant prehistoric monuments. Its precise purposes are still debated, adding depth to the experience of standing near stones raised thousands of years ago.

Choose an optional visit to Blair Castle, the historic home of the Dukes of Atholl in Highland Perthshire. Discover a castle that has welcomed royal visitors and stands at the meeting point of Highland and Lowland landscapes.

The castle’s long history reflects centuries of Scottish aristocratic life and changing architectural tastes. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the exact visit arrangements are confirmed locally.

Visit a working Highland sheep farm and meet Neil the shepherd and his border collies. Get a closer look at the skills and daily work involved in managing sheep in Scotland’s rural landscapes.

The relationship between shepherd and dog is an enduring part of Highland farming life, shaped by practical knowledge and close teamwork. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with arrangements confirmed locally.

Discover more of Bristol on an optional outing featuring the SS Great Britain, the Clifton Suspension Bridge and other city highlights. See two celebrated engineering landmarks associated with Isambard Kingdom Brunel; specific entry arrangements are confirmed locally.

The pioneering steamship speaks to Bristol’s maritime past, while the bridge spans the dramatic Avon Gorge. This extended sightseeing experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.