Experience a Scottish cultural dinner and ceilidh during your stay in Edinburgh. The combination of dining and traditional social dance offers an evening focused on Scottish music and hospitality.

A ceilidh is a communal occasion, with the rhythm and shared energy of the dancing at its heart. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the venue, menu and specific performances are not detailed.

• 10 Dinner (D)
• 21 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• Derry/Londonderry: There’s no better way to experience sightseeing than with one of Northern Ireland’s best storytellers, Ronan, as he takes you on a tour inside the city walls. See the Gothic Guildhall and the Georgian houses of Shipquay Street.
• Kilkenny: Visit Kilkenny Castle to learn the history of this magnificent castle and that of the powerful Ormonde family that came to call it home for so many centuries. Amble through the Picture Gallery, library, drawing room, nursery and bedrooms decorated in 1830s splendour as well as the rolling parkland formal terraced rose garden, woodlands and man-made lake.

Insight Vacations

Discover Oxford’s dreaming spires on an introduction to the university city with your Travel Director. See the historic college buildings that give its streets their distinctive character and learn why scholars have gathered here for centuries.

Oxford’s mix of courtyards, stone facades and lively streets makes this a rewarding glimpse of English academic life. The orientation provides context for exploring the city independently; entry to individual colleges or museums is not specified.

Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace, the half-timbered house in Stratford-upon-Avon where the playwright was born. Explore its museum displays and memorabilia to learn about his family, early life and enduring influence on theatre and literature.

The house stands amid the town’s Tudor streets, making Shakespeare’s world feel more tangible than it does on the page. This is a dedicated visit to the birthplace, with time to appreciate Stratford’s historic setting.

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over a Welcome Dinner with drinks at a local restaurant in Stratford-upon-Avon. Savour British cuisine in the town associated with William Shakespeare.

Unlike a routine hotel meal, this hosted gathering introduces the people sharing your journey. Conversation around the table sets a convivial tone while offering a first taste of the country’s local dining scene.

Explore York’s historic centre with your Travel Director, seeing the city walls, York Minster and the Shambles. Walk among narrow streets and overhanging timber-framed buildings within a city whose story stretches back through Viking and Roman rule.

The Minster’s vast Gothic presence contrasts with the intimate scale of the Shambles, once associated with the city’s butchers. This orientation brings York’s layered past into focus without implying entry to the cathedral.

Visit William Wordsworth’s grave in Grasmere and learn about the poet’s connection to England’s Lake District. Mountains, lakes and changing weather helped shape the writing for which he is remembered.

Grasmere’s village setting offers a quiet place to consider that relationship between landscape and literature. The visit focuses on Wordsworth’s life and resting place rather than entry to one of his former homes.

Visit Gretna Green, the Scottish border village celebrated as a refuge for runaway lovers. Learn why couples travelled here to marry and how the blacksmith’s anvil became an enduring symbol of their stories.

For centuries, differences between English and Scottish marriage laws helped give the village its romantic reputation. This heritage stop adds a distinctly human story to the border landscape; a wedding ceremony or performance is not included.

Explore Edinburgh with a Local Expert, travelling along Princes Street to see the Scott Monument, New Town facades and Palace of Holyroodhouse. Visit Edinburgh Castle to encounter Mons Meg, the Stone of Destiny and Scotland’s Crown Jewels.

The tour links the Georgian planning of the New Town with the older royal and military history gathered on Castle Rock. Holyroodhouse is a sightseeing highlight; the specified interior visit is to the castle.

Watch the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on select departures during its limited August season. Pipes, drums, dance and military displays fill the esplanade against the floodlit backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.

The massed sound of the bands and the castle setting give this Scottish performance its distinctive atmosphere. Attendance is departure-dependent, so travellers should check that their chosen tour date includes the Tattoo.

Spend time in St Andrews, the coastal university town closely associated with the origins of modern golf. Take in the setting of the Old Course and the sea air that shapes this corner of Fife.

There is time to explore independently, perhaps walking to West Sands Beach, where a celebrated scene from Chariots of Fire was filmed. This is a town visit, not an included round of golf or university tour.

Go behind the scenes at Arbikie Highland Estate near Scotland’s east coast. Hear how the Stirling family transforms estate-grown heritage crops into spirits while pursuing climate-positive production methods.

Set near windswept Lunan Bay, the visit connects Scotland’s distilling tradition with questions of land use and responsible consumption. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience supports sustainable production; the supplied itinerary does not specify which spirits, if any, are sampled.

Cruise the waters of Loch Ness, taking in the steep-sided Great Glen landscape from the loch itself. Pass sights including Bona Lighthouse while your Travel Director shares the geological story behind this deep freshwater basin.

Peat-dark water and exceptional depth have helped sustain tales of Nessie for generations. The cruise pairs those legends with a close view of the Highland scenery that made the loch famous.

Explore Orkney with your Travel Director, visiting the Italian Chapel, Kirkwall, Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar. These island sites span a chapel created by Italian prisoners of war, a town with Norse roots and remarkable prehistoric remains.

At Skara Brae, stone-built homes offer a rare glimpse of life around 5,000 years ago. Brodgar’s standing stones broaden the sense of Orkney’s ancient ceremonial landscape.

Pause to photograph Eilean Donan Castle, set on a small island where three sea lochs meet in the western Highlands. Water and surrounding mountains frame one of Scotland’s most recognisable castle views.

The site has a long defensive history, although the building seen today was largely reconstructed in the early 20th century. This experience is a scenic photo stop; entry to the castle is not specified.

Get to know Glasgow on an orientation led by your Travel Director. See George Square and its grand civic buildings, alongside St Mungo’s Cathedral, a landmark of the city’s medieval past.

Glasgow’s broad streets and Victorian architecture speak to its later industrial prosperity, while the cathedral recalls much older roots. The orientation highlights that contrast; cathedral interior entry is not expressly confirmed.

Walk among the interlocking basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway on Northern Ireland’s Atlantic coast. More than 40,000 columns form a striking pattern beneath the cliffs at the region’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Volcanic activity began shaping this landscape roughly 60 million years ago; folklore offers a different account involving the giant Finn McCool. Seeing the stones up close reveals why both geology and legend remain central to its appeal.

Walk inside Derry/Londonderry’s historic city walls with local storyteller Ronan. See the surviving cannons, descend Shipquay Street past Georgian houses and take in the Gothic Guildhall.

Built in the 17th century, the walls preserve a powerful sense of the city’s history and changing identities. Ronan’s storytelling adds local perspective to the streets and buildings, making this more personal than a simple sightseeing stop.

See Donegal Castle in the town where the River Eske reaches Donegal Bay. Its association with the O’Donnell clan offers a window onto the Gaelic power that once shaped this part of Ireland.

The castle gives the historic town a focal point beyond its shops and waterfront setting. The itinerary specifies seeing the castle, rather than a guided visit to its rooms or an included admission ticket.

Explore Sligo on an orientation with your Travel Director, getting acquainted with its streets and medieval heritage. The surrounding bay and hills are closely linked to the poetry of W. B. Yeats.

This introduction connects the town’s everyday character with the wider landscape that inspired one of Ireland’s best-known writers. It is an orientation of Sligo, not a specified visit to a Yeats museum or literary site.

Discover Galway’s historic heart with your Travel Director, taking in Eyre Square, the Spanish Arch and St Nicholas’ Church. These landmarks trace a city shaped by trade, civic life and centuries of change on Ireland’s west coast.

Stone streets and a lively centre give Galway a character distinct from the surrounding Connemara landscape. The published material varies in how it names St Nicholas’ landmark, so church interior entry is not assumed.

Explore Limerick and see King John’s Castle, St Mary’s Cathedral and the Treaty Stone. Together, these landmarks reveal the city’s medieval foundations and its place in later Irish history.

The castle stands beside the River Shannon, while the Treaty Stone is associated with the 1691 Treaty of Limerick. This is a sightseeing exploration of the landmarks; admission to their interiors is not specified.

Walk through Adare’s thatched-cottage-lined main street in County Limerick. The village’s low roofs and carefully preserved streetscape offer a distinctive glimpse of an Irish village setting.

Rather than a roadside photo stop, this is an opportunity to experience Adare on foot and notice the details of its architecture. The walk focuses on the village itself; visits inside individual cottages are not specified.

Meet John and Freda in Killarney to hear how their farm-to-table approach works. Enjoy a meal prepared with fresh ingredients sourced from farms and the Irish coast within a five-mile radius.

The hosts’ account of local sourcing makes the meal an encounter with the region’s producers, not simply a dining stop. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience highlights responsible consumption and the benefits of fresh, locally grown food.

Choose a restaurant from a hand-picked selection of local Killarney venues for a Dine-Around evening. The differing styles and atmospheres give you a say in how you experience the town’s dining scene.

Unlike a standard group dinner at one fixed venue, this arranged choice makes the setting part of the experience. It offers a sociable way to enjoy an evening in County Kerry; individual restaurant menus are not specified.

Travel the Ring of Kerry, a scenic circuit of County Kerry’s coast and countryside. Take in rocky shores, villages, lakes and views towards the mountains surrounding Killarney.

The route’s changing terrain shows why this corner of Ireland is celebrated for its landscapes: sea views give way to green pasture and mountain backdrops. This is an organised scenic journey, not a guided hike or included cycling activity.

Visit Blarney Castle, the ruined 15th-century stronghold home to the famous Stone of Eloquence. Hear the tradition that kissing the stone grants the gift of persuasive speech, and take your turn if you wish.

The legend has made Blarney a place where Irish folklore meets a tangible medieval setting. The castle visit is included; kissing the stone is a personal choice rather than a requirement.

Visit Kilkenny Castle above the River Nore and explore rooms associated with the powerful Ormonde family. See interiors including the Picture Gallery and other spaces furnished to evoke 19th-century life.

The castle’s origins reach back to the 12th century, while its restored rooms show how it evolved into a family residence. Its grounds add another perspective on a landmark that has watched over Kilkenny for centuries.

Explore the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin to learn how the city’s famous stout is brewed and how the Guinness name became part of the capital’s identity. Exhibits bring its ingredients, production and history into view.

Take in panoramic views from the Gravity Bar, a striking vantage point over Dublin. The visit combines an account of a working brewing tradition with the cityscape that grew around it.

Explore Dublin with a Local Expert, seeing its Georgian squares, O’Connell Street and the Custom House. Hear stories that connect the capital’s formal architecture and broad thoroughfares with its changing civic life.

The tour offers a grounded introduction to the city beyond its best-known pub culture. It is a guided sightseeing experience; entry to the Custom House or other buildings is not specified.

Explore Conwy Castle, the formidable Welsh fortress built for Edward I in the late 13th century. Climb its restored staircases, walk the battlements and look across Conwy’s town walls towards the surrounding hills.

Built in just a few years under master mason James of St George, the castle remains an imposing example of medieval military architecture. Its elevated viewpoints make the relationship between fortress, walled town and landscape especially clear.

Get acquainted with Liverpool on an organised city orientation. Discover the setting of a major maritime city that also became internationally known as the home of The Beatles.

The introduction helps place Liverpool’s musical reputation within its wider urban character. A dedicated Beatles-themed tour is offered separately as an optional experience, rather than being part of this included orientation.

Discover the Welsh capital on an orientation featuring the Principality Stadium, City Hall and National Museum, alongside the university district. These landmarks bring Cardiff’s sporting, cultural and civic identities into view.

The experience offers an introduction to a capital whose public buildings express both national ambition and everyday city life. Sightseeing is specified, but admission to the stadium, museum or City Hall is not.

Explore UNESCO-listed Bath, seeing Pulteney Bridge, Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent on a city orientation. Visit the Roman Baths to discover the Great Bath, Sacred Spring, temple remains and artefacts from the ancient complex.

Bath’s Georgian streets surround a site where Romans gathered for bathing and worship nearly 2,000 years ago. The contrast between the elegant city above ground and its preserved Roman foundations gives this visit its depth.

Explore Wells Cathedral, one of England’s notable Gothic churches. Look for its striking scissor arches and the Chapter House, where intricate stonework rewards a closer view.

The cathedral’s architecture reflects centuries of craftsmanship in England’s smallest cathedral city. Its soaring interior offers a change of scale from Wells’ surrounding streets and a direct encounter with the country’s medieval religious heritage.

Explore Plymouth with your Travel Director, seeing Plymouth Hoe, the Citadel, the Barbican and the Mayflower Steps. These waterfront landmarks connect the city’s maritime setting with its long naval and transatlantic history.

The Mayflower association gives particular resonance to the harbour from which the ship departed in 1620. This is a guided orientation of Plymouth’s historic areas; a harbour cruise is a separate included choice experience.

Choose a scenic exploration of Dartmoor National Park with a Local Expert. Learn about the moor’s stone circles and the traditions associated with its ancient landscape while taking in its open, rugged character.

This Insight Choice is one of two included alternatives, not an additional excursion alongside the Plymouth Harbour Cruise. It suits travellers drawn to prehistoric sites, expansive scenery and expert interpretation of place.

Choose to cruise Plymouth Harbour and see its maritime setting from the water. The voyage recalls the departure of the Mayflower for America more than 400 years ago.

Harbour views offer a different perspective on Plymouth’s waterfront and seafaring history. This Insight Choice is one of two included alternatives to select from, rather than an excursion taken in addition to the Dartmoor National Park exploration.

Share a Celebration Dinner with wine in Plymouth, enjoying local cuisine with your fellow travellers. This hosted meal provides an occasion to gather around the table and reflect on the places explored together.

Its celebratory purpose sets it apart from a routine included dinner. The published itinerary does not name a restaurant or specify a menu, leaving the focus on conversation, regional food and a convivial close to the journey.

Visit Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain and encounter its monumental circle of prehistoric stones. A tour introduces questions about the people who raised the megaliths and the purposes the site may have served.

Parts of this ancient monument date back around 5,000 years, making it one of Britain’s most compelling links to the Neolithic world. Its open plain setting adds to the sense of scale and enduring mystery.

Consider a city tour of Cork, Ireland’s second city on the River Lee. Its streets reflect a history that reaches from an early religious settlement through Viking and Norman influence to later merchant prosperity.

The tour is presented in the day-by-day itinerary as a possibility rather than a confirmed inclusion, while the highlights describe a city orientation. If offered as the optional city tour, it is at additional cost and bookable on tour; confirm the arrangements with your Travel Director.

Choose an evening of traditional Irish cabaret in Dublin. This suggested entertainment offers a way to experience Irish performance culture in a social setting beyond the city’s daytime landmarks.

The itinerary does not specify the venue, performers or whether a meal forms part of the evening. If available during your departure, this Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Visit Glendalough on an optional excursion from Dublin. Explore the ancient monastic setting founded by St Kevin in the 6th century, surrounded by the lakes and hills of County Wicklow.

The settlement’s surviving remains and mountain landscape offer a quieter perspective on Ireland’s early Christian heritage. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the itinerary does not specify which individual monuments the excursion enters.

Join an optional dinner in Dublin for a hosted evening in the Irish capital. It offers a chance to share a meal with other travellers rather than make independent dinner arrangements.

The published itinerary does not identify the restaurant, menu or a particular performance, so no themed dining programme is assumed. If you choose to join, this Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore The Beatles’ Liverpool on an optional tour devoted to the band’s history in its home city. Learn how the city became the starting point for a group whose music reached audiences around the world.

This focused experience goes beyond the included Liverpool orientation. The itinerary does not name specific Beatles sites or guarantee entry to an attraction. The Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

• Business class coach with extended leg room
• Top-rated dining, from farm-to-table to local restaurants
• Premium regional accommodation