Southport, Blackpool & the Lake District

We make our way to the timeless resort of Blackpool, famous for its iconic tower, miles of unspoilt beaches and a spectacular promenade, known as the Golden Mile. Enjoy a refreshing stroll along the shoreline, journey back in time aboard a restored heritage tram, head to the pier for a ride on the iconic Ferris wheel or visit the fabulous Blackpool Tower with its glittering ballroom and circus.

Southport, Blackpool & the Lake District

Take in the scenic views as we journey to the Lake District, offering some of the UK’s most magnificent landscapes. We stop in Bowness-on-Windermere, a charming enclave on the banks of Lake Windermere, which offers lovely panoramic views of the lake plus plenty of craft and gift shops, lakeside cafés and tea rooms. 

Southport, Blackpool & the Lake District

Vibrant, leafy and historic, Liverpool has lots to offer. A metropolitan hive of culture and music due to its association with iconic bands throughout the years, the city is home to an array of interactive museums, including the British Music Experience and The Beatles Story. Liverpool is steeped in history and has several impressive buildings, including St George’s Hall, often used by author Charles Dickens as a venue for public readings. If shopping is on the agenda, the variety won’t disappoint, from quirky independent shops selling unique gifts to well-known high street retailers and stylish centres.

Explore Liverpool’s cultural heart on an optional city visit (additional cost, bookable on tour). Stroll the revitalised Royal Albert Dock and Pier Head and the Three Graces—the Royal Liver, Cunard and Port of Liverpool Buildings. Delve into pop heritage at The Beatles Story or the British Music Experience.

Admire neoclassical grandeur at St George’s Hall, where Charles Dickens once read to packed audiences, and trace a maritime story tied to trade and emigration. There’s time to browse independent shops and waterfront cafés before returning to Southport.

Explore the classic resort of Blackpool on an included excursion, strolling its sweeping sands and the famed Golden Mile, with views to Blackpool Tower and Victorian piers. Browse arcades and fish-and-chip cafés or simply breathe the sea air as gulls wheel above the promenade.

Blackpool blossomed in the railway age, building a wonderland of entertainment crowned by Blackpool Tower (1894), inspired by Paris’s Eiffel Tower. Enjoy time to wander the Tower Quarter and piers, and pause for photos and reflection along the bright seafront.

Discover Lakeland charm on an included visit to Bowness-on-Windermere, a pretty village on the shores of Lake Windermere. Wander lanes lined with slate-roof cottages, browse craft shops and lakeside cafés, and watch traditional steamers trace the water against a backdrop of rolling fells.

This corner of Cumbria forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage landscape shaped by farming, dry-stone walls and writers from Beatrix Potter to William Wordsworth. Find quiet viewpoints to soak in the lakeside atmosphere and capture glassy reflections of the surrounding hills.