1 LONDON - CANTERBURY - BRIGHTON. Meet your Tour Director and travelling companions and depart at 8 am. from your London joining hotel (see your travel documents). Drive through the orchards of Kent to visit CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL, where you hear about the Black Prince and Thomas a Becket. Stop in the quaint town of Battle, site of William the Conqueror's decisive victory in 1066, on the way to the Regency seaside resort of Brighton for a tour of the exotic ROYAL PAVILION, the lavish oriental palace built for the Prince Regent in the early 1800s. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)
2 BRIGHTON - SALISBURY - STONEHENGE - PLYMOUTH. Catch glimpses of Arundel Castle on the way to picturesque Salisbury with its vast cathedral, the ultimate in Early English Gothic architecture. Visit prehistoric STONEHENGE before entering the glorious West Country with a stop at the picture-book village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor as you head across wild and romantic Dartmoor. Upon arrival in Plymouth, where the next two nights are spent, hear about Sir Francis Drake and see the Mayflower Steps where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked in 1620. (B,D)
3 PLYMOUTH. CORNWALL EXCURSION. A day full of West Country sights as you head through Daphne du Maurier's Cornwall. After viewing St. Michael's Mount, rising boldly out of the sea, take your photos at Land's End, then follow the Atlantic coast strewn with its derelict tin mines and recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before exploring the popular seaside resort of St. Ives. Back in Plymouth, your Tour Director will arrange an optional evening visit to a local inn for dinner. (B)
4 PLYMOUTH - BATH - BRISTOL. At Glastonbury, hear about its associations with King Arthur, and in the elegant Georgian city of Bath, see the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS. Overnight is in Bristol, from where John Cabot sailed in 1497 to discover America. (B,D)
5 BRISTOL - CARDIFF, WALES - WATERFORD, IRELAND. A morning orientation drive in Cardiff features the castle, Cathays Park, and the stately civic buildings. Cross St. George's Channel to Rosslare in Ireland and proceed to Waterford, a stronghold founded by the Danish Vikings in 853. (B,D)
6 WATERFORD - BLARNEY - KILLARNEY. A fascinating visit to the world-famous WATERFORD CRYSTAL FACTORY, then via the port city of Cork to Blarney, renowned for its magical Stone of Eloquence. Time here to visit the castle and shop at the famous WOOLEN MILLS before continuing to Killarney, your Kerry base for the next three nights. (B,D)
7 AT LEISURE IN KILLARNEY. A full day to relax. There are plenty of things to do: your Tour Director will help you plan. If you feel a little adventurous we recommend joining our optional excursion that includes a fun-filled, horse-drawn jaunting car ride through the National Park to Ross Castle; a boat ride to Innisfallen Abbey and across the lakes to Muckross House. After lunch on your own the excursion continues with a visit to the house and gardens, returning to your hotel mid afternoon. (B)
8 KILLARNEY. RING OF KERRY EXCURSION. Start a scenic day with a drive to Killorglin on Dingle Bay, and join the spectacular RING OF KERRY for a 100-mile panoramic drive around the island's southwestern tip. Take your photos of the Lakes of Killarney from Ladies View. Later, join an entertaining optional evening in Tralee with dinner and tickets for the National Folk Theatre. (B)
9 KILLARNEY - DINGLE PENINSULA - ADARE - LIMERICK. Breathtaking scenery on Dingle Peninsula, where the 32-mile Slea Head drive affords magnificent Atlantic Ocean vistas. At the BLASKET ISLANDS CENTRE, learn about the way of life on the remote islands evacuated by its inhabitants in 1953. Via quaint Adare with its pretty thatched cottages, head for the city of Limerick. Tonight's optional recommendation: a medieval banquet. (B)
10 LIMERICK - CLIFFS OF MOHER - SLIGO. Motor to the spectacular CLIFFS OF MOHER, rising 668 feet above the Atlantic. Via the limestone plateau of The Burren you reach GALWAY and hear about the infamous Lynch Stone, commemorating the day Mayor James Lynch Fitzstephen hanged his son for murder. Pass through the region featured in the film The Quiet Man and visit Knock, a village that attracts pilgrims from all over the world. Spend the night in Sligo. (B,D)
11 SLIGO - BELLEEK - GIANT'S CAUSEWAY - BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND. A fascinating day today: the grave of native son and poet W.B. Yeats in Drumcliff; the BELLEEK POTTERY FACTORY, renowned for its exquisite cream-colored Parian china; then let the province's story unfold as you head for awe-inspiring GIANT'S CAUSEWAY, composed of thousands of strangely symmetrical basalt columns jutting out to sea. Overnight at the vibrant modern city of Belfast. (B,D)
12 BELFAST - DOWNPATRICK - DUBLIN, IRELAND. This morning's highlight is a "living history" orientation drive through the city, brought to life by your Local Guide. Follow the shores of Strangford Lough to Downpatrick and visit the inspiring SAINT PATRICK CENTRE. Drive in the lee of the Mountains of Mourne to Newry and cross once more into the Republic. Tonight, take your Tour Director's dining recommendation. (B)
13 DUBLIN. Your orientation drive in the "Fair City" includes statue-lined O'Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then a highlight visit to TRINITY COLLEGE with the famous Book of Kells. Spend the rest of the day at leisure. Top the day with an optional dinner evening at the Guinness Storehouse. (B)
14 DUBLIN - CHESTER, ENGLAND. Back across the Irish Sea from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead on the Welsh Isle of Anglesey, where a photo stop at tongue-twisting Llanfair... is a must. Then a scenic drive through Snowdonia National Park, over spectacular Llanberis Pass, and via pretty Betws y-Coed to Llangollen, home of an annual international contest for poets and musicians. (B,D)
15 CHESTER - LAKE DISTRICT - GRETNA GREEN - GLASGOW, SCOTLAND. On your morning walking tour in the walled city of Chester, see the Roman remains, black and white half-timbered buildings, the cathedral, and the two-tiered shopping arcades called the "Rows". Focus now on the tranquil Lake District, and after a break in William Wordsworth's beloved Grasmere, head north for the Scottish border. On the way through the history-steeped Lowland Hills, visit GRETNA GREEN, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. In Glasgow, your city drive takes in the fine 12th-century cathedral, imposing university buildings, and elegant Georgian Squares, built by the wealthy tobacco barons. (B,D)
16 GLASGOW - FORT WILLIAM - ISLE OF SKYE - INVERNESS. Follow the "Bonnie Banks" of Loch Lomond and enter the Highlands. Proceed via Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe, and Fort William, then follow the "Road to the Isles". At Mallaig, board your FERRY for the crossing to the Isle of Skye, where you visit the MUSEUM OF THE ISLES at the Clan Donald Centre. Return to the mainland and later, watch out for the monster as you trace the shores of Loch Ness on the way to the Highland capital. (B,D)
17 INVERNESS. HIGHLANDS EXCURSION. Further into the remote Highlands for a day of spectacular Scottish scenery. Trace the shores of Loch Maree to INVEREWE GARDEN, with subtropical plants encouraged by the warm Gulf Stream. Follow the trails created by Osgood Mackenzie more than 120 years ago. Drive along Loch Glascarnoch for the day's final highlight visit to a MALT WHISKY DISTILLERY. Ask your Tour Director for this evening's dining suggestions. (B)
18 INVERNESS - BRAEMAR - ST. ANDREWS - EDINBURGH. Main features today: the battlefield of Culloden Moor; vast expanses of heather in the Grampian Mountains; Braemar, home of the Royal Highland Games; St. Andrews, whose Royal and Ancient Golf Club, founded in 1754, has given us the rules of golfing; and over the elegant Forth Road Bridge to Edinburgh. Tonight an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis. For departure numbers 0722 through 0812 tickets are included for tonight's performance of the world-renowned MILITARY TATTOO. (B)
19 EDINBURGH. 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, then explore HOLYROOD PALACE (except when the Queen is in residence). The afternoon is free to enjoy this "Prince of Cities" at your own pace. Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, once the perfect royal residence for the Queen's glittering state visits and family holidays. Tour five decks and see how the Royal Family and crew of 240 lived and worked on board. Dinner rounds off this optional evening. (B)
20 EDINBURGH - YORK, ENGLAND. This morning, visit the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe's FLOORS CASTLE, and later, pass the house of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the abbey ruins at Jedburgh. Through wild Northumberland National Park to see a section of Hadrian's Wall, the Roman coast-to-coast defense against marauding northern tribes, and south to York, England's most complete medieval city. Stand in awe in front of the great structure of York Minster, then follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets, including the narrow Shambles. The afternoon is free to relax and enjoy the city at your own pace. (B,D)
21 YORK - COVENTRY - STRATFORD - UPON - AVON. Skirt Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest on the way to Coventry. Here, listen to the tale of Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom and view the splendid modern cathedral which rose from the rubble of severe World War II bombings. In Stratford-upon-Avon, take your pictures of ANNE HATHAWAY'S COTTAGE and visit SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE. (B,D)
22 STRATFORD - UPON - AVON - LONDON. Drive through the lovely Cotswold Hills to quaint medieval Stow-on the-Wold. A final spectacular highlight: enjoy a guided tour of magnificent BLENHEIM PALACE, home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, and afterwards, time to explore the Capability Brown landscaped parkland. Return to London around 4 pm, where the tour ends. (B)
