A Grand Tour of fifteen days, this is ideal for the first time visitor and for those who have been before but have perhaps not ventured far out of London or from one particular area. Britain is a fortunate island, blessed with a wealth of unrivalled scenic beauty, a depth that only five thousand years of history can provide, and a variety of cultures bequeathed by our numerous invaders. Pity about the climate! Still, our famous rain is what makes this such a pretty country. Our tour is designed to bring you the very best of Britain, from shimmering lakes to towering mountains, from thatched cottage villages to quaint harbours, from sheep covered rolling hills to medieval towns and cities. On leisurely days and fun evenings you'll discover the people, the history, the landscape and our culture, and see why Shakespeare so unabashedly called it 'this demi-paradise, this other Eden'.

Tour Code

Arrive London

Depart London

EWS

Saturday

Saturday

Price: GBP £1,795.00 pp twin share

Single Supplement: GBP £265.00

Please Note: if your date of choice is unavailable, you may wish to consider our WISE Islands Tour which runs on the same dates as this tour.
Contact res@backroadstouring.co.uk, fax 00 44 20 8566 5457

TENTATIVE ITINERARY

NIGHTSTOP

You'll be met at the airport of arrival by your Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd transfer driver and be delivered to our West London Hotel. The remainder of the day is yours to recover from the rigours of your flight. The hotel is situated in an attractive neighbourhood of the city so you may enjoy local exploration, join one of Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd city tours (optional) or take the underground to a city centre area. Dinner is not included tonight.

London

Departing London we head Southwest, using the freeway to clear the city, and what more fitting introduction to the UK's ancient landscape and history than pre-historic Stonehenge? We drive across the tomb-covered Salisbury Plain to this incredible monument, with stops en route to sample the full flavour of the pretty counties of Hampshire and Wiltshire and your first taste of travelling the back-roads. In the afternoon, a contrast: Georgian Bath where, after an orientation drive around the city, you will be free to explore, perhaps with a visit to the Roman Baths and Pump Room, a fabulous reminder of times past. From here we head over the Severn Bridge into Wales.

South Wales

Today will be spent exploring the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan. We will drive through Cardiff, the capital of Wales, on our way to visit the little market town of Cowbridge where the actor Anthony Hopkins went to school. The Valley of Kings and Merlin's school, rugged coastline and sandy beaches are also on this morning's itinerary. After lunch there's a 12th century castle with its very own stepping-stones across the River Ewenny. If we cross the stepping stones and follow the footpath, we'll find ourselves in the picturesque thatched cottage village of Merthyr Mawr. A short distance away are the second largest sand dunes in Europe. We will also visit the Rhondda Valleys for which Wales is famous ('How Green Was My Valley?') and the Roman ruins at Caerleon. This evening there is an optional visit to a Welsh Cultural Banquet.

South Wales

The Welsh Marches and English Borders. Due to the distance that we have to cover and the slower country roads, there will be quite a lot of driving time today. Our first stop is Chepstow Castle, the oldest stone castle in Wales with its magnificent position right on the River Wye. From here, we follow the picturesque River Wye Valley, briefly stopping at the impressive ruins of Tintern Abbey, before continuing north towards Monmouth, birthplace of Henry V. Our route today often crosses Offa's Dyke, the 9th century man-made border between England and Wales. Continuing northwards we will lunch in the border town of Ludlow, home of one of the great Marcher fortresses. Ludlow also has a feast of old buildings, from Tudor through to Georgian. This afternoon, we'll explore the beautiful Shropshire countryside, before heading back into Wales where a visit to Llangollen, home of the International Musical Eisteddfod, will end the afternoon.

Ruthin

The breathtaking scenery of the Snowdonia National Park and the fabulous North Wales coastline is on today's itinerary. We visit the enchanting Italianate village of Portmeirion. It was created by Sir Clough William-Ellis between 1925-1972 and stands in a stunning spot on its own wooded peninsula next to the tidal sands of Traeth Bach. We'll also take a steam train ride before heading to the coast and the Victorian resort of Llandudno where you'll have time for a paddle & an ice cream before we head back to our base.

Ruthin

We'll take a brief look at the walled town of Roman Chester before we head north, through the beautiful Lancashire dales, to the land of Beatrix Potter and the Lakeland poets. Although we have a long drive this morning, the sights that await us in the Lake District are well worth it. There's Windermere, the largest and most famous of the Lakes and the smaller Ullswater to mention just two. We'll visit one of Wordsworth's homes, see prehistoric stone circles and some unbelievable scenery.

Cumbria

Bonnie Scotland! Land of Heather, tartans, whisky and bagpipes! Our first stop is at Gretna Green, famous for being the place to which young lovers would elope to be married. We'll take a picturesque drive through the forests of the border country to the historic town of Selkirk, where we will have lunch. From Selkirk it is but a short drive to the impressive home of Sir Walter Scott, Abbotsford. He bought the house in 1812 and died there twenty years later. We will have time to explore the house as well as the gardens and grounds. If time allows we'll make a short visit to Melrose and its abbey before turning north to Edinburgh, our base for the next three nights.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile, Prince's Street and the New Town - all under the shadow of Arthur's Seat. This is a day of 'organised independence' and you will be free to explore this exciting and vibrant city at leisure having enjoyed a full briefing from your guide/companion. Dinner is not included tonight to allow you to take advantage of theatre visits if wished.

Edinburgh

The Royal Kingdom of Fife is the subject of today's explorations. We'll see the prison castle of Mary, Queen of Scots, located on an island in the middle of Loch Leven. We'll visit the Royal Palace of Falkland, which contains the oldest Royal Tennis Court in Britain. Also on today's itinerary is St. Andrew's, home of golf. This is a fascinating seaside town and you will have time to explore the cathedral ruins, the castle, the town itself and perhaps even a visit to the golf museum. Later this afternoon we'll explore tiny little fishing villages which hug this North Sea coast. This evening we'll dine out and perhaps sample some of the wonderful locally caught fresh fish .

Edinburgh

Heading south, our first stop is at Jedburgh where you will have time to visit the local woollen mill. We'll also find abbey ruins, the castle jail and Mary Queen of Scots' house which is open to visitors. From here it is only a short drive to the English border where we'll visit some Roman remains on part of the great wall built by Emperor Hadrian to protect England from the fierce Picts north of the border. The market town of Hexham once suffered frequent raids by the marauding Scots. Today it is a bustling town where we will lunch before continuing our journey south, through picturesque Northumberland to our farmhouse base on the North Yorkshire Moors.

Yorkshire Moors

DAY ELEVEN - TUESDAY

The fabulous Viking city of York. It has much to offer its visitors from the magnificent Minster to the medieval Shambles. After a walking tour, you'll be free to explore at leisure. Also on today's itinerary are Rievaulx Abbey, Helmsley and (when open) Tristam Shandy's Coxwold.

  Yorkshire Moors

DAY TWELVE - WEDNESDAY

Continuing our journey south, we travel via Ripon, Harrogate and Yorkshire mill towns to the Bronté sisters' home at Haworth. Here you'll have time to explore before we move on to the Peak District, a beautiful and much under-rated part of England. We'll visit the spa town of Buxton in the 'dark' Peak before making our way to our base for the next two nights on the Chatsworth Estate.

Chatsworth Estate

DAY THIRTEEN - THURSDAY

Today we concentrate on exploring more of the Peak District. Our day will include visits to the Duke of Devonshire's Stately Home at Chatsworth and the more modest, although equally stunning Haddon Hall* owned by the Duke of Rutland, rural Derbyshire villages, 'well-dressing' folk custom in season and the 'blue john' mining town of Castleton. (* not open in October).

Chatsworth Estate

DAY FOURTEEN - FRIDAY

On this, our final day, and our journey through this Sceptred Isle simply has to include Stratford-upon-Avon. We'll visit some Shakespearean sites, including Anne Hathaway's cottage and the more interesting home of Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden. Leaving the bard's town behind we continue south, first seeing the tomb of another great Englishman, Winston Churchill, near Blenheim Palace. Then we touch the eastern Cotswolds with a visit to Chipping Norton and some smaller honey villages of this picturesque region. It's a full and exciting day and a fitting climax to our two-week adventure. The day and your holiday ends in London where you will be dropped off at our west London hotel base. Dinner not included tonight but you'll enjoy dining at one of the local restaurants or pubs in the area.

London

DAY FIFTEEN - SATURDAY

NOTE:
Many of the historic properties we visit on our tours are either owned by the National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk) or  the English Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk).  Why not visit their sites to get further descriptions of some of the super places included on the tour?

© As we publish full tour descriptions, you may find others offering our unique itineraries.  But, just as you find when others sing the songs of Paul McCartney, they're often not quite as good as when sung by the original composer!