Day 2 - Highlights
of London - In the morning we will meet our local
Blue Badge guide for our personal historic tour of the famous sites and secret
alleyways of London. We will start with a quiet stroll through Green Park and
introduction to the great history of 
London and England followed by going to the
best “in the know” place to view the pageantry of the Changing of the Guard.
After the guard we will continue with queen’s Buckingham Palace and St. James
Park on our way to Westminster Abbey. We will have a detailed tour inside
Westminster Abbey which is the final resting place of some of England’s greatest
minds and leaders and a fascinating introduction to the history of this great
country. After the Abbey, a historic walk through Trafalgar Square followed by
lunch on your own at one of Britain's classic old Pubs (except with great
food!). Our afternoon will be highlighted by an insider's tour of Christopher
Wren's architectural masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, and finish with our
guide on Tower Hill looking on the 1,000 year-old Palace-Fortress-Torture center
and home to the most impressive collections of crown jewels in the world - the
Tower of London. We will conclude in the late afternoon with a historic and
humorous cruise down the Thames and dinner is on your own. This would be a
perfect evening to go to the London Theater. If you like theater at all, it is a
"must do" in London. You can get help with bookings and recommendations from
European Discovery. (B) Sleep: Sleep in
London
Day 3 - London Discovery Day
- T
he entire day is dedicated to things you want to do and your
discovery of London. You can wake up late and wander through the old city
or do some shopping at the famous Harrods down the street from our hotel. There are also incredible
choices of museums in London - the British Museum with its priceless collections from the
ancient world, the British Library with the original Magna Carta, the Tate
Modern housing Picasso and Monet, the National Gallery with its remarkable
collection of European painters and many more. If you feel more like an
adventure outside of London, Windsor castle, the official home of England's
royal family, and the old university town of Cambridge are only a 50-minute
train ride away. Closer to London are the Royal Gardens of
Kew and Henry VIII's palace at Hampton Court.
Whatever you choose, European Discovery will make sure you can
do it with ease. The European Discovery guide will also be
leading to some of these local sites for those that want to
join. In the evening, there will be wine and cheese to
share your day's discoveries. Dinner is on your own tonight and
it is also another good night for the theater. (B) Sleep in
London
Day
4 - London to Bath - We will have a relaxing morning
then pack our bags and say
good-bye to London. In our mini-bus we will take
the short drive to the creamy town of Bath with a lunch
stop on the way. After
checking into our B&B we will head out for a walking
tour of Bath given by a local guide and Bath resident.
Bath has the highest number of protected historic
buildings per capita of anywhere in England - with its
Georgian architecture, flowers, parks, all so centrally
located. It is a beautiful town that just envelops you.
After our walk, we will have dinner together at a local
pub/bistro filled with class and an incredible menu. (B,D) Sleep in Bath
Day 5 -
5000 years of History - We will meet our local guide British historical expert and drive
the southwest countryside surrounding Bath. We will start with the famous
archeological site of Stonehenge - you will get the "real scoop" about this
5,000 year-old mysterious site. Next, we will visit the lesser known, but bigger
and more "touchable" circle site of Avebury, our spot for you to have some lunch
- you can almost feel the magnetic lines of the earth here. After lunch we will
wander through the lovely untouched English village of Lacock where they filmed
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice followed by the Salisbury Cathedral - an awe
inspiring church that also contains one of the best preserved of the four
surviving original Magna Carta. We will return to Bath in the early evening and
dinner is on your own. Theater in Bath is also excellent. (B) Sleep in Bath
Day
6 - Bath Discovery Day and off to the Cotswolds - 
The morning will
be reserved for you to explore Bath on your own. If you have not done so yet,
the ancient Roman Baths are a must. Built by the Romans, they give an excellent
view to how Roman culture affected the direction of Britain. The Gothic Bath
Abbey, the Costume Museum and the Museum of Bath at Work are also wonderful
choices. Your tour handbook will describe all of these in detail. After lunch on
your own, we will make the short move to the Cotswold’s. On the way we will stop
and see Blenheim Palace - the current home of the Duke of Marlboro and
birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. After the palace, we will continue on to
one of the "postcard-pretty" villages of the Cotswolds - Broadway. Here we will
settle in our B&B and head out for dinner together in the tiny village of
Kineton for the most incredible home cooked elegant pub meal - you will think
you are in a thatched heaven! (B,D) Sleep in Broadway
Day
7 - The Cotswolds -
One of the downright prettiest places in all of Great Britain, the
Cotswolds were built by the
rich woolen industry. With the coming of the Industrial revolution
they were left "as is" - a step back in time. We will begin with a loop drive
through the highlights of these villages with some stops for wandering,
and visiting gardens, castles and stately homes. Today our pub lunch together
will be complete with an outdoor beer garden. The afternoon will be for your
half-day of Discovery. There will be plenty to choose from again.
The Cotswolds have some of the best English country walks with
amazing views that go right through the farmers' fields. The handbook will give
you some choices along with gardens, old churches, castles and stately homes you
may want to visit. The mini-bus can
take you where you want to go and pick you up. Dinner will be on
your own tonight. (B) Sleep in Broadway
D
ay 8 - To York with a
Medieval Castle stop - Off to the north of England and the
city of York. We will break up
the drive with a stop or two. The first will be at England's finest medieval
castle - Warwick Castle. There is something here for everyone - Madam Tussaud's wax "King Maker" exhibition, "Ghosts alive" live tour,
an impressive jousting and horseman display, a birds of prey show and a walk along the old
castle wall. Lunch will be on your own - a picnic on the lawn by the castle moat
is a fun option or we can stop once on our way to York. We will
arrive in York in the late afternoon and have another incredible meal at a local
pub in the historic center. After dinner you can head back to the hotel or join
an entertaining and historic Haunted Walk of the city as York is known as one of
the most haunted cities in Britain. (B,D) Sleep in York
Day
9 - Highlights and Discover York -
We will start our day by meeting our
local York guide for a half-day tour of
the highlights of the medieval city of
York and its Gothic
church - York Minster. York Minster contains more
medieval original stained glass than any other building in England. Our guide will make this city and its long history come alive. Lunch
is on your own and the afternoon will be free for you to discover other parts of
York - the castle
museum, the railway museum and "wandering walk" along the top of the old
wall are just a few choices. Dinner is on your own and there are lots of
recommendations in the handbook. (B,L) Sleep in York
Day
10 - Head to the Highlands - We will make the
long but beautiful drive to the Scottish Highlands with a break for a picnic
lunch(we stop in the morning to buy our picnic) at either a lake or a castle. We
will arrive early enough into Oban to check into our sea-view B&B, have a little
wander around this Scottish sea port and go for a traditional Highland dinner
together with a view of the beautiful bay. You should try the haggis here - it
is very tasty and you cannot go to Scotland without having a bit of haggis,
neeps and tatties to tell your friends about. (B,D) Sleep in Oban
Day 11 -
Discover the Scottish Highlands - Just the title of this day sounds fabulous doesn't
it? Today you will have the
entire day to explore
and tour the Scottish Highlands from Oban.
Queen Victoria fell in love with the
Highlands and so will you. You can take
a ferry to the remote islands of Iona
(birthplace of Christianity in Scotland)
and Mull to see castles, abbeys, and the
rugged coastline. You could also hitch a
ride from our mini-bus to the valley of
Glencoe or Glen Nevis (a.k.a. where they
film most Scottish Highland movies) to
take a Highland walk or visit the many
nearby gardens and castle ruins. A
fun distillery tour that shows how
Scotland makes its famous golden liquid (always
with a tasting) is a good choice.
Perhaps the Links golf courses nearby
may be calling you to play a wee round.
We will have our wine and cheese in the
evening to share our discoveries and
dinner is on your own tonight. (B)
Sleep in Oban
Day
12 - To Edinburgh via Glencoe - We will head out of Oban in the morning, taking the route
through the valley of Glencoe and the Rannoch Moor. This is
MacDonald-clan territory and we will stop in the newly built Glencoe
visitor center that tells the sad tale of the massacre in 1692. After
lunch at the plaid-covered Clachaig
Inn in Glencoe with its "well-stocked" Scottish Bar, we will say
good-bye to the Highlands and make the three hour drive to Edinburgh. We will settle in our Victorian B&B in the early evening with a bit of wine and cheese. Dinner is on your own tonight
with plenty of things to do in the city - theater, ghost walks or
just plain wandering down the main street looking up at the beautifully-lit Edinburgh castle.
(B,L) Sleep in Edinburgh
Day 1
3
- Discover Edinburgh - In the morning we will meet our local kilt-wearing Edinburgh
guide at our hotel. We will tour the city of Edinburgh in a mixture of
mini-bus and walking including the
Palace of Holyroodhouse, new Georgian
Edinburgh, views of the city and a
complete tour of Edinburgh Castle. This
fortified castle has sat proudly on a
rock above the city since the 7th
century and has been the home to
Scottish royalty and military - still
holding the Scottish crown jewels. Our guide will fill us with the history
of this place and of the proud Scottish
people as we roam its halls. Lunch and the afternoon will be on your
own for your Edinburgh Discovery -
the rest of the Royal Mile, the Museum
of Scotland, St. Giles Cathedral,
National Gallery - not to
mention some easy nearby visits to world-famous Scottish golf and the royal vessel Britannia. We will have our farewell dinner together in the shadow
of the castle and raise our glasses to an incredible two weeks in
England and Scotland! (B,D) Sleep in Edinburgh
Day 14 - The tour is over
after breakfast. You can head to the airport or if
you have made other arrangements, stay on in Great Britain or head
over to the continent on your own. Whew, what an
awesome British experience! (B)
many options to get you to our elegant
hotel in the central Marble Arch neighborhood. The whole group will get together
at the hotel around 4pm for wine, cheese and introductions along with some "how to's" for getting around London. After our intro, we will head out for a stroll
along the south bank of the Thames and then on to the London Eye for our
introductory highlights of London from above. On the London Eye we will be able
to get a bird’s eye view over London while the European Discovery guide will
introduce you to the landmarks and history of this great city. We’ll have a
great dinner together in a restaurant near our hotel. (D) Sleep: Sleep in London