DAY 1 – SAT – DEPART USA

Overnight flight to London.

DAY 2 – SUN – ARRIVE LONDON

Welcome to London! After checking in to your hotel the afternoon is yours to relax. Hotel: Thistle Marble Arch.

DAY 3 – MON – LONDON – DARLINGTON

Meet your Tour Director early this morning and drive north to the university town of Cambridge. Stroll by some of the colleges, including the King’s College, before continuing to York. Walk inside the city walls to York Minster, Britain’s largest Gothic cathedral. Then continue through the cobbled streets to the Tudor ‘Shambles’, where the houses lean so far they almost touch! Use your free time to shop before continuing to your hotel. Hotel: Blackwell Grange. 

DAY 4 – TUE – DARLINGTON – EDINBURGH

Cross the Northumberland Moors and pass the romantic ruins of Jedburgh Abbey on your way to Scotland’s elegant capital, Edinburgh. On a guided city tour, visit the Castle, set high on a rocky crag. Then drive down the stately Royal Mile, past St Giles’ Cathedral to the Queen’s Holyroodhouse Palace, and on to the 18th century New Town. Later, why not enjoy a scottish evening of haggis and bagpipes? (May-Oct). Hotel: Hilton Grosvenor. (B)

DAY 5 – WED – EDINBURGH– LIVERPOOL

Drive through the Southern Uplands to Gretna Green, where many an eloping English couple have been married. Attend the ‘Anvil Ceremony’ in the Blacksmith’s Shop, then cross the border back into England. Enjoy a drive through the Lake District, a region so beautiful it inspired a host of English poets. Wander in Wordsworth’s footsteps by the lake before continuing to your hotel on Liverpool's famous waterfront, adjacent to the Liver Buildings and close to the Albert Docks. Hotel: Thistle. (B,D)

DAY 6 – THU – LIVERPOOL – LONDON

First stop today is at the former Roman fortress town of Chester, still standing within its well preserved walls. See the Cathedral, the unique black and white ‘Rows’ (shopping arcades) and the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre. Continue to the famous Wedgwood China factory, where there is much to tempt those seeking fine British souvenirs. Now to Stratford-upon-Avon where you visit Shakespeare’s birthplace. Return to London through the flower-trimmed villages of the Cotswolds, one of the most beautiful parts of England.

Hotel: Thistle Marble Arch.(B)

DAY 7 – FRI – LONDON SIGHTSEEING

Your half day sightseeing tour shows you Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Column, Downing Street, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and, of course, Buckingham Palace. This afternoon is at leisure for last minute shopping or sightseeing? (CB)

DAY 8 – SAT – RETURN TO USA

Your tour ends after breakfast. (CB)