Essential Britain (GC) Tour

Welcome to London! Uniformed Globus Hosts will be waiting to welcome you. After checking into your hotel and an afternoon at leisure, we recommend our optional Taste of London excursion with dinner, followed by a guided illumination cruise on the Thames River.

Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions, and depart London at 8 am. First, try to unravel the mystery of prehistoric STONEHENGE; explore the stunning new visitor center with its imaginative exhibitions, then take the shuttle to the stone circle and admire the magnificence of the monument up close. Continue on through Thomas Hardy’s Wessex, and head to Plymouth for the next two nights. Spend some time at the historic Barbican to see the Mayflower Steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked in 1620, and hear about historical figures such as Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner with wine at your hotel.

A day full of West Country sights as you head through Daphne du Maurier’s Cornwall, where you will be treated to an authentic [LF] CORNISH PASTY. After viewing St. Michael’s Mount, take your photos at Land’s End before exploring the popular seaside resort of St. Ives. Back in Plymouth, why not join an optional excursion into Dartmoor National Park for an evening of storytelling at a local pub.

At Glastonbury, hear about its associations with King Arthur, and in elegant Bath, see the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS with time to explore further on your own. Stay the night in Cardiff, the Welsh capital. You might want to join an evening of Welsh entertainment and dinner tonight.

Your journey through Wales takes you north along the Taff Valley and Brecon Beacons National Park, and via the ancient market town of Builth Wells to Chester. On your walking tour, see the Roman remains, the characteristic black and white half-timbered buildings, and the famous two-tiered arcades called the “Rows.” Spend the night in Liverpool; you may wish to join an optional city tour this evening.

Start the day with a visit to the award-winning BEATLES STORY, an atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture, and music of the “Fab Four.” Later, focus on the tranquil Lake District, considered to be the finest of England’s national parks. Take a break in Wordsworth’s beloved Grasmere and try original [LF] GRASMERE GINGERBREAD. Then, head north for the Scottish border and stop at Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples, and take part in a [LF] WEDDING RE-ENACTMENT. Overnight in Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city.

Follow the “Bonnie Banks” of Loch Lomond, then proceed via Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe, Fort William, and 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 trace the shores of Loch Ness on the way to the Highland capital.

Main features today: the battlefield of Culloden Moor; Braemar, home of the Royal Highland Games; St. Andrews; and over the elegant Forth Road Bridge to Edinburgh. Tonight, an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis.

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). Later, a unique optional excursion: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia to see how the Royal Family and crew of 240 lived and worked on board. Dinner rounds off this optional evening.

This morning at ALNWICK CASTLE the choice is yours: visit the CASTLE itself, the opulent ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, or explore ALNWICK GARDEN, where the fountains and waterfalls are a breathtaking feature. Next, stand in front of the great structure of York Minster, then follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets, including the narrow Shambles.

On the last leg of your journey, stop at Stratford-upon-Avon to take pictures of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and visit SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE. On return to London at about 3:30 pm, a Shownight Theater Evening would be an incredible finale to your vacation.

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.