This tour can be enjoyed by itself, or can be combined with any of our other tours departing before or after this tour.

You can also add extra time in Britain or elsewhere at the beginning and/or end of your tour(s).

And, if you prefer, you can travel by private car, joining the group only for accommodation, meals, and any other activities that you might wish.

Total flexibility.  And total enjoyment.

Tour Dates

The tour commences with a preliminary night of accommodation in London on Sunday, ? (date not yet confirmed).

If you're starting your travels in the US, you'll probably take an overnight flight on Saturday ? (or sooner), to arrive into London on Sunday ? (or sooner).

The tour ends on Sunday ? when you check out of your Pickering hotel and are taken to York.  You can then take the train from York back to London anytime that day, or extend your stay in York.

If you're traveling immediately back to the US, you can fly back from London any time on Sunday afternoon/evening and probably arrive back home the same day.  Alternatively, you might choose to extend or stay, or perhaps to then join one of our other tours.

Tour Inclusions

• One night accommodation in central London at the start of the tour

• Convenient and comfortable high speed train travel between London and Swansea in Wales, followed by the incredibly beautiful Heart of Wales train to Shrewsbury.  At the end of the tour, you will return from York back to London also by train.

• Large luxury coach for best views while touring and complete with onboard restroom for best comfort

• Small group, to avoid the crowded impersonal feeling - maximum size 32 - lots of room and comfort for everyone on a large 49 seater coach

• Two nights accommodation in the ancient city of Chester, in a room with lovely ocean views

• Two nights accommodation in England's beautiful Lake District

• Two nights accommodation in a small Inn in the quaint market town of Pickering

• Breakfasts every morning

• Feature dinners - one in Chester and one in Pickering

• Area touring in Chester including city tour and visit to the Ellesmere Port Canal Museum

• Scenic touring up to and then through and around England's beautiful Lake District

• A visit to a hilltop Stone Circle with beautiful views overlooking the Lake District

• Touring to Hadrian's Wall and then through the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors to Pickering

• A roundtrip journey on Britain's best loved restored steam train line

• Touring to the seaside town of Whitby, former home of explorer Captain Cook and setting for part of Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula.

• A visit to the evocative ruins of once great Rievaulx Abbey

• Free time in the ancient Roman and Viking city of York

Itinerary
 

Day 1 (Saturday) :  Leave the US
	You should make your own arrangements to fly from the US to London, departing on Saturday 15 May - or earlier if you wish to spend extra time in London or elsewhere before the start of the main tour

Day 2 (Sunday)  :  Arrive London
Our tour starts in London	If you left the US yesterday, you'll arrive in London today. You should make your own arrangements for this first night's stay in London, prior to meeting tomorrow morning at Paddington Station.

Day 3 (Monday) :  Train and Coach via the Heart of Wales to Chester

Our deluxe full size coach has lots of space and a restroom Our train journey through the 'Heart of Wales' is one of the most beautiful rail journeys in Britain

We'll travel by comfortable high speed intercity express train from London's Paddington Station over to Swansea in Wales this morning. We then take a small country train through the heart of the beautiful Welsh valleys, making stops at very small villages, and over to Shrewsbury, back in England once more.  This is one of Britain's most famous and scenic rail journeys. At Shrewsbury we're met by our coach and driven the rest of the way to historic Chester, where we'll enjoy two nights. We'll enjoy a special group dinner this evening in Chester.

Day 4 (Tuesday) :  Chester, Canals, and

Chester's High Street   Ellesmere Port is a fascinating museum of canal boats and canal life

Chester is a fascinating ancient city, and we'll start our day with a walking tour around the city center, visiting the fascinating medieval shopping 'rows', the city walls, and the much photographed Eastgate Clock. We then travel by coach out of Chester a short distance to Ellesmere Port, where we'll visit the Boat Museum.  This seven acre area recreates life on Britain's industrial age canals. A fascinating part of the museum are four identical canal side cottages, but furnished for different periods between 1840 and 1950. This afternoon you are free to relax in Chester, or if you prefer, to come and visit the fascinating Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker, formerly one of Britain's most secret defence bases.

Day 5 (Wednesday) :  Beatles and Blackpool

We'll visit Liverpool this morning, birthplace of the Beatles   Blackpool Tower and Pier - the most popular coastal resort in Britain

We leave Chester this morning and travel first to Liverpool, source of more chart-topping No 1 artists and bands than any other city in the UK; most notable of which is the Beatles.  We have time to tour around the city, see some Beatles related sights and sites, and stop for morning tea. We then continue north to the seaside town of Blackpool, famous for its piers and the most popular coastal resort in the UK.  We will have lunch in Blackpool. After lunch it is an easy and increasingly beautiful drive as we continue up to the Lake District and our hotel for the next two nights in Windermere.

Day 6 (Thursday) :  Sightseeing in the Lake District

The beautiful Lake District is more than just lakes.  It is beautiful hills, valleys, and rivers too.   A section of Castle Rigg Stone Circle, located on a hill-top above Keswick

Today we're going to travel around the Lake District, generally considered to be the most beautiful area in all of Britain. We take a short ferry across Lake Windermere, and then drive to Coniston Water. Coniston Water is famous as the setting for Arthur Ransome's book 'Swallows and Amazons' and also as the place where Donald Campbell's fatal attempt on the water speed record took place in 1967. From Coniston Water we continue on through lovely little towns such as Ambleside and Grasmere to Derwent Water, where we'll stop for lunch at Keswick. After lunch we then travel up a hill to the Castle Rigg Stone Circle, set on top of the hill and with beautiful sweeping views around the Lake District. We return back to our Windermere hotel for a second night.

Day 7 (Friday) :  Hadrians Wall, and the North York Moors

A section of Hadrian's Wall at Housesteads, the most complete Roman Fort in Britain

We leave the Lake District today, heading up towards Carlisle and then paralleling the remains of Hadrian's Wall. We'll stop at Housesteads Roman Fort and Museum - the most complete Roman fort in Britain.  We will have lunch at Housesteads. In the afternoon we then continue along the route of Hadrian's Wall for a while before heading south east, going through the North York Moors National Park, and arriving in Pickering, where we'll spend the next two nights.

Day 8 (Saturday) :  Steam Train, Dracula, and a ruined Abbey

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway - Britain's most popular restored steam train line   Rievaulx Abbey is an evocative memory of a different time, long since past

Pickering is a pleasant little market town, which we'll leave just as people did one hundred and more years ago.  We'll take a steam train from Pickering to Grosmont.  Look carefully at the Goathland stop - it features as the Hogwarts station in the Harry Potter movies. Our modern day coach meets us at Grosmont and takes us to the coastal fishing village of Whitby.  For me, this town is important as it is the home of Captain James Cook, famous explorer and discoverer (sort of) of New Zealand and Australia.  Others of you might find it more interesting as where Bram Stoker lived and based part of his Dracula novel. The narrow windy streets could be seen as scary, and certainly the town is evocative, although we'll be seeing it safely in daylight. We return to Grosmont and our train back to Pickering, including a very steep section of track that will have the steam loco working its hardest and noisiest. Then back on the coach and to the lovely ruins of Rievaulx Abbey in a beautiful park-like setting. We have a farewell group dinner in Pickering this evening.

Day 9 (Sunday) :  York and then back to London

York's extraordinary Minster dominates the town's skyline

This morning we'll travel by our coach one more time - the short distance down to impressive York. York is an ancient walled city crammed full of history in every nook and cranny.  It has one of the most impressive cathedrals in Britain (York Minster) and a lovely medieval town center. It is also home to the National Railway Museum. Spend as little or as much time as you like in York, which is where our tour ends. You're free to return to London by any train you wish.  Trains leave every 30 minutes, and the journey, on Britain's fastest rail line, takes only two hours.

Tour Cost

Estimated between $1500-$2000 per person, share twin.

A single supplement of estimated $400-500 is available.  We will also help to match together singles if you'd like to share with a compatible fellow single traveler.

These prices reflect a 3% discount for cash/check.

A $200 per person non-refundable deposit is required to confirm your places on this tour.

You are responsible for arranging your travel between the US and London.

What about the Air Fare?

You will save money and gain flexible convenience if you arrange your own air travel.  These days airlines seldom give discounts to groups, and sometimes even charge more, while also adding extra restrictions to the tickets!

You can choose whichever carrier has the best fare and the best schedules for you, and you can also choose a carrier that you wish to earn miles with.  You can even cash in miles and fly on frequent flier awards.

We'll be pleased to answer any questions you might have about arranging your air transportation, of course.

How to Extend or Vary this Tour

There are many ways you can extend or vary this tour.

You are encouraged to also enjoy the any of our other Fall 04 tours that operate before and/or after this tour.

You can also spend more time in London or elsewhere before the start of this tour.

During the tour, all of the day touring is of course optional and you can substitute your own activities if you prefer.  And, indeed, if you wish, you can even rent a car and follow the group's itinerary in your own car, rather than in the coach with the rest of the group.

After the tour, you can spend more time in York, or London, or travel on anywhere else in Britain or Europe, any way you wish.

Truly, this tour gives you a great number of ways to add extra time and sightseeing.  And, if you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  We're here to help ensure your experience is as good as possible.

Suggested Tour Extensions

We suggest you arrive in London a day or two before Sunday, so you are well rested when the tour starts.

Steam train day tours from London before or after the tour may be available and will be advised when tour dates are confirmed.

Tour Terms and Conditions

Our standard terms and conditions apply to this tour.

In addition, please note these extra terms :

1.   The 45 day payment due date is considered to be (to be advised).

2.   US citizens require a current passport that will not expire for at least six months after the date of their planned return back to the US in order to be admitted to Britain.  They do not require a British visa.  Citizens of other countries should check with the airline that will transport them to Britain to determine what passport and visa requirements may apply.

3.   Tour price is based on a UK/US exchange rate in the wholesale range between 1.75 and 1.85.  If the exchange rate varies outside of this rate prior to final payment being received, the tour price will be adjusted (either up or down) to reflect the change in the cost of tour components.  If the price of the tour increases by more than 5%, participants will be offered a no cost, no penalty opportunity to cancel and receive a full refund of all monies paid.

4.   Triple share rates may be available.  Ask for a quote if this is required.

5.   There's plenty of room in the coach's luggage bays for as much luggage as you choose to bring.  But you'll find it easier on the train journeys, and in the hotel rooms, if you try and limit yourself to one main suitcase and one smaller item per person.

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Originally published 20 Jul 2004, last update 30 May 2021