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BritishIrish Touring Pricing & Information |
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Wise Islands
As a first time visitor wanting an introduction to these
historical, cultured andscenically wealthy islands, or as a return visitor
wanting to see a little more than the regular sites to discover life behind
the tourist fa çade this is, perhaps, the best tour you can take.
Four countries in one. Not too rushed, but in a way that allows time to see a selection of our many attractions - from the better known to the lesser known - and to experience our many differing cultures. Days of touring combined with days of organised independence and with the opportunity to explore what you see. There's a little of everything for everybody: cathedrals and castles, mountains and lakes, ancient mystic sites and Georgian towns, eating and drinking, opportunities for shopping and meeting the locals. Once you've experienced the multi-cultural, ancient and modern life on our soil you'll appreciate why we should perhaps be called the WISE Islands!
Itinerary:
Day 1 London
Stepping out onto England's 'green and pleasant land', you're met
at the airport (transfers from Heathrow are free, Gatwick attracts
a suplement) by your Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd representative
and know that you're in good hands. A short drive to our London
base and, after a short orientation, you'll be free to relax
and discover the area. Dinner is not included tonight to enable
you to make choices about what to do with your first day - will
you sleep and recover from the arduous of travel, or perhaps
venture out to explore one of the world's most exciting cities?
Day 2 London - Malvern Hills
Our WISE Islands experience starts with one
of the country's best known jewels, the Cotswolds. Honey-coloured
villages, nestling in folds of the gently undulating hills, are the
order of the day. Our choice of stops will depend on the weather
and your interests but we've the Slaughters, Stowe, Burford, Bibury,
Chipping Campden and Minster Lovell from which to choose. Whether
Spring, Summer or Autumn, flower-filled gardens and rolling hills
make this one of England's most picturesque areas. We'll also be
visiting one of the region's famed country houses and gardens such
as Hidcote. You'll also be seeing the 'black and white' half-timbered
Tudor style houses as we tour through the Malvern Hills and country
Worcester, home of famed composer, Edward Elgar.
Day 3 Malvern Hills - North Wales
We've a varied day that sees us following the
River Severn along the Wales-England border back-roads with potential
stops at some of the pretty Severn-side villages. An undoubted highlight
will be Ironbridge, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Depending
on time and weather, the day offers other potential delights from
this period such as Llangollen with its amazing canal aqueduct. A
change of historical periods and we head for the Roman city of Chester
with its surrounding wall and remarkable shopping 'rows' of Tudor-style
black and white half-timbered buildings.
Day 4 North Wales
Today, a day of outstanding beauty in the
mountains of the Snowdonia National Park and along the North Wales
coast line. Our circular route takes us from the medieval castle
of Conway to the elegant Victorian resort of Llandudno, through
the Vale of Clwyd skirting Lake Bala, to the lands where the last
great Prince of Wales, Owain Glyn Dwr, held court. There's breathtaking
scenery as we drive to Blaenau Ffestiniog when we'll have an option
of going down a slate mine or taking a steam train ride. We are
now in the heart of Snowdonia as we drive through the forests to
Betws-y-Coed where one highlight will be a working woollen-mill
and, finally, the magnificent Horseshoe Pass.
Day 5 North Wales - Dublin
This morning sees us taking the North Wales
coast road through Bangor and Caernarvon, over the Menai Bridge
onto the Isle of Anglesey to the harbour town of Beaumaris where
a number of attractions demand our attention. One of the great
12th and 13th century castles of Edward 1st is obligatory today.
There are also some amazing prehistoric sites to visit before our
route for the afternoon Dublin ferry takes us through the town
with the longest name in Britain. For convenience, it is generally
shortened to Llanfair PG but properly boasts 52 letters!
Then following, perhaps, a picnic lunch on this mystic Celtic Isle of Anglesey, it's on to Holyhead and our fast ferry across the Irish Sea. We arrive in Dublin in time to enjoy a brief orientation tour before locating our city centre accommodation. Tonight we'll find a traditional music bar and sample the 'craic'. Ferry: HSS Stena Depart 13.45 Arr. 15.25 Day 6 Dublin
Organised Independence in Dublin. We have
a full day to discover the many delights this city has to offer.
You'll be given a briefing by your guide before having some free
time to explore at leisure. This is a small city and offers easy
walking. Options include Trinity College, the Book of Kells, the
Guinness Brewery (where you can take a tour and enjoy a free sample!);
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Grafton Street, Halfpenny Bridge and much,
much more. Dinner tonight is not included to enable you to take
an optional evening at one of Dublin's many 'cabarets', Irish nights,
or perhaps go to the theatre.
Day 7 Dublin
It's as if the Lake District had been brought
to your doorstep. The Wicklow Mountains are the beautiful 'backyard'
of Dublin's fair city. An area that has long exercised an attraction
to those seeking solitude and contemplation. Monks settled here
as early as 545 AD. Birdsong, the sound of running water and remains
of an ancient monastic life remind us of the sanctity this area
must have held for those who sought to live here. Passing through
the Wicklow Gap, we'll enter into the secluded and seductive Valley
of Glendalough. Remains of an 11th century cathedral, several churches
and a 110ft (33m) round tower are all that's left of the monastic
settlement that called this area home. Given Ireland's bounty of
natural beauty, Glendalough must surely be one of its loveliest
retreats. Heading back north towards Dublin, we'll also pay a visit
to Powerscourt with its splendid landscaped gardens embracing the
erstwhile 18th century mansion (destroyed by fire in 1974). Nearby
are Powerscourt Falls, the highest waterfalls in Ireland (270ft
or 90 metres).
Tonight there's an optional social evening at a fantastic local cultural centre where you can join in the dance and hear traditional music being taught and enjoyed. Day 8 Dublin - Newton Stewart or Castle
Douglas
We've an earlier than usual start today, with
much to see before catching a ferry from Belfast. Undoubted highlights
of the day will be visits to the most remarkable prehistoric tomb
in Europe at Newgrange (entry to the tomb itself conditional on
availability), and to the Hills of Tara, the foremost spiritual
and political centre of Ireland for 1000 years and the seat of
power until the coming of St Patrick. We then continue north to
our ferry departure point and sail across the Irish Sea to South-Western
Scotland.
Please note: ferry schedules and sea conditions may sometime entail taking a late evening ferry rather than the mid afternoon sailing. Day 9 Newton Stewart or Castle
Douglas - Edinburgh
We're on the edge of Robbie Burn's country
and this morning we'll follow the 'Burns trail' travelling north
though the beautiful Lowlands of Scotland. Troon, the Brig O Doon
and lochs of Galloway are all on our itinerary. Continuing north, we cross the great River Clyde over the Erskine Bridge and make our way, edging past Loch Lomond, into the Highland region of the Trossachs. Here you will see traditional heather-covered bens, babbling braes and lochs that so characterise the enchanting Highlands. Finally, towards the end of a perfect and full day, we make our way past the mighty Stirling Castle to Edinburgh. Day 10 Edinburgh
Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. This morning
there will be a panoramic tour of the major sites: Edinburgh Castle,
Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile, Prince's Street and the New Town
- all under the shadow of Arthur's Seat. For the rest of the day
you will be free to explore this exciting and vibrant city at leisure.
Dinner is not included tonight to allow you to take advantage of
theatre visits if wished. Day 11 Edinburgh - York or Dales
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. Here we'll visit some Roman remains
on part of the great wall, which the Emperor Hadrian built 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 base
on the North Yorkshire Moors or to the city of York.
Day 12 York or Dales
A short drive from our North Yorkshire Moors
base is the market town of Helmsley. Here we'll find the 12th century
ruins of Helmsley Castle, much of which was destroyed during the
English Civil War. The most spectacular stately home in Yorkshire,
Castle Howard, is next on the agenda. This beautiful palace is
still occupied by the Howard family who built it back in the 18th
century. You'll have free time to explore the house and grounds
and to have lunch. This afternoon we head back to the heather-covered
moors for a change of transport. You'll board a train at the North
Yorkshire Moors Railway and for a journey to relive the nostalgia
of the steam age. This area is Captain Cook country. After our
steam train ride we'll continue our explorations of this sometimes
bleak and remote countryside as we head back to our base.
Day 13 York or Dales - Lincolnshire
We begin this morning with the Viking city
of Jorvik (York). Arguably, this fabulous walled city boasts the
most impressive Minster in the UK. It is also famed for its medieval
'Shambles' when walking these atmospheric, narrow, cobbled streets
take you back hundreds of years in time.
There's never enough time to see York, even if you lived here! But we must tear ourselves away and head south. But there's a compensation: Lincoln! This lovely city, dominated by another fabulous castle, cathedral and shambolic streets is one that quite undeservedly gets overshadowed by its northern neighbour. Day 14 Lincolnshire - London
Well, we have finish on the highest of notes
and you'd think it difficult to better all that we've seen thus
far on our WISE Islands tour. But no, there's no possibility of
anti-climax with the flat, windmill-covered, East Anglian fenlands,
Oliver Cromwell's Ely and the picturesque university city of Cambridge
all to be toured before our final run-in to London.
Ely is a treasure for both its history, and for the fabulous stained glass of its cathedral. Cambridge, of course, offers not only medieval architecture of colleges such as King's, but also the opportunity of a gentle 'punt' on the 'backs' of the River Cam. There's also one of England's finest museums and an opportunity for some last minute shopping. Day 15 London
Alas, unless you're extending your stay in
the UK's capital, it's time to leave and you'll be taken to your
airport of departure, saddened to be leaving but undoubtedly a
little WISER!
Tour Include:
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