British Landscapes and Cityscapes Adventure - 8 Days

Welcome to London. We’ll transfer you to your hotel – the rest of the day is yours to relax or explore at your own pace. In the afternoon, please check the information boards at hotel reception for details about the start of your tour. Please note: This tour may have travellers joining or departing at various points along the route, meaning group composition can change during the tour. Please also be aware that depending on group composition, guiding may be in additional languages as well as English.

This morning we explore London on a panoramic city tour – taking in Westminster, the Houses of Parliament, the City and the River Thames. The afternoon is free for you to explore at your own pace – or you can join our optional excursion to the Thames Valley, including Windsor and its castle. In the evening we meet at Piccadilly for a stroll through Leicester Square, Chinatown and Soho – known for lively streets, theatres and entertainment – before returning to the hotel by bus. Please note the evening walk may be scheduled for the previous day depending on arrival times.

Enjoy a full free day in London – there are no scheduled activities, so you can set your own pace. Use the time to explore, discover new corners of the city and enjoy its character at leisure. If you’d like suggestions or directions, we’ll be happy to help.

We leave London this morning and travel north to Cambridge, stopping to view its university colleges. After lunch we continue to York to see the cathedral, Roman walls and lively shopping streets – you’ll have free time here to explore. Later we head further north to Durham, a medieval city with a magnificent cathedral opposite the castle.

Leaving Durham, we travel north into Scotland, stopping in Alnwick – a picturesque town known for its gardens and impressive medieval castle, featured in the Harry Potter films. We then continue to Edinburgh, arriving around midday. Scotland’s capital has a UNESCO World Heritage city centre, with the castle commanding the skyline above its steep streets and parks. On arrival, we take a panoramic tour with a local guide.

We set off from Edinburgh for a full day through the Highlands. First is a pause in Pitlochry for coffee and a short stroll, then we continue past Inverness in northern Scotland towards Loch Ness. We visit Urquhart Castle – admission included – and take a boat trip on the loch. We then pass Fort Augustus with its sluice system and Fort William, a gateway town at the foot of Ben Nevis – the highest summit in the United Kingdom. The route south crosses high plateaus where snow is often visible and skirts the shores of Loch Lomond before we arrive in Glasgow at the end of the day.

Important note – for groups arriving in Edinburgh from 15 November to the end of February, the itinerary is adjusted due to shorter daylight and possible snow: we depart at 08:00 for Pitlochry – 09:45 to 11:15 – in the heart of a renowned whisky region, where we visit a traditional distillery – admission included. We continue to Stirling – 12:30 to 15:30 – with tickets to Stirling Castle included and time for lunch. There is then a photo stop at The Kelpies before we continue to Glasgow, arriving at about 17:00 with time to stroll the city centre.

We depart Glasgow early and head south through Scotland into England, passing green countryside and small villages along the way. In Lichfield, we stop for a short walk and you’ll have time for lunch – this small picturesque town is known for its cathedral with three spires and a beautiful historic centre of cobbled streets and old buildings. We then continue to London, arriving in the late afternoon. Note: If group numbers are low on this stage, we may travel by train or plane and the Lichfield stop will be omitted.

After breakfast, our journey comes to an end in London – we hope you head home with lasting memories of your time with us.