14 Days Celtic Highlights Tour Package
Duration: 14 Days / 13 Nights
Priced From: $2,299 pp Dbl. Occ.
Dates: Jun - Oct
This 14-day journey brings you the best of Scotland, England's Lake District, North Wales, and the Emerald Isle. Your Scottish experience begins in the lively city of Glasgow and continues via the “Bonnie Banks” of Loch Lomond to Fort William and the Highland capital of Inverness. In Edinburgh, visit the famous castle and the Queen's Holyrood Palace, and in the lowland hills visit the famous blacksmith's shop at Gretna Green before crossing the border into England. Delight in the beauty of the peaceful Lake District on your way to historic Chester. Explore the north Welsh towns of Betws-y-Coed and Caernarvon, then take a ferry across the Irish Sea to the “Fair City” of Dublin. Blarney, the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher, and the Giant's Causeway are all included before your Irish experience is completed with a visit to Belfast in the company of a Local Guide. Return to Glasgow for the completion of this popular vacation.
Itinerary
Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
Day 2 Arrival in Glasgow, Scotland
Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax in Scotland's largest city. Before tonight's welcome dinner join your Tour Director and traveling companions for a toast to happy touring with a congenial group. (D)
Day 3 Glasgow–Inverness
Your Celtic adventure starts in earnest as you head for the Highlands. On the way this morning: Dumbarton, the capital of the ancient Celtic kingdom of Strathclyde; the "Bonnie Banks" of Loch Lomond; wild Rannoch Moor; Glen Coe, where the MacDonalds were treacherously massacred by the Campbells; lovely Loch Linnhe; Fort William beneath Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain. The spectacular afternoon drive follows the Caledonian Canal, with vistas of the Great Glen, Loch Lochy, and Loch Ness, looking out for signs of the mysterious monster. Spend the night in Inverness, the Highland capital. (FB,D)
Day 4 Inverness-Edinburgh
Cross the battlefield of Culloden Moor and continue through heather-clad moors for a visit to a WHISKY DISTILLERY, where your guide explains the ancient art of converting barley, water, and yeast into a heart-warming liquor. On to BALMORAL CASTLE, the Queen's residence during the hunting season. (After July 31 when the Royal Family is in residence, visit CRATHIE CHURCH instead.) Drive through Braemar, home of the Royal Highland Games for over 900 years, and in the afternoon travel via Perth and over the mighty Forth Road Bridge to Edinburgh. Tonight don't miss our optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis. (FB)
Day 5 Edinburgh
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). The afternoon is free to enjoy this “Prince of Cities” at your own pace. Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia , which for the Queen was once the perfect royal residence for glittering state visits and family holidays. Tour five decks and see how the Royal Family and crew of 240 lived and worked on board. Dinner rounds off this optional evening. For tour numbers 0806, 0813 and 0820 tickets are included for tonight's performance of the world-renowned MILITARY TATTOO: a vast spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands which takes place in an arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. (FB
Day 6 Edinburgh-Chester, England
On the way through the history-steeped Lowland Hills, stop at Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. Leave the land of the Scots, and journey through the tranquil Lake District, considered the finest of England's national parks, and drive over spectacular Kirkstone Pass to visit picturesque Bowness-on-Windermere. Continue to Chester, the historic county town on the River Dee. On your walking tour see the Roman remains, the characteristic black and white half-timbered houses, and the famous two-tiered arcades called the "Rows". (FB,D)
Day 7 Chester-North Wales-Dublin, Ireland
Travel through the incomparable landscapes of Snowdonia National Park, via lovely Betws-y-Coed and over breathtaking Llanberis Pass, a region where Welsh is widely spoken as the first language. At Caernarvon you have time to explore the castle which saw the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales. Now it's across Britannia Bridge to the Isle of Anglesey for a photostop at tongue-twisting Llanfair. At Holyhead board your fast ferry and cross the Irish Sea to Dublin. Top the day with an
optional dinner evening at the Guinness Storehouse. (FB)
Day 8 Dublin
An orientation drive in the Irish capital includes statue-lined O’Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Then visit Oscar Wilde’s TRINITY COLLEGE, famous for the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells and the magnificent Old Library. Afternoon at leisure. Take your Tour Director’s dining recommendation. (FB)
Day 9 Dublin-Killarney
Horse-racing country this morning. Drive across the Curragh to visit the IRISH NATIONAL STUD at Kildare, whose thoroughbreds command respect on the racecourses of the world. The Rock of Cashel, where St. Patrick preached, is another milestone on the route to Blarney, renowned for its magical Stone of Eloquence. Time here to visit the castle and shop for fine Waterford crystal before continuing on to the popular resort of Killarney. (FB,D)
Day 10 Killarney-Ring of Kerry-Limerick
Follow the road known as the "Ring of Kerry" for a spectacular 100-mile panoramic drive around the island's southwestern tip and take your photos of the Lakes of Killarney from Ladies View. In the afternoon drive via quaint Adare to Limerick where an orientation drive features St. Mary's Cathedral, King John's Castle, and the Stone where the Treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691. A suggestion for a very special night out: an optional medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. (FB)
Day 11 Limerick-Sligo
Motor to the spectacular CLIFFS OF MOHER, rising 668 feet above the Atlantic. Via the limestone plateau of The Burren you reach Galway, a vibrant city with a great seafaring tradition. Hear about the infamous Lynch Stone, commemorating the day Mayor James Lynch Fitzstephen hanged his son for murder. Pass through the region featured in the film The Quiet Man and visit Knock, a village that attracts pilgrims from all over the world since townsfolk saw apparitions. Spend the night in Sligo. (FB,D)
Day 12 Sligo-Belfast, Northern Ireland
A rich string of attractions awaits you today: the grave of the native son and poet W.B. Yeats in Drumcliff; BELLEEK POTTERY FACTORY, renowned for its exquisite cream-colored Parian china; a fascinating walking tour of Derry with a Local Guide, taking in the Guildhall, old city walls, and St. Columb's Cathedral. Pass Dunluce Castle, a romantic ruin clinging to its clifftop, and visit awe-inspiring GIANT'S CAUSEWAY, composed of thousands of strangely symmetrical basalt columns jutting out to sea. Follow the scenic Antrim coast road to the vibrant city of Belfast. (FB,D)
Day 13 Belfast-Glasgow, Scotland
Learn more about this fascinating city on this morning's “Living History” tour in the company of a Local Guide before boarding your ferry for the fast crossing of the North Channel to Stranraer on the west coast of Scotland. Back in Glasgow, your city drive takes in the fine 12th-century cathedral, imposing university buildings, and elegant Georgian squares, built by the wealthy tobacco barons. Tonight, raise a glass of wine to a successful tour at a private farewell dinner at your hotel. (FB,D)
Day 14
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (FB)
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10/08
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