WALES, SCOTLAND & ENGLAND
GUIDED BY "THE QUEENS FOOTMAN"

SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 3, 2023

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Stonehendge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Excavations of the Roman Baths, Liverpool, Ludlow Castle, Whiskey House, Edinburgh Castle, Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford House, York, The Shambles, York, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shakespeare’s birthplace, and more!

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Nowhere other than Champlain Tours will you be guided by an actual Footman to the Queen of England!... Even if you’re not bold enough to try bubble and squeak, haggis and tatties, or cockles and laverbread, you’ll still enjoy this perfect sampling of England, Scotland, and Wales. Our most popular tour of Britain, this tri-country introductory vacation has something for everyone. History buffs will treasure prehistoric Stonehenge, the Roman ruins of Bath and the medieval cities and towns such as York and Ludlow. Music lovers will cherish the music-festival town of Llangollen and The Beatles’ home city of Liverpool. Literary fans will relish the countryside homes of William Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott. And beer and whisky connoisseurs will delight in the dimly lit pubs from London to Edinburgh and back where if you just can’t bring yourself to taste the black pudding, there’s always delicious fish and chips!

INCLUDED:

• Round-trip airfare

• All taxes & fees

• Airport transfers

• Full time Tour manager

• Local UK guides

• First-class lodging

• Luxurious motor coach

• 8 Breakfasts

• 3 Dinners

• Highlights: Stonehendge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Excavations of the Roman Baths, Liverpool, Ludlow Castle, Whiskey House, Edinburgh Castle, Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford House, York, The Shambles, Stratford- Upon-Avon, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shakespeare’s birthplace, and more!

NOT INCLUDED:

• Airport meals, 7 Lunches, 5 Dinners

• Gratuities (Tour manager, local guides, driver)

• Optional traveler’s insurance

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ITINERARY

DAY 1  DEPART BURLINGTON, VT (OR OTHER PRE-ARRANGED AIRPORT)

Overnight flight to London, England.  Travel with us from Burlington to London, England. Joining us for the next 10 days will be Trevor Major. Learn about what it was like to be an actual footman to the Queen of England! What really happens behind the tall gates of Buckingham Palace?

DAY 2 ARRIVE IN LONDON, ENGLAND 

Today is a free-day to get acclimated.  We consider this a "bonus" day to provide allowances for delayed departures.

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DAY 3 LONDON 

The Royal Treatment, LONDON. A morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes sights of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, Prime Minister’s Downing Street residence, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral. See the legendary landmarks of England’s historic capital city. Walk where voices have rung out for centuries in Parliament Square and where chimes rise high above you with the ringing of Big Ben’s quarter bells. See Westminster Abbey, where royal coronations, weddings, and funerals have made history. Free time this afternoon.

Breakfast

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DAY 4 LONDON–STONEHENGE–BATH 

Ancient Stones & Spa Days, LONDON. Meet your Tour Director and travel companions at 8 am before departing for Stonehenge. In BATH, visit the excavations of the Roman Baths. The traditions of one ancient Roman ritual are in full flow in Bath. Amid the remarkable Roman and Georgian architecture and the best-preserved Roman Baths of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, a good spa day is never hard to find in one of the “Best Spa Towns in Europe.” The city of Bath sits above geothermal springs that bubble up from the limestone below. Bath also turns up the heat with some of Britain's grandest Georgian buildings, a mecca for elite 18th-century society. Free time the remainder of the day.

Breakfast | Dinner

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DAY 5 BATH–LUDLOW–LLANGOLLEN, WALES–LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND

Welsh Country Beauties, LUDLOW. Visit this historic market town. Explore the charming medieval town of Ludlow on the River Teme. Noteworthy buildings include Ludlow Castle and the impressive St. Laurence’s church. With nearly 500 buildings on the Historic England list, Ludlow’s medieval and Tudor-style half-timbered architecture inspired poet laureate Sir John Betjeman to call it "the loveliest town in England."

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Visit the picturesque town of LLANGOLLEN In LIVERPOOL, enjoy free time the remainder of the day. Abbey Road and the Beatles anyone?

Breakfast

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DAY 6 LIVERPOOL–GRASMERE–GRETNA GREEN, SCOTLAND–EDINBURGH 

Sonnets, Sweets & Scottish Sips, LAKE DISTRICT. Take a scenic drive through the Lake District. In GRASMERE visit Wordsworth’s beloved village. Sample the original Grasmere gingerbread, an 1854 recipe invented by Sarah Nelson While in GRETNA GREEN, visit The Whisky House and taste some well-known malts. Free-time in EDINBURGH this evening.

Breakfast

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DAY 7 EDINBURGH 

Crown Jewels & Castle Views, EDINBURGH. Morning city sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the New Town and the Old Town. Ascend to Castle Rock to explore Edinburgh Castle, one of the most important historical strongholds in the Kingdom of Scotland, with an 11,000-year history as "the most besieged place in Great Britain". Here, you’ll find the royal regalia and Scotland’s Crown Jewels. The Castle forms the background of the spectacular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, held each year in August. Free time this afternoon.

Breakfast

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DAY 8 EDINBURGH–ABBOTSFORD–JEDBURGH–YORK, ENGLAND 

Augustine’s Monks & Medieval Markets, ABBOTSFORD. Take a guided tour of Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford House. JEDBURGH Take photos of the Augustinian abbey ruins. While strolling the cobblestones of York’s Shambles on a guided tour, it’s easy to imagine the medieval butcher shops and boisterous crowds bartering for beef and bones outside the 14th-century timber-framed windows. The Shambles is one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe, said to have been the inspiration behind Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, and today is a vibrant gathering place with cheerful cafés and quirky boutiques brimming with the sweet aromas of chocolate, pastries, and pies.

Breakfast | Dinner

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DAY 9 YORK–STRATFORD-UPON-AVON–LONDON

Mr. & Mrs. Shakespeare, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON. A LEGEND SLEPT HERE Ah, young love! Even more true, as Shakespeare’s fiancée was eight years his senior. See Anne Hathaway's Cottage, the family home where the bard’s wife-to-be was born and courted by young Will. Built more than 500 years ago, much of the original structure remains. Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace and family home in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon. Hear tales about his family life, marriage, and children with a close look at fascinating artifacts in a world-class collection assembled by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Breakfast

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DAY 10 LONDON

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning before the flight back home.

Breakfast

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