Day to Day Itinerary - "Mahers Tour
Showcase"
![]() Meals included on tour noted as
(B/L/D)
Wednesday 06
August: Ak to Singapore
Thursday 07
August: Singapore Friday 08 August:
Singapore – London (B)
Saturday 09 August: London
(B/L)
Sunday 10
August: London – Plymouth
(B/D)
Monday 11
August: Cornwall Excursion
(B/D)
Tuesday 12
August: Plymouth – Bristol
(B/D) From Plymouth, we cross Dartmoor to the market town of
Tavistock before continuing on to the magnificent Cornish West coast. Then
to the seaside town of Bude, a popular holiday destination with its rugged
coastline and golden sand beaches and continue north through the
North Devon market towns of Bideford and Barnstaple. Across Exmoor with
magnificent views of the Bristol Channel. Our overnight stop
is the outskirts of Bristol.
Wednesday 13 August:
Bristol –
Stratford-Upon-Avon (B/D) From Bristol,
we continue our journey with our first stop at the ancient and historic
spa city of Bath with it’s Georgian architecture. Our orientation
sightseeing shows us Putteney Bridge, first conceived in 1771 and built in
the Florentine style with houses on each side of the length of the bridge.
Also, Bath Abbey dating back to 1495 and built on the site of a
7th century church. We have time to visit the Roman Baths first
developed by the Romans almost 2000 years ago and still welcoming visitors
today. From Bath, we continue north to the town of
Stratford-Upon-Avon in the beautiful Warwickshire countryside, for an
overnight stay. We enjoy a tour of the town, famous as the birthplace of
William Shakespeare and visit Anne Hathaway’ Cottage as well as Holy
Trinity Church.
Thursday 11
August: Stratford-Upon-Avon – Manchester
(B/D) Leaving
Stratford this morning, we continue north to the Midlands. Time
permitting, we stop at Rugby where William Webb Ellis “picked up the ball
and ran with it” before arriving at the cathedral city of Coventry. Once
known as the centre of the British motor vehicle industry, it was also the
home to the famous Lady Godiva who founded a Benedictine monastery in
1047. We see the two cathedrals, the ruins of the original St Michael’s
Cathedral destroyed during a bombing raid in 1940 and the new cathedral
built alongside before we continue on to the city of Manchester for a 4
night stay.
Our time in
the Manchester region for the next four nights will surely be one of the
highlights of the tour. During our stay, we will soak up the atmosphere of
the region that gave us the longest running television series of all time,
and we will be joined by one or two of the “stars” plus a script writer
and/or other production expert. Coronation Street has visited more homes
than any other television show and is known and enjoyed worldwide. This
will be the 8th year our exclusive arrangements have given us
the opportunity to enjoy the “experience” and every year has been a
cracker!
We commence our stay in the
Manchester area this evening with dinner at “The Old Grapes Inn”, just a
short walk from our hotel.
Friday 12
August: Manchester
(B/D) This morning,
our sightseeing tour shows us a little of the revitalised city of
Manchester and neighbouring Salford and also shows us some of the venues
used in the filming of “The Street”. We have the afternoon to explore on
our own or relax until we ready ourselves for a special dinner out in the
country at “The Navigation Inn”.
Saturday 13
August Manchester
(B/L/D) A special day
today. This morning, we enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get
behind the scenes and tread the hallowed cobbles of the famous street as
we are taken on a private tour of the “Coronation Street” set at Granada
Studios. This is followed by lunch at The White Lion before we head for
Bronte Country and Haworth, a picturesque little village situated amid the
bleak Pennine moors. We visit the Bronte home, otherwise known as The
Parsonage. We also enjoy a ride on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway,
an authentic preserved steam railway which has been used as a setting for
numerous period films and TV series. We enjoy a short ride by train to
Oxenhope where we rejoin our coach to take us to our dinner venue before
returning to Manchester later this evening. A magical
day.
Sunday 14
August: Manchester
(B/L/D) Another great
day today as we travel by coach to Leeds and “The Emmerdale Production
Centre and Village”, described as the largest TV studio in the world. We
enjoy a tour of the studio and the village and are able to enjoy our lunch
in the village. We return to our hotel this afternoon in time to freshen
up before our special Gala Dinner this evening with a star from “The
Street” in attendance.
Monday 15
August: Manchester
– Glasgow (B/D) Time to farewell Manchester
this morning as we travel north, first to the English Lakes District,
inspiration for so much of Wordsworth’s poetry; beautiful mountain scenery
and glistening lakes, rolling fells and bustling market towns. This is a
truly unique part of Britain. Then on to the Scottish border and Gretna
Green where for over 250 years young romantics have confirmed their
marriage vows over the blacksmith’s anvil. Finally, on to Glasgow where we
enjoy an orientation tour of the city on the banks of the River Clyde
before settling into our hotel for our overnight
stay.
Tuesday 16
August: Glasgow –
Inverness (B/D) A lovely drive
today as we leave Glasgow and head north along the banks of Loch Lomond.
We pass through Glencoe, site of the 1692 massacre of the MacDonalds by
the Campbells and reach Fort William sitting in the shadow of Ben Nevis,
Britain’s highest mountain. We continue our journey north through
Invergarry and Fort Augustus. Keep an eye out for “Nessie” as we travel
the length of Loch Ness. Beautiful landscapes around every bend.
We enjoy a 2 night stay in the Inverness
region.
Wednesday 17
August: Inverness
(B/D) Today, is a
leisurely day spent in and around Inverness, the capital of the Highlands.
We will see the castle, the cathedral, Floral Hall in Bught Park –
Inverness is well known for its floral displays - and then we will visit
Culloden Moor site of the famous battle in 1746 when Bonnie Prince Charlie
tried unsuccessfully to defeat the English forces. The remainder of the
day is at leisure.
Thursday 18
August: Inverness –
Edinburgh (B) Time to change
direction today as we head south through rugged scenery. We pass by Blair
Atholl, home to the Earls and Dukes of Atholl for over 700 years. It
commands a strategic position on the main route through the Scottish
Highlands. We continue to Pitlochry, through Perth and Dundee
and over the River Tay to the Fife Coast and St Andrews, home to Britain’s
oldest university as well as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St
Andrews. Finally, its over the Forth Bridge to Scotland’s elegant capital,
Edinburgh, for a 3 night stay. This evening, we enjoy the Edinburgh
Tattoo.
Friday 19
August: Edinburgh
(B/D) Our morning
sightseeing tour of Edinburgh allows us to savour the history and elegance
of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Our sightseeing tour includes
Princes Street and the Royal Mile, with views of Holyrood House, once home
to Mary Queen of Scots. We include a guided visit to Edinburgh Castle. The
afternoon is left free to allow time for independent sightseeing or
shopping. This evening we enjoy a highlight dinner and show with Scottish
music, dancing and entertainment.
Saturday 20
August: Edinburgh
(B) With all the
activity over the past fortnight, its time to take some time out today. A
free day for you to do as you wish in this lovely city – for the “Royal”
fans, maybe an inside visit to Holyrood house or the Royal Yacht
“Britannia” berthed at Leith; and the shops and gardens of
Princes Street are close by. Or just enjoy the activity of the city which
“hums” during the Festival. For those who do not wish
Sunday 21 August: Edinburgh – Dublin
(B) This morning, we join
our short flight to Dublin. On arrival, we are met and transferred to our
hotel for an overnight stay. This afternoon, we enjoy an introductory tour
of central Dublin – the River Liffey, O’Connell Street, tranquil St
Stephens Green, the seat of government at Leinster House and other public
buildings. We see some of the famous Georgian houses and
pause at the Famine Memorial, a reminder of some of the dark days of Irish
history. We visit Trinity College’s campus and the Old Library to view the
priceless Book of Kells. This evening, we join our Irish tour director and
fellow travellers for a welcome drink and learn about what’s in store for
us on our tour of Ireland.
Monday 22
August: Dublin – Galway
(B/D) Leaving Dublin, we
travel west and journey across the rolling pastures of Ireland’s heartland
to visit Strokestown Park House in County Roscommon. We see the
18th century mansion with its original furnishings, the 4-acre
walled garden and the Famine Museum which uses a combination of original
documents and images to explain the circumstances of the Great Irish
Famine. We then continue on to Galway where we see the main sights of the
city before checking into our hotel for a 2 night stay. There is free time
available to browse the city centre with its many pedestrian
precincts.
Tuesday 23
August: Galway – Connemara Excursion
(B/D) Today, we drive
through the heart of Connemara past granite hills and sparkling lakes on
the way to Leenane to embark on a short cruise of Killary Harbour. Enjoy
views of hills where traces of pre-famine “lazy beds” of potato ridges can
still be seen. Look out for seabirds as we pass mussel and salmon farms.
Rejoining our coach, we continue through lovely countryside where the
sheep roam free and the locals cut peat for use in home heating. There is
time for a stop at the delightful market town of Clifden before we
continue to Moycullen where we visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal
Factory which specialises in intricate designs in collared
crystal. We return to Galway city.
Wednesday 24
August: Galway - Killarney
(B/D) We travel south around
Galway Bay to see the Cliffs of Moher which rise almost
700 feet above the pounding Atlantic Surf. Then we cross the wide River
Shannon Estuary on a short ferry ride to Tarbert. Into County Kerry and
down through Listowel and Castleisland to Killarney for a 2 night stay.
This little town is world famous due to its location in the midst of lakes
and mountains. There is time to enjoy some of the local scenery and a
horse-drawn jaunting car ride through the grounds of
Killarney National Park to Muckross House where we tour
the mansion and learn of its important guests and owners of
days gone by.
Thursday 25
August: Killarney – Dingle Peninsula
(B/D) Today, we discover the
glorious Dingle Peninsula made famous by movies such as “Ryans’s Daughter”
that showcased the scenery. Admire the views of heathery mountains, sandy
beaches and rocky headlands. We stop for a while at Dingle before
continuing to the Blasket Centre in Dunquin to learn about the offshore
Blasket Islands where up until 1953 hardy families eked out a living from
farming and fishing. We return to the hotel with some free time before we
head to the award winning Killeen House Restaurant for
dinner.
Friday 26
August: Killarney - Cork
(B/D) Today we see the
highlights of the “Ring of Kerry” drive as we head to Ladies’ View and
Moll’s Gap for great views over Killarney and its three lakes. We stop in
the charming town of Kenmare before crossing the Caha Mountains to
Glengarriff, renowned for its mild climate and palm trees. We visit nearby
Bantry House, a stately Georgian mansion built in 1740
for the Earls of Bantry. We tour the house to see the wealth of
furnishings collected from all around Europe and take a walk through the
delightful gardens before continuing to our hotel in Cork City for an
overnight stay.
Saturday 27
August: Cork - Dublin
(B/D) We drive through the
pleasant countryside of County Cork to Blarney. Climb the ramparts of
Blarney Castle to kiss the famous “Stone
of Eloquence”. Journey past the gentle slopes of the Galtee Mountains and
through some of Irelands prime dairy country. We stop in Cashel and view
the Rock of Cashel, a huge limestone outcrop with many
eccelesiastical ruins. We continue on to Dublin and the elegant village of
Malahide on the coast just north of the city where we stay for our last 2
nights in Ireland. This evening, enjoy dinner and a lively show with
traditional Irish music, story-telling and dance at the Abbey
Tavern.
Sunday 28
August: Dublin
(B) A free day today. Take
the conveniently located DART rail service into central Dublin where you
can use the Dublin Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour Pass to move around the city
and take in the sights or shops. Why not take the Guinness Brewery or
Jamieson Distillery Tour or a cruise on the River Liffey. This evening is
at leisure.
Monday 29
August: Dublin - London
(B) We farewell the
Emerald Isle this morning as we join our short flight back to London where
we are met and transferred to our hotel for a 2 night stay. The remainder
of the day at leisure.
Tuesday 30
August: London
(B,D) Today is our final day
in London and the choice is yours as to what you would like to do – and
there is just so much. Museums, galleries, shopping, parks and gardens …
the list of attractions is immense. This evening, we get together in a
local “pub” for a farewell dinner.
Wednesday 31
August: London – Singapore
(B) This morning, we
return to Heathrow Airport in time to join our overnight flight to
Singapore.
Thursday 01
September: Singapore –
Auckland We arrive into
Singapore early this morning and we have the day free before continuing
the journey this evening. Hotel rooms at the airport are provided for the
day to allow time for rest and relaxation. This evening, we join our
aircraft for the overnight flight to Auckland.
Friday 02
September Arrive Auckland
Mid-Morning |