Day to Day Itinerary - "Mahers Tour Showcase"
England, Scotland & Ireland
 
Meals included on tour noted as (B/L/D)

Wednesday 06 August: Ak to Singapore
The group assembles at Auckland before the early afternoon departure for Singapore. On arrival into Singapore this evening, we are met and transferred to our hotel for a 2 night stay.

Thursday 07 August:  Singapore
A sightseeing tour of this modern Asian city  - view the old and the new. Singapore, and the blend between East Tour through the Colonial district for a view of Padang and the Esplanade Theatres in the Bay and visits Little India and Chinatown.

Friday 08 August:  Singapore – London (B)
The coach returns us to Singapore Airport early in time to join our daylight flight to London Heathrow where we are met and transferred to our central London hotel for a two night stay.

Saturday 09 August: London (B/L)
We commence our UK tour with a day of sightseeing around London and view many of the sights for which London is famous, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square etc.. And take a luncheon cruise on the River Thames where we can see a different view of the city from the water. The remainder of the day is left free to allow time for independent sightseeing or shopping.

Sunday 10 August:   London – Plymouth (B/D)

London is left behind and we travel to the Salisbury Plains and ancient Stonehenge with its circle of stone that has mystified generations of visitors. We visit Salisbury Cathedral dating back to the 13th century. For over 700 years, this majestic and awe inspiring edifice built in stone and glass to reflect the glory of God has been a setting for magnificent occasions and processions and then skirt the edge of Dartmoor National Park as then on to Plymouth, port of departure for the Pilgrim Fathers, for a 2 night stay.

Monday 11 August:   Cornwall Excursion (B/D)

From Plymouth, we journey first down the Cornish Peninsula enjoying stunning coastal views to Penzance where we view St Michael’s Mount. Down to Land’s End, one of England’s most famous landmarks and place of stunning natural beauty, the picturesqe village of St Ives on the Atlantic Coast and then return to Plymouth in the afternoon.

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.

“CORONATION STREET SHOWCASE”

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

NZ to Uk   Tour Itinerary   Previous Page    Next Page