13D12N England, Scotland & Wales (9000)

Check into your hotel. In the afternoon, there's time to rest or to start exploring the lively British capital. Uniformed hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.

Today is devoted to exploring on your own or enjoying our exciting optional activities

Meet your Tour Director and travelling companions and depart at 8 am. In Oxford, a walking tour shows you the colleges where Britain's elite receive its outstanding education. Then, travel through the lovely Cotswold Hills to Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon. Take photos of Anne Hathaway's Cottage and explore the town at your own pace. Your overnight destination is Leeds

In York, stand in awe in front of the great structure of York Minster, then follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets, including the narrow Shambles. See a section of Hadrian's Wall, then motor through wild Northumberland National Park to the Scottish border. Then, at Jedburgh, see the abbey ruins before a late-afternoon arrival in Edinburgh. A suggestion for this evening: enjoy a traditional Scottish night out with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and, of course, the Ceremony of the Haggis.

A full day to enjoy the Scottish capital. Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide introduces you to the 200-year-old "New Town," home to famous scientists, inventors, and novelists. In the "Old Town," visit Edinburgh Castle to admire Scotland's Crown Jewels. Afternoon at leisure. Later, consider a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia. Tour five decks and see how the Royal Family and crew of 240 lived and worked on board. Dinner rounds out this optional evening. For early August to late August, tickets are included for tonight's performance of the world-renowned Military Tattoo, a vast spectacle of amassed Scottish pipe bands that takes place in an arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.

A day of memorable sightseeing: take the elegant Forth Road Bridge to St. Andrews, whose Royal and Ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of golfing; then, cross the Firth of Tay and, via Dundee and Perth, head into the Highlands, with a stop in the Victorian mountain resort of Pitlochry. Cross the battlefield of Culloden Moor with its memories of Bonnie Prince Charlie, then, via Inverness, head for your Highland destination.

More heather-clad moors as you drive through the western Highlands to Lochalsh and the Inner Hebridean Isle of Skye. Return to the mainland by ferry across the Sound of Sleat to Mallaig. Glen Coe, where the MacDonald Clan was massacred in 1692, and a drive along the "Bonnie Banks" of Loch Lomond are scenic highlights on the way to Glasgow, Scotland's great cultural city.

South through the history-steeped Lowland Hills and a visit to Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. Drive through beautiful scenery in the Lake District, considered to be the finest of England's national parks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. End the day in Liverpool, of Beatles fame, once the departure port of the great transatlantic liners. You may wish to join an optional city tour this afternoon.

A day dedicated to the mountainous splendour of North Wales. After a stop in pretty Betws-y-Coed, drive over spectacular Llanberis Pass and through Snowdonia National Park to Caernarvon, where the castle saw the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales. Then, follow the coast road via the walled town of Conway back to Liverpool.

First stop today is in the pretty market town of Ludlow before heading back into Wales and Brecon Beacons National Park, land of salmon rivers and the Welsh mountain pony. Finally, head through "The Valleys," whose iron ore and coal were the raw materials for the Industrial Revolution, to the Welsh capital. Here, an orientation drive introduces you to the major attractions: Cardiff Castle, Cathays Park, Millennium Stadium, and the stately civic buildings. Tonight, why not join an evening of Welsh entertainment and dinner?

Leaving Wales, cross the Severn Bridge for a visit to the elegant Georgian city of Bath, famed for its Roman relics, before heading into the romantically scenic West Country and Glastonbury with its King Arthur associations. In the heart of Dartmoor National Park, visit quaint Widecombe-in-the-Moor, ghostly setting for Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles. Finally, in Plymouth, hear about Sir Francis Drake and see the Mayflower Steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked in 1620.

On the final leg of your journey, take in Thomas Hardy's Wessex and visit prehistoric Stonehenge. First, explore the visitor centre with its imaginative exhibitions, then admire the magnificence of the monument from up close. Return to London around 3 pm. How about celebrating the success of your tour with a night out on the town?

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning.