12-Day England & Scotland Tour
April 18-29, 2009
Itinerary subject to change
while touring for the best interest of the group
DAY 1: DEPART FROM US (APRIL 18 – 2
NIGHTS)
We depart today and enjoy our morning flight to London arriving this
evening. Upon our arrival, we will be met by our guide and
immediately transported into the heart of one of the most historic
cities. We travel to our hotel for check in and overnight. Dinner
this evening is on your own.
DAY 2: ARRIVE IN LONDON (APRIL 19)
This morning following breakfast we have a short orientation tour
before traveling to the center of this historic city for a visit to
the Tower of London. We have a tour of this historic London
building, viewing the Crown Jewels Exhibit during our tour. This
afternoon our sightseeing continues at Westminster Abbey, where
English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066. We will
visit the Royal Chapels, which hold the tombs of many monarchs, and
Poets’ Corner to see the memorials to famous literary figures. We
return to our hotel for dinner & overnight. Following dinner this
evening we visit Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square to view
these famous sights in the spectacle of lights.
DAY 3: LONDON - CAMBRIDGE
(APRIL 20 - 1 NIGHT)
Following breakfast we depart London and
travel north to Cambridge, probably best known as the seat of
Cambridge University, one of the world’s great educational
institutions. During our Walking Tour we will view many of the
colleges before Punting on the River Cam. This evening we have a
visit by our English missionary team.
DAY 4: CAMBRIDGE - YORK
(APRIL 21 - 2 NIGHTS)
We leave Cambridge and make the long drive
north to Leeds. We arrive and take time for a panoramic tour of
historic Leeds before a visit to the Royal Armouries Museum,
previsouly housed in the Tower of London, this museum boast one of
the best collections of armour from around the world, used in
battle, sport, self-defense and fashion. We depart Leeds and make
our way to York. We arrive for dinner and overnight.
DAY 5: AROUND YORK (APRIL 22)
This morning we take a guided Walking Tour
of medieval York along the 13th century city walls before
arriving at York Minster, perhaps England’s most famous cathedral.
We continue to the Jorvik Center, where ‘Time Cars’ take the visitor
on a journey back into Viking Britain, with sights, sounds and
smells as they would have been in 948 AD. York is the perfect place
to be set free for rest and shopping. This evening you are free for
dinner on your own.
DAY 6: DURHAM & HADRIAN’S
WALL - EDINBURGH (APRIL 23 - 3 NIGHTS)
This morning we will travel north to the
historic city of Durham. The close proximity of the castle,
cathedral and ancient university, surrounded by a loop of the River
Wear, makes this medieval treasure one of the loveliest cities in
England. After a visit to Durham Cathedral we will continue to
Chesters Fort on Hadrian’s Wall, the defensive boundary the Romans
built to mark the northernmost point of their empire. At Chesters,
the gateways, headquarters buildings and barrack blocks of the Roman
fort can all be traced. There are also the remains of a bath
house. We continue north arriving into Edinburgh tonight for dinner
and check in to our hotel.
DAY 7: DAY TRIP TO STIRLING CASTLE
(APRIL 24)
This morning we travel into the countryside of lower Scotland for a
visit to famous Stirling Castle. We visit this impressive Castle
atop a volcanic outcrop, where Mary was crowned Queen of Scots.
Situated atop the Castle Hill, Stirling is surrounded on three sides
by steep cliffs, making it easily defensible. This fact, and its
strategic position, has made it an important fortification from the
earliest of times. We return to Edinburgh this afternoon where we
enjoy a visit with a local mission team during dinner.
DAY 8: EDINBURGH (APRIL 25)
Attend church at Carrubbers Christian Centre (where Dave served as
Director for some years). We have afternoon sightseeing with a local
expert who 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, the Queen’s official Scottish
residence.
DAY 9: PERTH - HIGHLANDS - BLAIR CASTLE -
FORT WILLIAM (APRIL 26 - 2 NIGHTS)
We travel stopping in Perth. Perth, once the capital of medieval
Scotland is rich in heritage. We visit the Caithness Glass Museum.
Later we make our way through scenic countryside to Blair Castle.
This rambling, turreted castle has been altered and extended so
often in its 700-year history it portrays a perfect example of
Scottish aristocratic life. We then set off north, winding through
the Highland’s many gorges. Our tour of spectacular scenery ends in
the shadow of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain, at the
charming lake-side village of Fort William for a two night stay.
DAY 10: LOCH NESS - URQUHART CASTLE - FORT
WILLIAM (APRIL 27)
This morning we begin as investigators as we take a lake cruise in
our search for the Loch Ness Monster. If we are unsuccessful in our
sighting, our visit to the Loch Ness Monster Museum provides
photographic evidence to challenge the skeptics. We visit nearby
Urquhart Castle and view the Kings Staircase before returning south
where we spend the remainder of the afternoon walking Fort William’s
High Street, with a wealth of cafes and charming shops.
DAY 11: GLENCOE - HIGHLANDS - GLASGOW
(APRIL 28 - 1 NIGHT)
We begin by visiting scenic Glencoe, one of the sights of the
Massacre of Glencoe. In the early morning of February 13, 1692, the
massacre began simultaneously in three settlements along the glen on
the grounds that the MacDonald Clan had not been prompt in pledging
allegiance to the new king, William of Orange. Another forty women
and children died of exposure after their homes were burned. We
continue through the historic Trossachs, where the rugged scenery
inspired Sir Walter Scott to write “The Lady of the Lake” and also
provided the setting for the bandit hero, Rob Roy. The highlight
this afternoon will be a visit to the
David Livingstone Centre - Birthplace museum of Scotland’s
greatest missionary-explorer, set in 20 acres of parkland and
woodland garden. Our dinner and local mission presentation will be
in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland and third largest in the
UK.
DAY 12: DEPART FOR HOME (APRIL 29)
We embark on our return flight to the US.
