A short tour of the Highlights of England, Scotland and Wales. Start with the best of London on this sightseeing, walking and beautifully scenic 9 nights/10 days tour.

Day 1 Fri.

BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT

Day 2 Sat. ARRIVAL IN LONDON, ENGLAND

Check into your hotel. In the afternoon there’s time to rest or start exploring the lively British capital; uniformed Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.

Day 3 Sun. LONDON

A full day to enjoy our exciting program of optional activities. Morning sightseeing features all the famous landmarks: Knightsbridge with Harrods, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall’s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister’s Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace. A highlight is the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if held. This afternoon you may want to visit Windsor Castle or the Tower of London with the spectacular Crown Jewels, and tonight a leisurely cruise on the River Thames would be fun. (B)

Day 4 Mon. LONDON-YORK-SCOTCH CORNER

Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and depart at 8 a.m. for a day of northbound travel. Enjoy a walking tour in the university city of Cambridge, one of the country’s oldest seats of learning. In York, England’s most complete medieval city, 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. Stop for the night near Richmond, gateway to the Yorkshire Dales made famous by James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small. (B,D)

Day 5 Tue. SCOTCH CORNER-EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

Inspect a section of Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman coast-to-coast defense against marauding northern tribes, then motor through wild Northumberland National Park to the Scottish border. Stop for photos at Jedburgh, with glimpses of the house of Mary, Queen of Scots, and then Melrose with its 12th-century abbey ruins and connections with Robert the Bruce. Afternoon arrival in Edinburgh. Tonight an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and, of course, the Ceremony of the Haggis. (FB)

Day 6 Wed. EDINBURGH

A full day to enjoy this “Prince of Cities.” Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide 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. Afternoon at leisure. Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, which for the Queen was once the perfect royal residence for glittering state visits and family holidays. Tour five decks and see how the Royal Family and crew of 240 lived and worked on board. Dinner rounds off this optional evening. For departure numbers 0804, 0811, and 0818, tickets are included for tonight’s performance of the world-renowned Military Tattoo, a vast spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands which takes place in an arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. (FB)

Day 7 Thu. EDINBURGH-CHESTER, ENGLAND-LIVERPOOL

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. Visit Wordsworth’s Grasmere, then follow the shores of Lake Windermere. In Chester, the historic county town on the River Dee, your walking tour includes the Roman remains, black and white half-timbered buildings, and the two-tiered arcades called the “Rows.” End the day in Liverpool of Beatles fame, once the departure port of the great transatlantic liners, and European Capital of Culture in 2008. (FB,D)

Day 8 Fri. LIVERPOOL-STRATFORD-BRISTOL

Into Wales to picturesque Llangollen, home of an international competition for poets and musicians. Back in England, tour fascinating Stratford-upon-Avon, a living monument to William Shakespeare, before driving through the scenic Cotswold Hills with a stop for photos in picture-book Broadway. Overnight in Bristol where your orientation drive focuses on Brunel’s daring Clifton Suspension Bridge, SS Great Britain, and the historic harbor from where John Cabot sailed in 1497 to discover America. (FB,D)

Day 9 Sat. BRISTOL-BATH-LONDON

A day of memorable highlights with a visit first to the elegant Georgian city of Bath, famous for its Roman relics, before continuing via Stonehenge, still an intriguing mystery, to Salisbury, the “City of the Soaring Spire.” After returning to London around 4 p.m., how about celebrating the success of your tour with a night out on the town? (FB)

Day 10 Sun.

YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B)