15 Day Historic Britain Self Drive Tour

Welcome to England. On arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in London. The afternoon is at leisure to explore the capital at your own pace. Borough Market is filled with food vendors and international flavours, while the South Bank offers Thames-side views towards Tower Bridge and the London Eye. Covent Garden, with its street performers and shops, makes an atmospheric introduction to the city. This evening is at leisure to settle in and find a local eatery for dinner. Special Information Arrival airport transfers are included as part of your package. You will be met upon arrival at the airport and transferred to your hotel. If Inspiring Vacations has not provided your international airfares, please ensure you provide your flight details via your Traveller Hub portal no later than 90 days prior to travel so that your transfers can be confirmed. If you are arriving early and have made your own arrangements prior to your tour commencing, airport transfers will not be included. However, if you are purchasing pre-nights accommodation as part of your Inspiring Vacations package, airport transfers will still be provided to the starting hotel. Suggested Activities: London Eye - Standard entry ticket from £32 per person Tower of London - Admission ticket from £36 per person

Today is at leisure to discover London at your pace. You may choose to head to Westminster to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, then walk through St James's Park to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Continue east to the Tower of London, the medieval fortress beside the river with Tower Bridge rising behind. There is time for lunch near Borough Market and a walk along the South Bank riverside path, and the British Museum in Bloomsbury houses the Rosetta Stone for anyone with energy to spare.

This morning after breakfast collect your rental car at 10am in central London and drive northwest on the M40 towards the Cotswolds. The first stop is Burford, the “Gateway to the Cotswolds”, with a steep high street of honey-coloured stone buildings, antique shops and old coaching inns, where you may want to stop for lunch at a traditional Cotswolds pub. Continue north to Stow-on-the-Wold, England's highest market town, to walk the medieval market square and see the yew-flanked “Tolkien Door” at St Edward's Church. Drive on through Lower Slaughter, where the River Eye passes stone cottages and an 18th-century mill, then to Bourton-on-the-Water with its low bridges over the River Windrush. The final stretch to Cheltenham follows the B4068 through the Windrush Valley, past sheep pastures and dry-stone walls. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: Blenheim Palace - Entry ticket from £32 per person Pub Lunch Recommendations: The Wheatsheaf, Northleach - award-winning gastropub in a quiet market town, halfway between Burford and Cheltenham. Local Gloucestershire produce, proper Sunday roasts, flagstone floors. Northleach is a natural lunch stop en route. The Fox at Oddington - near Stow-on-the-Wold, 17th-century inn, 2 AA Rosettes, garden terrace Special Information The vehicle is a standard sedan or SUV class, with seating recommended for up to 3 people, and the actual model depends on availability at pick-up. A one-way rental fee of approximately £150 is payable locally. Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.Approximate distance driven: 240km (based on the suggested route)For this self-drive we use a number of small boutique 4-star manors, inns and castles chosen for their character. The the exact property confirmed on confirmation but some examples of properties we could use in the Cotswold include the Falcon Inn, Painswick & Crown Inn, Frampton Mansell.

This morning after breakfast you may wish to discover the working Cotswolds of wool valleys and market towns. Stop in Painswick to see the 99 yew trees in St Mary's churchyard, then drop into the Slad Valley, the setting for Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie. Continue to Tetbury, known for its antiques, where Long Street climbs past dealers and the Highgrove Shop, before finishing in Cirencester, Roman Britain's second city, where the parish church dominates the market square. The afternoon and evening are at leisure to explore The Cotswolds at your own pace. Pub Lunch Recommendations: The Woolpack Inn, Slad - Laurie Lee's local. The Bell at Sapperton - near Cirencester in the Golden Valley. Famous Cotswold stone pub, seasonal menu, local Uley ales. 15 minutes from Cirencester. The Wild Duck, Ewen - 16th-century inn 2 miles south of Cirencester, log fires, flagstone floors, serious food

This morning after breakfast check out and drive west through the Shropshire Hills towards Wales. A good place to stop for lunch is Ludlow, a medieval market town above the River Teme that helped pioneer Britain's farm-to-table movement, with half-timbered Tudor buildings and a Norman castle above the river. Continue through Shrewsbury's Tudor centre before crossing into Wales, arriving in Llandudno by early evening. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 280km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast you may wish to drive inland to Snowdonia National Park. At Llanberis you can board Britain's only rack-and-pinion railway for the return climb towards the summit of Snowdon, Wales's highest peak, winding past lakes and slate quarries. As an alternative, explore Caernarfon Castle, the UNESCO fortress where Edward I's polygonal towers and town walls remain intact. Stop in Beddgelert village for riverside walks and ice cream before returning to base.

This morning after breakfast explore Conwy's castle and complete medieval town walls, one of Edward I's four UNESCO World Heritage castles in North Wales, built between 1283 and 1287. Walk the walls for harbour views and see Britain's Smallest House on the quay. From here you may wish to drive the coast to Llandudno's Victorian seafront, where the Great Orme headland is reached by cable car or tramway. Other options include a drive through the Sychnant Pass above Conwy, or a visit to Bodnant Garden with its terraced grounds overlooking Snowdonia. Suggested Activities: Conwy Castle - admission ticket from £15 per person

This morning after breakfast drive northeast, with Chester a good place to stop. A Roman city with the most complete city walls in Britain, dating from AD 70, you can walk the walls above the red sandstone cathedral, explore The Rows, the two-tiered medieval shopping galleries, and visit the Roman Amphitheatre. Continue north into Cumbria, arriving in the Lake District by late afternoon. Keswick is your base for two nights, with Derwentwater and Skiddaw framing the Georgian market town. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Pub Lunch Recommendations: The Hole in t'Wall, Keswick - Keswick's oldest pub (1612), real ales, hearty Cumbrian food. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4.5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 350km (based on the suggested route) For this self-drive we use a number of small boutique 4-star manors, inns and castles chosen for their character. The exact property is confirmed at the time of booking, but some examples of properties we could use in the Lake District include The Pheasant, Bassenthwaite and the King's Head, Thirlspot.

Today you may wish to take the scenic route to Grasmere and visit Dove Cottage, home of the poet William Wordsworth, and try Grasmere gingerbread made to a recipe unchanged since 1854 at Sarah Nelson's shop. Continue to Ambleside for lunch by the lake, then drive along Windermere, England's largest lake, with wooded islands and mountain reflections. Stop at Bowness-on-Windermere to walk the lakefront and see the grand Victorian villas, returning via Rydal Water and the quieter eastern shore. Suggested Activities: Derwentwater lake cruise (50 minutes roundtrip) - from £24 per person Pub Lunch Recommendations: The Drunken Duck Inn, Barngates - near Hawkshead and Ambleside, own-brewed ales, 2 AA Rosettes. The Swan Hotel, Grasmere - 17th-century coaching inn in Grasmere, mentioned in Wordsworth's The Waggoner.

This morning after breakfast cross into Scotland and drive north through the Borders. A worthwhile stop is Gretna Green, the “runaway wedding” village where the Old Blacksmith's Shop still performs weddings today. Continue north past Loch Lomond, Britain's largest inland water surface, before arriving in Stirling by late afternoon. Stirling Castle stands above the town on volcanic rock, with the Wallace Monument nearby and the Bannockburn battlefield of 1314 just to the south. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: Stirling Castle - admission from £20 per person Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4.5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 300km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast drive north into the Highlands. Pitlochry is a good place to pause, a Victorian resort town with a salmon ladder and underwater viewing chamber where salmon leap upstream from May to October. Nearby is Blair Castle, seat of the Duke of Atholl, set in parkland below the Cairngorms. Continue through the Cairngorms National Park of heather moorland and Caledonian pine forest, with a possible stop at the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie, arriving in Inverness, capital of the Highlands, by early evening. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: Blair Castle - house and gardens admission from £22 per person A choice of distillery tours en route: Deanston (2 tasting drams, 45 minutes, first stop leaving Stirling), Blair Athol (3 drams, Pitlochry), Aberfeldy (2 tasting drams, 90 minutes, short detour from the A9), and Dalwhinnie (3 tasting drams, 45 minutes, on the A9). Price: From £22 to £27 per person per distillery. A maximum of two distilleries is recommended to allow time for Blair Castle and Pitlochry. Dining Recommendation: Bunchrew House Hotel Restaurant - a turreted 17th-century baronial mansion on Beauly Firth, 3 miles from Inverness. Non-residents can book dinner; Scottish produce, Inverness-shire lamb and Highland game. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 340km (based on the suggested route) For this self-drive we use a number of small boutique 4-star manors, inns and castles chosen for their character. The exact property is confirmed at the time of booking, but some examples of properties we could use in the Inverness area include Tulloch Castle, Dingwall and Glengarry Castle, Invergarry.

This morning after breakfast explore Loch Ness, perhaps by cruise on the 23-mile loch that reaches 230 metres deep in the Great Glen. Visit the lochside ruins of Urquhart Castle, then drive to Culloden Battlefield, where the 1746 battle ended the Jacobite rising and reshaped Highland clan life. Return to Inverness along the Caledonian Canal, with its flight of locks lifting boats through the Great Glen. Suggested Activities: Urquhart Castle - admission ticket from £16 per person

This morning after breakfast drive south through Highland Perthshire on the A9, through forested glens and past distilleries, with Perth marking the change from Highlands to Lowlands. Arrive in Edinburgh by late afternoon with time to walk the Royal Mile from the castle down to Holyrood Palace, passing St Giles' Cathedral with its crown spire and the closes leading off into hidden courtyards. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Dining Recommendations: Howies, Waterloo Place - seasonal Scottish cooking in a Georgian building steps from Waverley; East Lothian lobster, Shetland mussels, Highland venison and haggis. The White Hart Inn - Edinburgh's oldest pub, dating back to 1516, once frequented by Oliver Cromwell, William Wordsworth and Robert Burns. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.Approximate distance driven: 250km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast enjoy a full day in Scotland's capital. Edinburgh Castle holds the Honours of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny, on which Scottish kings were crowned. Walk the Royal Mile connecting the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, stopping at St Giles' Cathedral where John Knox preached during the Reformation. You may wish to visit the underground Mary King's Close, a preserved 17th-century street beneath the Royal Mile, or climb Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano with city views after a moderate 30 to 45 minute ascent. The Royal Botanic Garden and the National Museum of Scotland are quieter alternatives. Suggested Activities: Edinburgh Castle - admission ticket from £25 per person Dining Recommendation: The Witchery by the Castle, Castlehill - at the top of the Royal Mile, steps from the castle; 16th-century merchant's house with candlelit rooms. Advance booking essential.

This morning after breakfast check out and drive to Edinburgh Airport, where you drop off your rental car before departing for your onward journey. Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable experience. Special Information The rental car is returned at Edinburgh Airport, with the rental period ending at 10 AM. If you require your car for longer you can add-on an extra day's car hire in the booking path.