23 Day Historic Britain & Ireland 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 to drop off your rental car, then fly to Dublin. On arrival, collect your rental car at Dublin Airport and drive to your accommodation. The afternoon is at leisure to explore at your own pace. Temple Bar's cobbled streets fill with traditional music from the pub doorways, and the Grand Canal is lined with Georgian doorways painted in Dublin's signature colours, each one different. For dinner you might try Dublin coddle, a sausage and bacon stew that has fed Dubliners since the 1700s, at a traditional pub. Alternatively, head to Howth harbour, around 20 minutes northeast, for fish and chips while the trawlers unload the day's catch. Suggested Activities: Book of Kells & Old Library - admission ticket from €26 per person Jameson Distillery Bow St - experience with tasting from €26 per person St Patrick's Cathedral - admission ticket from €11.50 per person Dining Recommendations: The Brazen Head - Dublin's oldest pub (since 1198), Roaringwater Bay mussels and beef and Guinness stew, nightly traditional sessions The Winding Stair - over the Ha'penny Bridge, Irish seafood chowder and Dingle Bay crab, river views The Woollen Mills - riverside spot for Dublin coddle, the city's classic potato-and-sausage casserole dating to the 1770s The Celt - traditional pub, smoked fish chowder, live music, old-school Dublin atmosphere Local delicacy to try: Dublin coddle and fresh oysters, for which Dublin Bay was historically famous. Special Information A flight from Edinburgh to Dublin is included today. Return your rental car at Edinburgh Airport before the flight. On arrival in Dublin you collect a second rental car at Dublin Airport. 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. 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 Dublin include Barberstown Castle and Fitzpatrick Castle.

This morning after breakfast you may wish to visit Trinity College, whose Old Library houses the Book of Kells, illuminated gospel pages from around 800 AD with Celtic knotwork and animal figures. The Long Room stretches 65 metres beneath a barrel-vaulted ceiling, lined with antiquarian texts on oak shelves. Walk through St Stephen's Green to the Georgian architecture of Merrion Square, then visit the National Museum of Ireland for Viking gold, Bronze Age treasures and the Tara Brooch. The GPO on O'Connell Street still shows bullet holes from the 1916 Easter Rising. Other options include Phoenix Park, one of Europe's largest enclosed city parks with wild deer, the cliff path and harbour village at Howth, or Malahide with its 12th-century castle and coastal walks. The afternoon and evening are at leisure. Suggested Activities: Book of Kells & Old Library - admission ticket from €26 per person Jameson Distillery Bow St - experience with tasting from €26 per person St Patrick's Cathedral - admission ticket from €11.50 per person Dining Recommendations: The Brazen Head - Dublin's oldest pub (since 1198), Roaringwater Bay mussels and beef and Guinness stew, nightly traditional sessions The Winding Stair - over the Ha'penny Bridge, Irish seafood chowder and Dingle Bay crab, river views The Woollen Mills - riverside spot for Dublin coddle, the city's classic potato-and-sausage casserole dating to the 1770s The Celt - traditional pub, smoked fish chowder, live music, old-school Dublin atmosphere Local delicacy to try: Dublin coddle and fresh oysters, for which Dublin Bay was historically famous.

This morning after breakfast drive south on the R115 Military Road through the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland's highest road, crossing blanket bog and heather moorland. Stop at the Sally Gap viewpoint overlooking Lough Tay, the “Guinness Lake”, with its dark water and pale sand. Descend to Glendalough, where St Kevin's 6th-century monastery sits in a glacial valley beneath granite cliffs, its Round Tower rising 30 metres beside twin lakes. Continue via Rathdrum and Arklow, with a possible stop at Avoca village, before arriving in Waterford. In Waterford, explore the Viking Triangle, the medieval lanes around Reginald's Tower from 1003 AD. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: House of Waterford Crystal - factory tour (50 minutes) from €18.50 per person Dining Recommendations: Crystal Café, House of Waterford Crystal - try a Waterford blaa, a soft flour-dusted bread roll unique to the county (Protected Geographical Status), with dry-cured bacon Local delicacy to try: the Waterford blaa, hard to find with the same authenticity anywhere else in Ireland. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3.5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 200km (based on the suggested route) For this self-drive we use a range of 4-star hotels. The exact property is confirmed at the time of booking, but an example we could use in Waterford is the Waterford Marina Hotel.

This morning after breakfast drive west on the N25 through Dungarvan, a good place to pause at the harbour. Continue to Youghal, a walled port where Sir Walter Raleigh once lived and is said to have planted Ireland's first potatoes. Drive southwest to Cobh (pronounced “Cove”), the Titanic's last port of call in April 1912, where pastel Victorian terraces climb the hillside above the harbour. Visit the Titanic Experience museum and walk up to St Colman's Cathedral with its 47-bell carillon. Continue to Cork, whose English Market has traded since 1788, selling farmhouse cheeses, spiced beef and oysters shucked to order. Kinsale, around 30 minutes south, is an alternative for seafood chowder. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: Titanic Experience Cobh - admission from €13 per person Dining Recommendations: The English Market, Cork - historic covered market since 1788; farmhouse cheeses, spiced beef and oysters shucked to order Fishy Fishy, Kinsale - around 30 minutes south of Cork, known for seafood chowder Local delicacy to try: spiced beef and drisheen, a traditional Cork blood pudding, both distinctly Cork. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.Approximate distance driven: 150km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast drive northwest to Blarney Castle, where you can lean back over the battlements to kiss the Stone of Eloquence and explore the Poison Garden's locked beds. Continue west via Macroom into County Kerry and Killarney National Park, with views across Lough Leane. Alternatively, drive directly to Killarney and spend the afternoon on the Ring of Kerry, following the N71 and N70 loop. Ladies View looks over the Upper Lake towards the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, named by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting in 1861. Continue through Kenmare's colour-washed shopfronts to Sneem's village greens, returning via Killorglin. Kerry lamb stew and seafood chowder feature on most pub menus here. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: Blarney Castle & Gardens - admission from €24 per person Dining Recommendations: The Killarney Royal - set three-course menu, good value, known for duck and dessert Local pub fare is strong across the area, with Kerry lamb stew and seafood chowder on most menus Local delicacy to try: Kerry lamb, raised on the hill pastures around the Ring of Kerry. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4.5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 230km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast you may wish to drive west on the N86, past Inch Beach's 5km sandbar, to Dingle town, a fishing harbour with brightly painted shopfronts and trawlers at the quay. Murphy's Ice Cream on Strand Street is known for its brown bread and Dingle sea salt flavours. The R559 Slea Head Drive circles the peninsula past Bronze Age beehive huts and the Iron Age walls of Dunbeg Fort on the cliffs. At Dunquin, the abandoned Blasket Islands lie 5km offshore, evacuated in 1953. Return over the Conor Pass on the R560, one of Ireland's highest mountain passes at 456 metres, with views down to Brandon Bay. Dingle's pubs serve fresh fish and chips landed that morning, and traditional music sessions run into the evening. Suggested Activities: Dingle Distillery - tour from €25 per person Dining Recommendations: Murphy's Ice Cream, Strand Street - hand-made, try Dingle Sea Salt or Dingle Gin flavour Dingle Distillery - award-winning Dingle Gin with local botanicals (rowan berries, bog myrtle, heather) Local delicacy to try: Dingle Gin and Murphy's ice cream, both distinctly Dingle. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.Approximate distance driven: 140km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast drive north through Listowel and cross the Shannon Estuary at Tarbert into County Clare. The Cliffs of Moher stretch for 8km, with vertical faces of 214 metres and Atlantic swells below; puffins nest on the ledges from May to July. O'Brien's Tower marks the highest point, with views to the Aran Islands. Continue north across the Burren's limestone pavement, 250 square kilometres of exposed rock where Arctic-alpine flowers grow in the crevices. Follow the coast road to Galway, arriving in the early evening. In Galway, walk Shop Street past the 16th-century Lynch's Castle to the Spanish Arch, where the medieval walls met the harbour. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Dining Recommendations: Galway oysters - in season, widely available around Shop Street and the Latin Quarter Tig Coili and Taaffes - traditional music pubs combining food and sessions Local delicacy to try: Galway Bay oysters, best enjoyed with a pint of Guinness rather than wine. Special Information Your Cliffs of Moher admission is included in the package. Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 260km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast explore Galway's Latin Quarter, where Saturday markets sell farmhouse cheese and freshly baked soda bread. Drive east on the M6 to Dublin. Arriving in the afternoon, you might visit the Guinness Storehouse at St James's Gate, seven floors telling the story of the 1759 brewery, with Arthur Guinness's original lease on display; the top-floor Gravity Bar serves a complimentary pint over the Dublin rooftops. Alternatively, shop Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green, or return to the National Museum for its Viking and Bronze Age collections. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: Guinness Storehouse - experience tickets from €22 per person Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.Approximate distance driven: 220km (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 Dublin include Barberstown Castle and Fitzpatrick Castle.

This morning after breakfast check out and drive to Dublin 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 Dublin Airport, with the rental period ending at 11 AM.