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Grand Tour of Britain & Ireland - 30 DaysTOUR FULLY BOOKED OUT!! (waiting list available) "I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do.” ~ Register Your Interest ~ Read Terms & Conditions Departs: Tuesday 28 July 2008 Cost per person: $11,250 Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane
Day 1 Tuesday 28 July 2008 Australia - Singapore Your forward flight is in two stages with a relaxing stopover in Singapore. Afternoon departure from Australia and late evening arrival in Singapore. Overnight: TBA Hotel (2 nights)
Day 2 (B) Wednesday 29 July 2008 Singapore A full day to relax and enjoy some local sightseeing and/or shopping.
Day 3 (B) Thursday 31 July 2008 Singapore - London Flight departs around midday and arrives in London around 7.00pm. Coach transfer to hotel and after room allocation it is off to bed to recover from your fourteen hour flight. Overnight: Holiday Inn, Kings Cross /Bloomsbury
Day 4 (BD) Friday 1 August 2008 London - Plymouth
Overnight: Duke of Cornwall (2 nights)
Day 5 (BD) Saturday 2 August 2008 Land’s End Cornwall Excursion Travel through Cornwall to enjoy the scenery of Lands End Peninsula, the most westerly point of the English mainland. See St. Michael’s Mount, a huge medieval castle and abbey on a granite island rising out of the sea to a height of 230 feet. Take your photos of Land’s End, and then we follow the Atlantic coast to the popular seaside resort of St. Ives
Day 6 (BD) Sunday 3 August 2008 Plymouth - Bath Before we leave Plymouth we enjoy a Harbour cruise through Western Europe’s largest Naval Dockyard with close-up views of warships and nuclear submarines. Leaving Plymouth we skit Dartmoor National Park on our way to King Arthur’s Glastonbury. Continue to Bath, Britain’s most celebrated spa town for two nights. Another highlight today will be when we take time-out to worship our Lord. Overnight: Abbey Hotel (2 nights)
Day 7 (BD) Monday 4 August 2008 Bath No visit to Bath would be complete without a visit to the amazing excavations of the Roman Baths and the costume museum. You then have the rest of the day to explore this beautiful flower-decorated city with its Georgian streets and crescents at your own pace.
Day 8 (BD) Tuesday 5 August 2008 Bath - Waterford Cross the soaring Severn Bridge today on our way to Cardiff, famous for its imposing Castle and the Millennium Stadium. Continue to Pembroke where we take the ferry across the Irish Sea to Rosslare and then on to Waterford. Overnight: Granville Hotel
Day 9 (BD) Wednesday 6 August 2008 Waterford - Killarney This morning we take the coastal road to the fishing village of Dungarvan, passing ruined castles and ancient abbeys. We visit Cobh to experience the Titanic Trail, a fascinating Guided Walking Heritage Tour that explores the town, made famous as the last port from which the Titanic sailed before its fateful end. Continue to Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone to acquire the “gift of the gab”. We then visit the Blarney Woollen Mills for handcrafts. From here we drive through the rugged Derrynasaggart Mountains to peaceful Killarney for two nights. Overnight: Dromhall Hotel (2 nights)
Day 10 (BD) Thursday 7 August 2008 Killarney - Ring of Kerry A leisurely day to travel along one of the most beautiful coastal routes in the world - the Ring of Kerry with its wonderful contrasts of coastal views, spectacular mountains and charming villages. View Ireland’s highest mountain range; The MacGillicuddy Reeks and the three peaceful Lakes of Killarney. On returning to Killarney you may like to experience an optional ride on a time-honoured Irish ‘jaunting car’ along the lakes of Killarney with the locals.
Day 11 (BD) Friday 8 August 2008 Killarney - Galway We head north through the picturesque village of Adare with its thatched cottages, then on to the Treaty Stone and King John’s Castle in ancient Limerick. We then visit Bunratty Folk Park, a living museum that shows us how people once lived and worked. Continue to marvel at the breathtaking ocean views from the cliffs of Moher. We then cross the unusual rocky landscape of the Burren on our way to Galway where we see St Nicholas Cathedral, the Spanish Arch and Eyre Square dedicated to the late President John F. Kennedy. Overnight: Westwood House
Day 12 (BD) Saturday 9 August 2008 Galway - Donegal Our first stop this morning is the world famous marble factory where we have a guided tour of the workshop. Chances are you may find a little piece of Ireland here to take home. Continue to Clonalis House to meet the family and tour the ancestral home of the descendants of the last High Kings of Ireland. Proceed to County Sligo, with its association with poet W.B. Yeats and through seaside Bundoran to historic Donegal the territory of the powerful O’Donnell family. Overnight: Central Hotel
Day 13 (BD) Sunday 10 August 2008 Donegal - Londonderry Head north through the Blue Stack Mountains into Northern Ireland to the fascinating city of Londonderry where a walking tour with a local guide takes us to see the old city walls and St Colombo’s Cathedral. We will join a local church in Londonderry to worship our Lord. Overnight: Everglades Hastings
Day 14 (BD) Monday 11 August 2008 Londonderry - Glasgow This morning we drive to Giants Causeway, an impressive geological masterpiece of 37,000 hexagonal basalt columns formed many years ago by cooling lava. Then we experience a spectacular drive along the Antrim Coast road to the port of Larne where we bid farewell to Ireland and board our ferry trip to Scotland. Overnight: Millennium Hotel
Day 15 (BD) Tuesday 12 August 2008 Glasgow - Fort William A local guide will show us around Glasgow before we head north along the shores of Loch Lomond the largest fresh water lake in Britain. Continue across Rannoch Moor, and further into the Highlands to notorious Glencoe, where the Campbells treacherously slaughtered the MacDonalds in 1692. Continue through rugged landscape to Fort William, situated near the foot of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. Overnight: Alexandra Hotel (3 nights)
Jacobite Steam Train Trip Described as one of the great railway journeys of the world this 84 mile round trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. It starts near the highest mountain, visits Britain's most westerly mainland railway station (Arisaig), then passes close by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain (loch Morar), and the shortest river in Britain (River Morar) and finally arrives next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe - Loch Nevis. This sure to be a day you will long remember.
Day 17 (BD) Thursday 14 August 2008 Isle of Skye Excursion Another great day as we visit the Isle of Skye which epitomises Scotland’s wild Celtic appeal. Pass the famous Eilean Donan Castle on its rocky promontory and stunning location. Admire the scenic Cullin Hills and visit the island’s main town Portree.
Day 18 (BD) Friday 15 August 2008 Fort William - Newtonmore Our route today takes us along the shores of Loch Ness where we stop and visit the Loch Ness Monster Visitors Information Centre. Continue to Inverness, capital of the Highlands and then on to the battlefield of Culloden Moor where Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated in 1746. From here it is a scenic drive to our overnight stop in the heart of the Highlands and where the television series ‘Monarch of the Glen’ was filmed. Tonight we are treated to traditional Scottish Dancing and singing with haggis and bagpipes. Overnight: Highlander Hotel.
Day 19 (BD) Saturday 16 August 2008 Newtonmore - Edinburgh Cross the Grampian Mountains and start heading south to Perth. Call at the Caithness Glass Visitor Centre where bargains in glass, crystal, paperweights, jewellery and gifts may be purchased. Travel on to St Andrews, whose Royal and ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of golfing. Moving on we enter Edinburgh over the elegant Forth Road Bridge. Tonight we visit the world famous Edinburgh Tattoo. Overnight: Novotel Edinburgh (2 nights)
Day 20 (BD) Sunday 17 August 2008 Edinburgh This morning we join a local church for worship before our local professional guide will join us to point out all the sights as we drive along Princess Street and the Royal Mile. We visit Edinburgh Castle perched upon a rock overlooking the picturesque streets of the Old Town, and the Queen’s Holyrood Palace, once home to Mary Queen of Scots.
Day 21 (BD) Monday 18 August 2008 Edinburgh - York Today we leave Scotland for the stunning beauty of the Lake District, considered to be the finest of England's National parks. Take in the majestic scenery as you cruise Lake Windermere. From the tranquility of the Lake District we ravel to the historic city of York, England's most complete medieval city. Overnight: Ramada Encore York (2 nights)
Day 22 (BD) Tuesday 19 August 2008 York Enjoy a full day to experience England’s most complete medieval city, with its narrow cobbled streets, the Shambles. Stand in awe as you gaze at the great structure of York Minster. A professional guide will join us to walk us around the city to point out the important sites.
Day 23 (BD) Wednesday 20 August 2008 York - Stratford Travel through the varied scenery of the midlands to Robin Hood’s Nottingham. Next to Coventry to visit the splendid modern cathedral which rose from the rubble of World War II. Continue to Warwick Castle, regarded as England’s finest medieval castle and dating back to the 14th century. Then it is on to the Elizabethan town of Stratford-on-Avon to see Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Overnight: Holiday Inn Stratford Upon Avon
Day 24 (B) Thursday 21 August 2008 Stratford - London Three more major attractions to visit on our way to London. First we visit Blenheim Palace with its beautiful gardens, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. From here we travel to Oxford where a local guide will show us many fine old colleges and buildings. Finally we visit Waddesdon Manor built between 1874 - 1889 in the style of a 16th century French chateau for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to entertain his guests and display his vast collection of art treasures. Overnight: Holiday Inn, Kings Cross /Bloomsbury (3 nights)
London Day Tour - Optional: Cost $75 You may choose to do you own thing in London today or you can join us on this Day Tour. Visit many of London’s sightseeing attractions including Oxford Street, Marble Arch, Park Lane, Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus, Haymarket, Trafalgar Square, The Mall, Buckingham Palace for a chance to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony, BirdcageWalk, Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, Downing Street and Leicester Square, followed by an afternoon Thames Cruise to Greenwich and tour of Docklands.
Day 26 (B) Saturday 23 August 2008 London Day Tour - Optional: Cost $140 You may choose to do you own thing in London today or you can join us on this Day Tour. Visit many of London’s sight- seeing attractions including St. Paul’s Cathedral, Bank of England, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower of London and Crown Jewels. Also visit Buckingham Palace and view the many treasures of the English monarchy.
Day 27 (B) Sunday 24 August 2008 Depart London Evening departure so you will have most of today as a free day. If you choose to take advantage of the optional day tours, you will have today left for personal shopping or additional sightseeing. Alternatively you may like to continue on the Best of Europe tour that departs your hotel tomorrow morning.
Day 28 Monday 25 August 2008 In Flight Arrive Singapore around dinner time, so once again time for a good nights sleep.
Day 29 Tuesday 26 August 2008 Singapore - Australia A full day to unwind and enjoy some last minute shopping or sightseeing.
Day 30 Wednesday 27 August 2008 Arrive Australia Early arrival into Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and other Australian capital cities.
Download a booking form for this tour to print. Fill in your details and return it to our office (PO Box 330, Chirnside Park, Victoria 3116) with a deposit per person included. CFT can provide you with travel insurance, and we encourage all passengers to purchase it. TOUR INCLUDES
EXPLORE ALL TOURS
2008> Discover New Zealand ~ Essential China ~ Rocky Mountains Grand Tour of Britain & Ireland ~ Grand Highlights of Europe~ Western Australia
2010> Oberammergau
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Today our tour of Britain and Ireland commences in earnest as we cross the Salisbury plain and visit the mysterious monoliths of Stonehenge. No one really knows why they were built. Continue to Plymouth famous as the port from which Sir Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Captain Bligh of the Bounty fame, Sir Walter Raleigh, the Pilgrim Fathers, Captain James Cook and Charles Darwin all set sail.
Day 25 (B) Friday 22 August 2008 