England, Scotland & Wales (2012)

London • Cotswolds • Snowdonia • York • Lake District Area • Edinburgh
  • 14 days
  • from only:
  • $2195
  • $157 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 15 days
  • from only:
  • $3195
  • $213 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
BSC map 2012
IN THIS SECTION:
Photos From Our Travelers
Detailed Itinerary
What Makes This Trip Unique
It's Included
Featured Accommodations
Pre- & Post-Trip Extensions
London, England
Scottish Highlands
Optional Tours
Local Team & Insider Tips
Know Before You Go
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your vacation, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two vacations to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the Grand Circle vacation that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your vacation
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your vacation with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of Grand Circle vacations to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit

8hrs

Boston, Newark, New York (JFK), Washington, DC (Dulles)

7hrs

Dallas, Denver, Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando

9hrs

Los Angeles

13hrs

Phoenix, Seattle

10hrs

San Francisco

11hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to London, England. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the Grand Circle family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on a Grand Circle trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-221-2610
or click here.

ALSO SEE:
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Post-Trip: Scottish Highlands

4 nights from only $895
GCT

Extend your experience in Scotland by ending your sojourn with our four-night post-trip extension in the Scottish Highlands. Explore the beauty and mystery of Loch Ness and Inverness, the Highlands' capital city.




Single Supplement: FREE.


Please note: This extension may not be available on all departures. Ask your Travel Counselor for details.

It's Included

  • Accommodations for 3 nights in Inverness at the First-Class Kingsmills Hotel or similar and 1 night in Aberdeen at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel
  • 5 meals: 4 breakfasts and 1 dinner
  • Included tour: Loch Ness & Isle of Skye
  • Exclusive services of a Grand Circle Program Director
  • All transfers
Day 1
Travel to Inverness, Scotland

You’ll depart Edinburgh this morning and head for Inverness, traveling through St. Andrews along the way. Arriving in Inverness late this afternoon, you’ll have the rest of the day to spend as you choose.
Day 2
Inverness/Isle of Skye tour via Loch Ness

Following breakfast this morning, you’ll drive along the famed Loch Ness, a fabled lake of many moods—from the sultry to the serene. Beneath its placid surface, the occasional sturgeon has been spotted. And who hasn't heard the tale of the Loch Ness monster, often spoken of but seldom seen? The legend of "Nessie," though never proved to be real, has a long history. Its first reported "sighting" was in AD 565.

Not all the wonders of Loch Ness are beneath its surface, however. The area also hosts a vibrant bird population, acting as a flight path for sea birds migrating between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It is common to see buzzards circling above the banks of the loch, and eagles, though more rare, do make an occasional appearance. Also seen from time to time are the increasingly rare ospreys out fishing for a quick bite or two.

En route, we pass Eilan Donan, and continuing on, we cross to the Isle of Skye by bridge (this bridge opened in 1995.) The Isle of Skye is considered the jewel of the Inner Hebrides. Often referred to in Gaelic as Eilean a' Cheo (The Misty Isle), Skye beckons with its jagged mountain ridges, placid inlets and bay, and charming villages.

Natural beauty is in full abundance here, especially in the form of the Cuillen Hills, the Red Hills, and Blaven—all favorites of climbers and hikers alike. These commanding heights can be appreciated at a distance, too, as you journey indented coastlines that wind through verdant hills and moors and through history-rich villages. You may catch a glimpse of local wildlife, so watch for oystercatchers and other denizens.
Day 3
Inverness/Optional Historical Highlands tour

Today is yours to enjoy at your own pace. Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, is a thoroughly modern town with ancient roots and will no doubt entice you with its array of offerings. A visit to the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery offers up a vibrant presentation of the heritage of the area, from its archaeology to its natural history. Clan Donald is said to have burned the town at least seven times, while Bonnie Prince Charlie's forces destroyed the fort here in 1745. Peace prevails today in the city's most welcoming environment.

Or, join us on an optional Historical Highlands tour to grasp a sense of the past that is so inseparable from this region's identity. We visit Culloden Moor, scene of the last major battle fought on mainland Britain. The final Jacobite uprising, and their efforts to restore the House of Stuart to the British throne, ended here on April 16, 1746, when Government forces led by the Duke of Cumberland crushed the army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart. You'll see the reconstructed turf and stone dikes that played a crucial part in the battle. On site you can view the Graves of the Clans, the Well of the Dead, the Memorial Cairn, the Cumberland Stone, and the Field of the English. The Visitor Centre offers a Jacobite exhibition.

Our tour also takes us to the 14th-century Cawdor Castle, a splendid fairy-tale castle that is still home to the Cawdor family. Legend has it that in 1454, the Thane of Cawdor, drawing inspiration from a dream, fastened gold to a donkey's back and vowed to build a new castle wherever the animal lay down for the evening. The donkey rested under a holly tree, and that tree still stands within the medieval tower. The turreted castle also has literary claim, as the title character of Shakespeare's Macbeth is the Thane of Cawdor. You'll be able to view the fine tapestries, portraits, grand furniture, and decorative objects that the resident owners collected over six centuries. Follow the paths through quiet gardens and woodlands, and walk the drawbridge to experience the full history of place that pervades this storied site.

You'll pause to enjoy an included light lunch, made with fresh local produce, in the Castle's restaurant.

The evening is yours to make your own discoveries and enjoy dinner on your own.
Day 4
Inverness/Transfer to Aberdeen

Travel to Aberdeen through the scenic landscapes of Speyside (with more whisky distilleries than anywhere else in the world) and Royal Deeside, called “dear Paradise” by Queen Victoria. You’ll pass through the tranquil town of Ballater, which is close to Balmoral Castle—the summer residence of the British royal family—and stop en route for lunch on your own.

You’ll arrive in Aberdeen in the late afternoon. Dinner tonight is at your hotel.
Day 5
Aberdeen/Return to U.S.

This morning, your Grand Circle Program Director will see you off from the hotel for your transfer to the airport for your flight home.