Tour Code

Depart Manchester

Return Manchester

ENC

Saturday

Wednesday

Price:   GBP £1815 pp twin share  /   GBP £1995 single room

Click here to work out prices in other currencies http://www.xe.com/ucc/

NIGHTSTOP

FRIDAY

DAY ONE - SATURDAY

We'll begin our day in the walled city of Chester, once one of the occupying Roman armies main bases in England. We'll enjoy a tour of the city with its cathedral and medieval shopping 'rows' before continuing to Llandudno.
Llandudno is an elegant Victorian seaside resort. The pier with its pier-end theatre, the wide, flower-filled promenade, the imposing Victorian buildings that face the sea and the covered shopping streets are all reminiscent of a bygone age. The town also boasts a funicular railway that takes us to the top of the Great Orme where we'll get splendid views of the Snowdonia we have set to explore.

We follow the coast a short distance to our second walled city of the day at Conwy. This wall was erected in the 12th century by Norman conquerors and, with the massive castle dominating one corner, makes this harbour town one of the most interesting in the UK. We'll find what claims to be Britain's smallest house, as well as an impressively restored mediaeval one. Climbing the turrets of one of Edward I's most imposing fortresses will not be forgotten in a hurry!

Llandudno

DAY TWO - SUNDAY

Today, we explore the heart of Snowdonia. This National Park is one of dominating peaks (the highest in England and Wales), narrow mountain passes, flowing stream, cascading waterfalls, sheep-covered uplands and verdant, hidden valleys. It has been claimed that these secluded valleys were home to the real King Arthur. Certainly, an ancient Welsh culture and language still thrives here today. We'll explore it in true Back-Roads fashion taking you beyond the regular tourist haunts downs tracks and paths that will have you gasping!.

Our day will also include a visit to the great slate mine at Blaenau Ffestiniog, or copper mine at Sygun, a steam train journey through the mountains on a half-gage railway, a woollen mill, Harlech and the Llewyn Peninsular.

Following an obligatory visit to Caernarfon, we continue to the isle of Anglesey, crossing the Menai Straits by Thomas Telford's famed suspension bridge - a wonder of the age of the industrial revolution.
This ancient and mystic island offers an astounding wealth of attractions including prehistoric burial chambers and monuments, Celtic and Viking settlements, fabulous flora and forna, and the village with the World's longest name, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerchwyrndrobwllllandysilliogogogoch.
There's the fabulously pretty harbour of Beaumaris with its Victorian gaol (it has the only working tread-mill wheel in Britain), a magnificent 12th Century Norman castle, and a Roman Army museum, in addition to a 900 year old pub!
The island's geography is a natural haven for birds, with its wildly contrasting variety of sheer cliffs, sheltered coves, estuaries, dunes, heaths, wetlands, lakes and woodlands. Along the coast you will discover major breeding colonies of puffins, guillemots, razorbills, terns and cormorants - among many other species. Spring and summer turn the Isle of Anglesey into a giant rock garden, carpeted with flowers of every hue. Seal colonies are a common sight on the rockier stretches of the coastline, whilst dolphins can sometimes be glimpsed from shore.

We'll spend the full day exploring this unique corner of the British Isles.

Garden lovers are in for a treat this morning with a visit to Bodnant gardens. Quoting from their own website, it's 'one of the most beautiful gardens in the UK, spanning some 80 acres and is situated above the River Conwy on ground sloping towards the west and looking across the valley towards the Snowdonia range. The garden has two parts. The upper garden around Bodnant Hall consists of the terraced gardens and informal lawns shaded by trees. The lower portion, known as the "Dell", is formed by the valley of the River Hiraethlyn and contains the Wild garden.

This afternoon we drive via lake Bala to Llangollen. From the canal wharf you embark on either a horse drawn boat trip along the feeder for the main canal, or a motorised aqueduct cruise which takes you across the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct built by Thomas Telford.

We depart our Knutsford base at 09.30. A short drive north brings us to the southern Lakes District and our first stop at Holker Hall.

Back roads then take us alongside Coniston Water with the 'Old Man of Coniston' rising above us. This will be just the first of many astounding drives up over narrow passes with the lakes or valleys spreading out beneath us. At Coniston we'll visit the home of Victorian philosopher, John Ruskin. Perhaps his most appropriate quote or us as travellers would be 'There is no Wealth except Life'. Brantwood is indeed an extraordinary structure, perched on a narrow shelf at the foot of a steep mountain (or "fell") side, high above Coniston Water and well illustrates Ruskin's concept of "organic architecture".

This morning there'll be some free time to sample the gentle atmosphere of Windermere itself. Literary fans might enjoy visiting Beatrix Potter's home. Or perhaps the sailors amongst you will elect to take a rowing boat on the lake (not included in tour price), or the more sedate steam paddle boat!

Our initial route takes us to Wordsworth's cottage at Grassmere. Then a back route around Thirlmere to Keswick. Next, a really gripping ride up, climbing some of the regions steepest gradients, traversing Borrowdale, with a stop at the falls en route, to Buttermere. More sublime Lakeland scenery follows as we run alongside Crummock Water and through the Whinlatter Forest.  We'll have some time at the town of Keswick and see the prehistoric Castlerigg Stone Circle and , if there's interest, we could see the museum dedicated to the lead pencil as this is truly its home!

Today sees us touring the undulations of the West Yorkshire Dales. First, to Kirkby Lonsdale, and to see a unique and frightening Viking gravestone. The Three Peaks area covers about 160 square kilometres of upland in the Pennines, with internationally famous limestone scenery. Much of the area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, owing to the special nature and fragility of its upland ecosystem.

We'll focus on a couple of villages as we tour the region. Ribblehead, in the centre of the Three Peaks and is itself famous for the Ribblehead Viaduct where the Settle-Carlisle Railway crosses the boggy moor. This was the site of an infamous shantytown during the railway construction; a task that required many tunnels, viaducts and bridges, and cost many lives. Settle's market charter goes back to 1249, and on Tuesdays its Market Place has retained many of its old buildings and its intimate atmosphere, with a wide range of small, independent shops. Near here is Austwick, the site of the famous Norber Erratics. These are boulders carried by a glacier during the late Ice Age and dumped on this limestone plateau. The limestone supporting them has been eroded away by rain and wind, leaving the huge boulders supported on small pedestals of white limestone.

Then, Ingleton, famous for its walks through the local 'glens'. Village streets are narrow and winding and centred on the tiny market place. Deep beneath Ingleborough Hill lies a hidden world which has been sculptured by nature over thousands of years. Imagine a subterranean landscape, beautifully lit, with gushing streams and waterfalls, exotic cave formations, and a huge ice-age cavern adorned with thousands of stalactites. It's the longest show cave in Britian and it provides us with a wonderful late afternoon stop.

Finally, to Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters.

Our scenic drive to York takes us via the Lancashire villages of Todmordon and to Yorkshire for Haworth. The Haworth Parsonage was home for those incredible literary sisters, the Brontes. We'll collect tour participants who have been staying overnight here combining our Lakes and Lancashire tour with this one. We'll see the famed parsonage before continuing to York.

York itself is a fabulous Viking walled city that has much to offer its visitors, from the splendid Minster, the city centre castle, the Roman museum, and the National Railway Museum, to the medieval shopping 'Shambles'. We'll spend the greater part of our day exploring its delights.

Our accommodation base is on the very edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, but just 45 minutes from the city. En route we'll see the pretty village of Coxwold.

We take the real back roads now, over the austere but magnificently beautiful moors to West Yorkshire. Down one such back road we find Rievaulx Abbey. In the days before Henry VIII, great and rich monasteries dominated the region. Their huge skeletons dominate the valleys and remind us of their once undoubted power and riches before Henry robbed them of it all.

Our next stop is at Richmond, one of the nicest towns in England, situated in the heart of the dales country at Swaledale. Its castle dominates the town and the steep streets are around the central cobbled market square. There's also Scollards Hall built in 1080, one of England's oldest domestic buildings. And if time allows, a riverside walk by the castle along the River Swale will be a memorable event.
The Dales, taking us though Yorkshire and into Northumbria, are worth a day of anybody's time! Besides the staggering beauty of the area, including the famed Highforce waterfall, history is writ large in the remains of ancient lead workings and settlements.

We return south to our base via the town of Ripon (please note: occasionally, Ripon is used as our base and this itinerary is remoulded around this point). In Ripon you can visit the captivating 7th century Cathedral and Ripon itself is a meandering of medieval streets dotted with tea rooms and arts and crafts shops. This cathedral, originally a Minster until 1836, is as spectacular in its way to York Minster. A particular feature of interest is the crypt of the original church that stood here (AD. 672). Those having seen enough ecclesiastical heritage might try the Prison and Police or Workhouse museums instead!

From our Yorkshire base, we head westward across the heather-covered moors to Whitby. This is Captain Cook country and we'll explore his local heritage. Later, we experience a change of transport. You'll board a train (subject to schedules) at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and for the duration of the journey you'll relive the nostalgia of the steam age. Harry Potter fans will find the station somewhat familiar! Next, the most spectacular stately home in Yorkshire, Castle Howard. This beautiful palace is still lived in by the Howard family who built it in the 18th century. You'll have free time here to explore the house and grounds.

Our first port of call is Harrogate. This elegant city is the North's Bath. Georgian building, beautiful municipal gardens and memorable architecture mark it out. Several-times winner of 'Britain in Bloom', the town of Harrogate boasts some of the most attractive parks and gardens in the region. One particular local attraction is the Royal Horticultural Society's Harlow Carr Gardens. These are the society's most northerly gardens and an interesting way to see what can be grown here.

This afternoon we'll see why the region is so popular for film locations. A short drive brings us the Ilkley. Did you see the film 'Calendar Girls', the true story of the Women's Institute ladies who produced the infamous nude calendar? Well, this is where it was shot and where the real ladies of the Women's Institute came from. Further south our routing takes us through more location country, most notably the town of Holmfirth. The UK's longest running TV comedy programme, 'Last of the Summer Wine', about the second childhood of a group of ageing delinquents and their farcical adventures, was set in the picturesque Holme Valley. Even without their 'fame', you'd want us to have introduced you to this area. No doubt you'll find taking a few shots yourself hard to resist!

We complete our day with drop-offs in Manchester.