Our WISE Islands experience starts with one of the country's best known jewels, the Cotswolds. Honey-coloured villages, nestling in folds of the gently undulating hills, are the order of the day. Our choice of stops will depend on the weather and your interests but we've the Slaughters, Stowe, Burford, Bibury, Chipping Campden and Minster Lovell from which to choose. Whether Spring, Summer or Autumn, flower-filled gardens and rolling hills make this one of England's most picturesque areas. We'll also be visiting one of the region's famed country houses and gardens such as Hidcote. You'll also be seeing the 'black and white' half-timbered Tudor style houses as we tour through the Malvern Hills and country Worcester, home of famed composer, Edward Elgar.

We've a varied day that sees us following the River Severn along the Wales-England border back-roads with potential stops at some of the pretty Severn-side villages. An undoubted highlight will be Ironbridge, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Depending on time and weather, the day offers other potential delights from this period such as Llangollen with its amazing canal aqueduct. A change of historical periods and we head for the Roman city of Chester with its surrounding wall and remarkable shopping 'rows' of Tudor-style black and white half-timbered buildings.

North Wales

Today, a day of outstanding beauty in the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park and along the North Wales coast line. Our circular route takes us from the medieval castle of Conway to the elegant Victorian resort of Llandudno, through the Vale of Clwyd skirting Lake Bala, to the lands where the last great Prince of Wales, Owain Glyn Dwr, held court. There's breathtaking scenery as we drive to Blaenau Ffestiniog when we'll have an option of going down a slate mine or taking a steam train ride. We are now in the heart of Snowdonia as we drive through the forests to Betws-y-Coed where one highlight will be a working woollen-mill and, finally, the magnificent Horseshoe Pass.

North Wales

Then following, perhaps, a picnic lunch on this mystic Celtic Isle of Anglesey, it's on to Holyhead and our fast ferry across the Irish Sea.

We arrive in Dublin in time to enjoy a brief orientation tour before locating our city centre accommodation. Tonight we'll find a traditional music bar and sample the 'craic'.

Ferry: HSS Stena Depart 13.45 Arr. 15.25

Dublin

Dublin

Tonight there's an optional social evening at a fantastic local cultural centre where you can join in the dance and hear traditional music being taught and enjoyed.

Dublin

We then continue north to our ferry departure point and sail across the Irish Sea to South-Western Scotland.

Please note: ferry schedules and sea conditions may sometime entail taking a late evening ferry rather than the mid afternoon sailing.

Newton Stewart or Castle Douglas

We're on the edge of Robbie Burn's country and this morning we'll follow the 'Burns trail' travelling north though the beautiful Lowlands of Scotland. Troon, the Brig O Doon and lochs of Galloway are all on our itinerary.

Continuing north, we cross the great River Clyde over the Erskine Bridge and make our way, edging past Loch Lomond, into the Highland region of the Trossachs. Here you will see traditional heather-covered bens, babbling braes and lochs that so characterise the enchanting Highlands.

Finally, towards the end of a perfect and full day, we make our way to Edinburgh where we’ll take brief orientation tour of the city. Your guide will be showing you hpw to get the best form your next day’s organised independence.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. You have a day of organised independence to explore the capital at your leisure. A suggested morning would be to begin at Edinburgh Castle, amble down the Royal Mile stopping at St Giles Cathedral and one or other of the museums, take a drink at one of the old pubs that line the street, and complete your peregrinations at Holyrood Palace. Then for this afternoon there’s Prince's Street and the New Town - all under the shadow of Arthur's Seat.

Dinner is not included tonight to allow you to take advantage of theatre visits, if wished. 

Edinburgh

Heading south, our first stop is at Jedburgh where you will have time to visit the local woollen mill. We'll also find abbey ruins, the castle jail and Mary Queen of Scots house, which is open to visitors. From here it is only a short drive to the English border. Here we'll visit some Roman remains on part of the great wall, which the Emperor Hadrian built to protect England from the fierce Picts north of the border. The market town of Hexham once suffered frequent raids by the marauding Scots. Today it is a bustling town where we will lunch before continuing our journey south, through picturesque Northumberland to our base on the North Yorkshire Moors or to the city of York.

York or Dales

A short drive from our North Yorkshire Moors base is the market town of Helmsley. Here we'll find the 12th century ruins of Helmsley Castle, much of which was destroyed during the English Civil War. The most spectacular stately home in Yorkshire, Castle Howard, is next on the agenda. This beautiful palace is still occupied by the Howard family who built it back in the 18th century. You'll have free time to explore the house and grounds and to have lunch. This afternoon we head back to the heather-covered moors for a change of transport. You'll board a train at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and for a journey to relive the nostalgia of the steam age. This area is Captain Cook country. After our steam train ride we'll continue our explorations of this sometimes bleak and remote countryside as we head back to our base.

  York or Dales

There's never enough time to see York, even if you lived here! But we must tear ourselves away and head south. But there's a compensation: Lincoln! This lovely city, dominated by another fabulous castle, cathedral and shambolic streets is one that quite undeservedly gets overshadowed by its northern neighbour.

Lincolnshire

Well, we have finish on the highest of notes and you'd think it difficult to better all that we've seen thus far on our WISE Islands tour. But no, there's no possibility of anti-climax with the flat, windmill-covered, East Anglian fenlands, Oliver Cromwell's Ely and the picturesque university city of Cambridge all to be toured before our final run-in to London.

Ely is a treasure for both its history, and for the fabulous stained glass of its cathedral. Cambridge, of course, offers not only medieval architecture of colleges such as King's, but also the opportunity of a gentle 'punt' on the 'backs' of the River Cam. There's also one of England's finest museums and an opportunity for some last minute shopping.

London