Description

A 5 Day tour discovering the best of northern England - the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. Highlights include The Scottish Borders, Hadrian's Wall, Lake Windermere, Wordsworth's Cottage, the Yorkshire Dales, York and Yorkminster, Robin Hood's Bay, Alnwick and Berwick on Tweed.

DAY 1: BERWICK - ALNWICK CASTLE - YORK
Your tour starts by hugging the magnificent East Lothian coastline as we travel towards the walled border town of Berwick Upon Tweed. After stopping to admire the fortifications, you continue to Bamburgh Castle. This immsense seaside fortress has stood guard over the Northumberland coastline for over 1400 years and is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country. Leaving Bamburgh behind, you travel towards the city of York on the Great North Road, a route that has carried countless Roman legions between the remote Northern outposts and the more populous settlements of Roman Britannia. In the late afternoon, you arrive in York, your base for the next two nights.

DAY 2: YORK - WHITBY - YORK
Today you can decide what you want to do. You can choose to spend the day exploring the medieval heart of York, an ancient city with a colourful history dating back to the times of the Romans, Vikings, and Normans. There's much to see and do: you can visit a chocolate museum, find out about the Vikings, or even just stroll around the ancient walls. Alternatively, you can journey out with your guide on a half-day excursion to the magnificent North York Moors National Park. 
Lunch will be in Whitby, a bustling fishing port and the inspiration for the fertile imagination of author Bram Stoker, who stayed in the Royal Hotel on the western side of Whitby while writing his famous novel Dracula. After lunch and free time in Whitby we travel to the fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay *, a perfectly preserved conservation village of winding lanes and narrow alleys before returning towards York.
* The minicoach cannot access the main village because of local restrictions. The coach will drop you at the top of the village and you must walk down (and back up!) a steep hill to reach the old village centre.

DAY 3: YORKSHIRE DALES - MASHAM - KESWICK
You're picked up from your accommodation and head west into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Established in 1954, the Yorkshire Dales National Park has outstanding scenery, a range of wildlife habitats, and rich cultural heritage. It's a special place - a fantastic outdoor arena for recreation and relaxation and a haven for wildlife. Continuing west, the route takes you through the Northern Dales - the centre of the Dales cattle trade. The final leg of today’s journey takes you high up into the remote hills of the Yorkshire Dales before descending into the lively market town of Keswick where you're dropped off at your accommodation and have free time to explore this charming town.

DAY 4: CASTLERIGG - ULLSWATER - LAKE WINDERMERE - HAWKESHEAD - KESWICK
After breakfast you head a short distance out of town to the mysterious Castlerigg standing stones. Thought by many to have been built over 5,000 years ago and the scene of ancient rituals. You then travel on to the shores of Ullswater described as England’s most beautiful lake where you can take a forest walk to see the mighty Aira Force waterfall. Continuing south over the narrow and winding Kirkstone Pass you stop at Lake Windermere where you have the option to take a leisurely cruise on the Lake or simply eat lunch while enjoying views of the mountains and lakes. After lunch you travel around the southern tip of Windermere and on towards Conis-ton Water and shortly afterwards you arrive at the picturesque conservation village of Hawkeshead, where the poet William Wordsworth attended Grammar School. After free time to explore the village you take the narrow country lanes north towards Gras-mere, which Wordsworth described as “the loveliest spot that man hath found”. There is free time to visit Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage or enjoy the peace and tranquility of the Wordsworth Daffodil Garden by the River Rothy. In the late afternoon you return to Keswick.

DAY 5: HARTSIDE PASS - HADRIAN'S WALL - JEDBURGH - EDINBURGH
Leaving the Lakes behind you start your climb towards Hartside Pass, at over 1900ft- on a clear day the hills and mountains of Scotland and the English Lake District are clearly visible. We follow the route of the old sheep drovers road between England and Scotland. Stopping at Hadrians Wall, built by Emporer Hadrian to keep the Scots out of the Roman Empire there’s an opportunity to explore some of the Roman remains and walk in the footsteps of the Roman Centurions who patrolled this desolate frontier of the Empire. Following the ancient Roman Dere Street we cross the border into Scotland and continue on to the Border town of Jedburgh for refreshments by the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey. Our final stop is at the world famous Scott’s view with stunning views over the River
Tweed and the Cheviot hills that form the border between Scotland before continuing
North to Edinburgh.

For departure details refer to the "Prices, Dates, and What's Included" Section...

Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District Tour!!