Why We Chose a Guided Tour of Britain
Planning a trip to travel abroad can feel a bit daunting, especially when deciding where to start. Fortunately, one of the easiest ways to experience multiple destinations without the stress of planning every detail is through a guided tour of England and Scotland.
With that in mind, I recently returned from an incredible trip with CIE Tours, spending 11 days on their Best of Britain tour through England and Scotland. This escorted tour strikes a wonderful balance between structured sightseeing and free time, allowing guests to explore highlights as a group while still enjoying personal interests at their own pace.
In addition, CIE Tours does an excellent job planning the itinerary, ensuring travelers experience iconic landmarks, historic cities, and scenic countryside. The tour guides are amazing and incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the regions visited. Although the official itinerary is a 10-day tour, we arrived a day early and enjoyed a pre-stay at our first hotel, giving us time to adjust and feel well-rested before the adventure began.
Upon arrival, we arrived Saturday morning and headed to the Castle Hotel Windsor, located directly across from Windsor Castle. Because of this early arrival, the day was ours to explore independently. As a result, we chose a scenic boat tour on the River Thames, which provided breathtaking views of Windsor and the surrounding countryside.
Later that day, after exploring the town and enjoying our first Fish ’n Chips of the trip, we attended Evensong at St. George’s Chapel. Not only is this service open to the public at no cost, but I also highly recommend arriving early, as seating is limited. It was absolutely breathtaking and remains one of my personal highlights from the entire tour.
Blenheim Palace, the Cotswolds, and Stratford-upon-Avon
Monday started early with breakfast before we boarded our bus toward Blenheim Palace, the country house and home of the Dukes of Marlborough and the birthplace of Winston Churchill. After touring the palace, we enjoyed a scenic drive through the picturesque Cotswolds, taking in quaint villages and rolling hills along the way. The views were spectacular! We stopped at Stratford-upon-Avon for lunch and decided to tour the birthplace of William Shakespeare during our free time. We then continued on to the city of York where we arrived and enjoyed a group dinner at the Delta Hotels by Marriott York.
Exploring York and Northern England
Tuesday began bright and early with breakfast at 7, then headed out for a walking tour
of the city of York, including a visit to the historic street called “the shambles”. We then
had the opportunity to tour the historic Anglican Cathedral, the York Minster. Upon
leaving York, we drove out to see Heddon on the Wall, which is the remains of a Roman constructed wall from 122 A.D. We stopped at The Three Turns Pub for a quick lunch,
then hit the road to head to Bamburgh Castle. This is an ancient castle that can trace
its history to the Celtic Britons. This is also the setting for the TV show The Last Kingdom. We then continued our drive into Scotland, arriving in Edinburgh at the Doubletree Queensferry hotel for a group dinner and to turn in. Ever tried Haggis? I can now say I have!
Discovering Edinburgh and Scottish Traditions
Wednesday, we packed our bags, had a fabulous Scottish breakfast and boarded the bus to explore central Edinburgh starting in the 200-year-old “New Town”, then headed to “Old Town” and on to Princes Street which is the premier shopping district. Then we hiked up the cobblestone hill to Edinburgh Castle where Scotland’s Crown Jewels are located. This castle has so much history. We then had some free time to explore, and of course I couldn’t resist buying a Harris Tweed bag! That evening, we went to the Norton House for a traditional Scottish evening of dinner and entertainment, including learning to dance the Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee). Scotland definitely rolled out the red carpet, and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Liverpool, Wales, and Historic Castles
Thursday was a travel day, but we managed to squeeze in some touristy sites! After
another amazing Scottish breakfast, we hit the road leaving Scotland and heading
toward Liverpool. Our first stop was Gretna Green on the border of Scotland and
England. It is known for people in England crossing the border into Scotland for a quick wedding and is themed accordingly. We then continued on to Grasmere, a quaint town in the Lake District where the poet William Wadsworth is buried. After having lunch at a small cafe, we treated ourselves to Gingerbread from the famous Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread. After a breathtaking drive through the Lake District, we arrived at the Malmaison hotel in Liverpool. We then headed to the Cavern Club, which is the club where the Fab Four were discovered. The atmosphere is electric with live music and Beatles themed drinks. I highly recommend the “My Sweet George” drink! We then had the rest of the evening free to explore downtown Liverpool and dinner on our own.
Exploring Wales and Cardiff
Friday began with an early made to order breakfast at the hotel, and then we headed to Ludlow for some free time to explore. We toured Ludlow Castle and St. Laurence’s Church before grabbing a quick bite to eat and heading to our next destination.
From there, we drove through the beautiful Welsh countryside and arrived at the remains of Tintern Abbey, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1131 A.D. The setting was peaceful and steeped in history.
We then made our final push of the day to Cardiff, where we toured the impressive Cardiff Castle and even ran into our old friend Paddington Bear. After a full day of sightseeing, we settled in at the Hilton Cardiff Hotel and enjoyed a group dinner together.
Bath, Stonehenge, and Arrival in London
Saturday was our last full travel day heading back toward London. After an amazing
breakfast, we left Cardiff and headed to Bath. The history of the Roman Bath’s is
fascinating! We also got to see Jane Austen’s home as we walked through Bath. We
then continued our journey and stopped at Stonehenge. What a magnificent sight! We
arrived at 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel by Hilton in London and were able to enjoy a free
evening exploring our area and had dinner on our own. It felt great being able to settle
into a hotel knowing we were staying for a few nights.
Sunday was our first day exploring London. After breakfast, we headed out with a bus
tour of London giving us a glimpse of the highlights of the city with stops at St. Paul’s
Cathedral (where Charles and Diana were married), and the Tower of London to see
the Crown Jewels. We were also able to spy Tower Bridge from there. After touring the
Tower of London, the afternoon and evening were free for us to explore what we
wanted to see. The bus dropped us off near the London Eye, so of course we took the
opportunity to partake in this experience. We ended up purchasing a VIP Champagne
Experience for the London Eye and enjoyed taking in the sites of the city from above
while sipping the same brand of champagne served at Charles and Diana’s wedding.
The views were spectacular, and we drank like royalty!
Walking Through London’s Most Famous Landmarks
At this point, we were about three miles from our hotel, and with so many sights still to see, we decided to take a walking tour back.
Along the way, we passed the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, then stopped at Westminster Abbey to attend the Evensong service. It was a peaceful and memorable experience. We continued on past Buckingham Palace, the Queen Victoria Memorial, Piccadilly Circus, the Wellington Arch, and finally made a stop at Harrods.
After a full day of sightseeing, we enjoyed a great dinner on our own before turning in for the night.
Monday is our last day in London. The tour company included a ticket for us to use the
Hop On/Hop Off bus transportation to see the sights and choose what we wanted to
see. After breakfast, we started the day with a stop at Kensington Palace. The Sunken
Garden at Kensington Palace was a favorite of Princess Diana’s, and we were able to
see the statue her sons designed of her that stands in the garden. Such a beautiful
tribute. We then took the bus to Westminster Abbey, and continued walking to
Buckingham Palace, as we had purchased tickets to tour the staterooms and garden on our own. It was surreal to walk through this palace with so much history and see so many of the rooms we see in the media. At the end of the tour, we were able to enjoy tea and cake in the garden and even joined the Royal Family for a balcony appearance! We headed back toward our hotel and had our final dinner of Fish ‘n Chips in London.
As we headed to the airport Tuesday morning and on the long flight home, I had the
opportunity to reflect on our trip. CIE Tours did an outstanding job. Our tour guide
Damien set us all up on WhatsApp, so he had a direct way to communicate with
everyone, and a way for us to reach him at all times. Each night he would send an
itinerary to the group of the timeline and agenda for the next day, which was fabulous.
Each day we moved hotels, we just had to have our luggage set out by 7, and they
would pick it up for us, and would deliver it to our room at our next hotel. The service
was impeccable. Our motorcoach bus was incredibly comfortable with chargers in each seat and wi-fi available. There were large windows making it very easy to see as we drove through the countryside. Many of our meals were included, like breakfast at the hotel each morning and many dinners, but there were a few meals that were on our own and were communicated ahead of time. Entrance fees to all attractions listed as part of the tour were included, and the bus would drop us off at the front of most attractions, unless it was part of a planned walking tour. Not only was our guide incredible, but our driver, Danny, was also with us the entire trip and did an amazing job keeping us on time. Damian was quite a history buff and would educate us about the history of the area as we were driving through both countries.
If you’re considering a trip to Europe and would like help planning your own guided tour experience, I would be happy to assist with booking CIE Tours and coordinating the details of your trip from start to finish.
