| Scottish Dream Tours Presents 13 Day Castle, Pub and Tearoom Tour of Wales April 28th - May 10th, 2011 13 Days of Wales: The Bridge Tea Rooms in Bradford-On-Avon, Chepstow Castle, Tintern Abbey, Raglan Castle, Open Top Bus Tour of Cardiff, Castle Coch, Museum of Welsh Life, Gwalia Tea Rooms, Gower Peninsula and The Mumbles, Tudor Merchant's House in Tenby, Medieval Coaching Inn Downtown Tenby, Pembroke Castle, Brecon Beacons, Carreg Cennen Castle, 12th Century Red Lion Pub in Llanafan Fawr, Hay-on-Wye and Llanthony Priory, Powis Castle, Old Station Tearoom, Harlech Castle, Snowdonia North Wales, Betws-y-Coed, Ty Gwyn Historic Coaching Inn, Caernarfon Castle, Conwy Castle, St. Tudno Hotel Tearoom, 14th Century White Lion Inn in Llanelian and more! This is a small intimate tour of Wales limited to 8 - 10 people in order to make for a more enjoyable experience. Keeping the tour size to a minimum does not limit us as to where we can go and what we can do. We will stay in small homey guest houses, country house hotels and coaching inns. Our meals will be taken in old world inns, medieval pubs, unique tearooms and intimate seaside cafés and restaurants. Wales has more castles per square mile than any other place in the British Isles and I have chosen but a few of the many that are on my must see list. The history is truly astounding and to be able to take meals in 12th, 13th & 14th century establishments is bordering on the unbelievable. From a Mediaeval Banquet in Cardiff to the Gower Peninsula, which was the first part of Britain to be named an Area of Outstanding Beauty. And from Pembrokeshire to the Brecon Beacons we will see all the glory of South Wales. And from Powis to the Snowdonia National Park and Anglesey Island to Colwyn Bay and Offa's Dyke Path we will see the wild beauty of North Wales. 13 Days of Spectacular castles, important historical sites, ancient pubs,medieval coaching inns and intimate tearooms. Tour includes full breakfast each morning, all lunches, teas and dinners as listed in the itinerary. Escorted minibus with guide. Luggage handling. All sightseeing including entrance fees. All accommodation. All taxes and service fees. No hidden costs. $4195 per person double occupancy. Single supplement of $795. $500 per person deposit to reserve your spot on this tour. Sold out! |
| Day 1 - April 28th, 2011 - You will be met at London Heathrow Airport but our adventure starts in South Wales and Monmouthshire. Along the way we stop at The Bridge Tea Rooms in Bradford-On-Avon for Afternoon Tea. We then continue to Wales where we are off to the capitol city of Cardiff. After getting settled into our accommodation we will gather for a Welcoming Dinner in Cardiff to kick off this tour. Overnight Cardiff. (L,D) Day 2 - After a good Welsh breakfast we will visit Castle Coch. The name means Red Castle in Welsh and is truly a fairytale creation designed by William Burges for the 3rd Marquis of Bute. This afternoon we will return to Cardiff where you will board an Open Top Bus complete with guide for a Tour of Cardiff City with hop on and off service taking in Cardiff Castle, National Museum and Gallery, Millennium Stadium and Cardiff Bay. This evening we visit Cardiff Castle for a Medieval Banquet. Overnight Cardiff. (B,D) Day 3 - After breakfast it is off to the Museum of Welsh Life, an open air Celtic village within 100 acre parklands. The village includes worker's cottages, farmhouses, a tollhouse, a chapel, an old schoolhouse and a Tudor mansion. Our journey then finds us driving along the southern coast of Wales to the Gower Peninsula and The Mumbles, a seaside resort and picturesque fishing village where we will Stop for Lunch at a local tearoom. Then it is off to Carreg Cennen Castle, one of the most spectacularly sited Welsh castles. Spell-binding views are waiting to be experienced from the sharp hilltop upon which the castle sits and dominates its surroundings. Dinner and Overnight Carmarthenshire. (B,L,D) Day 4 - Following a hearty breakfast we travel to Tenby in Pembrokeshire. Tenby is a coastal town steeped in ancient history surrounded by an imposing stone wall, built in the 13th century. While here we visit the Tudor Merchant's House, a 15th century relic of Tenby's prosperous seafaring days. Traditional Fish & Chips on the Wharf in Tenby. After lunch we drive to the village of Manorbier taking us through some of the most scenic parts of Pembrokeshire winding dramatically along leafy hedged lanes towards the coast. Then we are off to Pembroke and Pembroke Castle. Mighty Pembroke Castle impresses by its sheer size and dominance of location. Pembroke is a Norman stronghold dating to the time of William the Conqueror, however most of the present castle dates from the 13th century. Dinner and Overnight Carmarthenshire. (B,L,D) Day 5 - Our first stop of the today is the St. David's where St. David's Cathedral has been the dominant presence since the 12th century and was a popular pilgrimage destination throughout the middle ages. From here we drive along Cardigan Bay and the beautiful Cardiganshire Coast and then to Gerddi Cae Hir Gardens which is probably West Wales' best kept secret. Situated just a few miles from the coast the gardens sit comfortably in the gentle surrounding countryside. Our coastal drive takes us next to the lovely village of Aberystwyth. We will take Afternoon Tea in this seaside university before an afternoon free to enjoy the city. Dinner and Overnight just north of Aberystwyth. (B,L,D) Day 6 - Today our coastal drive will take us further north to Harlech and Harlech Castle. As if its spectacular situation, foreboding might, and great power were not sufficient to ensure the fame of this magnificent castle, Harlech is also inseparably linked in Welsh myth with the tragic heroine of Branwen, the daughter of Llyr, of the Mabinogion. We then travel through the beautiful Snowdonia Region of Wales on our way to Betws-y-Coed. You will want the afternoon free to enjoy this lovely Snowdonian village. Dinner at the Ty Gwyn Hotel in Betws-y-Coed tonight. Overnight Betws-y-Coed. (B,D) Day 7 - Following breakfast our first visit of the day is Caernarfon Castle. Caernarfon is architecturally one of the most impressive of all of the castles in Wales. Most impressive of all is the Eagle Tower crowned by its triple cluster of turrets. We will stop in Llandudno for Afternoon Tea before a visit to Conwy Castle. Words cannot do justice to Conwy Castle it is by any standards one of the great fortresses of medieval Europe. Conwy's well-preserved castle wall helps the town maintain a medieval character lost by other Welsh castle-towns over the years. Dinner at the White Lion Inn in Llanelian. Ale has been served on the site of the White Lion Inn since the year 722! Overnight Betws-y-Coed. (B,L,D) Day 8 - On our way east today we stop at the Glassblobbery near Corwen. The studio offers all sorts of glass animals, glass flowers, glass dragons and other glass sea creatures all hand made at the studio. There is also work on show by other artists and craftsmen using other materials. Then on to Llangollen, a lovely village nestled along side the River Dee. Afternoon Tea in Llangollen before we depart from picturesque Llangollen Wharf on the canal boat "Thomas Telford" and enjoy two hours of peaceful cruising along the stunning Dee valley. A live commentary from the skipper gives history, local knowledge and up to date gossip along the way. Dinner and Overnight Llangollen. (B,L,D) Day 9 - After breakfast this morning we visit Chirk Castle, occupied virtually continuously as a castle and stately home for almost 700 years, sits on a hilltop with its best views over the Ceiriog Valley to the south. This afternoon we visit Powis Castle, a stately country house mansion rich in history. This red stone building has been in almost continual occupation since the 13th century. Prince Charles stays here when in Wales and you can even view his bedroom! We will have Tea in the Garden Tearoom before visiting the castle. Next visit is Hay-on-Wye and Llanthony Priory. Llanthony was one of the earliest houses of Augustinian Canons to founded in Britain and is famous for its wild and beautiful setting. Dinner on your own in Tintern. Overnight Tintern. (B,L) Day 10 - After breakfast our journey starts in Tintern with Tintern Abbey. The Cistercian abbey of Tintern is one of the greatest monastic ruins of Wales. It was only the second Cistercian foundation in Britain, and the first in Wales, and was founded on 9 May 1131. Next stop is Raglan Castle. This 15th century castle is characterized by pale, almost yellowish sandstone from Redbrook on the Wye river, three miles away. Afternoon Tea at Llansantffraed Court Hotel in Abergavenny. Our next stop is Chepstow Castle, superbly set high upon its river cliff above the Wye, Chepstow still guards one of the main river crossings from southern England into Wales. Few castles in Britain tell the story of medieval fortification, from beginning to end, as does this mighty stronghold. Dinner and Overnight Tintern. (B,L,D) Day 11 - Our first stop this morning is Gloucester and Gloucester Cathedral. There has been a religious site here for over 1300 years and the current cathedral was begun in the year 1078. Our next stop is near Oxford where we will stop for Afternoon Tea and a Tour of Blenheim Palace. Enjoy a relaxing tea at the home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, set in 2100 acres of beautiful parkland. The tea is served in the Indian Room, which overlooks the stunning Water Terraces and Fountains. Our last stop of the day is the Royal Borough of Windsor. Dinner on your own in Windsor. Overnight Windsor. (B,L) Day 12 - This morning you will start the day in Windsor with an Open Top Bus Tour of the City. Next is a visit to Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle has been home of the British Monarchy for almost a thousand years, and the largest inhabited castle in the World. It has been suggested that it was built on the site of a Celtic camp where King Arthur lived. The rest of the afternoon free until we meet up for Dinner and then a Performance at the Theatre Royal in Windsor. The Theatre Royal has gained a reputation for the quality of its productions and is currently one of Britain's leading theatres. Overnight Windsor. (B,D) Day 13 - After a hearty breakfast, we return to Heathrow Airport in London to prepare for our journey home. (B) |
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