Upon arrival in Glasgow, we meet our tour director and motor

coach. We take the “high road,” immortalized in the ballad, along

the “bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond,” the largest body of

fresh water in the British Isles. Our destination is Fort William,

which lies in the shadow of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain.

En route we stop in Oban, a port city with a fine view of the Argyll

Coast. Inflight meals/D

We drive northward this morning following “The Great Glen” to the

capital city of the highlands, Inverness. En route we stop in Fort

Augustus from where we take a cruise on fabled Loch Ness. Be on

the lookout for “Nessie!” This afternoon we drive to Fort George, an

imposing military garrison with a commanding view of the Moray

Firth, where dolphins can often be seen at play. An evening walking

tour of Inverness completes our day. B/D

We travel to Edinburgh today. A morning drive through the central

Highlands brings us first to Pitlochry, described by Queen Victoria

as one of the finest resorts in Europe. Here a distillery tour explains

the process for making Scotch whiskey. After lunch we drive to the

magnificent Stirling Castle and the battlefields of Scottish national

heroes William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Here we tour the

castle. If time permits, we stop to see the Antonine Wall, built by

the Romans to contain the Celts in the early 2nd Century. B/D

This morning, after an opportunity to attend a worship service, we

enjoy a panoramic tour of beautiful Edinburgh, often referred to as

the "Athens of the North." Highlights include the Walter Scott

Monument, the elegant Prince's Street, and much more. We have an

inside tour of Edinburgh Castle with its foreboding ramparts and

walls, amazing city views, Crown jewels, and the siege gun, Mon's

Meg. A highlight of our afternoon is a visit to the Royal Yacht

Britannia, a 300-foot vessel formerly commissioned by Queen

Elizabeth II. There is time this afternoon to pursue individual

interests, to visit museums, explore, or shop for that special

"Scottish Tweed." Tonight, we attend a Ceilidh, a traditional

evening of dinner, Highland dancing, and bag pipe music. Haggis,

anyone? B/D

We depart the land of Mary, Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince

Charlie and drive through the rolling meadowlands and heather to

the Lake District, a tranquil, timeless area, where the great poets

Wordsworth, Byron and others composed some of the finest lyrical

poetry in the English language. En route we stop to visit

Abbotsford, the home of Scotland's most famous author, Sir Walter

Scott, who penned such works as "The Lady of the Lake," and

"Ivanhoe." Here we tour Scott’s home. B/D

We continue our journey to York, and our guided tour includes a

walk atop the ancient city walls and a tour of York Minster

Cathedral, the biggest medieval church in England. We also see the

famous medieval street, known as the Shambles. Christianity has an

early heritage in York. By 306, when Constantine the Great was

proclaimed Emperor in York, it is believed there was a small

Christian community. In 312 he issued a general edict of toleration

for the Christian Church and York became a center of Christianity.

We end the day in the Lincoln area, where a local expert joins us for

dinner and share the history of the pilgrims. B/D

A local guide joins us as we explore the Christian heritage

highlights in the region. In the morning we visit Epworth and tour

the Old Rectory where John and Charles Wesley grew up with their

many siblings. In the afternoon we visit the great monastic church of

Worksop to understand the background of Christianity in England.

This was the home of the great puritan preacher Richard Bernard,

whose daughter married Roger Williams of Rhode Island. Then we

visit Babworth Church where William Brewster and William

Bradford came together under Richard Clyfton’s leadership. We

finish the day at Gainsborough, from where the Pilgrims set out on

their final and successful escape attempt. We visit the medieval Old

Hall, home of a local puritan, where John Wesley preached 150

years later. We dine in a local pub with historic connections. B/D

After breakfast we drive south to Stratford-Upon-Avon, home of

William Shakespeare, the great bard himself! Sightseeing highlights

include the Birthplace of the great writer and a visit to the famed

Anne Hathaway Cottage. Next, we drive through the leisurely lanes

of the Cotswolds, past bubbling brooks, and quaint villages to

Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. We take a

tour of the palace and enjoy the gardens before continuing on for

lunch on our own in Bampton, where many of the outdoor scenes in

Downton Abbey were filmed. we visit B/D

We drive to Oxford, one of England’s famous University cities with

a rich Reformation history. The early English reformer, John

Wycliffe, was a professor at the university. Other well-known

students included Bible translator William Tyndale and the great

revivalist preacher George Whitefield. We have a walking orientation tour including Christ Church College Cathedral, and the

Martyr Memorial, with an emphasis on C.S. Lewis. B/D

This morning, we depart for London. Our first stop is Windsor

Castle, a symbol of British history and heritage. We spend time

exploring the grandeur of this historic fortress and uncover its royal

secrets. After lunch on our own, we take a locally guided tour of

London, one of the world’s most popular destinations. Highlights

are Big Ben and Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey,

and of course, Piccadilly Circus. Then we check into our hotel for

the last three nights before having dinner and a show on London’s

famous West End! B/D

This morning, we visit Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural

masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral. We learn of its fascinating

transition from the ruins of the Great Fire in 1666 to its present

grandeur and the place where Diana married Prince Charles in 1981.

We visit the Tower Bridge Exhibition to learn about the history and

engineering of this iconic landmark. We walk across the bridge for

great views of the River Thames and the Tower of London. We stop

for a photo and then we continue. We see the Houses of Parliament

and Big Ben. We explore the Whitehall area to see Downing Street

and other government buildings and visit the Cenotaph on

Whitehall, the central war memorial of the United Kingdom. We

end the day with a private guided tour of the Churchill War Rooms

near Parliament Square for a fascinating look at WWII history. B

The final day of our tour begins with Buckingham Palace to witness

the Changing of the Guards. After the ceremony, we take a guided

tour of the State Rooms inside Buckingham Palace to see the

grandeur and history of the royal residence. Afterwards we visit

Westminster Abbey, the setting for every Coronation since 1066.

Later, we explore Trafalgar Square on our own near Harrods

Department store. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the

area to choose from. We have more time at leisure this afternoon.

We have a farewell dinner at the hotel. B/D

We transfer to London’s Heathrow Airport this morning a board our

flight home. We return with lasting memories of spectacular land-

and seascapes, fascinating cities and towns, and a wealth of new

friends. B/Inflight meals