Introduction - 2 Day Tour - 3 Day Tour - 9.Day.Tour - 20.Day.Tour - 25.Day.Tour - 29.Day.Tour -  31.Day.Tour - 34.Day.Tour

This 31 day tour of England, Scotland and Wales began in London with a day trip to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.  That was followed by day trips to York, the Isle of Wight and Blackpool.  Twenty days were spent in a self-drive, hired car touring Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire.  A day trip back into London for the very last Royal Tournament preceded stops in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset before heading up for a swing through Wales.  After a stop in Cumbria and the Lake District, we made our way through Scotland's Dumfries & Galloway and Tayside on the way to Edinburgh.  From a base in Edinburgh, two days were spent touring the Borders before spending the last two days in Edinburgh City Centre.  The highlight of which was the 50th Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The date of departure for this holiday ['vacation'] centred on the dates of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the opening date of the - then - 'Works' exhibit at the National Railway Museum in York.   The rest of the itinerary - based on our list of 'givens and druthers' - was then scheduled in a geographically reasonable manner to fill-in the spaces between those key dates.

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	BHP =	British Heritage Pass (alternate link)
=  Travel by Tube	NT =	National Trust
= ...by Train	EH =	English Heritage (alternate link)
= ...by Self-drive Car	NTS =	National Trust for Scotland
=  Overnight in (city or town)		Hudson's 2000+ Links

DAY  1               London
		Arrive London Heathrow Airport (another link).
		Heathrow Express to London Paddington Station (alternate link) (another link)
		SouthWest Trains from London Waterloo (alternate link) (another link)  to Hampton Court.
		The 10th Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (alternate link) See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
		SouthWest Trains from Hampton Court to London Waterloo Station (alternate link)
		The Cathedral of St George - Southwark (another link)
DAY  2         London
		Britain Visitor Centre
		Albert Memorial (another link) (and another)
		Kensington Gardens (another link)
		Regents Canal Cruise
		Camden Market
		Millennium Experience Visitor Centre  ...now closed.
		National Maritime Museum
		St James Park
		Victoria Embankment Gardens (another link)
DAY  3                     London
		The New British Library (snaps)
		St Pancras Station (another link)
		Great North Eastern Railway from London Kings Cross (alternate link) (another link) to York Station.
		National Railway Museum (snaps) (more snaps)  Be sure to see "The Works".  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
		The Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St Peter in York (another link)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
		Great North Eastern Railway from York to London Kings Cross Station (alternate link).
DAY  4               London
		SouthWest Trains from London Waterloo (alternate link) (another link) to Portsmouth & Southsea Station.
		The Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Portsmouth (another link)
		D-Day Museum (another link)
		Hovercraft from Southsea to Ryde (alternate link) on the Isle of Wight.
		Isle of Wight Steam Railway
BHP		Osborne House (alternate link) (EH)
		Isle of Wight Model Railways
		The Model Village
		Island Line (great snaps) (another link) train from Shanklin (alternate link) to Ryde Pier Head Station.
		Catamaran from Ryde Pier to Portsmouth Harbour.
		SouthWest Trains from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo Station (alternate link) .
DAY  5               London
		Harrods World's most famous department store.  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
BHP		Marble Hill House (alternate link) (EH)
BHP		Ham House (another link) (NT)
		London Eye (Millennium Ferris Wheel)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
DAY  6                     London
		Virgin Trains from London Euston (alternate link) to Preston Station.
		North Western Trains from Preston to Blackpool North Station.
		Blackpool (alternate link) (another link) (map) (and John Burke's Blackpool pages)
		North Pier Tramway
		Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramway (great snaps)
		Pleasure Beach (alternate link) (another alternate) (another link)
		Blackpool Pleasure Beach Express
		Winter Gardens & Empress Ballroom (and another)
		Stanley Park (another link) (and another)
		Northern Spirit Trains (now First North Western) from Blackpool North to Preston Station.
		Virgin Trains from Preston to London Euston Station (alternate link).
DAY  7               London
BHP		Chiswick House (alternate link) (EH) (another link)
BHP		Osterley Park & House (another link) (NT)
		Blewcoat School / National Trust Gift Shop (NT)
		National Map Centre
		Sainsbury's Grocery Store
		Post Office
		Victoria Station (alternate link) (another link) (and another) (and one more)
		Tower of London (alternate link) - Ceremony of the Keys (Tower Tour)
DAY  8              London
		The Cathedral Church of St Paul, London   See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
BHP		Syon House, Park, Gardens, Garden Centre (another link) & Miniature Railway (alternate link)
		The Metropolitan Cathedral of Westminster
		The Albert (another link)
DAY  9                     Duxford
		Stansted Express from London Liverpool Street Station (alternate link)  to Stansted Airport (another link).  Pick-up hired car.
BHP		Audley End House, Gardens, Country Park, Garden Centre (alternate link) (EH) & Miniature Railway (another link) (alternate link)
BHP		Wimpole Hall House, Gardens and Country Park (another link) (NT)
DAY  10             Duxford
		Essex Secret Bunker (Bunker Tour)  ...now closed to the public.
		England's Secret Bunker (another link) (and another)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
		Imperial War Museum - Duxford
DAY  11            Northampton
BHP		Woburn Abbey & Country Park (House Tour)
BHP		Knebworth House, Gardens, Deer Park (another link) & Miniature Railway (alternate link)
DAY  12             Northampton
		Althorp House & Park
		Haddonstone Show Gardens (another link)
		Burghley House & Country Park (another link) (and another)
		The LMS Miniature Railway
DAY  13             Longford nr Gloucester
BHP		Waddesdon Manor, Gardens & Country Park (another link)  (NT)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
BHP		Ragley Hall, Gardens & Park (another link)
DAY  14             Longford nr Gloucester
		Wales & West (alternate link 1, alternate link 2) train from Gloucester to Swindon
		Great Western Railway from Swindon to London Paddington Station (alternate link)
		The 108th (and last!) Royal Tournament (another link) at the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre
		Great Western Railway from London Paddington (alternate link) to Gloucester Station.
DAY  15             Longford nr Gloucester
		Boots Chemists ...we call it a drug store.
		B&Q (alternate link) Home Improvement Store
BHP		Westbury Court Garden (NT) (another link)
		Dean Forest Railway (snaps)
		National Waterways Museum  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
		The Church of St Peter, Gloucester (alternate link)
DAY  16             Exeter
BHP		Montacute House, Gardens & Park  (NT)
BHP		Forde Abbey, Gardens & Park (another link)
		Parnham House, Gardens & Park ...no longer open to the public. (another link)
DAY  17             Exeter
		The Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter
		Exmouth
		The Great Exmouth 'OO' Model Railway
		Launceston Steam Railway (another link) (photos)
BHP		Cotehele (NT)
		Dartmoor National Park
DAY  18             Hereford
		The Cathedral Church of St Andrew, Wells (another link)
		Bishop's Palace (another link) (and another)
		Weston-super-Mare Miniature Railway (alternate link)
		The Great Weston Train Experience
DAY  19             Portmeirion
		The Market Town of Ludlow (another link)
		The Church of St Laurence (another link)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
BHP		Powis Castle & Gardens  (NT) (another link) (garden tour)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
		Portmeirion (another link) (and another) See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
DAY  20             Llandudno Junction
		Ffestiniog Railway (snaps)
BHP		Bodnant Garden (another link) (NT)
		Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (another link) (and another) (Royal snap)
DAY  21             Chester
		Plas Newydd - Llangollen (another link) (another link)
		International Model Railway World - Dapol Model Railways Ltd
		Llangollen Railway (snaps) (more snaps)
		Llangollen Wharf (another link)
BHP		Chirk Castle (NT) (another link) (garden tour) (and one more)
DAY  22             Chester
BHP		Beaumaris Castle (another link)
BHP		Plas Newydd - Isle of Anglesley (another link) (NT)
BHP		Erddig Hall, Gardens & Country Park (NT)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
DAY  23             Bowness-on-Windermere
		Hutton-in-the-Forest House & Gardens (alternate link) (another link)
BHP		Dalemain House & Gardens (another link)
		The Church of St Herbert, Windermere (another link)
DAY  24             Bowness-on-Windermere
		Lake Windermere Cruise  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
		Hays Garden World (another link)
		Lakeside & Haverwaite Railway
		The Burn How Garden House Hotel
DAY  25             Dundee
		Drumlanrig Castle, Gardens & Country Park (another link) (and another)
BHP		Culzean Castle, Gardens & Country Park (NTS) (Castle Tour)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
DAY  26             Edinburgh
BHP		Glamis Castle, Gardens & Country Park (alternate link) (Castle Tour) Childhood home of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother who celebrated her 101st birthday 4th August 2001.
		Scotland's Secret Bunker (another link)
		Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum (another link)
DAY  27             Edinburgh
		Thirlestane Castle
		Mellerstain House and Gardens
		Manderston House and Gardens  Channel 4 filmed 'The Edwardian Country House' TV serieshere. Be sure to check-out Channel 4s SpinCam™ 360° views house tour.
DAY  28             Edinburgh
BHP		Floors Castle, Country Park & Garden Centre (alternate link) (Castle Tour)
		Abbotsford House & Gardens (another link) (House Tour) The home of Sir Walter Scott.
BHP		Traquair House
DAY  29             Edinburgh
		Return hired car.
		The New Museum of Scotland
		St Giles' Cathedral  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
		Jenners - World's Oldest Department Store (alternate link) (another link )
		St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh
		The 50th Edinburgh Military Tattoo  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
DAY  30      Edinburgh
		The Royal Yacht Britannia (alternate link) (another link)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
		The Royal Botanic Garden - Edinburgh (another link )
		Princes Street Gardens (another link)
DAY  31            Home
		ScotRail from Edinburgh Waverly Station (alternate link) to Glasgow Queen Street Station (another link)
		Glasgow International Airport and Home!

Copyright © 1999 - 2005  J. C. Nash. All worldwide rights reserved.
Last modified:  Thursday, 27 October 2005.

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