Full holiday brochure (pdf) - Palmers Travel

In c o rp o ra tin g 

H o lid a y s & S h o rt B re a k s 

D o o r to D o o r S e rv ic e 

2 01 2

W elco me 

to th e Skinners broch ure for 2012, now incorporating Palmers 

Travel.W e are pleased to h ave been running Palmers Travel for 2 

years now and w ould like to bring th e ful rang e of both Palmers & 

Skinners h olidays to al our customers. For 2012 w e h ave combined 

th e broch ures, bring ing a w ider ch oice of h olidays to everyone, 

including , new to Skinners customers, th e antique w eekends & 

rambles. Th ese h ave been successfuly run by Palmers Travel for a 

number of years and h ave been org anised and run by E ric, w h o 

formaly ran Palmers Travel, and h is involvement w ith th ese sh ort 

breaks continues th is year.W e are pleased to extend our popular 

door to door service on al our h olidays to an area including th e 

reg ular Palmers departure points. Please see th e ilustration of our 

new pick up area on pag es 6 0/6 1.W ith in th is broch ure w e h ave 

visits to old favourites such as Sidmouth , th e Isles of Scily and th e 

L ake District. O ur long er h olidays include a 10-day tour to th e 

Italian L akes, staying on L ake Como and visiting L ake M ag g iore and 

a 7 day tour to South E ast Ireland, taking in th e Tal Sh ips in Dublin, 

th e spectacularW icklow M ountains and of course absorbing th e 

unforg ettable Irish h ospitality. A mong st our sh orter breaks w e are 

pleased to include a mystery tour, a new venture for us al, (please 

see pag e 42); a visit to th e B irming h am Ch ristmas M arket, including 

a matinee performance of th e B irming h am Tattoo and E aster tours 

to Colog ne and th e Cotsw olds. For al th is and more, read on… 

D R IV E R 

D O O R 

4 8 1 2 1 6 2 0 3 2 3 6 4 0 4 4 4 8 5 3 

3 7 1 1 1 5 1 9 

W C 

3 1 3 5 3 9 4 3 4 7 5 2 

D O O R 

N O S M O K IN G 

2 6 1 0 1 4 1 8 2 2 2 6 3 0 3 4 3 8 4 2 4 6 5 0 

1 5 9 1 3 1 7 2 1 2 5 2 9 3 3 3 7 4 1 4 5 4 9 

W e Reserve th e rig h t to use a coach w ith a different seating arrang ement.

Co n t en t s 

DATES TO U R PAG E 

23 - 25 M arch Dev o n An t iq u es 4/5 

31 M ar - 5 A pril Is les o f Scilly 6 /7 

6 - 9 A pril Eas t er in Co lo g n e 8/9 

6 - 9 A pril Co t s w o lds at Eas t er 10/11 

17 - 24 A pril Car diff & M id W ales 12/13 

5 - 7 M ay K en n et & Av o n Can al Ram ble 14/15 

12 - 16 M ay L o ir e Valley 16 /17 

20 - 24 M ay Sidm o u t h – Cr eam o f Dev o n 18/19 

25 - 27 M ay Yo r k s h ir e & H em s w ell An t iq u es 20/21 

25 - 31 M ay L ak e Dis t r ict 22/23 

1 - 4 June Th e Co t s w o ld O lim p ick G am es & Sh ir e Ram bles 24/25 

9 - 16 June N o r t h er n Delig h t s – Sh et lan d & O r k n ey 26 /27 

19 - 24 June Is le o f M an 28/29 

9 - 13 July Is le o f W ig h t 30/31 

6 - 10 A ug ust Flo r iade 32/33 

21 - 27 A ug ust So u t h Eas t Ir elan d, W ick lo w M o u n t ain s & Tall Sh ip s 34/35 

25 - 27 A ug ust A Su m m er Ram ble 36 /37 

7 - 16 September It alian L ak es 38/39 

17 - 21 September H ar r o g at e & Pen n in e Yo r k s h ir e & t h e Dales – Br o n t ë Co u n t r y 40/41 

30 Sept - 2 O ct M y s t er y To u r 42/43 

1 - 8 O ctober Falm o u t h 44/45 

5 - 7 O ctober Fes t iv al o f An t iq u es – Pet er bo r o u g h 46 /47 

21 - 25 O ctober St affo r ds h ir e 48/49 

5 - 9 N ovember Sidm o u t h Fes t iv e Br eak 50/51 

23 - 25 N ovember Bir m in g h am Tat t o o & Ch r is t m as M ar k et 52/53 

3 - 4 December Th u r s fo r d Ch r is t m as Sp ect acu lar 54/55 

7 - 10 December Tr ier Ch r is t m as M ar k et 56 /57 

February 2013 M en t o n L em o n Fes t iv al by Train 58/59 

Do o r -t o -Do o r Co llect io n 6 0/6 1 

Trav el In s u ran ce 6 2/6 3 

Bo o k in g Co n dit io n s 6 4/6 5/6 6 /6 7 

3

Dev o n An t iq u es 

23 – 25 M a rc h 

A r et u r n t o W es t po int E x h ibit io n Cent r ein E x et er ,no w u nder new m anag em ent .W it h u p t o 4 00 s t ands 

fr o m a lo v er t h eU K ,o ffer ing an ex t ens iv er ang eo fAnt iqu es & Co lect ables ,t h efair pr o v ides ag r eat day 

o u t fo r peo plew h o lo v ea lt h ing s Ant iqu e.W it h dealer s fr o m a lo v er t h eU K t h er ew ilbeah u g es elect io n 

o fAnt iqu es & Co lect ables t o inclu de;Fu r nit u r e,Po r celain,Silv er ,G o ld,Jew e ler y ,G las s ,Tex t iles ,Vint ag e 

Clo t h ing ,Paint ing s ,L ig h t ing ,M ilit ar ia,K it ch enalia,To y s ,St am ps ,Co lect ables and mu ch ,mu ch m o r e. 

4 

F RIDAY 2 3 M ARCH Departing O xted w e travel to G eorg ian 

H ung erford w h ere w e visit th e A ntiques A rcade in an 

ancient building in th e centre of th is h istoric 

B erksh ire tow n. Th e A rcade h as been trading for over 

40 years and w as one of th e first antiques centres to 

be opened in th is country. L aid out to resemble a 

street, w ith a series of w alk in units and cabinets 

under its ancient beams, th ere are over 100 antiques 

dealers under one roof, w ith someth ing to entice 

every visitor from pocket money colectors to lotteryw 

inning big spenders.W e travel on to Parade A ntiques 

in M arlboroug h , w ith over 40 dealers in an attractive 

building , th en to B radford on A von a 

beautiful Cotsw olds tow n w ith many antique sh ops. 

W e arrive at our B ristol h otel early evening .

Te l:( 01883 )713 63 3 E m ail:info @ s kinner s .t r av el 

w w w .s kinner s .t r av el 

SATU RDAY 2 4 M ARCH 

Th is morning w e make our 

w ay south to th eW estpoint E xh ibition Centre at 

E xeter.W e h ave an optional midday visit to Topsh am 

Q uay on th e banks of th e River E xe w h ere 7 0 dealers 

occupy 9000 sq. ft. on 3 floors, w ith jew elery, 

pictures, eph emera, textiles, porcelain and much 

more.W e return to B ristol via th e Trading Post 

A ntiques Centre near A xminster. 

SU N DAY 2 5 M ARCH W e seek out local Sunday 

vilag e fairs, w h ere so often barg ains are to be found 

before returning h ome early evening . 

W h at ’s in clu ded 

H IL TO N BRISTO L 

L iving W el H ealth Club w ith sw imming 

pool, spa, sauna, steam room. 

A l bedrooms h ave en-suite facilities, TV, 

teleph one, h airdryer and h ospitality tray. 

2 nig h ts Dinner, B ed & B reakfast 

£ 2 2 5.00 PER PERSO N 

Sin g le Ro o m Su p p : £ 40.00 

An t iq u e f air s n o t in c lu d e d . 

5

Is les o f Scilly 

31 M a rc h – 5 Ap ril 

B o o kear ly fo r t h is lo v ely s pr ing br eako n t h emu ch -lo v ed and w elco m ing Is les o fScily ,ju s t 28 m iles o ff 

t h eCo r nis h co as t !Y o u ’ lfind y o u r s elfent er ing adiffer ent w o r ld,w h er et h epaceo flifeis r elax ed and 

fr iendly and t h er e’s aw o nder fu lv iew w h ich ev er w ay y o u t u r n.Th er ear elo v ely ,eas y w alks a lar o u nd 

St .M ar y ’s and t h e“ o ffis lands ” ,w h ich ar eeas ily r each ed by t h elo callau nch s er v ice.Th eis land bu s t o u r is 

als o h ig h ly r eco mmended!W ew ilbes t ay ing at t h eex celent Tr eg ar t h en’s H o t el,w h ich is ju s t abo v et h e 

qu ay and o nly am inu t e’s w alkfr o m t h epict u r es qu eh ar bo u r ,t h es h o ps and t h ebeach .Takealeis u r ely 

s t r o lar o u nd t h eadjacent r am par t s fo r s u per bv iew s acr o s s t o t h eis lands o fTr es co ,B r y h er and Sam s o n – 

o r ju s t r elax and enjo y t h es am es t u nning v iew s fr o m t h eh o t ello u ng e!A m em ber o fo u r s t affw iles co r t 

t h is t o u r bu t o u r co ach w ilr emain o n t h em ainland. 

Depart O xted early 

morning for th e journey to L and’s E nd and our plane 

to St M ary’s airport. H ere w e sh al be met by a local 

minibuses and taken to our h otel. 

SU N DAY 1 TO W EDN ESDAY 4 APRIL Four 

w onderful days to explore St M ary’s and th e “off 

islands”.Visit th e famous Tresco A bbey G ardens 

created in 1834 around th e remains of th e 12th 

6 

SATU RDAY 3 1 M ARCH Century St N ich olas Priory. O ne of th e most 

remarkable sub-tropical g ardens in th e w orld, it h as a 

unique colection of plants, many of w h ich are too 

tender for outdoor cultivation on th e B ritish 

mainland, but flourish in th e w arm G ulf Stream 

climate found h ere. See too th eValh ala Sh ip’s 

F ig ureh ead Colection featuring some of th e 

mag nificent fig ure h eads from th e old sailing sh ips



w h ich are displayed h ere - colected by th e founder of 

th e G ardens - A ug ustus Smith . E ach h as it’s ow n story 

to tel. Join one of th e local boatmen for th e journey 

over to St. M artin’s, St. A g nes, Samson or B ryh er… or 

you can just spend a relaxing day on St. M ary’s. E njoy 

a g uided bus tour of St. M ary’s w ith a commentary 

th at provides an insig h t into life on th is, th e larg est 

island in th e arch ipelag o. Spend th e day exploring 

H ug h Tow n, th e island’s “capital”. It is situated 

betw een tw o beach es and is h ome to a variety of 

sh ops, art and craft g aleries and restaurants. Strol 

along th e G arrison w als h ig h above th e tow n or 

simply relax and w atch th e w orld g o by. 

TH U RSDAY 5 APRIL 

Sadly it is time to leave th e 

tranquility of th e islands and return to L and's E nd 

w h ere w e sh al meet our coach for th e journey h ome. 


TREG ARTH EN ’S H O TEL 

St M a r y ’s 


O verlooking th e clear w aters of St M ary’s 

h arbour and enjoying stunning panoramic 

vistas of th e islands of Tresco, B ryh er, 

Samson and St M artin’s, Treg arth en’s 

boasts th e best view s of any h otel on St 

M ary’s. 

A l bedrooms are en suite w ith TV, 

teleph one and h ospitality tray. Th e h otel 

does not h ave a lift. Th ere are fifteen 

steps up to th e h otel. 

Return coach travel to L and’s E nd 

Return flig h t L and’s E nd/St M ary’s 

A irport taxes 

N o t e s 

Passport or ph otog raph ic identification is 

required. 

B ag g ag e alow ance per person is 

1 piece 15K g s (33lbs), plus one piece of 

h and lug g ag e. 

In th e unlikely event th at our flig h t is 

unable to operate w e w il travel by sea. 

A deposit of £150.00 per person is required 

at th e time of booking . 

£ 842 .00 PER PERSO N 


Th is h o lid ay is o p e r at e d b y G r e at d ay s H o lid ay s L t d , 

ATO L 42 79, f o r w h o m Sk in n e r s o f O x t e d is an 

au t h o r is e d r e t ail ag e n t . Ple as e as k t o s e e t h e ir b o o k in g 

c o n d it io n s . G r e at d ay s ’ c an c e llat io n s c ale ap p lie s . 

7

Eas t er in Co lo g n e 

6 – 9 Ap ril 

W it h o v er 2000 y ear s o fh is t o r y t o it s nam e,Co lo g neis o neo fG er m any ’s o ldes t cit ies .It s r ich pas t is s een 

in it s m any po int s o fint er es t ,inclu ding t h eRo m an To w er ,w h ich g iv es an im pr es s io n o ft h efo r t ificat io ns 

pr ev io u s ly bu ilt ar o u nd t h ecit y ;t h em ag nificent and im po s ing G o t h ic Cat h edr al,no w aw o r ld h er it ag e 

s it e,w h ich do m inat es t h eo ld cit y cent r e;and t h em o r em o der n O per aH o u s eand Th eat r e. 

Depart early morning for th e 

ferry to Calais and on th roug h N orth ern France and 

B elg ium into G ermany to Colog ne, our h ome for th e 

next th ree nig h ts. 

SATU RDAY 7 APRIL Today w e are at leisure to 

explore th is delig h tful city on th e banks of th e Rh ine. 

Th e city’s Rh eing arten Park and old quarter are firm 

favourites w ith locals and tourists alike, a g reat place 

to enjoy a strol and stop off at one of th e traditional 

brew eries.Visit th e famous Ch ocolate M useum w h ere 

you can learn about th e h istory of ch ocolate and 

perh aps buy a few samples. E xplore th e pedestrian 

sh opping centre in th e h eart of th e city or, 

8 

F RIDAY 6 APRIL alternatively, a boat cruise along th e River Rh ine is a 

w onderful and relaxing w ay in w h ich to fuly 

appreciate th e mag nificence of th e city.Y ou can even 

take a ride on th e cable car w h ich crosses th e Rh ine 

offering a fantastic birds-eye view of th e city.



SU N DAY 8 APRIL Today w e folow th e River Rh ine 

to K oblenz , situated at th e confluence of th e Rivers 

Rh ine and M osele. Th e riverside w alks enfold th e old 

tow n w ith its tw in-tow ered ch urch es, 

L iebfrauenkirch e and Romanesque St. K astor. H ere w e 

sh al h ave time to explore and find lunch before 

taking an early afternoon river trip dow n th e Rh ine, 

past th e L orelei Rock to St G oar, w h ere th e coach w il 

meet us for th e journey back to Colog ne. 

M O N DAY 9 APRIL 

Departing after breakfast w e 

make our w ay to Dinant in B elg ium w h ere w e sh al 

h ave time to find lunch before continuing on to 

Calais. A rriving back in O xted late evening . 

PARK IN N 

Co lo g n e 



teleph one, h airdryer, individual air 

conditioning & minibar. 


B oat trip from K oblenz to St G oar 

F ree time in Colog ne, K oblenz and Dinant 

£ 418.00 PER PERSO N 


9

Co t s w o lds at E as t e r 

6 – 9 Ap ril 

B as ed in Ch elt enh am Spa,E ng land’s m o s t co m plet eReg ency t o w n,t h is delig h t fu lt o u r ex plo r es t h e 

Co t s w o lds ,des cr ibed as “ t h emo s t E ng lis h and leas t s po iled o fa lo u r co u nt r y s ides ” by JB Pr ies t ley .E v en 

t o day t h er eis no w h er equ it eas qu int es s ent ia ly E ng lis h as Th eCo t s w o lds ,an ar eao fo u t s t anding nat u r al 

beau t y w it h t r anqu il,h o ney co lo u r ed v ilag es and r o ling h ils . Th is ch ar ming blend o fs leepy v ilag es , 

bu s t ling m ar ket t o w ns and br eat h -t aking nat u r als cener y g iv es as t u nning backdr o p t o t h emy r iad o f 

int er es t ing and h is t o r ic places t o v is it . 

Departing from O xted at 9.00am 

and making a stop for coffee along th e w ay w e arrive 

late morning in th e h istoric and eleg ant tow n of 

Ch eltenh am. H ere w e sh al be at leisure to find lunch 

and brow se before continuing on to our h otel. 

SATU RDAY 7 APRIL Today w e sh al be met at th e 

h otel by a local g uide and taken on a ful day tour of 

th e Cotsw olds, renow ned for being th e epitome of 

th e E ng lish countryside, w ith g entle h ils criss-crossed 

w ith stone w als and dotted w ith ch arming vilag es. 

O ur tour w il take us to B roadw ay w h ich , as its name 

10 

F RIDAY 6 APRIL sug g ests, is dominated by a w ide main street. In th e 

north ern Cotsw olds al roads lead to th e h il-top tow n 

of Stow -on-th e-W old and th is is w h ere w e sh al make 

our w ay for lunch . Stow ’s tow n square is larg e and 

impressive, w ith various h ouses, sh ops and inns 

around th e edg e, al built in th e local stone. O ur drive 

th is afternoon w il take us on via B urford w h ere th e 

steep main street leads dow n to th e medieval bridg e 

over th e RiverW indrush and back to our h otel. 

SU N DAY 8 APRIL 

A fter breakfast w e make our 

w ay to Slimbridg eW ildfow l & W etlands Trust. Th e



vision of naturalist and artist Sir Peter Scott, it is 

h ome to an outstanding array of w ildlife including 

th e w orld’s larg est colection of sw ans, g eese and 

ducks and many rare and endang ered species. H ere 

w e sh al be free to enjoy th e aw ard-w inning visitor 

centre overlooking nationaly and internationaly 

protected w etlands, see th e amaz ing view s over th e 

River Severn from th e Sloane O bservation Tow er and 

relax as w e amble th roug h 50 h ectares of landscaped 

g rounds. E arly afternoon w e make our w ay to 

B erkeley Castle, possibly th e most outstanding 

example of M edieval domestic arch itecture in th e 

country. Th e most remarkable th ing about th e Castle 

is th at for nine centuries, th e building , th e B erkeley 

family, th e arch ives (w h ich g o back to th e 12th 

Century), th e contents, th e estate and th e tow n h ave 

al survived tog eth er. H ere w e sh al h ave a g uided 

tour of th is unique building folow ed by time to view 

th e g ardens. 


TH ISTL E H O TEL 

C h e lt e n h a m 


teleph one & h ospitality tray. 

3 nig h ts Dinner, B ed & B reakfast. 

Time to explore Ch eltenh am 

Ful day g uided tour of th e Cotsw olds 

E ntry to B erkeley Castle, w ith g uided tour 

E ntry to Slimbridg eW etlands Trust 

E ntry to H ig h clere Castle & E g yptolog y 

E xh ibition 

£ 3 80.00 PER PERSO N 


M O N DAY 9 APRIL Departing after breakfast w e 

commence our h omew ard journey, making a stop at 

H ig h clere Castle, h ome to th e Carnarvon family since 

16 7 9 and w ith a fascinating connection to ancient 

E g ypt, as th e 5th E arl, w ith H ow ard Carter, discovered 

th e tomb of Tutankh amun in 1922. Th ere is an 

exh ibition th at commemorates th is h istoric event. 

Described as th e larg est occupied mansion in 

H ampsh ire and th e finest inh abited Victorian 

residence in al E ng land, th e extravag ant interiors 

rang e from ch urch G oth ic th roug h M oorish 

flamboyance and Rococo revival to solid masculinity 

in th e L ong L ibrary. Th e g ardens feature g reat 

stretch es of g lassh ouse in a w aled g arden, 

mag nificent parkland desig ned by ‘Capability’ B row n 

and a Secret G arden w ith a beautiful curving law n 

surrounded by densely planted h erbaceous borders. 

Dow nton A bbey, th e major drama series from ITV w as 

filmed on location at H ig h clere Castle. Folow ing our 

visit w e continue our h omew ards journey, arriving 

early evening . 

© f lic k r _Da v e O n F lic k r 

11

Car diff & M id W ale s 

17 – 24 Ap ril 

Th is t w o cent r eh o liday in beau t ifu lW ales inclu des v is it s t o St Fag ans N at io nalH is t o r y M u s eu m , 

L lancaiach Faw r M ano r ,ar ideo n t h eValeo fRh eido lRailw ay ,ag u ided t o u r o ft h eH a lat Abbey Cw m H ir 

and t h eo ppo r t u nit y t o s eeRed K it es feeding at G ig r in Far m . 

12 

TU ESDAY 17 APRIL Departing from O xted stores th ere 

8.30am w e make our w ay to th e h istoric spa tow n of 

B ath , w h ere w e sh al h ave time to find lunch and 

brow se before continuing on to our Cardiff H otel. 

W EDN ESDAY 18 APRIL Departing after breakfast 

w e make our w ay to St Fag ans N ational H istory 

M useum, w h ere w e find 500 years ofW elsh h istory 

g ath ered tog eth er in 100 acres of beautiful 

countryside. 

TH U RSDAY 19 APRIL A day at leisure to explore 

th e vibrant and cosmopolitan city of Cardiff. 

Traditional attractions like th e fairy tale castle are 

complemented by th e iconic M ilennium Stadium. 

A long side th e h ig h street sh ops and department 

is a selection of lovely Victorian arcades 

containing a w ide array of specialist sh ops and 

desig ner boutiques. 

F RIDAY 2 0 APRIL 

Th is morning w e take our leave 

of Cardiff and make our w ay to L lancaiach Faw r 

M anor, a stately h ome restored and furnish ed as it 

w as in 16 45. H ere servants in period dress w il g uide 

us around th e h ouse, g iving an insig h t into th e lives 

and customs of th e ordinary w orking people of th e 

day. Th e formal g ardens surrounding th e h ouse are 

typical of th e 17 th century, w ith a K not G arden, 

veg etable and h erb beds and an orch ard.W h ilst h ere 

w e sh al be served a lig h t lunch . E arly afternoon w e 

take a scenic drive th roug h th e B recon B eacons



N ational Park to th e h istoric cath edral tow n of 

B recon w h ere w e sh al make our tea stop before 

continuing on to our L landrindod W els h otel. 

SATU RDAY 2 1 APRIL Today w e take a scenic drive 

th roug h th e Cambrian M ountains to Devils B ridg e 

w h ere w e join th eVale of Rh eidol Railw ay, built to 

serve th e lead mines in th e Rh eidolValey. O n our 

journey, w e sh al pass th roug h some of th e most 

rug g ed terrain of any railw ay in th e U nited K ing dom, 

enjoying spectacular view s of th e w ooded Rh eidol 

Valey. A rriving in A berystw yth , a seaside tow n w ith a 

fine promenade, h arbour and Victorian cliff railw ay, 

th ere w il be time to explore and find refresh ment 

before w ending our w ay back to th e h otel. 

SU N DAY 2 2 APRIL A fter breakfast w e drive to 

A bbey Cw m H ir, one ofW ales’ finest examples of 

Victorian G oth ic Revival arch itecture. B uilt in 1834 by 

Th omasW ilson, th e g reatVictorian improver, th e 

h ouse w as doubled in siz e by th e Ph ilips family in 

186 9, w h o th en added th e biliards room in 1894. 

H ere w e sh al h ave a g uided tour of th e 52 roomed 

H al folow ed by a fing er buffet lunch and time to 

explore th e 12 acres of g ardens overlooking th e 

ch urch and th e ruins of th e 12th century “A bbey of 


TH E BARCEL Ó AN G EL H O TEL 

C a r d iff 

TH E M ETRO PO L E 

L la n d r in d o d W e lls 



A total of 7 nig h ts Dinner, B ed & B reakfast. 

Time to explore B ath , Cardiff, B recon, 

A berystw yth & Ch eltenh am 

Visit to St Fag ans N ational H istory 

M useum 

Th e L ong Valey” containing th e monk’s pond, and th e 

g rave of L lew elyn Th e L ast. E arly afternoon w e make 

our w ay to th e G ig rin Red K ite Centre,W ales’ first 

official Red K ite Feeding Centre, in time for th e 

3.00pm feeding . Since 1994, daily feeding sessions 

h ave been h eld on th e farm and th e number of kites 

dropping in for a late lunch h as steadily increased. A s 

soon as th e meat h as been put out th e crow family 

start emerg ing from th e surrounding trees. A s th e first 

crow s land among st th e meat th e kites g o on th e 

offensive. K ites w atch and w ait th eir ch ance to furl 

th eir w ing s and dive in, skimming th e g round to 

snatch a scrap before rising suddenly to escape th e 

beaks of th e ang ry crow s. M any kites appear to miss 

th eir targ et by a w ide marg in but are actualy intent 

on flush ing meat laden crow s into th e air from w h ere 

th ey can be mug g ed by th e very best in th e business! 

M O N DAY 2 3 APRIL A ful day scenic tour taking in 

L udlow, L eominster, H ereford and H ay-on-W ye. 

TU ESDAY 2 4 APRIL Departing after breakfast w e 

make our w ay h omew ards, making a lunch stop in 

Ch eltenh am and arriving back in O xted early evening . 

E ntry to L lancaiach Faw r M anor w ith lunch 

Scenic drive th roug h Cambrian M ountains 

Ride on Vale of Rh eidol Railw ay 

E ntry to A bbey Cw m H ir 

B uffet lunch 

E ntry to G ig rin Red K ite Centre 

Ful day scenic tour 



© F lic k r – lh o u ra h a n e 

13

K en n et & Av o n C an al Ram b le 

5 – 7 M a y 

Th eK ennet and Av o n is an im pr es s iv efeat o feng ineer ing ,m adeu p o ft w o r iv er nav ig at io ns and alinking 

s t r et ch o fcanal.It r u ns fr o m t h eSev er n E s t u ar y near B r is t o lt o t h eRiv er Th am es at Reading ,o v er 100 

m iles lo ng w it h m o r et h an 100 lo cks ,s o m em ag nificent eng ineer ing and cr o s s ing s o m eo ft h em o s t 

beau t ifu ls cener y in s o u t h er n E ng land.It w as r eo pened in 1990 aft er decades o fder elict io n.O u r w alk 

t akes u s alo ng o neo ft h em o s t beau t ifu land v ar ied s t r et ch es ,s t ar t ing at Dev iz es ,t h eh ig h es t po int and 

pr o ceeding w es t acr o s s W ilt s h ir e,t h r o u g h as er ies o fch ang ing lands capes ,t o lo v ely B r adfo r d-o n-Av o n 

and fina ly t h eh is t o r ic cit y o fB at h .Th is is lev el,eas y w alking and is s u it ablefo r a labilit ies .Co m fy 

w alking s h o es ar es u it ableand w at er pr o o fs s h o u ld becar r ied in cas eo fr ain. 

Departing O xted w e make our 

w ay to Caen H il locks at Deviz es, th e h ig h est of th e 

canal and one of th e country’s most impressive canal 

sites - and sig h ts. Caen H il is a steep drop w ith 29 

locks needed to take th e route dow n th e slope. 

Sixteen of th e locks w ere built in a straig h t line, one 

immediately after th e oth er. Th ese broad locks w ith 

th eir symmetrical black beams and w h ite footbridg es 

look very impressive from any ang le but th e very best 

SATU RDAY 5 M AY view is from M arsh L ane road bridg e at th e bottom. 

14 

F rom h ere it is easy to see th e flig h t striding up th e 

h il and also th e massive side ponds w h ich are 

situated on th e north ern side of each lock. O ur w alk 

starts h ere, taking us w est acrossW iltsh ire th roug h 

pretty countryside to th e vilag e of Seend Cleeve 

w h ere an ironw orks once employed h undreds of 

people. A lth oug h th e w orks stood rig h t by th e canal 

th e only evidence today are a few h umps on a 

© F lic k r – Da v e H a m s t e r



g rassed over area. Seend Cleeve is anoth er pretty 

vilag e w ith 5 locks. Th e coach w il meet us h ere to 

take us to our h otel.W alk distance approx. 4.5 miles. 

SU N DAY 6 M AY Today w e continue our w alk w est 

from Seming ton, past th e very larg e marina at 

H ilperton M arsh and th en across tw o smal aqueducts 

standing side by side, one over a railw ay and th e 

oth er over th e smal River B iss to B radford-on-A von. 

H ere w e h ave time to find lunch and explore th e 

Tith e barn before w e cross th e A voncliff A queduct 

th at carries th e canal over th e River A von and th e 

B ath toW estbury railw ay line.W e finish our w alk at 

L impley Stoke w h ere th e coach w il meet us and 

return us to our h otel.W alk distance approx. 7 .5 miles. 

M O N DAY 7 M AY A fter ch ecking out of th e h otel 

w e make a stop at th e famous Clifton Suspension 

B ridg e over th e River A von g org e.W e take a strol over 

th e bridg e, because w e can, before skirting B ath and 

returning to th e canal bank to start our w alk into th e 

centre of B ath w h ere w e stay until after lunch .W alk 

distance approx. 4 miles. Returning to O xted early 

evening . 

H IL TO N 

Br is t o l 


L iving W el H ealth Club w ith sw imming 

pool, spa, sauna, steam room. 


teleph one, h airdryer and h ospitality tray. 


G uided w alks 

£ 2 3 9 .00 PER PERSO N 

Sin g le Ro o m Su p p : £ 3 0.00 

© F lic k r _m e 'n t h e d o g s 

© F lic k r _m e 'n t h e d o g s 

© F lic k r _r o b b o p h o t o s 

15

L o ir e Valley 

12 – 16 M a y 

B as ed in t h elo v ely lit t ler iv er s idet o w n o fCh ino n,in at im eles s t r anqu ils et t ing o v er lo o ked by im pr es s iv e 

cas t ler u ins ,o u r t o u r g iv es ach ancet o ex plo r et h eg ent ly w inding L o ir eVa ley ,w h er et h em ild climat e 

br ing s beau t ifu lflo w er s and an abu ndant h ar v es t o ffinefr u it and s u per bw ines .W o r ld r eno w ned fo r it s 

finew ines ,t h er eg io n w as apo pu lar ch o icefo r m any o fF r ance’s ar is t o cr at ic families w h o ch o s et o liv e 

alo ng it s r iv er v a ley .Th is r es u lt ed in fabu lo u s ch â t eau x being bu ilt .Pict u r es qu es cener y is in abu ndance, 

cam er as at t h er eady ! 

Departing O xted early 

morning w e journey to Dover for th e ferry to Calais 

and th ereafter make our w ay to th e L oireValey. 

SU N DAY 13 M AY Today w e visit th e ch âteaux of 

Ch enonceau and Vilandry. Property of th e Crow n, 

th en a royal residence, Ch âteau de Ch enonceau is an 

exceptional site not only because of its orig inal 

desig n, th e rich ness of its colections, its furniture and 

its decorations, but also because of its destiny, since it 

w as loved, administrated and protected by w omen, 

w h o w ere al extraordinary and w h o, for th e most 

SATU RDAY 12 M AY part h ave marked h istory. Th e “Ch âteau des Dames” 

16 

w as built in 1513 by K ath erine B riçonnet, and 

successively embelish ed by Diane de Poitiers th en 

Cath erine de M edici. Ch enonceau w as protected from 

th e h ardsh ip of th e revolution by M adame Dupin. 

Th e ch âteau’s most ch aracteristic feature is th e set of 

arch es spanning th e River Ch er. Th e tw o renow ned 

and mag nificent g ardens of Diane de Poitiers and 

Cath erine de M edici h ave a myriad of sh rubs, 

h undreds of climbing and stemmed roses. Th e 

Ch âteau deVilandry w as completed around 1536



and w as th e last of th e larg e ch âteaux built on th e 

banks of th e L oire during th e Renaissance. Th e 

F rench -style g ardens atVilandry h ave been recreated 

as th ey w ere in th e 16 th century, and consist of th ree 

terraces on different levels: a w ater g arden, an 

ornamental g arden and, some say, th e w orld’s most 

eleg ant veg etable g arden. 

M O N DAY 14 M AY A fter breakfast w e make our 

w ay to Tours, a city of captivating ch arm, rich w ith 

h istory and w el preserved h eritag e. Th e old tow n h as 

many interesting building s including th e H otel G ouin, 

an Italian style mansion built around 1510. Th e 

cath edral, completed in th e 16 th century, h as 

beautiful stained g lass w indow s. H ere w e sh al be at 

leisure to explore and find lunch before continuing on 


AL L SEASO N S H O TEL 

C h in o n 

A l bedrooms are en suite w ith TV 

& teleph one. 

Th e h otel h as a sw imming pool 


E ntry to Ch âteau de Ch enonceau & 

G ardens 

to Roch ecorbon for a leisurely cruise on th e best 

naturaly preserved section of th e river L oire, 

uncovering its limestone banks dotted w ith caves 

and th e local w ildlife. Folow ing our cruise w e return 

to Ch inon for a w ine tasting at Ch âteau de la 

G rile Ch inon. 

TU ESDAY 15 M AY Th is morning w e journey to 

A mboise, considered to be one of th e most beautiful 

cities in th e L oireValey. H ere w e sh al be at leisure to 

explore. M aybe visit th e Ch âteau d’A mboise, w h ich 

dominates th e tow n from its lofty setting and 

provides spectacular view s over th e tow n and 

surrounding countryside; Clos L ucé, once th e h ouse of 

th e g reat artist, scientist and inventor L eonardo da 

Vinci, now h ousing a museum dedicated to h is ah ead 

of time inventions; or simply strol th roug h th e 

picturesque streets and soak up th e atmosph ere of a 

F rench provincial market tow n. 

W EDN ESDAY 16 M AY 

Th is morning w e take our 

leave of th e beautiful L oireValey and make our w ay 

back to Calais. A rriving in O xted mid evening . 

E ntry to Ch âteau deVilandry & G ardens 

Time to explore Tours and A mboise 

B oat trip on th e River L oire 

W ine tasting 



17

Sidm o u t h C r e am o f De v o n 

20 – 24 M a y 

O neo fo u r m o s t po pu lar des t inat io ns – w er et u r n t o t h eench ant ing So u t h Dev o n co as t alt o w n o f 

Sidm o u t h w h er et h eRiv er Sid t r ickles do w n t o t h es eabet w een cliffs o fw ar m pinkr o ck.Fo r h u ndr eds o f 

y ear s Sidm o u t h w as at iny fis h ing v ilag et h en,in t h e19t h cent u r y ,it w as t r ans fo r m ed int o t h es m ar t 

s eas ider es o r t w es eet o day ,co mplet ew it h it s ch ar m ing Reg ency v ilas and Vict o r ian co t t ag es .Inclu ded in 

t h et o u r is ar ideo n t h eW es t So m er s et Railw ay ,ag u ided t o u r o fE x m o o r and av is it t o Paig nt o n Z o o . 

Departing from O xted at 

9.00am w e make our w ay to Sidmouth , making stops 

for refresh ment along th e w ay and arriving late 

afternoon at th e RoyalY ork & Faulkner H otel, 

Sidmouth . O n arrival w e sh al be g reeted w ith 

afternoon tea. 

M O N DAY 2 1 M AY Th is morning w e drive to 

B ish ops L ydeard w h ere w e board th eW est Somerset 

Railw ay steam train to Dunster, taking in th e sig h ts, 

sounds and even th e unique smels of th e g olden ag e 

of rail travel. Th eW est Somerset Railw ay is, at 20 

miles, B ritain’s long est h eritag e railw ay and as th e 

SU N DAY 2 0 M AY train makes it w ay along , you’l enjoy th e g lorious 

18 

Somerset countryside w ith its constantly ch ang ing 

view s, th e intimacy of th e Q uantock H ils country, 

E xmoor in th e distance and view s from th e E xmoor 

coast across th e sea to South W ales. A t Dunster w e 

re-join th e coach , w ith a g uide, for a g uided tour of 

E xmoor, making a stop for lunch before arriving in 

M ineh ead w h ere w e sh al re-join th e train for th e 

return journey to B ish ops L ydeard. H ere w e meet th e 

coach once ag ain for th e journey back to th e h otel. 

TU ESDAY 2 2 M AY 

Th e day is yours to sig h tsee and 

explore th is ch arming and unspoilt seaside resort



w h ich nestles beneath th e majestic red cliffs of Peak 

and Salcombe H il and th e g reen h ils of th e g lorious 

Sid Valey. Renow ned for its g ardens and famous for 

its w ealth of fine arch itecture, th e picturesque tow n 

centre offers an excelent rang e of individual sh ops 

and is a delig h t to brow se. 

W EDN ESDAY 2 3 M AY 

A fter breakfast w e h ead 

w estw ards to Paig nton Zoo, h ome to th ousands of 

amaz ing animals and plants. H ere w e sh al be at 

leisure to w alk th roug h a w orld of w onder – visit th e 

desert, cross th e savannah , explore th e forest and trek 

th roug h th e tropics. U se your senses to discover th e 

w ild w orld: look around, listen out – you’l even need 

your sense of smel! Find out about conservation and 

th e w orld’s endang ered species. A s w el as th e 

th ousands of animals, th ere’s a miniature train ride, a 

w obbly jung le bridg e in L emurW ood, keeper talks and 

feeding times, places to eat and places to sit – al 

packed into 80 acres of natural h abitat. 

TH U RSDAY 2 4 M AY L eaving th e h otel after 

breakfast w e make our w ay h omew ards w ith 

refresh ment stops along th e w ay. A rriving h ome late 

afternoon. 


RO YAL YO RK & FAU L K N ER H O TEL 

Sid m o u t h 

Th is mag nificent Reg ency building , dating 

from 1810 enjoys an unrivaled position at 

th e centre of Sidmouth ’s eleg ant E splanade, 

adjacent to th e picturesque tow n Centre. 

O w ned and personaly run by th e H ook 

family, resident proprietors for th ree 

g enerations, th e h otel h as earned a long 

standing reputation for h ospitality and 

service. 



4 nig h ts Dinner, B ed & B reakfast, w ith 

A fternoon Tea on arrival. 

Time to explore Sidmouth 

Ride on th eW est Somerset Railw ay 

E ntry to Paig nton Zoo 

G uided tour of E xmoor 


19

Yo r k s h ir e & H e m s w e ll An t iq u e s 

25 – 27 M a y 

W it h L eeds as o u r bas efo r t h is ant iqu es w eekend,w eex plo r et h eno r t h o fE ng land fo r bar g ains ,v is it ing 

t h eY o r ks h ir eAnt iqu es and Ar t Fair at t h eG r eat Y o r ks h ir es h o w g r o u nd in H ar r o g at e.Th is big fair bo as t s 

t h at it h as ‘pr o bably t h ew ides t s elect io n o fant iqu es ,ar t ,co lect ables ,cu r io s ,v int ag eand r et r o in t h e 

no r t h o fE ng land’w it h u p t o 3 5 0 s t ands . 

2 0 

F RIDAY 2 5 M AY 

Departing from O xted w e make 

our w ay to th e B rackley A ntique Celar near B anbury, 

boasting 30,000 sq ft of floor space, w ith more th an 

180 dealers and 50 sh ow cases, seling h ig h quality 

furniture, ch ina, g old and silver jew elery, militaria, 

kitch enalia.W e journey on to H eanor A ntiques near 

N otting h am, w h ich , w ith around 200 dealers in over a 

h undred and forty units, 180 cabinets of colectable 

and dated pieces and over 3000 square feet of g lass 

display sh elving , is a real treasure trove w ith an art 

g alery and restaurant. W e arrive at our L eeds city 

centre h otel early evening .



SATU RDAY 2 6 M AY Th is morning w e h ead to 

H arrog ate on th is first day of th e tw o day fair, th e 

larg est quality antiques and art fair w ith th e best 

selection of antiques, art, colectables, curios, vintag e 

and retro in north ern E ng land, w ith over 350 stands. 

Folow ing our visit w e spend time in th e city ofY ork 

before returning to L eeds. 

SU N DAY 2 7 M AY A fter breakfast w e make our 

w ay straig h t to H emsw el A ntiques Centres, w h ich 

bring s tog eth er E urope’s larg est selection of dealers 

offering you th e w idest possible rang e of antiques, 

colectables and antique furniture.W ith in th ree 

separate building s you w il find around 300 display 

areas. Take time to w ander th roug h th e vast array of 

byg one treasures and - w h o know s - you may discover 

th at antiques barg ain you’ve been search ing for.W e 

depart after lunch , returning h ome early evening . 


H IL TO N L EEDS CITY 

L e e d s 

L eisure facilities, sw imming pool, sauna 

and steam room. A l bedrooms h ave en 

suite facilities, TV, h airdryer, and tea and 

coffee making facilities. 


© F lic k r – je k e r t g w a p o 

£ 2 3 5.00 PER PERSO N 


E n t r y t o f air s n o t in c lu d e d 

2 1

L ak e Dis t r ict 

25 – 31 M a y 

Th is lo v ely t o u r ex plo r es t h eL akeDis t r ict ,an ar eao fo u t s t anding nat u r albeau t y and h o m et o t h efiv e 

t a les t m o u nt ains ,t h edeepes t lakein E ng land and t w o nat io nalpar ks . W es eeCo nis t o n W at er ,s ceneo f 

Do nald Cam pbe l’s w o r ld w at er s peed r eco r d at t empt s ,t akein t h es pect acu lar s cener y o fU ls w at er ,s ee 

br eat h -t aking v iew s as w edr iv eo v er t h eK ir ks t o nePas s ( w eat h er per mit t ing ),v is it H ilTo p,h o m et o 

B eat r ix Po t t er and G r as m er e,o ncet h eh o m eo ft h efam o u s po et W iliam W o r ds w o r t h . 

2 2 

F RIDAY 2 5 M AY Departing O xted w e make our H ere w e sh al h ave time to look around th e h ouse 

w ay north w ard, stopping for refresh ments along th e 

w ay and arriving late afternoon at our K esw ick h otel. 

SATU RDAY 2 6 M AY A day at leisure to explore th e 

bustling market tow n of K esw ick w ith its interesting 

variety of sh ops, many located around th e central 

market square. 

SU N DAY 2 7 M AY Today w e sh al be joined by a 

B lue B adg e G uide w h o w il take us on a ful day tour 

of th e area, passing A mbleside to H il Top, th e 

delig h tful 17 th -century farmh ouse w h ere B eatrix 

Potter w rote many of h er famous ch ildren’s stories. 

before continuing on to H aw ksh ead, our lunch stop, 

w ith an optional w alking tour th at includes a visit to 

th e B eatrix Potter G alery. L ater w e drive on to 

Coniston W ater w h ere you may w ish to partake of 

afternoon tea at th e B luebird Café or visit th e Ruskin 

M useum and discover th e lake’s connection w ith 

Donald Campbel, w h o lost h is life h ere in 196 7 

attempting to break th e water speed record. H is car, K 7 

h as been fuly restored and w il be h oused in th e Ruskin 

M useum after speed trials on Coniston W ater. L ate 

afternoon w e make our w ay back to our h otel,



passing th e farm w h ere th e film M iss Potter w as made. 

M O N DAY 2 8 M AY A fter a leisurely breakfast w e 

make our way to th e quayside to join Kesw ick L aunch es 

for a 50 minute circular cruise around Derw entw ater. 

A fter disembarking w e journey to Cockermouth 

w h ere w e sh al h ave time to find lunch and h ave a 

brow se before visiting W ordsw orth ’s h ouse. 

TU ESDAY 2 9 M AY W e take a scenic drive today, 

th roug h some of th e most stunning scenery seen 

anyw h ere in E ng land. O ur scenic journey folow s th e 

sh ores of U lsw ater before traveling over th e fantastic 

K irkstone Pass, w onderful mountain and lake view s al 

th e w ay (w eath er permitting ) toW indermere. L ater 

our return journey w il take us via A mbleside to 

G rasmere, w h ereW iliam W ordsw orth spent fourteen 

of h is most creative years living at Dove Cottag e, 

A lan B ank and th e Rectory – and described it as “th e 

loveliest spot th at man h as ever found”. 

W EDN ESDAY 3 0 M AY W e h ave a ch oice today: 

you may spend th e day at leisure in K esw ick; spend 

time exploring th e tow ns of Carlisle, Penrith and 

A ppleby, or take a ride on E ng land’s most scenic 


TH E K ESW ICK CO U N TRY H O U SE 

H O TEL 

K e s w ic k 


teleph one, trouser press, h air dryer & 

h ospitality tray. 


Time to explore K esw ick 

Ful day g uided tour of B eatrix Potter 

Country 

E ntry to H il Top & B eatrix Potter G alery 

E ntry toW ordsw orth H ouse 

railw ay. For th ose not staying in K esw ick w e drive to 

Carlisle, w h ere everyone sh al h ave time to brow se 

and h ave coffee before th ose w h o w ish , board th e 

train for Settle. Th e 7 2 mile journey takes you 

th roug h th e g entle, lush roling h ils of th e E den Valey, 

over th e 24 arch es of th e Ribbleh ead Viaduct and 

th roug h th e mag nificentY orksh ire Dales. O n arrival in 

Settle, th ere w il be time to h ave a look around th e 

tow n and find lunch before re-boarding th e train for 

th e journey to A ppleby to re-join th e coach . Th ose 

w h o stay in Carlisle w il h ave some furth er time to 

explore before driving to Penrith , once th e capital of 

Cumbria, in time to find lunch and brow se before 

continuing on to th e attractive market tow n of 

A ppleby. H ere w e sh al h ave some time to maybe find 

tea before th ose th at w ent on th e train arrive and 

re-join us for th e drive back to K esw ick. 

TH U RSDAY 3 1 M AY Departing after breakfast w e 

make our w ay h omew ards, arriving back early 

evening . 

B oat trip on Derw entw ater 

Ful day scenic tour 

O ptional ride on Carlisle to Settle Railw ay 

O ptional visit to Carlisle, Penrith & 

A ppleby 



N at Tr u s t m e m b e r s le s s £ 16 b u t 

m u s t b r in g c ar d 

C ar lis le t o Se t t le t o Ap p le b y £ 16.50 

2 3

Th e Co t s w o ld O lim p ick G am es & Sh ir e Ram b le s 

1 – 4 Ju n e 

Fo u r day s o fbeau t ifu leas y w alking in g o o d co m pany w it h delig h t fu llu nch t im es t o ps as t h eco u nt r y s ide 

bu r s t s int o co lo u r .So m epat h s m ay bemu ddy in places s o br ing s u it ablefo o t w ear . 

Departing O xted w e travel to 

Ch ipping Campden w h ere w e sh al h ave time to find 

someth ing to eat in one of th e pubs and tea rooms. 

A fter lunch w e sh al w alk to Dover’s H il, overlooking 

th eVale of E vesh am. Th is beautiful plateau 

commands extensive view s over th e plains of th e 

A von and th e Severn to th e footh ils of th eW elsh 

mountains. It provides an ideal setting for th e annual 

Cotsw old ‘O limpick’ G ames (not O lympic G ames) 

taking place today in th e natural amph ith eatre at th e 

summit of Dover’s H il, w h ich w il ech o w ith th e 

sh outs and ch eers of competitors and spectators. 

Circular w alk of 5 miles or 2 miles if you w ish to 

spend more time w atch ing th e ‘g ames’. L ater w e 

make our w ay to ourW arw ick h otel. 

F RIDAY 1 J U N E SATU RDAY 2 J U N E 

F rom our base in W arw ick w e 

2 4 

make our w ay to th e picturesque old market tow n of 

A lcester at th e junction of th e River A lne and River 

A rrow. H ere w e strol along th e medieval H ig h Street 

and dow n th e delig h tful M alt M il L ane.W e continue 

our w alk th roug h attractive O versley W ood to 

W ixford and our lunch stop. A fter lunch w e take fields 

and lanes passing beautiful th atch ed cottag es back to 

A lcester. Total distance 7 miles. 

SU N DAY 3 J U N E O ur circular w alk today takes us 

th roug h some pleasantW orcestersh ire countryside 

and along a delig h tful section of th e M ilennium W ay. 

Th e w alk of about 7 ½ miles, is mostly flat, across 

open countryside, th roug h farmland and w oods. Th ere 

w il be a pub lunch stop at about h alf distance.



M O N DAY 4 J U N E Today w e w alk part of th e 

Th ames Path , starting from th e ruins of G odstow 

A bbey, th e morning w alk takes us into th e h eart of 

O xford w h ere w e sh al h ave time to find lunch before 

continuing our w alk past open fields to th e south of 

th e city to Sandford lock, a few miles dow nstream of 

O xford. Th e lock h as th e g reatest fal of w ater on th e 

Th ames w ith its w eir, know n as th e Sandford L ash er, 

being pretty impressive. Total distance 6 miles. 

W e re-join th e coach and make our w ay h ome, 

arriving early evening . 


H IL TO N W ARW ICK 

W a r w ic k 


teleph one, trouser press, h air dryer & 

h ospitality tray. 





© F lic k r _L il Sh e p h e r d 

2 5

N o r t h er n Delig h t s Sh e t lan d & O r k n e y 

9 – 16 Ju n e 

Co m ew it h u s o n av o y ag eo fdis co v er y t o t h eN o r t h er n Is les o fSh et land & O r kney .E njo y t h ebr eat h - 

t aking nat u r alu ns po ilt beau t y and t r anqu ilit y o ft h es eu niqu eis lands .Y o u w ilno t o nly beg r eet ed by t h e 

w ar m es t o fw elco m es bu t als o w it h s o m eo fSco t land’s m o s t dr am at ic s cener y .Fo lo w in t h efo o t s t eps o f 

t h eV iking s ,as w em ar v elat t h es t anding s t o nes and ancient v ilag es ,s t eeped in N o r dic Cu lt u r e.E x plo r e 

t h em o s t fant as t ic land and s eas capes ,w h ich ar ebo u nd t o t akey o u r br eat h aw ay .B o o kear ly fo r ah o liday 

t o r emember … 

Departing O xted w e h ead 

north w ards and, making comfort stops en route, 

arrive at our overnig h t h otel in Darling ton. 

SU N DAY 10 J U N E A fter breakfast w e h ead 

tow ards th e Scottish capital and over th e Forth Road 

B ridg e, th en strike north east th roug h Perth sh ire up 

th e attractive coastal road for our late afternoon 

sailing from A berdeen. Ch eck into your cabin, fresh en 

up th en enjoy dinner on board w ith an overnig h t 

sailing to L erw ick, Sh etland. 

M O N DAY 11 J U N E Folow ing breakfast on board in 

SATU RDAY 9 J U N E L erw ick w e disembark and meet a local g uide for a 

2 6 

g uided tour of Sh etland, visiting th e outstanding site 

of Jarlsh of (one of E urope’s larg est arch aeolog ical 

sites spanning over 4000 years of h istory), H osw ick 

Visitor centre and Sh etland’s famous ponies.W e 

board th e 17 .30 N orth link Cruise Ferry from L erw ick 

to K irkw al, O rkney. Dinner is included on board sh ip. 

A t 23.00 w e arrive in K irkw al and travel th e sh ort 

distance to our h otel. 

TU ESDAY 12 J U N E 

Today, w ith a local g uide w e 

sh al visit th eW orld H eritag e sites of Skara B rae, an



amaz ing N eolith ic vilag e th at lay buried by sand for 

4000 years; Stones of Stenness, th e stone Ring of 

B rodg ar, Skail H ouse, Ch urch il B arrers, th e delig h tful 

ch apel built by Italian PO W s and th e remains of 

battlesh ips scuppered at Scapa F low.W e sh al also 

h ave a tour of St M ag nus’ Cath edral in K irkw al w h ere 

w e sh al h ave time at leisure to find lunch and 

explore, before returning to our h otel late afternoon. 

W EDN ESDAY 13 J U N E Departing mid morning w e 

board th e N orth link Cruise Ferry sailing past B ritain’s 

h ig h est vertical cliffs and O rkney’s O ld M an of H oy en 

route to th e port of Scrabster. A fter disembarkation 

w e drive due south along th e beautiful coastal road 

past H elmsdale, B rora and Dornoch to our h otel in 

th e footh ils of th e Cairng orm mountains. 


TH E BL ACK W EL L G RAN G E 

H O TEL 

Da r lin g t o n 

K IRK W AL L H O TEL , K IRK W AL L 

O r k n e y 

M ACDO N AL D F O U R SEASO N S 

H O TEL 

Av ie m o r e 

BEST W ESTERN SH AP W EL L S 

H O TEL 

Sh a p , Pe n r it h 

TH U RSDAY 14 J U N E A day at leisure in A viemore. 

M aybe take a ride on th e Strath spey Steam Railw ay: 

th e railw ay takes a 20 mile round trip along part of 

th e orig inal H ig h land Railw ay from its base at 

A viemore Station th roug h B oat of G arten and on to 

B roomh il. A s th e train passes over moorland, th roug h 

w oodlands and by g reat sw eeps of th e River Spey, 

th e Cairng orm M ountains provide a backcloth to 

th e scenery. 

F RIDAY 15 J U N E 


h ead south th roug h th e central Scottish H ig h lands 

and Stirling th en onto th e Scottish B orders before 

reach ing our overnig h t h otel near Penrith . 

SATU RDAY 16 J U N E Continuing our journey 

h ome and making stops en route, w e arrive early 

evening . 



A total of 7 nig h ts Dinner, B ed & 

B reakfast, including one nig h t on ferry. 

G uided tour of Sh etland 

Time to explore L erw ick, K irkw al & 

A viemore 

G uided tour of O rkney 



2 7

Is le o f M an 

19 – 24 Ju n e 

Y o u w ilbeam az ed by t h ebeau t y o ft h eis land and t h ev ar iet y o fit s lands cape;t h er ecan befew places o n 

ear t h w h er enat u r eh as dis t r ibu t ed h er g ift s m o r eex t r av ag ant ly ;t h ew ild and t h eg ent le;t h er u g g ed and 

t h es o ft ,t h em o o r s and t h em eado w s ,t h ew ilder nes s o fg o r s e,h eat h er and br acken and t h em ildnes s o f 

t h efr ag r ant ,flo w er -decked co u nt r y lanes . 


morning w e make our w ay north w ards to H eysh am 

for our early afternoon ferry crossing to Doug las, 

arriving late afternoon at th e Rutland h otel. 

W EDN ESDAY 2 0 J U N E A fter breakfast w e visit 

L axey, an h istoric mining vilag e, w h ere set h ig h on 

th e h ilside looking out over th e vilag e is th e ‘L ady 

Isabela’, th e larg est w orking w ater w h eel in th e w orld 

and perh aps th e island’s best know n landmark. If you 

w ish you can climb th e steep spiral staircase to th e 

view ing platform above th e w h eel, w alk th e 

picturesque trails and even enter a section of th e 

mine. Folow ing our visit w e take a journey on th e 

TU ESDAY 19 J U N E century old mountain railw ay for a breath -taking , but 

2 8 

g entle ride to th e summit of th e Island’s h ig h est 

mountain, Snaefel, w h ere w e can enjoy th e 

mag nificent view of th e six king doms – M ann, 

E ng land, Ireland, Scotland,W ales and H eaven.W e 

drive to “Royal” Ramsey, a th riving market tow n, set 

on th e coast w ith a mag nificent backdrop of N orth 

B aarrule. H ere you w il find a long promenade, busy 

h arbour and a w ealth of specialist sh ops. 

TH U RSDAY 2 1 J U N E Today w e enjoy a ful day 

g uided tour taking in part of th e TT course to Tynw ald 

H il, h ome of th e M anx Parliament. E stablish ed by th e 

Viking s over 1000 years ag o, it is th e oldest in th e



w orld.W e continue on to nearby Peel, considered to 

be th e most M anx of al tow ns w ith th e h istoric St 

Patrick’s Isle w ith many tiny lanes ful of ch aracter 

leading out from th e w orking h arbour. 

F RIDAY 2 2 J U N E Today w e visit Castletow n, th e 

ancient Capital of M ann – w h ich stil retains much of 

its former splendour. Take a look at th e h arbour, 

w ander th roug h th e narrow streets and maybe visit 

Castle Rush en, an ancient fortress, dominating th e 

tow n and h arbour.W e continue on to Creg neash 

Vilag e Folk M useum, one of th e last strong h olds of 

th e traditional skils and customs w h ich ch aracterised 

th e crofter’s w ay of life. Since th e mid 17 th century a 

smal community of M anx men and w omen h ave 

prospered in th is h arsh environment by combining 

smal-scale farming w ith oth er occupations: some 

w ere fish ermen, oth ers combined th eir ag ricultural 

tasks w ith specialist craft skils such as w eaving , 

joinery or w ork at th e forg e. A t th e M useum evidence 

of th is rug g ed and self-sufficient lifestyle is ag ain 

broug h t to life in th e orig inal building s.W e make th e 

sh ort journey to th e Sound Visitor Centre w h ere w e 


RU TL AN D H O TEL 

Do u g la s 

W ith a premium location and facilities, th e 

Rutland offers an individual style and luxury 

th at ranks among st th e best offered on th e 

island. Renow ned International Desig ners 

h ave added a touch of class to one of th e 

island’s finest venues. 

A l bedrooms h ave private facilities, 

colour tv, radio, teleph one, h airdryer, 

trouser press and h ospitality tray. 


E ntry to L axey W h eel & mines 

sh al h ave a ch ance to enjoy th e spectacular 

panoramic view s, see if you can recog nise th e birds 

th at pass by, w atch th e currents racing th roug h th e 

Sound or simply take in one of th e best view s in th e 

B ritish Isles. In th e Centre are displays teling th e 

story of th e Sound and th e Calf of M an and w atch 

th e seals h auled out on K itterland. W e th en continue 

on to Port E rin. 

SATU RDAY 2 3 J U N E A day at leisure to explore th e 

g rand Victorian resort of Doug las, th e Island’s lively 

capital, set in a w ide bay w ith a sw eeping promenade. 

Take a strol along th e promenade or enjoy a ride on 

one of th e w orld’s oldest surviving h orse trams, 

dating from 187 6 , w ith many of th e orig inal cars stil 

in use. Th e h orses, know n as ‘trammers’, beg in to pul 

w h en th ey are about four years old, pul for no more 

th an tw o h ours a day and h ave an averag e w orking 

life of 15 years. O n retirement, trammers spend th e 

rest of th eir life at Th e H ome of Rest for O ld H orses 

on th e outskirts of Doug las. 

SU N DAY 2 4 J U N E 

Folow ing an early breakfast 

w e return to th e port and our ferry to H eysh am, 

th ereafter making our w ay h ome, arriving back midevening 

. 

Ride on mountain railw ay 

Time to explore Doug las, Ramsey & 

Castletow n 

Ful day g uided tour of Tynw ald, th e M anx 

Parliament and th e north ern part of th e 

Island 

E ntry to Creg neash Vilag e Folk M useum 



Se aVie w (lim it e d n u m b e r ) £ 50/r o o m 

2 9

Is le o f W ig h t 

9 – 13 Ju ly 

Y o u o nly need t o t akeas h o r t and pleas ant fer r y r ideacr o s s t h eSo lent t o bet r ans po r t ed t o adiffer ent 

w o r ld. Th eIs leo fW ig h t is ju s t 23 m iles lo ng and 13 m iles w idey et fu lo fint er es t ing feat u r es inclu ding 

m iles o fs andy beach es and as t u nning co as t line. H o m et o s o m eo ft h em o s t div er s eco u nt r y s idein t h eU K , 

t h eis land g ener a ly enjo y s m ilder w eat h er and m o r es u ns h inet h an t h em ainland,t h eco as t lineh as lo v ely 

v iew s and inland y o u w ilfind pict u r es qu ev ilag es and m any places o fint er es t . 

Departing O xted w e h ead south 

taking a scenic ride across th e N ew Forest w h ere w e 

sh al h ave time to find lunch before continuing on to 

L yming ton and our ferry toY armouth . F rom h ere w e 

make our w ay across th e island to our h otel in 

Sh anklin. 

TU ESDAY 10 J U L Y Join us th is morning as w e 

make our w ay to H avenstreet to join th e Isle ofW ig h t 

Steam Railw ay for a nostalg ic 10 mile journey back in 

time th roug h some lovely scenery. B reath e in th e 

evocative smels of a real steam railw ay, w h ile your 

eyes and ears th ril to th e puffing and h issing of th e 

30 

M O N DAY 9 J U L Y steam eng ine. Settle back in beautifuly restored 

Victorian and E dw ardian carriag es and enjoy a unique 

view of some of th e Island’s unspoilt countryside. 

Take time to h ave a look around th e railw ay museum 

and sh op. Folow ing our visit w e continue on to 

O sborne H ouse, Q ueen Victoria’s palace by th e sea 

w h ere sh e lived w ith h er beloved Prince A lbert and 

th eir nine ch ildren. Trace th e footsteps of one of 

B ritain’s most popular monarch s as you w ander 

th roug h th e Italianate g ardens.Visit Sw iss Cottag e, 

w h ere th e royal ch ildren w ere educated, and discover 

th e w ildflow er meadow w h ere you can spot rare red



squirrels. Take a h orse and carriag e ride, or sit back 

and enjoy th e terrace restaurant w ith its stunning 

g arden and sea view s. 

W EDN ESDAY 11 J U L Y Th is morning w e make our 

w ay to Carisbrooke Castle, best know n as th e place 

w h ere K ing Ch arles I w as imprisoned. For a castle th at 

h as lived th roug h more th an 800 years of service, 

including resisting a sieg e by th e French and seeing 

off th e Spanish A rmada, it’s also w onderfuly w el 

preserved. Th e E dw ardian style Princess B eatrice 

G arden is a joy to explore. For h undreds of years th e 

castle’s resident donkeys h ave draw n up w ater in th e 

w el-h ouse. A l th e donkeys’ names beg in w ith th e 

letter ‘J’. Th is tradition w as started w h en Ch arles I w as 

a prisoner at Carisbrooke.W h en Ch arles I w rote 

letters or w as planning h is escape route, h e alw ays 

sig ned h is letters w ith a ‘J’. So for 150 years al th e 

donkeys at th e castle h ave h ad a name beg inning 

w ith ‘J’. Th is is a tradition th at continues to be 

uph eld! A fter an early lunch w e take a scenic tour of 

th e island, returning to our h otel late afternoon. 


BO U RN E H AL L CO U N TRY H O U SE 

H O TEL 

Sh a n k lin 

B ourne H al is an eleg ant Country H ouse 

H otel and restaurant, set in mature g rounds 

in Sh anklin, Isle ofW ig h t. 

Th e h otel h as an outdoor sw imming pool 

and an indoor leisure complex featuring a 

h eated sw imming pool, a Jacuz z i, a “far” 

infra red sauna. 


teleph one, h airdryer & h ospitality tray. 


TH U RSDAY 12 J U L Y A fter breakfast w e drive to 

th e picturesque vilag e of G odsh il – th e mostph 

otog raph ed vilag e in B ritain! Spend th e morning 

admiring th e th atch ed cottag es and th e 15th century 

ch urch , or w alk around th e immaculate model vilag e 

and g ift sh ops, and maybe treat yourself to a larg e 

cream cake from th e O ld Smith y. L ate morning w e 

make our w ay toVentnor B otanic G ardens w h ere w e 

sh al be at leisure to find lunch and explore. N estling 

in th e microclimate of Th e U ndercliff,Ventnor B otanic 

G arden h as a subtropical and exotic plant colection 

unrivaled elsew h ere in th e U K . Plants w h ich w ould 

normaly be found in protected g lassh ouses th rive 

and naturalise in g eog raph ical planting s based on 

th e M editerranean z ones of th e w orld (entry to 

g reenh ouse not included). M id afternoon w e return to 

Sh anklin w h ere w e sh al be at leisure to explore th is 

delig h tful vilag e. 

F RIDAY 13 J U L Y 


take a scenic drive via B embridg e to Ryde, know n as 

th e G atew ay to th e Island, w h ere w e sh al be at 

leisure to brow se and find lunch before boarding th e 

ferry to Portsmouth . A rriving h ome early evening . 

Time to explore G odsh il, Ryde & Sh anklin 

Scenic drive th roug h th e N ew Forest 

Ride on th e Isle ofW ig h t Steam Railw ay 

E ntry to O sborne H ouse 

E ntry to Carisbrooke Castle 

Scenic tour of th e island 

Visit toVentnor B otanic G ardens 



E n g lis h H e r it ag e le s s £ 14.88, b u t 

m u s t b r in g c ar d 

31

Flo r iade 

6 – 10 Au g u s t 

E x per ienceafeas t fo r t h es ens es at F lo r iade2012 ~ H o land’s w o r ld h o r t icu lt u r alex h ibit io n s t ag ed o nce 

ev er y 10 y ear s .Sam pleev er y as pect o fDu t ch h o r t icu lt u r efr o m bu lbs ,flo w er s and plant s t o t r ees ,bu s h es 

and s h r u bs ,fr o m v eg et ables and fr u it t o mu s h r o o m s .Th eF lo r iadePar kco v er s 66h ect ar es and 

enco m pas s es 5 u niqu et h em ed w o r lds s epar at ed by w o o ded ar eas ,each w it h it s o w n deco r ,pr o g r am m e 

and act iv it ies ,in w h ich y o u ’ ls ee,feeland ex per iencenat u r ein at o t a ly differ ent w ay each t im e. 


drive to Dover and our sh ort sea crossing to Calais. 

W e travel on to O stend w h ere w e sh al h ave time to 

h ave a look around and find lunch . E arly afternoon w e 

continue on toValkenburg , our h ome for th e next 

four nig h ts. 

TU ESDAY 7 AU G U ST Today w e make th e sh ort 

journey to th e F loriade site atVenlo in th e Dutch 

province of L imburg . Th ere are several th emes: G reen 

E ng ine - th e ultra-sustainableVila F lora is h ome to 

th e big g est indoor flow er sh ow ; Relax and H eal - th is 

w orld puts you in balance w ith nature in an O riental 

32 

M O N DAY 6 AU G U ST setting . H ealing h erbs, tea rituals, a barefoot path and 

a spa-like ambience g ives every visitor a specialY in- 

Y ang experience; E ducation and Innovation - as you 

w alk around th is area, you’l understand h ow 

important it is to keep on learning and innovating . 

Taste unusual fruit and veg etable creations. Cook your 

ow n meal in a laboratory. A nd g o on a journey 

th roug h th e jung le g reenh ouse; E nvironment - 

experience h ow flow ers, plants, trees, veg etables and 

fruit in your immediate environment can improve 

your daily life;W orld Sh ow Stag e - a spot on th e 

boulevard w h ere you can sample w orld foods and 

© F lic k r _Dr St e p h e n Da n n



enjoy an international prog ramme of entertainment 

in th e spectacular amph ith eatre. A place w h ere you’l 

not only feel like a spectator but like a participant 

too! Y ou can w alk along a th ematic route or enjoy a 

bird’s eye view of th e park from th e 30-metre-h ig h 

cable-car system. 

W EDN ESDAY 8 AU G U ST Th is morning w e make 

our w ay to th e Th ree L ands Point M az e, situated at 

th e south -w estern tip of th e N eth erlands, w h ere th e 

country touch es both G ermany and B elg ium. Th is is 

reflected in th e overal sh ape of th e maz e, and its 

h edg es represent th e G erman eag le and tw o different 

lion symbols for B elg ium and H oland. O ne of th e 

w orld’s larg est permanent h edg e maz es, th e maz e 

path s are crossed in several places by row s of 

fountains, w h ich temporarily block th e path s, rising 

and faling seeming ly at random. Th e path s also pass 

over and under w ooden bridg es. Folow ing our visit 

w e journey on to th e G erman spa tow n of A ach en 

w h ere w e sh al h ave some time to explore. M aybe 

visit th e cath edral, one of th e most famous examples 

of occidental arch itecture and th e first G erman 

building to be included in th e U N E SCO W orld 

H eritag e list, see th e G oth ic Tow n H al, brow se th e 

sh ops or simply sit and w atch th e w orld g o by before 

returning to our h otel. 


H O TEL W AL RAM 

Va lk e n b u rg 

Th e B estW estern H otelW alram is a stylish 

h otel w ith a rich h istory. H otelW alram h as 

modern facilities including an indoor 

sw imming pool and sauna. 

A l bedrooms are en suite w ith TV, clock 

radio & h airdryer. 


TH U RSDAY 9 AU G U ST W e sh al be free th is 

morning to discover th e delig h ts ofValkenburg : see 

th e remains ofValkenburg Castle; th e only elevated 

castle in th e N eth erlands, maybe visit th e municipal 

caves created w h en th e Romans beg an mining th e 

g round for th e marl th at th ey needed as building 

material. A fter lunch w e drive to M aastrich t w h ere w e 

sh al h ave a boat ride on th e River M euse. 

F RIDAY 10 AU G U ST 


make our w ay to M ons in B elg ium w h ere w e sh al 

h ave time to find lunch before continuing on to 

Calais. A rriving back in O xted late evening . 

Time to explore O stend, A ach en, 

Valkenburg , M aastrich t & M ons 

E ntry to F loriade 2012 

E ntry to Th ree Points M az e 

B oat ride on River M euse 



33

So u t h Eas t Ir elan d, W ic k lo w M o u n t ain s & Tall Sh ip s 

21 – 27 Au g u s t 

K no w n as t h e‘G ar den o fIr eland’,Co u nt y W icklo w is h o met o s o meo ft h eco u nt r y ’s mo s t beau t ifu ls cener y , 

ah av en o fg lis t ening lakes ,pict u r es qu ev ilag es and u ndu lat ing h ils o fg r een,o v er lo o ked by t h er u g g ed 

peaks o ft h em ajes t icW icklo w M o u nt ains and r eno w ned fo r it s leg endar y w ar m Ir is h w elco m e.Du r ing t h is 

t o u r w edis co v er o neo ft h eE m er ald Is le’s m o s t fam o u s g ar dens ,lear n o fIr eland’s lo ng lo v eaffair w it h 

h o r s er acing w it h av is it t o t h eIr is h N at io nalSt u d,and feas t o u r ey es o n t h ebew it ch ing s cener y and h idden 

t r eas u r es o ft h eW icklo w M o u nt ains N at io nalPar k.W eals o ex per iencet h e‘Fair Cit y ’o fDu blin,Ir eland’s 

fas cinat ing capit al,w h ich s t ands pr o u dly as t r idet h eRiv er L iffey br im m ing w it h cu lt u r aland h is t o r ic 

t r eas u r es .O u r bas efo r t h is t o u r is t h eh is t o r ic co as t alr es o r t o fB r ay ,‘G at ew ay t o t h eG ar den o fE ng land’, 

w h ich enjo y s aw o nder fu ls et t ing ag ains t t h ebackdr o p o ft h eSu g ar L o afand W icklo w M o u nt ains . 

TU ESDAY 2 1 AU G U ST Departing O xted and Pow erscourt 

making refresh ments stops en route w e drive to th e 

K inmel M anor H otel, A berg ele, N orth W ales, our 

overnig h t stop. 

W EDN ESDAY 2 2 AU G U ST A fter an early breakfast 

w e travel to H olyh ead for th e morning fast ferry 

sailing to Dun L aog h aire from w h ere w e make th e 

sh ort journey to E nniskerry for an afternoon visit to 

34 

H ouse and G ardens. O verlooking th e 

Sug ar L oaf M ountain, it is considered to be one of th e 

w orld’s g reat g ardens, described as “a sublime blend 

of formal g ardens, sw eeping terraces, statuary and 

ornamental lakes w ith secret h olow s and w aled 

g ardens”. Folow ing our visit w e continue on to 

our h otel. 

TH U RSDAY 2 3 AU G U ST A h alf day g uided tour of



Dublin by coach w ith th e remainder of th e day at 

leisure to explore th e sig h ts and take in th e 

atmosph ere of th is Capital City straddling th e River 

L iffey at th e h ead of Dublin B ay.Visit Trinity Coleg e 

w ith its majestic 18th -century building s and squares, 

h ome to th e famous ‘B ook of K els’; join in th e h ustle 

and bustle of th e renow ned O ’Connel Street and 

G rafton Street – th e h eart of Dublin’s sh opping 

paradise or visit th e fash ionable Temple B ar area. 

F RIDAY 2 4 AU G U ST A leisurely start to th e day in 

B ray w h ere th eVictorian Promenade keeps th e same 

style today as th at of O scarW ilde’s time, before 

taking an excursion th roug h th e beautiful scenery of 

th eW icklow N ational Park.W e travel to G lendaloug h , 

an ancient monastic site surrounded by forests, th en 

dow n th roug h th eVale of Clara to A voca, h ome of 

B alykissang el, before h eading back tow ards B ray 

along th e coast road via th e h istoric tow n ofW icklow, 

famed for its fine h arbour and captivating g aol. 

SATU RDAY 2 5 AU G U ST For th e first time since 

1998, Dublin City is th e final h ost port for th e 

international Tal Sh ips Races for 2012. U p to 100 Tal 


K IN M EL M AN O R H O TEL , ABERG EL E 

N o r t h W a le s 

Th e K inmel M anor is a family run h otel set 

back w ith in rural surrounding s of A berg ele. 

ESPL AN ADE H O TEL Bra y 

A Victorian h otel situated on th e seafront. 



A total of 6 nig h ts Dinner, B ed & B reakfast. 

E ntry to Pow erscourt E state 

H alf day g uided tour of Dublin 

Sh ips from 15-20 countries, crew ed by some 5-6 ,000 

young people are expected to sail up th e mouth of 

th e L iffey, and th e atmosph ere around th e Dock area 

of Dublin promises to be mag ical. E njoy a unique 

opportunity to view th e tal sh ips and enjoy th e 

carnival events. 

SU N DAY 2 6 AU G U ST Today w e visit K ildare and 

th e Irish N ational Stud, w h ich is also h ome to th e 

Japanese G ardens, acclaimed as th e finest in E urope, 

created to symbolise th e ‘L ife of M an’. H ere w e sh al 

h ave a tour of th e stud and time to visit th e museum 

before view ing th e mares and foals along Tuly W alk. 

E xperience St. Fiach ra’s g ardens, dedicated to St. 

F iach ra - th e Patron Saint of G ardeners too, w ith its 

w oodland and lakeside w alks. A fter lunch w e journey 

th roug h th e lush K ildare countryside to B lessing ton 

L akes, 500 acres of lakeside scenery set beneath th e 

W icklow M ountains before returning to our h otel. 

M O N DAY 2 7 AU G U ST 

M aking an early departure 

from our h otel w e make our w ay to th e ferry for our 

sailing to H olyh ead, during w h ich w e sh al h ave 

breakfast.W e th en continue our h omew ard journey, 

arriving mid evening . 

Time to explore Dublin 

Scenic tour ofW icklow N ational Park & 

Coastline 

View ing of Tal Sh ips (exclusive of any 

entry fees) 

Visit to Irish N ational Stud, H orse 

M useum, Japanese G ardens & St F iach ra’s 

G ardens 



35

A Su m m er Ram ble 25 – 27 Au g u s t (B a n k H o lid a y ) 

Fo r t h is r am ble,w eh av ech o s en t h r eebeau t ifu lar eas in H am ps h ir eand Do r s et :as eclu ded par t o ft h e 

N ew Fo r es t ;t h ew o nder fu lDo r s et co as t w it h finev iew s and s andy beach es ,t h en par t o ft h eIt ch en W ay 

and W inch es t er .Th em o r ning s ar eg ent lew alking in g o o d co mpany ,bu t aft er lu nch t h ew alking is s lig h t ly 

m o r edemanding ,h o w ev er y o u do h av et h eo pt io n t o jo in t h eco ach and r e-jo in t h ew alker s lat er .Aft er 

r ain ex pect s o m eo v er g r o w n and mu ddy pat h s in places s o br ing s u it ablefo o t w ear . 

Departing from O xted w e 

make our w ay to South ampton for lunch before 

continuing on to th e N ew Forest w h ere w e sh al h ave 

an easy but interesting w alk of about 4 miles.W e 

later drive on to ourW inch ester h otel. 

SU N DAY 2 6 AU G U ST Today w e h ave a lovely 

coastal w alk starting near Poole H arbour along th e sea 

w al and promenade, w e soon reach th e expensive 

property area of Sandbanks.W e take th e Studland 

ch ain ferry crossing th e entrance to Poole H arbour and 

h ead tow ards Studland Vilag e as th e g lorious sandy 

beach g ives w ay to th e mag nificent cliffs at O ld H arry 

SATU RDAY 2 5 AU G U ST and a ch alk ridg e th at runs from Studland to L ulw orth , 

36 

forming th e backbone of th e Isle of Purbeck.W e make 

our lunch stop h ere, w ith fine view s over th e B ay. 

Distance 4 miles. A fter lunch you may w ish to tackle 

th e more ch aleng ing 5 mile PurbeckW ay to Corfe 

Castle. A lternatively join th e coach to Sw anag e and 

perh aps take th e steam train to Corfe Castle. 

M O N DAY 2 7 AU G U ST Today w e w alk part of th e 

30 mile long Itch en W ay, w h ich folow s th e River 

Itch en from its source to its confluence w ith 

South ampton W ater. It folow s much of th e Itch en 

N avig ation and g oes th roug h th e centre of h istoric 

© F lic k r _Ju s t An o t h e r G u y In Br is t o l



W inch ester, passing close to th e Cath edral.W e start 

w ith a beautiful 3½ mile w alk from near Sh aw ford, 

h eading north w ards toW inch ester w h ere w e sh al 

break for lunch . Fuly refresh ed, w e continue for 4 

miles along side th e river folow ing lanes, clear tracks 

and some field path s th roug h ch alk dow nlands to 

Itch en A bbas, a ch arming vilag e set w ith in th e 

picturesque Itch en Valey. Surrounded by beautiful 

countryside, th e vilag e is positioned on th e banks of 

th e trout filed River Itch en. Th ose w h o don’t w ish to 

w alk th is afternoon may stay in W inch ester and travel 

by coach to meet th e w alkers in Itch en A bbas. F rom 

h ere w e make our w ay h omew ards, arriving back in 

O xted early evening . 


TH E W IN CH ESTER H O TEL 

W in c h e s t e r 

A boutique style h otel located w ith in 

w alking distance ofW inch ester city centre. 


teleph one, & h ospitality tray. 



Ch ain ferry fare 



37

It alian L ak es 

7 – 16 S e p t e m b e r 

L akeCo m o is kno w n as t h epr et t ies t lakein no r t h er n It aly .It s beau t ifu lg lam o r o u s s h o r elineis am ag net 

fo r t h er ich and fam o u s and it ’s eas y t o s eew h y ,w it h cr y s t alclear lakes fr am ed by m ajes t ic s no w -capped 

peaks and s u r r o u nded by s h o r es do t t ed w it h ancient v ilas and qu aint fis h ing v ilag es .Sav o u r t h elo cal 

s pecialit ies o ft h ev a ley -ear t h y r ed w ines ,h andm adeicecr eam t o diefo r and fr es h ly cau g h t fis h 

s pr inkled w it h o liv eo iland h er bs . 

Depart O xted early morning 

for Dover and our ferry crossing to Calais and continue 

across F rance to Saush eim, our overnig h t stop. 

SATU RDAY 8 SEPTEM BER Th is morning w e make 

our w ay to th e Rh einfals at Sch affh ausen w h ere w e 

sh al h ave time to find lunch before continuing on 

across Sw itz erland into Italy, arriving at our h otel 

overlooking L ake Como. 

SU N DAY 9 SEPTEM BER A day at leisure to relax 

and enjoy M ez z eg ra, in th e h eart of th e Tremez z ina 

area of L ake Como. Th e area know n as th e Tremez z ina 

is a stretch of th e sun drench ed W estern sh oreline 

F RIDAY 7 SEPTEM BER made up of six vilag es, starting from th e medieval 

38 

vilag e of Sala Comacina, passing north th roug h 

O ssuccio, L enno, M ez z eg ra, Tremez z o, and ending w ith 

Cadenabbia-G riante. Th is stretch , a favourite h aunt of 

th e E uropean elite, is ful to th e brim w ith centuriesold 

ch urch es, vilag es w ith narrow cobbled streets, 

and pastel-painted h ouses w h ose w als h ave been 

blistered by th e h eat of long summer days. G rand 

Italian vilas h ug th e sh ore and boast immaculate 

g ardens, namely Vila Carlotta and Vila del 

B albianelo, both playing h ost to film sets such as th e 

James B ond h it Casino Royale.



M O N DAY 10 SEPTEM BER Today w e take a scenic 

drive along th e south ern sh ores of romantic L ake 

Como, E urope’s deepest lake, to arrive at th e old 

w aled tow n of Como, surrounded by mountains w ith 

a beautiful cath edral and delig h tful sh opping area. 

L ater w e continue our journey around th e lake, 

making our w ay to B elag io, know n as “th e pearl of 

L ake Como”.W e take th e ferry across th e lake from 

B elag io back to our h otel. 

TU ESDAY 11 SEPTEM BER Th is morning w e make 

our w ay to th e tow n of Stresa on L ake M ag g iore, 

from w h ere w e take a boat trip along th e lake to th e 

Sw iss tow n of L ocarno, so bring your passport w ith 

you, as you w il need it to cross th e border betw een 

Italy and Sw itz erland. F rom L ocarno w e continue on 

to L ake L ug ano and travel along its north ern sh ore, 

passing back into Italy and returning to our h otel. 

W EDN ESDAY 12 SEPTEM BER W e take th e 

north ern route around L ake Como today, making 

stops along th e w ay and returning to th e h otel by 

ferry from B elag io once ag ain. 

TH U RSDAY 13 SEPTEM BER L eaving Italy today w e 


M ERCU RE M U L H O U SE Sa u s h e im 

H O TEL L ARIO M e z z e g r a -Tr e m e z z in a 

Th e h otel faces L ake Como & h as an outdoor 

sw imming pool. 

TH E L U ZERN ERH O F H O TE L 

L u c e r n e 

Th e L uz ernerh of is rig h t in th e h eart of 

L ucerne, only a stone's th row from L ake 

L ucerne, th e lion's monument and th e 

Ch apel B ridg e. 

H O TEL M ETZ M ETRO PO L E M e t z 

make our w ay to L ucerne in Sw itz erland, w h ere w e 

are staying for th e next 2 nig h ts. 

F RIDAY 14 SEPTEM BER A day at leisure in L ucerne 

renow ned for its long w ooden bridg e and beautiful 

streets. H ig h ly recommended is a boat trip on th e 

lake, and one sug g estion is a circular tour, beg inning 

on a steamer on L ake L ucerne to th e lakeside resort 

ofVitz nau. From h ere, take th e cog w h eel railw ay to 

th e mountain peak of Rig i K ulm, w ith some 

spectacular view s over mountains and lakes. H ere you 

can h ave lunch and brow se th e g ift sh ops.Y ou th en 

return, ag ain by th e cog w h eel railw ay to K altbad and 

join th e cable car toW eg g is, and finaly th e steamer 

back to L ucerne.Y ou may prefer to take a sh orter 

cruise on th e lake, leaving time to w ander th e sh ops 

and enjoy a leisurely Sw iss lunch .Y ou w il also h ave 

time to w alk across th e famous Ch apel B ridg e and 

h ave an ice cream. 

SATU RDAY 15 SEPTEM BER Departing L ucerne w e 

make our w ay across Sw itz erland to F rance and on to 

our overnig h t stop in M etz . 

SU N DAY 16 SEPTEM BER 

W e continue our journey 

across F rance to Calais and our ferry, arriving back in 

O xted mid evening . 

A l bedrooms are en suite w ith TV & 

teleph one. 

A total of 9 nig h ts Dinner, B ed & 

B reakfast. 

Time to explore M ez z eg ra-Tremez z ina, 

Como, B elag io, L og arno & L ucerne 

Scenic tours around L ake Como 

B oat trip on L ake M ag g iore 


Sin g le Ro o m Su p p : £ 2 3 0.00 

39

H ar r o g at e & Pen n in eYo r k s h ir e & Th e Dale s – Br o n t ë Co u n t r y 

17 – 21 S e p t e m b e r 

Th ech ar m ing s pat o w n o fH ar r o g at e,fam o u s fo r it s flo r albeau t y and eleg ance,is w it h o u t ado u bt o neo f 

t h em o s t at t r act iv et o w ns in B r it ain. Th et o w n cent r eis an ex cit ing mix o fs t y lis h Vict o r ian bu ilding s and 

ench ant ing s h o ps .E njoy as cenic jo u r ney t h r o u g h t h eY o r ks h ir eDales N at io nalPar k,v is it ing G r as s ing t o n 

and t h em ar ket t o w n o fSkipt o n,kno w n as ‘Th eG at ew ay t o t h eDales ’. W es h a lals o v is it s o m ew e lkno 

w n places s u ch as H aw o r t h ,h o m eo ft h eB r o nt ë fam ily and RH S H ar lo w Car r G ar dens .Th er ew ilals o 

bet im et o ex plo r eH ar r o g at eand per h aps t aket eaat B et t y ' s TeaRo o m . 

Departing O xted at 

8.00am w e make our w ay to H arrog ate, stopping for 

refresh ments en route and arriving late afternoon at 

th e Cedar Court H otel. 

TU ESDAY 18 SEPTEM BER Th is morning w e drive 

to Saltaire, th e model vilag e built by Sir Titus Salt, 

w h ere w e sh al h ave a g uided w alking tour. Folow ing 

our walk w e make th e sh ort drive to H aw orth w h ere w e 

sh al be free to find lunch and maybe visit th e B rontë 

Parsonag e M useum (entry not included). E arly afternoo n 

w e journey on to Skipton, dubbed ‘Th e G ateway to th e 

M O N DAY 17 SEPTEM BER Dales’, a w onderful h istoric market tow n rig h t in th e 

40 

h eart of beautiful Pennines scenery w h ere w e board a 

boat for an h our long sig h tseeing cruise on th e L eeds/ 

L iverpool canal w ith coffee/tea and biscuits. Folow ing 

our cruise w e make our w ay back to our h otel. 

W EDN ESDAY 19 SEPTEM BER A fter breakfast w e 

journey to RH S H arlow Carr B otanical G ardens, a 

peaceful g arden draw ing inspiration from th e local 

scenery w h ere you can enjoy th e tranquil surrounding s. 

E arly afternoon w e continue on to H arrog ate w h ere w e 

sh al be at leisure to explore th e tow n or spend th e



afternoon relaxing in our h otel. 

TH U RSDAY 2 0 SEPTEM BER Today w e h ave a ful 

day scenic tour of th eY orksh ire Dales N ational Park, 

including G rassing ton, K ettlew el h ome of th e 

Calendar G irls, A skrig g , w h ere A l Creatures G reat and 

Smal w as filmed and H aw es, w h ere w e sh al visit th e 

W ensleydale Creamery and h ave th e opportunity to 

see ch eese being made, strol th roug h th e ch eesemaking 

museum and find lunch in th e restaurant. 

A fter lunch w e continue on th roug h H orton in 

Ribblesdale, situated at th e h eart of th e Th ree Peaks 

area of th e N ational Park and famous for its viaduct 

before making our w ay back to H arrog ate. 

F RIDAY 2 1 SEPTEM BER 

L eaving th e h otel after 

breakfast w e make our w ay h omew ards, arriving late 

afternoon. 


CEDAR CO U RT H O TEL H a r r o g a t e 

O verlooking th e famous 200 acre Stray 

parkland, th is h istoric g rade I listed building 

dates back to 16 7 1 and h as been carefuly 

restored to th e g randeur of yesteryear. M any 

of th e orig inal features remain, yet th e h otel 

h as been tastefuly restored w ith a stylish 

mix co-ordinating both old and new. 




Time to explore H arrog ate & H aw orth 

G uided w alking tour of Saltaire 

Sig h tseeing cruise on th e L eeds/L iverpool 

canal w ith coffee/tea & biscuits 

Ful day scenic tour ofY orksh ire Dales 

N ational Park 

E ntry toW ensleydale Creamery 

E ntry to RH S H arlow Carr G ardens 



RH S M e m b e r s le s s £ 6.50 b u t m u s t b r in g c ar d 

41

U K M y s t er y To u r 

30 S e p t e m b e r – 2 O c to b e r 

Fancy as h o r t br eakand can’t decidew h er et o g o ? L et Skinner s decidefo r y o u and jo in u s fo r o u r fir s t 

M y s t er y H o liday – can y o u g u es s t h edes t inat io n fr o m t h eclu es belo w ? W ew o u ld lo v et o t e ly o u w h er e 

w ear eg o ing bu t t h at w o u ld bet e ling !Th er eis o nly o new ay t o find o u t :co m ealo ng .A lt h at w ew il 

t e ly o u is t h at t h eh o t elw ilbeat leas t a3 * s t andar d and w es h a linclu deex cu r s io ns o n t h eSu nday 

and M o nday . 

42



SU N DAY 3 0 SEPTEM BER Departing O xted at 

8.00am and stopping for coffee at a motorw ay services 

w e make our w ay to a castle th at you’d expect to be a 

palace… th at’s al w e’re teling you! B ut th ere w il be 

plenty of time for sig h tseeing and th is w il be an easyg 

oing and unh urried day, w ith stops for cofee and lunch . 

M O N DAY 1 O CTO BER Join us today for more 

mystery as w e visit a market tow n w ith more th an 

800 years of h istory. Sited on th e banks of a river, it is 

in a Sh ire surrounded by Sh ires. During th e day w e 

sh al be making stops for coffee and lunch and h ave 

time to explore w h erever w e may be including a 

cruise on th e river. 

TU ESDAY 2 O CTO BER 

A fter a leisurely breakfast 

w e depart our h otel and make our w ay to an ancient 

tow n w ith a modern look th at h as industrial, 

ecclesiastical and political h eritag e and musical 

connections.A rticles synonymous w ith h ig h fash ion and 

quality merch andise w ere manufactured h ere too from 

th e 17 00s to th e late 196 0s. Folow ing our visit h ere w e 

make our w ay back to O xted, arriving early evening . 

3 * H O TEL , ??? 

Th e ? ? ? H otel, G olf and Country Club near 

? ? ? , w as built at th e time of Ch arles I around 

th e year of 16 30 and boasts panoramic 

view s over th e ? ? ? 




Time to explore ? ? ? & ? ? ? 

E ntry to ? ? ? 


B oat trip on th e ? ? ? 

£ 2 19 .00 PER PERSO N 

43

Falm o u t h 

1 – 8 O c to b e r 

Falmo u t h is B r it ain’s m o s t s o u t h er ly r es o r t and t h et h ir d lar g es t nat u r alh ar bo u r in t h ew o r ld s u r r o u nded 

by abeau t ifu lco as t line,w o o ded cr eeks and cr ag g y inlet s .Th em ag nificent Pendennis Cas t les t ands 

pr o u dly o v er lo o king t h eh ar bo u r ,s h elt er ed beach es and g lo r io u s par ks and g ar dens co mplet et h epict u r e. 

In t h enar r o w s t r eet s o ft h ebu s t ling t o w n cent r ey o u w ilfind aw ides elect io n o fs h o ps and ar t g a ler ies , 

co bbled a ley s and ancient inns . 

M O N DAY 1 O CTO BER Departing from O xted w estw ards to Penz ance, a bustling tow n and h arbour 

8.30am and making stops for refresh ments along th e 

w ay w e arrive at our Falmouth h otel late afternoon. 

TU ESDAY 2 O CTO BER A day at leisure to explore 

Falmouth ’s sh ops, h arbour, sh eltered creeks, beach es 

and g ardens. Th e port of Falmouth stands at th e 

entrance to Carrick Roads, a mag nificent natural 

h arbour formed at th e junction of several estuaries. 

Th e castles of Pendennis and St M aw es, w h ich face 

each oth er across th e Roads, w ere built by H enry V I 

and g ave protection ag ainst marauders. 

W EDN ESDAY 3 O CTO BER Today w e drive 

44 

w ith a climate so mild th at palm trees and oth er 

sub-tropical plants th rive. L ater w e take a scenic 

drive along th e N orth Cornish coast to th e 

picturesque tow n, and once busy fish ing port, of 

St. Ives w ith its g aily-coloured stone cottag es, 

cobbled aleys and array of cafes, unusual sh ops and 

artists’ studios; enjoy a w alk along side th e h arbour, 

or if you are feeling cultural, visit th e Tate St Ives and 

th e B arbara H epw orth Sculpture g arden. 

TH U RSDAY 4 O CTO BER Departing from th e Prince 

ofW ales Pier in Falmouth , w e take a boat trip up th e



river to Truro, w h ere w e sh al alig h t at th e Tow n Q uay, 

tides permitting , or th e w aterside vilag e of M alpas, 

from w h ere th ere is a classic double decker bus 

w aiting to take us to th e tow n centre. H ere th ere w il 

be time to brow se and sh op or maybe visit th e 

cath edral or th e Royal Cornw al M useum before 

returning to th e h otel by coach . 

F RIDAY 5 O CTO BER A ful day scenic tour of th e 

rug g ed N orth Cornw al coast, making a stop in th e 

h arbour tow n of Padstow, built on a h ilside 

overlooking th e Camel E stuary w ith its many 

medieval building s. Padstow is th e h ome of one of 

TV’s top ch efs – restaurateur Rick Stein. 

SATU RDAY 6 O CTO BER A furth er day at leisure. 

Y ou may w ish to take a boat trip up th e H elford River 

– see F rench man’s Creek, famed by Daph ne du 

M aurier. 

SU N DAY 7 O CTO BER A fter breakfast, w e make 

our w ay to M araz ion, from w h ere w e cross to th e 


RO YAL DU CH Y H O TEL Fa lm o u t h 

O ne of Cornw al’s most respected H otels, 

th e Royal Duch y enjoys dramatic view s 

across Falmouth B ay to th e tow ers of 

Pendennis Castle and th e h eadland 

beyond.Standing in its ow n g rounds, th e 

H otel h as an indoor sw imming pool, spa 

bath and g ames room. 




Time to explore Falmouth , Truro & St Ives 

B oat trip from Falmouth to Truro 

iconic island of St M ich ael’s M ount by boat. M eander 

around th e h istoric vilag e, climb to th e island’s 

summit w h ere th e vision of St M ich ael appeared, or 

marvel at th e eng ineering of th e underg round tram 

th at carries supplies from th e h arbour to th e castle. 

E arly afternoon w e make our w ay to th e h istoric 

Trevarno E state w h ere you can explore th e 

mag nificent g ardens, g rounds and W oodland w alks 

w h ich date back to 1246 . E njoy th e abundant w ildlife, 

folow th e prog ress of major restoration projects and 

visit th e remarkable N ational M useum of G ardening . 

M O N DAY 8 O CTO BER 

Departing from th e h otel 

after breakfast w e make our w ay h omew ards, making 

stops en route and arriving back early evening . 

Scenic tour of N orth Cornw al coast 

including Padstow 

E ntry to Trevarno G ardens 

Scenic tour ofW est Cornw al including 

St Ives 



N at Tr u s t m e m b e r s le s s £ 6.50, b u t m u s t 

b r in g c ar d . 

P le a s e n o t e : Re q u ir in g a s t e e p c lim b u p a 

c o b b le d p at h , ac c e s s t o t h e c as t le o n St 

M ic h ae l's M o u n t is d if f ic u lt f o r v is it o r s w it h 

lim it e d m o b ilit y . 

45

Fes t iv al o f An t iq u es Pe t e r b o r o u g h 

5 – 7 O c to b e r 

St ar t ed in 1999 t h is t w icey ear ly ev ent h as no w g r o w n int o o neo ft h elar g es t s h o w g r o u nd Ant iqu es Fair s 

in t h eco u nt r y .H eld at t h eE as t o fE ng land Sh o w g r o u nd in Pet er bo r o u g h t h es h o w no w at t r act s bu y er s 

and s e ler s fr o m a lo v er E u r o pe.W it h o v er 1,700 s t a ls s e ling s o m et h ing fo r ev er y o ne,t h es h o w is w it h in 

fo u r per m anent bu ilding s ,t r adem ar qu ees and o u t do o r pit ch es .Add t o t h is ,v is it s t o ant iqu es cent r es and 

lo calSu nday fair s and y o u h av eag r eat w eekend in pr o s pect ,ano t h er mu s t fo r y o u r ev ent s diar y . 

46 

© F lic k r _jo e f lin t h a m 

F RIDAY 5 O CTO BER Departing O xted w e make 

our w ay to Saw bridg ew orth , H ertfordsh ire w h ere 

th ere are five w areh ouse antique centres on one site 

next to th e river Stort N avig ation.W e travel on to 

W aterside A ntiques in E ly, th e larg est antiques centre 

in E ast A ng lia, w ith a floor space of 10,000 square 

feet and more th an 6 5 antique dealers.W e h ave time 

to ch eck out th e antique sh ops clustered around th e 

mag nificent cath edral and find lunch before 

journeying on to U pping h am in th e h eart of Rutland 

and tw o more antique centres. Folow ing our visit w e 

make our w ay to th e h otel. 

© F lic k r _G w y d io n M .W illia m s



SATU RDAY 6 O CTO BER A fter breakfast w e travel 

th e sh ort distance to th e E ast of E ng land 

Sh ow g round at Peterboroug h w h ere, th is w eekend w e 

sh al find a spectacular array of antiques and 

colectables for sale. Items such as jew elery, ch ina, 

stamps, miltitaria, linen and toys, in fact anyth ing old 

and colectable are al on display in th e M ain A rena. 

L eading from h ere are th e nine bays of th e N atW est 

B uilding w ith stals containing furniture, fine art and 

anyth ing else th at is old and requires a little more 

space to display it. Th e th ird building , th e Cambridg e 

Suite, contains many rare h ig h quality pieces. O n 

from h ere is th e exec centre: th ree times th e siz e of 

th e M ain A rena th is building w il h ave a g ood mixture 

of furniture and ceramics on display. Surrounding al 

of th e building s are outdoor pitch es and trade 

marquees containing items from al over E urope, from 

arch itectural furniture to antique farm implements. 

SU N DAY 7 O CTO BER Departing from our h otel 

w e seek out local Sunday vilag e fairs, w h ere so often 

barg ains are to be found before returning h ome early 

evening . 

© F lic k r _M a r t in Pe t t it t 


PARK IN N Pe t e r b o r o u g h 

Situated in th e h eart of th e city, th e Park Inn 

offers easy access to Q ueensg ate Sh opping 

Centre and th e Peterboroug h Cath edral. 

A l bedrooms h ave en suite facilities, TV, 

h airdryer, and h ospitality tray. 




E n t r y t o f air s n o t in c lu d e d 

© F lic k r _s t e v e c a d m a n 

© F lic k r _G w y d io n M .W illia m s 

47

St affo r ds h ir e 

21 – 25 O c to b e r 

O n t h is t o u r w ev is it t h eN at io nalM em o r ialAr bo r et u m ,t h eU K ’s cent r eo fRem em br ance,t h eu niqu e 

G lads t o nePo t t er y M u s eu m w it h it s co bbled co u r t y ar d and bo t t lekilns and Sh u g bo r o u g h E s t at e,t h eU K ’s 

o nly co mplet ew o r king h is t o r ic es t at e.W es h a lals o v is it t h eh is t o r ic t o w ns o fCh es t er and L ich field,h o m e 

t o t h eo nly m ediev alE ng lis h cat h edr alw it h t h r ees pir es ,and h av eag u ided t o u r o ft h ePeakDis t r ict 

N at io nalPar k. 

SU N DAY 2 1 O CTO BER Departing O xted 8.00am M O N DAY 2 2 O CTO BER 

A fter breakfast w e make 

w e make our w ay to th e N ational M emorial 

A rboretum, w h ere w e sh al h ave time to find lunch 

and h ave a look around before continuing on to th e 

G ladstone Pottery M useum, th e last complete 

Victorian Pottery factory. Discover h ow bone ch ina 

tablew are w as made in th e orig inal w orksh ops and 

g iant bottle kilns and experience for yourself w h at 

conditions w ere like for th e men, w omen and ch ildren 

w h o w orked at th e centre of th e w orld’s pottery 

industry. Folow ing our visit w e make our w ay to 

our h otel. 

48 

our w ay to th e h istoric tow n of Ch ester, th e most 

complete w aled city in B ritain. H ere you w il find th e 

10th Century cath edral and Th e ‘Row s’; black & w h ite 

h alf timbered building s above street level w ith 

covered w alkw ays. Th ere is also an extensive sh opping 

area w ith some lovely cafés to enjoy lunch . E arly 

afternoon w e make our w ay to th e A nderton B oat 

L ift, one of th e g reatest monuments to B ritain’s last 

canal ag e. H ere w e sh al take a one w ay g uided tour 

th roug h th e B oat L ift, learning about its h istory, 

mech anics and restoration.W e th en board a boat for



a 40-minute round trip from A nderton B oat L ift to 

N orth w ich Sw ing B ridg e along th eW eaver 

N avig ation. 

TU ESDAY 2 3 O CTO BER Today w e h ave a ful day 

g uided tour of th e Staffordsh ire Peak District N ational 

Park passing th roug h B uxton, E yam (th e plag ue 

vilag e), w h ere w e sh al make our coffee stop. 

Continuing on w e h ead to Castleton and on to 

H ath ersag e, our lunch stop. A fter lunch w e h ead to 

G lossop, passing th e famous “Dambusters” reservoirs 

of Derw ent and L adybow er and th roug h Snake Pass, 

one of th e most dramatic and rug g ed parts of th e 

area before continuing on to L eek and th en returning 

to our h otel. 

W EDN ESDAY 2 4 O CTO BER Th is morning w e 

journey to L ich field, Staffordsh ire’s premier h eritag e 

city, w h ere w e sh al be at leisure to explore and find 

lunch . Th is afternoon w e visit Sh ug boroug h E state, 

ancestral h ome to th e E arls of L ich field. Set in 900 


CREW E H AL L H O TEL C r e w e 

L ocated in extensive g rounds, th is G rade I 

listed building h as been attracting refined 

g uests since th e 17 th century, including our 

current monarch Q ueen E liz abeth I. N o 

oth er h otel in Ch esh ire displays th e mix of 

h istoric Jacobean and sh arp 21st century 

arch itecture like Crew e H al: w ith exquisite 

marble fireplaces, ornate plasterw ork, carved 

w ood and stained g lass w indow s. 



Superb leisure & spa facilities 


Visit to N ational M emorial A rboretum 

acres of Staffordsh ire countryside, Sh ug boroug h h as 

roling sw ath es of lush g reen parkland, h istoric 

w oodlands and G rade I listed formal g ardens w h ich 

frame a perfect riverside setting . H ere w e sh al be 

free to explore th e estate including th e private 

apartments of th e E arl of L ich field. M rs B onh am, th e 

h ousekeeper w il take us on a tour of th e servants’ 

quarters and w e sh al partake of a cream tea before 

h eading back to our h otel. 

TH U RSDAY 2 5 O CTO BER Departing after 

breakfast w e h ead h omew ards, visiting A ynsley Ch ina 

in L ong ton, one of th e last w orking fine bone ch ina 

factories in E ng land. H ere w e sh al h ave a tour of th e 

factory and time to find lunch and brow se in th e 

sh op before continuing our h omew ard journey, 

arriving in O xted early evening . 

E ntry to G ladstone Pottery 

B oat trip & ride on A nderton B oat L ift 

Ful day g uided tour th roug h Peak District 

N ational Park 

Time to explore Ch ester & L ich field 

E ntry to Sh ug boroug h E state, 

H ousekeeper tour & cream tea 

E ntry to A ynsley Ch ina 



N at Tr u s t m e m b e r s le s s £ 4.50 b u t m u s t b r in g 

c ar d 

49

Sidm o u t h Fes t iv e Br eak 

5 – 9 N o v e m b e r 

A fes t iv ebr eakin t h eev er po pu lar So u t h Dev o n co as t alr es o r t o fSidm o u t h w h er ew es h a ls t ay at t h e 

fam ily r u n Ro y alY o r k& Fau lkner H o t el.Fo r h u ndr eds o fy ear s Sidm o u t h w as at iny fis h ing v ilag et h en,in 

t h e19t h cent u r y ,it w as t r ans fo r m ed int o t h es m ar t s eas ider es o r t w es eet o day ,co m plet ew it h it s 

ch ar ming Reg ency v ilas and Vict o r ian co t t ag es . 

Departing from O xted 

at 9.00am w e make our w ay to Sidmouth , stopping 

for refresh ments along th e w ay and arriving late 

afternoon at th e RoyalY ork & Faulkner H otel. 

TU ESDAY 6 N O V EM BER A fter breakfast w e drive 

to L iving Coasts, Torquay’s Coastal Zoo w h ere you w il 

find a rang e of fascinating coastal creatures from th e 

loud and lovable peng uins, to th e fun and fabulous fur 

seals, not forg etting th e colourful puffins and sea 

ducks – w h o are al at h ome in th is unique 

environment.W h ile birds fly freely overh ead you can 

w alk in th e open air past sandy beach es, rug g ed cliffs 

and even a peaceful estuary for w ading birds. Th en 

50 

M O N DAY 5 N O V EM BER descend into th e underw ater view ing areas w h ere 

you can see th e seals and diving birds at th eir best. 

Th en relax and enjoy lunch in th e w aterside café w ith 

its breath taking view s across Tor B ay.W e th en take 

th e sh ort drive to th e H ouse of M arbles, an 18th 

century factory on th e edg e of Dartmoor w h ere th ey 

h ave been manufacturing a rang e of g ames, toys, 

marbles and g lassw are for many years. H ere you w il 

be at leisure to w ander around th e old pottery 

building s w ith th eir listed kilns, enjoy th e museums of 

g lass, g ames, marbles, B ovey pottery and see th e 

g lassblow ers at w ork, sh aping items such as 

paperw eig h ts, w ine g lasses, scent bottles and th e 

© F lic k r – An d y H a w k in s



famous and h ug eVictorian replica marbles. Th is 

evening w e sh al be served a traditional Ch ristmas 

Dinner, folow ed by entertainment. 

W EDN ESDAY 7 N O V EM BER 

Th e day is yours to 

sig h tsee and explore th is ch arming and unspoilt 

seaside resort w h ich nestles beneath th e majestic red 

cliffs of Peak and Salcombe H il and th e g reen h ils of 

th e g lorious Sid Valey. Renow ned for its g ardens and 

famous for its w ealth of fine arch itecture, th e 

picturesque tow n centre offers an excelent rang e of 

individual sh ops and is a delig h t to brow se. 

TH U RSDAY 8 N O V EM BER Today w e take a scenic 

driveW estw ards to see more of th e South Devon 

coastline including Daw lish , Teig nmouth and Torquay, 

th e larg est and most famous seaside resort in Devon 

w h ich w ith its sub-tropical trees makes it th e nearest 

place to a French Riviera resort in B ritain.W e th en 

continue on to Dartmouth , th e picturesque h istoric 

fish ing port. 

F RIDAY 9 N O V EM BER L eaving th e h otel after 

breakfast w e make our w ay h omew ards w ith 

refresh ment stops along th e w ay. A rriving h ome late 

afternoon. 


RO YAL YO RK & FAU L K N ER H O TEL 

Sid m o u t h 

Th is mag nificent Reg ency building , dating 

from 1810 enjoys an unrivaled position at 

th e centre of Sidmouth ’s eleg ant E splanade, 

adjacent to th e picturesque tow n Centre. 

O w ned and personaly run by th e H ook 

family, resident proprietors for th ree 

g enerations, th e h otel h as earned a long 

standing reputation for h ospitality and service. 



4 nig h ts Dinner, B ed & B reakfast, w ith 

A fternoon Tea on arrival. 

Time to explore Sidmouth 

E ntry to L iving Coasts 

Visit to H ouse of M arbles 

Scenic drive along th e South Devon Coast 


51

Bir m in g h am Tat t o o & C h r is t m as M ar k e t 

23 – 25 N o v e m b e r 

E njo y an u nfo r g et t ableaft er no o n as y o u jo in u s in t h eN at io nalIndo o r Ar enafo r t h e24 t h B ir m ing h am 

Tat t o o . W it h m as s ed bands ,ex cit ing dis play s and as pect acu lar finaleit ' s at r u ly m em o r ableex per ience! 

Y o u ' lals o h av et h ech ancet o v is it B ir m ing h am ' s Ch r is t m as Cr aft fair and r eno w ned F r ankfu r t Ch r is t m as 

M ar ket & v is it Cadbu r y W o r ld and t h eW o r ld’s big g es t Cadbu r y Sh o p. 

52 

F RIDAY 2 3 N O V EM BER 

Departing O xted 9.30am 

w e make our w ay to B lenh eim Palace, h ome to th e 

Duke and Duch ess of M arlboroug h and th e birth place 

of SirW inston Ch urch il, w h ich , at th is time of year 

w il be w onderfuly decorated in a style reminiscent 

of aVictorian Ch ristmas; th e spirit of Ch ristmas past, 

present and future w il be on sh ow th roug h out th e 

palace. Folow ing our visit w e continue on to our 

B irming h am h otel. 

SATU RDAY 2 4 N O V EM BER A ful day at leisure to 

experience B irming h am’s F rankfurt Ch ristmas M arket 

and Craft Fair (B irming h am h as been tw inned w ith 

F rankfurt for more th an 40 years). Th e Traditional



stals offer an array of beautiful h andmade toys, 

Ch ristmas decorations, orig inal jew elery and craft 

g oods. E njoy th e delig h ts of G erman muled w ine 

(G lüh w ein), g riled sausag es, G erman beer, and for 

th ose w ith a sw eet tooth , g ing erbread, crepes and 

marz ipan sw eets. A t th e h eart of th e market in 

Victoria Square is a traditional bandstand w h ere 

musicians perform every lunch time. L ocated rig h t 

next to th e Ch ristmas M arket, th e Craft Fair g ives th e 

ch ance to brow se an entirely different selection of 

items crafted by local artisans, as w el as g oods 

imported from al over th e w orld by local traders. 

M ore stals h ave been added on Centenary W ay 

B ridg e and Centenary Square: w ith over 180 stals, it 

is one of th e U K ’s larg est Ch ristmas markets. 

SU N DAY 2 5 N O V EM BER Th is morning w e make 

our w ay to Cadbury W orld w h ere ch ocolate comes to 

life! Discover th e orig ins of ch ocolate in th e A z tec 

Jung le attraction (but be w arned – E mperor 

M ontez uma is very protective of h is cocoa!), strol 

dow n Victorian B ul Street w ith Joh n Cadbury h imself, 

see th e master ch ocolatiers w ork th eir mag ic in th e 

demonstration area, g row your ow n cocoa beans and 

marvel as it rains virtual ch ocolate! A fter an early 

lunch w e make th e sh ort drive to th e N IA for th e 

2.00pm performance of th e B irming h am Tattoo, a 

mag ical blend of music and colour, pomp and 

pag eantry, popular w ith audiences both young and 


PARK IN N Bir m in g h a m W e s t 




Time to explore B irming h am Ch ristmas 

M arket 

E ntry to B lenh eim Palace 

old. See th e massed march ing bands, th e fanfare 

trumpeters, th e field-g un competition, th e dog 

display-team, th e massed parade of standards and 

many oth er spectacular performances th at fil th is 

th ree-h our extravag anz a. A fter th e performance w e 

make our w ay h ome, making a stop at a service 

station for a ch ance to h ave supper. A rriving h ome 

mid evening . 

E ntry to Cadbury W orld 

M atinee performance of B irming h am 

Tattoo 

£ 2 52 .00 PER PERSO N 


53

Th u r s fo r d Ch r is t m as Sp ect acu lar 

3 – 4 D e c e m b e r 

Th u r s fo r d,t h elar g es t Ch r is t m as s pect acu lar in E ng land,pr o v ides t h eu lt im at eCh r is t m as mu s ical 

ex per ience,s t ag ing ablend o fCh r is t mas ent er t ainm ent ,s o ng s ,car o ls ,daz z ling dancer s and beau t ifu l 

co s t u m es .E ach s h o w is apag eant o fs pect acleand co lo u r w it h acas t o fo v er 100 per fo r mer s .Th eTh eat r e 

B u ilding is t r ans fo r m ed int o aCh r is t m as w o nder land w it h amy r iad o flig h t s and deco r at io ns ,t h es h o ps 

ar ea lcr am m ed w it h w o nder fu lg ift s .( Ch ildr en u nder 8 ar eno t per m it t ed). 


morning w e make our w ay to Th ursford, stopping for 

refresh ments along th e w ay and arriving in time to 

find lunch prior to taking our seats for th e matinee 

M O N DAY 3 DECEM BER performance of th e Ch ristmas Spectacular * * * (see 

54 

note below ). A fter th e sh ow w e drive to our N orw ich 

h otel and evening dinner.



TU ESDAY 4 DECEM BER Departing after breakfast 

w e visit th e city of N orw ich w ith its old cobbled 

lanes, beautiful cath edral and majestic castle. H ere 

w e sh al be at leisure to explore th is fine medieval 

city w ith its 12th century Castle – th e h ug e K eep of 

w h ich is now a museum and h ouses a fascinating 

variety of exh ibits; tw o medieval g atew ays lead to th e 

mainly N orman cath edral in its peaceful surrounding s 

of th e Close.Visit Colman’s unique M ustard Sh op and 

M useum w h ich traces th e 150 year h istory of th is 

favourite delicacy – over 18 different mustards are 

available.W h ilst exploring th e many h idden 

aleyw ays, courtyards and lanes you w il encounter 

fascinating g limpses of th e past. E arly afternoon w e 

journey h omew ards, arriving mid evening . 

***PL EASE N O TE 

Depending on our ticket 

alocation, th e performance could be 

evening /matinee on eith er day and th e itinerary may 

be ch ang ed to reflect th at, so w e may h ave lunch at 

th e h otel instead of dinner. 

H O L IDAY IN N 

N o r w ic h N o r t h 


Th e H oliday Inn N orw ich -N orth h otel h as a 

H ealth & F itness Club, w ith 13m h eated 

sw imming pool and fuly equipped g ym. 

A l bedrooms h ave private facilities, TV, 


1 nig h t L unch or Dinner, B ed & B reakfast 

Seat at th e Th ursford Ch ristmas 

Spectacular 

Time to explore N orw ich 

£ 19 2 .00 PER PERSO N 


55

Tr ier Ch r is t m as M ar k et 7 – 10 D e c e m b e r 

Rich in Ro m an h is t o r y w it h it s s cenic beau t y and h is t o r icalm o nu m ent s ,Tr ier is t h em ain cent r eo ft h eRiv er 

M o s e lew inet r ade.H er e,in t h em ediev alm ar ket s qu ar eis aG er m an Ch r is t m as M ar ket co m plet ew it h 

h and-m adet o y s and deco r at io ns ,t h ear o m ao fr o as t ch es t nu t s and t o as t ed alm o nds ;v ar io u s t y pes o f 

L ebku ch en -t h er ealG er man s t y leg ing er br ead in av ar iet y o fs h apes and s iz es .To a lt h is add aw ar m ing 

‘G lû h w ein’and y o u h av et h em aking s o fat r u ly m ag icalCh r is t m as . 


drive to Folkestone and th e E urotunnel to Calais, th en 

on th roug h F rance, B elg ium and across th e G erman 

border to our h otel, quietly located in th e h eart of 

Trier, th e oldest city in G ermany. H ome to six Roman 

emperors, Trier h as many ruins, including th e 

impressive Porta N ig ra (th e B lack G ate), a four storey 

structure th at w as once part of th e city’s w als. “Roma 

Secunda”, th e second Rome, w as anoth er name for 

Trier, and now h ere else in G ermany are Roman times 

so vividly recaled as h ere, w ith th e A mph ith eatre, 

built around A D 100, th e ruins of th e Imperial Roman 

F RIDAY 7 DECEM BER B ath s, th e Roman B ridg e and th e Roman B asilica 

56 

w h ich is now used as a ch urch . 

SATU RDAY 8 DECEM BER A day at leisure to enjoy 

th e Ch ristmas M arket h eld in th e medieval market 

square, one of th e loveliest in G ermany w ith its 

Petrus fountain, and traffic free areas. O n th e festively 

decorated stands, you w il find w ooden toys, 

Ch ristmas decorations, ceramic and oth er g ift articles. 

In th e Ch ristmas M arket pavilion a brass band and 

puppet th eatre h elp to create a w arming atmosph ere. 

G ood food aw aits you as w el: bratw urst sausag es, 

potato pancakes, sw eets, h ot tea and muled w ine.



SU N DAY 9 DECEM BER A furth er day at leisure or, 

if you prefer, join us as w e make our w ay into 

L uxembourg w h ere th e Ch ristmas market is in ful 

sw ing in th e Place d’A rmes in th e city centre. Th e city 

of L uxembourg annualy h osts th eW inter L ig h ts 

festival during advent, Ch ristmas and N ew Y ear: th e 

capital is adorned w ith more th an 1,6 00m of lig h ts 

creating beautifuly fairy lit scenery of tree-lined 

streets and squares. L uxembourg ’s location and 

mixture of lang uag es add to th e Ch ristmas market’s 

E uropean flavour - you can find items from Saxony, 

F rance and more. Th e market h as various g ifts such as 

h andcrafted items, h eart-sh aped g ing erbread, toys 

and much , much more. Carol sing ers entertain and 

sooth visitors sing ing in L uxembourg ish , French and 

E ng lish . Soak in th e atmosph ere w h ilst drinking 

G lüh w ein (muled w ine) or Drëpp (Sch napps). B e sure 

to try some local cuisine too! - Such as M ettw ursch t 

(sausag e), some pancakes, Th üring er (sausag e) 

and th e tong ue tw ister, G romperekich elch er 

(potato fritters). 

M O N DAY 10 DECEM BER A fter breakfast w e 

commence our h omew ard journey, making a stop at a 

h ypermarket en route and arriving h ome midevening 

. 


M ERCU RE H O TEL 

Tr ie r Po r t a N ig ra 

Situated next to th e w orld famous Porta- 

N ig ra and just a few minutes from th e 

h istoric tow n centre. 


teleph one & radio. 


Time to explore Trier & L uxembourg 

Visit to H ypermarket 


Sin g le Ro o m Su p p : £ 42 .50 

© F lic k r – b ib e n d u m 84 

57

M en t o n L em o n Fes t iv al By Train 

F e b ru a r y 2013 

B anis h t h o s ew int er blu es and co m ew it h u s by h ig h -s peed t r ain t o t h eblu es o ft h eM edit er r anean,as w e l 

as t h eo r ang es and lemo ns o ft h efam o u s Cit r u s F es t iv alh eld ev er y F ebr u ar y in M ent o n.W es h a lbe 

s t ay ing in o neo ft h ebes t -lo v ed r es o r t s o n t h eco as t o ft h eIt alian Riv ier a,t h at o fDiano M ar ina,an 

at t r act iv et o w n s et in aw ides w eeping bay .Th em ild clim at em eans t h at t em per at u r es ar eg ener a ly 

h ig h er t h an els ew h er ein no r t h er n It aly ,m aking it an idealplacet o v is it ear ly in t h ey ear . 

DAY 1 M eet your Skinners Representative at take you to th e little tow n of Cervo in th e afternoon, 

L ondon St Pancras or E bbsfleet station and board sh ould you w ish to visit. 

your E urostar train to F rance w h ere w e ch ang e to TG V DAY 3 

Today w e take a scenic drive along th e 

direct to N ice. Coach transfer to our H otel in Italy. coastal w ays and see some of th e h istoric medieval 

DAY 2 A day at leisure to explore Diano M arina, tow ns of th e F loral Riviera, including A lassio w h ere w e 

set in a w ide sw eeping bay w ith sandy beach es and sh al h ave time to explore th e local street market and 

an old tow n w ith both ch arm and ch aracter. Th e find lunch before journeying on to th e picturesque 

beach is safe, th e w ater sparkles and th e eleg ant tow n of A lbeng a. 

palm-fring ed promenade is an ideal place for a strol. DAY 4 Today w e’re off to M enton, w h ere th e 80th 

Th ere are pavement cafés, bars and restaurants, and F ête du Citron is in ful sw ing . Th e w h ole tow n turns 

in th e citrus lined streets th ere are sh ops, boutiques into a fruity paradise, w ith floats depicting everyth ing 

and a w eekly market. Th ere is a local bus th at can from B uddh as to coconut g roves al made out of fruit. 

58



Th e Festival h as a different th eme each year, w ith 

past th emes including th eW orld’s Islands for 2008, 

th e M usic of th eW orld for 2009., th e Cinema for 

2010, Th e G reatest Civiliz ations for 2011 and th e 

F rench reg ions in 2012.W e sh al h ave time to see th e 

citrus exh ibition in th e B iovès G ardens w h ich is a tour 

around th e cultures of th e w orld th roug h th e 

fantastical fruit statues.W e h ave arrang ed for a 

w alking tour of M enton old tow n and w e sh al h ave 

time to visit th e beautiful g ardens of w h ich M enton is 

so proud, and h ave some lunch before taking our 

places for th e carnival parade. Returning to our h otel 

early evening . 

DAY 5 A furth er day at leisure or join us for an 

optional excursion to M onaco, th e royal ancestral 

h ome of th e G rimaldi family. Th ere w il be time to 

explore th e ornate casino-land of M onte Carlo and 

perh aps try your luck at th e tables, or just g az e at 

some of th e luxury yach ts moored in th e h arbour. 

DAY 6 A fter breakfast, coach transfer to N ice 

and our H ig h -speed trains to L ondon/E bbsfleet 

arriving early evening . 


TH E PAL ACE H O TEL 

Dia n o M a r in a 

Th e Palace H otel is situated on th e 

promenade and w ith in easy w alking distance 

to th e tow n centre. Th ere is a lift to al floors, 

and a Jacuz z i on th e top floor. 


teleph one & radio. 


Travel by h ig h -speed train to th e Riviera 

Scenic drive along th e coast 

Time to explore Diano M arina, M enton, 

A lassio, A lbeng a & M onaco 

Visit to th e L emon Festival 

E ntrance to citrus set-pieces exh ibition 

G uided w alking tour of M enton 

£ TBC PER PERSO N 

Sin g le Ro o m Su p p : £ TBC 

(Pr ic e s n o t av ailab le at t im e o f g o in g t o p r in t , b u t 

p le as e c o n t ac t u s if y o u ar e in t e r e s t e d in t h is t o u r & w e 

w ill k e e p y o u in f o r m e d ). 

© An n e G r e e n h a lg h 

59

Do o r -t o -Do o r Co llect io n Ser v ice 

60

W e w ill ar r an g e f o r y o u an d y o u r lu g g ag e t o b e 

c o lle c t e d f r o m y o u r d o o r u p o n d e p ar t u r e an d 

t ak e n t o y o u r c o ac h , t h e n u p o n y o u r r e t u r n , 

c o lle c t e d f r o m y o u r t o u r c o ac h an d r e t u r n e d 

t o y o u r d o o r. 

If y o u liv e w it h in t h e b lac k lin e , t h is s e r v ic e is 

f r e e o f c h ar g e . If y o u liv e o u t s id e it , w e w ill b e 

p le as e d t o o f f e r t h e s am e s e r v ic e f o r a s m all 

ad d it io n al c h arg e . 

Ple as e r in g o u r o f f ic e f o r f u r t h e r d e t ails . 

Co p y rig h t © 2003 M ic ro s o ft Co rp . a n d /o r it s s u p p lie rs . 

All rig h t s re s e rv e d . 

61

Co ach H o liday Trav el In s u ran ce 

A Sp e c ia l H o lid a y Tra v e l In s u ra n c e Sc h e m e is a v a ila b le fo r a ll p a s s e n g e rs t ra v e llin g o n o u r h o lid a y s w h ic h is 

a r ra n g e d w it h E T I – In t e r n a t io n a l Tra v e l Pr o t e c t io n (t h e U K b ra n c h o f E u r o p ä is c h e Re is e v e rs c h e r u n g AG ) w h o a r e 

L ic e n s e d b y t h e Bu n d e s a n s t a lt fü r Fin a n z d ie n s t le is t u n g s a u fs ic h t (BAF IN – w w w .b a f in .d e ) a n d a p p r o v e d b y t h e 

Fin a n c ia l Se r v ic e s Au t h o r it y (F SA – w w w .fs a .g o v .u k ) t o u n d e r t a k e in s u ra n c e b u s in e s s in t h e U K . Sh o u ld y o u w is h t o 

t a k e a d v a n t a g e o f o u r H o lid a y Tra v e l In s u ra n c e p le a s e in c lu d e t h e a p p r o p r ia t e p r e m iu m w h e n b o o k in g y o u r h o lid a y . 

DEM AN DS AN D N EEDS 

Th is insurance policy w il suit th e Demands and N eeds of an individual 

or g roup(w h ere applicable) w h o h ave no excluded pre-existing medical 

conditions, are traveling in countries included w ith in th e policy terms 

and w h o w ish to insure th emselves ag ainst unforeseen events detailed in 

th e cover section below. Subject to th e terms, conditions and maximum 

specified claim limits. 

IM PO RTAN T 

W e w il not provide you w ith advice about th e suitability of th is product 

for your individual needs but w il be h appy to provide you w ith factual 

information.W e summarise below th e details of th e insurance cover 

provided w h ich also includes SPE CIA L TY A SSISTA N CE L TD - 24-h our 

emerg ency service.Th e folow ing is a brief summary of th e cover available. 

Ful details of Cover, Policy W arranties and E xclusions w il be forw arded 

w ith your confirmation of booking . In any event you may ask for a 

specimen copy of th e Policy W ording before booking sh ould you w ish to 

examine th is in advance. 

CO V ER SU M IN SU RED U P TO 

Cancelation £ 3,500 

M issed Departure/Travel Delay £ 600/£ 60 

Personal A ccident £ 15,000 

M edical and oth er E xpenses including Curtailment £ 2 ,000,000 

A dditional Traveling E xpenses – U nited K ing dom £ 1,500 

M edical Inconvenience B enefit £ 450 (£ 15 p er 2 4 h o u r s ) 

Personal Property/L oss of Passport £ 1,500/£ 2 00 

Personal L iability £ 2 ,000,000 

Delayed B ag g ag e £ 100 

L eg al E xpenses £ 10,000 

14 day Refund In s u ran ce Pr em iu m 

PO L ICY EX CESS 

Cancelation, Curtailment, H oliday A bandonment and L oss of Deposit for 

h olidays up to and including 3 days N IL . For h olidays over 3 days L oss of 

Deposit excess £15.00 each and every loss. For h olidays over 3 days 

excess £50.00 each and every loss for Cancelation, Curtailment and 

H oliday A bandonment. M edical and O th er E xpenses,A dditional 

Traveling E xpenses – U nited K ing dom, Personal Property and M oney 

excess £30.00 each and every incident per Insured Person. 

EX CESS W AIV ER O PTIO N 

Th e excesses above can be reduced to Zero if you decide to take out th e 

excess w aiver option.Th is is available at an additional premium but can 

only be purch ased at th e time of booking . Please make sure you advise 

us th at th is option is required. 

62 

IM PO RTAN T – H EAL TH CO N DITIO N S APPL YIN G TO 

AL L TRAV EL DESTIN ATIO N S 

If y o u a re t ra v e llin g in E n g la n d , S c o t la n d ,W a le s , N o r t h e rn Ire la n d a n d 

c a n a n s w e r N O t o q u e s t io n s 1 -3 a n d Y E S t o 4 im m e d ia t e ly b e lo w , it 

w ill n o t b e n e c e s s a ry fo r y o u t o c o m p le t e a S e lf D e c la rin g M e d ic a l 

Fo rm .T h e S t a n d a rd P o lic y T e rm s , Co n d it io n s a n d E x c lu s io n s s h a ll a p p ly . 

Ap p ly in g t o all ar eas 

It is a condition th at at th e time of taking out th is policy and betw een 

th at time and your departure you must comply w ith each of th e 

folow ing : 

1) Y ou are not aw are of any reason w h y th e trip sh ould be canceled or 

cut sh ort 

2 ) Y ou are not traveling : 

a) ag ainst th e advice of a medical practitioner 

b) for th e purpose of obtaining medical treatment, or 

c) if you h ave been g iven a terminal prog nosis 

3) Y ou are not receiving or aw aiting treatment for an ilness or injury as 

a h ospital day case or in-patient, as any claim arising from th is injury 

or treatment w il not be covered. 

4) if you are on medication at th e time of travel your medical condition 

is stable and w el controled. 

In addit io n if y o u ar e t rav elin g o u t s ide En g lan d, Sco t lan d,W ales an d 

N o r t h er n Ir elan d, t h e fo llo w in g addit io n al co n dit io n s w ill ap p ly : 

Y ou must notify th e Issuer of th is policy immediately of any of th e 

conditions listed below arising betw een th e date th e policy is issued and 

th e time of departure of th e trip.W e must be informed of any fact, 

w h ich is likely to influence us in th e acceptance, assessment or 

continuance of th is insurance. Failure to do so may invalidate th is 

insurance, leaving you w ith no rig h t to make a claim. 

1) if you h ave received medical treatment as a h ospital day case, inpatient 

or out-patient during th e six month s prior to th e booking of th e 

trip, you must obtain from a medical practitioner at your cost 

confirmation th at you w il be fit enoug h to take th e trip. 

2) if you are underg oing medical treatment as a h ospital out-patient at 

th e date th e final balance of th e trip is due to be paid, you obtain a 

certificate of fitness confirming your ability to travel mist at your cost. 

TH E PO L ICY CO N TAIN S TH E F O L L O W IN G G EN ERAL EX CL U SIO N S: 

Y O U A RE N O T CO VE RE D for anyth ing caused directly or indirectly by 

you suffering from stress, anxiety or depression unless it h as been 

investig ated and diag nosed as such by a Consultant specialising in th e 

relevant field, w h o must confirm in w riting at your cost th at you are fit 

enoug h to take th is trip. 

Please note our H oliday Travel Insurance Sch eme is only available to 

U nited K ing dom Residents. 

W e are an A ppointed Representative of ITC Compliance L imited w h o are 

auth orised and reg ulated by th e F inancial ServicesA uth ority.

H o liday In s u ran ce Pr em iu m s 

DATES TO U R PR EM IU M 

23 - 25 M arch Devon A ntiques £14.6 5 

31 M ar - 5 A pril Isles of Scily £21.7 5 

6 - 9 A pril E aster in Colog ne £27 .7 5 

6 - 9 A pril Cotsw olds at E aster £18.35 

17 - 24 A pril Cardiff & M id W ales £25.40 

5 - 7 M ay K ennet & A von Canal Ramble £14.6 5 

12 - 16 M ay L oireValey £29.15 

20 - 24 M ay Sidmouth – Cream of Devon £21.7 5 

25 - 27 M ay Y orksh ire & H emsw el A ntiques £14.6 5 

25 - 31 M ay L ake District £24.50 

1 - 4 June Th e Cotsw old O limpick G ames & Sh ire Rambles £18.35 

9 - 16 June N orth ern Delig h ts – Sh etland & O rkney £25.40 

19 - 24 June Isle of M an £33.25 

9 - 13 July Isle ofW ig h t £21.7 5 

6 - 10 A ug ust F loriade £29.15 

21 - 27 A ug ust South E ast Ireland,W icklow M ountains & Tal Sh ips £35.15 

25 - 27 A ug ust A Summer Ramble £14.6 5 

7 - 16 September Italian L akes £38.6 0 

17 - 21 September H arrog ate & PennineY orksh ire & th e Dales – B rontë Country £21.7 5 

30 Sept - 2 O ct M ystery Tour £14.6 5 

1 - 8 O ctober Falmouth £25.40 

5 - 7 O ctober Festival of A ntiques – Peterboroug h £14.6 5 

21 - 25 O ctober Staffordsh ire £21.7 5 

5 - 9 N ovember Sidmouth Festive B reak £21.7 5 

23 - 25 N ovember B irming h am Tattoo & Ch ristmas M arket £14.6 5 

3 - 4 December Th ursford Ch ristmas Spectacular £8.90 

7 - 10 December Trier Ch ristmas M arket £27 .7 5 

February 2013 M enton L emon Festival by Train £TB A 

All o f t h e ab o v e in s u r an c e p r e m iu m s ar e in c lu s iv e o f In s u r an c e Pr e m iu m Tax . 

Tr av e l In s u r an c e E x c e s s W aiv e r £ 7.95 

63

Bo o k in g Co n dit io n s 

Sk in n e r s o f O x t e d , 15 Ba r r o w G r e e n Ro a d , O x t e d , Su r r e y RH 8 0N J (p a r t n e r s SM N & DM Sk in n e r ) 

O U R T RADIN G C H ART E R W IT H YO U 

W h y s h o u ld I r ead t h is p ag e? 

B ecause it is very important. O urTrading Ch arter forms a key part of our 

ag reement w ith you and forms th e basis of a leg aly binding contract 

betw een you as th e lead name making th e booking , anyone else in your 

party and us. 

W h en you make th is booking as th e lead name you undertake th at you 

h ave th e auth ority to accept, and do accept, on beh alf of your party th e 

terms of th ese booking conditions.Th is contract is made subject to th e 

terms of th ese booking conditions, w h ich are g overned by E ng lish L aw, 

and th e non-exclusive jurisdiction of th e E ng lish Courts. 

If your h oliday involves any travel by air your contract w il be w ith 

G reatdays H olidays L td,A TO L 427 9, for w h om Skinners of O xted is an 

auth orised retail ag ent. 

Th ese contract terms and financial g uarantees w il not apply to any h oliday 

involving any type of flig h t. Instead, you w il be supplied w ith th e ful 

booking conditions of th eA TO L h older arrang ing your h oliday.Y our booking 

ag ent w il h ave a copy or alternatively you can request one prior to 

booking your h oliday from Skinners of O xted, 15 B arrow G reen Road, 

O xted, RH 8 0N J, 01883 7 136 33. If you did not see th is trading ch arter 

before you made your booking and you are not h appy to proceed w ith 

th e booking now th at you h ave seen it please return al documentation 

to us or th e travel ag ent th roug h w h om you booked w ith in 7 days of 

receiving th is ch arter.Y our booking w il be canceled and your monies 

w il be returned in ful, provided you h ave not commenced your travel. 

H o w an d w h en do I m ak e t h is co n t ract w it h y o u ? 

W e w elcome you making contact w ith us in a number of w ays: you can 

w rite to us, ph one us or email us.W h ich ever w ay you contact us th e 

contract is made w h en your booking is entered on to our reservation 

system and w e issue a confirmation of booking .W e w il send you, or your 

ag ent th e confirmation of your booking w ith in seven w orking days. Please 

ch eck th is confirmation very carefuly to ensure al th e information is 

correct and tel us, or your ag ent, immediately of any errors. 

H o w is m y h o liday m o n ey p r o t ect ed? 

W e subscribe to th e Code of Conduct of th e B onded Coach H olidays 

G roup (“B CH G ”) of th e Confederation of Passeng erTransport U K . 

B CH G requires a bond to be taken out to provide protection for your 

h oliday money in th e unlikely event th at a M ember cannot, for financial 

reasons, carry out th eir oblig ations to th eir passeng ers. 

BCH G Co n s u m er G u aran t ee 

Th e B onded Coach H oliday G roup g uarantees to bona fide customers 

th at in th e event of failure of a bona fide M ember, it w il: 

(1) w h erever possible, arrang e for a h oliday or tour to be completed; 

(2 ) w h ere failure occurs after a h oliday h as beg un, arrang e for 

customers to be returned by an appropriate means of transport to 

th eir U K area of departure; 

(3) if th e h oliday or tour cannot be completed as planned, th e reimbursement 

of payments made by th e customer to th e B CH G M ember. 

64 

W h en do I n eed t o p ay fo r m y h o liday an d h o w m u ch ? 

A t th e time of booking you w il need to pay a deposit for each person 

named on th e booking . Th e balance must be paid before th e dates 

listed below . 

If you book w ith in our balance due period you w il need to pay th e 

total h oliday cost at th e time of your booking . 

If you do not pay th e outstanding balance for your h oliday on or 

before th e date w h en it is due w e may cancel your booking and you 

w il be required to pay th e cancelation ch arg es detailed below . Th e 

date of cancelation w il norma ly be th e date you confirm in w riting 

th at you intend to cancel or 15 days after th e balance due date, 

w h ich ever comes first. 

Deposit £40.00 per person (except for Scily Isles, for w h ich a deposit 

of £150.00 is required). 

Y our balance is due 6 w eeks prior to departure. 

W h ere optional items are purch ased as part of th e tour packag e th ese 

are payable on th e balance due date except w h ere items, such as th eatre 

tickets, h ave been specifica ly purch ased for you. In th is case th e cost 

w il be payable at a separate date notified to you and w il not norma ly 

be refundable unless w e obtain a refund from th e supplier w e use. 

If I u s e an ag en t w h o do es m y m o n ey belo n g t o ? 

Y our ag ent w il h old your deposit on your beh alf until w e issue a 

confirmation of your booking .Th e ag ent th en h olds th is money on our 

beh alf.Th e ag ent h olds th e balance you pay on our beh alf until th e date 

th e balance is due.Th e ag ent w il th en forw ard it to us. 

Can y o u ch an g e t h e p r ice o f m y h o liday aft er y o u h av e is s u ed t h e 

bo o k in g co n fir m at io n ? 

Y es w e can, but only in very limited circumstances.Th e price of your 

h oliday can be varied due to ch ang es in:- 

•Tran s p o r t at io n c o s t s s u c h as fu e l an d /o r fu e l t ax , fe rr y o p e rat o r far e s 

an d t o lls , e m b ar k at io n o r d is e m b ar k at io n f e e s at t e r m in als ; 

• E x c h an g e r at e s ap p lie d t o t h e p ar t ic u lar h o lid ay b o o k e d ; o r 

• Du e s an d t ax e s in c lu d in g c h an g e s in VAT o r an y o t h e r G o v e r n m e n t 

im p o s e d c h an g e s . 

In th e case of any smal variation, an amount equivalent to 2% of th e 

price of your h oliday, w h ich excludes insurance premiums and any 

amendment ch arg es, w il be absorbed or retained. For larg er variations, 

th is 2% w il stil be absorbed for increases, but not retained from 

refunds. In eith er case, th ere w il be an amount to cover ag ents’ 

commission. If th is means th at you h ave to pay an increase of more 

th an 10% of th e price of your h oliday, you may cancel it and receive a 

ful refund of al monies paid, except for any amendment ch arg es.W e 

w il consider an appropriate refund of insurance premiums paid if you 

can sh ow th at you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy. Sh ould 

you decide to cancel for th is reason, you must exercise your rig h t to do 

so w ith in 14 days from th e issue date printed on your final invoice. 

A lternatively, you can accept an offer of an alternative comparable

h oliday of equivalent or superior quality, if available, or an alternative 

h oliday of low er quality, if available.Y ou may th en transfer payment 

made in respect of th e orig inal h oliday to th e alternative h oliday. If th e 

cost of th e alternative h oliday is less th an th e orig inal h oliday, th e 

difference in price w il be refunded.W e w il also pay compensation as set 

out below. Please note th at travel arrang ements are not alw ays purch ased 

in local currency and some apparent ch ang es h ave no impact on th e 

price of your h oliday due to contractual and oth er protection in place. 

In addition to sterling w e use th e folow ing currencies in calculating our 

h oliday prices. B elow are th e equivalent exch ang e rates to £1 sterling 

from th e X E .com dated 7 /11/11. Country E xch ang e rate E uro: 1.16 7 09/£. 

Can I ch an g e m y h o liday ar ran g em en t s ? 

A fter w e h ave issued our booking confirmation w e w il do our best to 

accommodate any ch ang es you may w ant to make but w e cannot 

g uarantee to do so.A ny ch ang es must be notified to us in w riting and 

sig ned by th e person w h o made th e booking . If w e are able to make th e 

ch ang es any additional ch arg e for th e facilities requested must be paid. 

A ny sig nificant alteration after th e balance due date may be treated as a 

cancelation of th e orig inal booking and may be subject to th e cancelation 

ch arg es detailed below.A sig nificant alteration w ould include a ch ang e 

of departure date, h oliday or h otel, or number of people traveling . 

Can I t ran s fer m y bo o k in g t o s o m eo n e els e? 

Y ou can transfer your booking to someone else provided you g ive us 

reasonable notice.Th is person must be able to satisfy al th e conditions 

for th e h oliday and a ch ang e cannot normaly be made later th an seven 

days prior to departure.W e w il make an administration ch arg e of £25 

per booking for every transfer w e make plus any reasonable additional 

costs caused by th e transfer.Y ou w il remain responsible for ensuring 

th at th e h oliday is paid for by th e balance due date. 

H o w can I can cel m y h o liday ? 

Y ou, or any member of your party, may cancel at any time provided th at 

th e cancelation is made by th e person w h o made th e booking and is 

communicated to us in w riting .Y ou w il h ave to pay cancelation ch arg es 

set out in th e scale below to cover our estimated loss resulting from th e 

cancelation. If you are insured ag ainst cancelation you may be able to 

recover th e ch arg es from your insurers.Y our cancelation w il take effect 

from th e date w e receive your w ritten confirmation of your cancelation. 

Y ou must also return any tickets or vouch ers th at you h ave received.A 

reduction in room occupancy may increase th e ch arg es for th e 

remaining passeng ers by th e application of supplements for low 

occupancy of rooms. 

Scale o f Can cellat io n Ch ar g es 

Period before departure w ith in w h ich w ritten cancelation of h oliday 

price is received.A mount of cancelation ch arg e as a % : M ore th an 

42 days - deposit only; 28 – 42 days - 30% ; 14 – 27 days - 45% ; 

7 – 13 days - 6 0% ; 0 – 6 - days - 100% . 

W h at h ap p en s if y o u ch an g e m y h o liday ? 

Th e arrang ements for your h oliday w il usualy h ave been made many 

month s in advance. Sometimes ch ang es are unavoidable and w e reserve 

th e rig h t to make th em. M ost of th ese ch ang es are likely to be minor 

and w e w il do our best to keep you informed. 

If, after booking and before departure, w e make a sig nificant ch ang e to 

your h oliday you w il h ave th e option of w ith draw ing from th e h oliday 

w ith out penalty or alternatively you may transfer to anoth er h oliday 

w ith out paying an administration fee. In eith er case w e w il pay you 

compensation according to th e scale set out below. 

A sig nificant ch ang e includes a ch ang e in departure time or return time 

of more th an 12 h ours, a ch ang e of departure point, location of resort or 

quality of h otel, (excluding sing le overnig h t h otels on touring h olidays 

w h ere th e quality of th e h otel is comparable), a ch ang e of mode w h en 

crossing th e Ch annel, or th e specification of th e coach . 

If you w ith draw from th e h oliday because w e h ave made a sig nificant 

ch ang e or if w e h ave to cancel your h oliday for any reason oth er th an 

non-payment by you w e w il offer you th e ch oice of:A comparable 

replacement h oliday if available; or: a replacement h oliday of low er 

quality tog eth er w ith a refund of th e price difference; or: a ful refund of 

th e money you h ave paid. 

W h en w e h ave notified you of th e ch ang es and options available, you 

must tel us your decision as soon as possible and w ith in any timescale 

w e may need to set bearing in mind th e need to safeg uard th e h oliday 

arrang ements of oth er customers. 

Scale o f Co m p en s at io n 

W e w il pay you compensation for sig nificant ch ang es on th e folow ing 

scale (amounts per person): Period before departure in w h ich sig nificant 

ch ang e is notified to you or your ag ent: more th an 42 days –N il; 28 to 

42 days - £10; 14 to 27 days - £15; 7 to 13 days - £20; 0 to 6 days - £25. 

Payment of compensation according to th e scale set out above w il not 

affect your statutory rig h t to claim furth er compensation if, in al th e 

circumstances, you remain dissatisfied. 

If, prior to departure, w e make a sig nificant ch ang e to your h oliday 

arrang ements or cancel your h oliday w e w il pay you compensation on 

th e above scale unless:- 

•t h e h o lid ay is c an c e lle d b e c au s e t h e n u m b e r o f p e r s o n s w h o ag r e e d t o 

t ak e it is le s s t h an t h e m in im u m n u m b e r re q u ire d , an d y o u w e re 

in f o r m e d o f t h e c an c e llat io n in w r it in g w it h in t h e p e r io d in d ic at e d in t h e 

d e s c r ip t io n o f t h e h o lid ay ; o r 

•t h e h o lid ay is c h an g e d o r c an c e lle d b y r e as o n o f u n u s u al an d 

u n fo re s e e ab le c irc u m s t an c e s b e y o n d o u r c o n t ro l, t h e c o n s e q u e n c e s o f 

w h ic h c o u ld n o t h av e b e e n av o id e d e v e n if all d u e c are h ad b e e n 

e x e rc is e d .Th e s e c irc u m s t an c e s in c lu d e w ar o r t h re at o f w ar, r io t , c iv il 

s t r ife , t e rro r is t ac t iv it y , in d u s t r ial d is p u t e s , f ire , q u aran t in e , e p id e m ic o r 

h e alt h r is k s , n at u ral o r n u c le ar d is as t e r s , p o r t an d t e r m in al c lo s u r e s an d 

ad v e r s e w e at h e r c o n d it io n s . 

Payment of compensation according to th e scale set out above w il not 

affect your statutory rig h t to claim furth er compensation if, in al th e 

circumstances, you remain dissatisfied. 

If, after departure, w e need to make a ch ang e to a sig nificant proportion 

of your h oliday w e w il do our best to make suitable alternative 

arrang ements at no extra cost to you. If it proves impossible to make 

suitable alternative arrang ements, or if you h ave reasonable g rounds for 

refusing th e alternative offered, w e w il arrang e transport back to your 

point of departure, or to an alternative location th at w e ag ree to, U nless 

th e ch ang e is as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances 

beyond our control (as described above), you w il also be entitled to 

compensation. 

W h at is t h e ex t en t o f y o u r liabilit y ? 

W e accept responsibility if you or any member of your party is kiled or 

injured as a result of an activity forming part of your h oliday arrang ements 

w h ich you booked w ith us before your departure; or if any part of your 

h oliday arrang ements, booked w ith us in th e U K , is not as described in 

th e broch ure or not of a reasonable standard; if th e failure in your 

h oliday arrang ements or any death or personal injury is due to any fault 

on our part or th at of our ag ents or suppliers w h ilst acting in th e course 

of th eir employment.W e do not accept responsibility if th e failure, death 

or personal injury is not caused by any fault of ours or of our ag ents or 

suppliers or is caused by you or someone not connected w ith your 

h oliday arrang ements; or if th e failure, death or personal injury is due to 

unusual or unforeseen circumstances w h ich , even w ith al due care, w e, 

or our ag ents or suppliers, could not h ave anticipated or avoided. 

65

For claims w h ich do not involve personal injury, ilness or death , th e most we 

w il h ave to pay if w e are liable to you is tw ice th e price th e person affected 

paid for th eir h oliday (not including insurance premiums and amendment 

ch arg es).W e w il only h ave to pay th is maximum amount if everyth ing 

h as g one w rong and you h ave received no benefit from your h oliday. 

If you or any member of your party is kiled, injured or becomes il as a 

result of transport by sh ip, train or coach , any liability w h ich w e may h ave 

to pay compensation is limited in line w ith th eA th ens Convention (applies 

to transport by sh ip), th e B erne Convention (applies to transport by rail) 

and th e G eneva Convention (applies to transport by road).Y ou can g et 

copies of th e relevant conventions from th e Internet.Y ou sh ould also note 

th at th ese conventions may limit or remove th e carrier’s liability to you 

and th e amount w h ich th e carrier h as to pay you. 

If w e make any payment to you or any member of your party for death , 

personal injury or ilness, you w il be asked to assig n to us or our insurers 

th e rig h ts you may h ave to take action ag ainst th e person or org anisation 

responsible for causing th e death , personal injury or ilness. 

O ur suppliers (such as accommodation or transport providers) h ave th eir 

ow n booking conditions or conditions of carriag e, and th ese conditions are 

binding betw een you and th e supplier. Some of th ese conditions may limit 

or remove th e relevant transport provider’s or oth er supplier’s liability to 

you.Y ou can g et copies of such conditions from our offices, or th e offices 

of th e relevant supplier. 

W h at do I n eed t o do if I h av e t o co m p lain ? 

If you h ave a complaint during your h oliday you sh ould tel th e 

driver/representative or supplier at th e earliest opportunity so th at th ey 

can do th eir utmost to resolve th e problem immediately. If th ey are 

unable to resolve th e problem to your satisfaction you sh ould complete 

a H oliday Report Form w h ich is available from th e driver/representative. 

Y ou w il be g iven a copy of th is report w h ich you sh ould keep. If, on your 

return from h oliday, you remain dissatisfied you sh ould w rite w ith in 28 

days to th e manag er, Skinners of O xted, 15 B arrow G reen Road, O xted, 

RH 8 0N J. In your letter you w il need to quote your booking reference 

number, h oliday number, departure date and th e number of th e H oliday 

Report Form w h ich you completed at th e time. 

If you do not tel us at th e earliest opportunity about a problem g iving 

rise to your complaint w e cannot take steps to investig ate and rectify it. 

In deciding h ow to respond to your complaint w e w il take into account 

th e date you first drew th e problem to th e attention of our 

driver/representative or supplier. 

If I do n o t ag r ee w it h y o u r decis io n can I r eq u es t ar bit rat io n ? 

Y es you can. If w e cannot resolve your complaint amicably you may 

request th at th e dispute is referred to an independent arbitration sch eme 

establish ed by th e Confederation of Passeng erTransport U K (CPT). Ful 

details of th is sch eme w il be provided on request or you can obtain a 

copy from CPT.Th is arbitration sch eme provides a simple and inexpensive 

meth od of arbitration on documents alone w ith restricted liability on th e 

customer in respect of costs.Th is sch eme does not apply to claims for an 

amount g reater th an £1500 per person.Th ere is also a limit of £7 500 per 

booking . N ormaly th ere is a time limit of 9 month s from th e date of 

return from your h oliday w ith in w h ich to request arbitration but in 

exceptional circumstances th e sch eme can be used beyond th is date.Th is 

sch eme does not apply to claims th at arise mainly in respect of ph ysical 

injury or ilness or th e consequences of any ilness or injury. 

Co ach s eat in g 

Th ere is a seating plan of th e coach for each h oliday, but it is possible th at 

on occasions operational reasons w il require a coach w ith a different 

config uration to be used.W e th erefore reserve th e rig h t to alter a 

coach -seating plan and alocate seats oth er th an th ose you h ave booked. 

Requests for particular seats can be made on most h olidays w h en booking , 

but because alocations are made on a first come, first served basis you are 

66 

recommended to book early.W h en your booking is confirmed you w il be 

offered th e best seats th at are available at th at time. If you know someone 

w h o may w ant to book later but sit near you please discuss th is w ith th e 

booking clerk at th e time you make your booking . 

Specific seats w il not be alocated on coach es w h ich operate on feeder 

services betw een joining points and main h oliday departure points, on 

coach es w h ich carry out transfers to and from seaports or for journeys not 

using our coach . 

H ealt h & Safet y o n h o liday 

In some foreig n countries, standards of infrastructure, safety and h yg iene 

may be low er th an th ose to w h ich w e are accustomed in th e U K .Y ou 

sh ould th erefore exercise g reater care for your ow n protection. Furth er 

information can be obtained from your G P or from your travel ag ent 

w h o can provide you w ith th e leaflet“H ealth A dvice forTravelers” 

publish ed by th e Department of H ealth . Some people may be at risk 

from discomfort or deep vein th rombosis (DVT) if th ey remain immobile 

on a journey for a long period of time. If you are planning to undertake a 

bus or coach journey of more th an 3 h ours you sh ould consult your 

doctor if you h ave ever h ad DVT or pulmonary embolism, a family 

h istory of clotting conditions, cancer or treatment for cancer, a stroke, 

h eart or lung disease or if you h ave h ad major surg ery in th e past 3 

month s.W e reserve th e rig h t to refuse any booking in th e absence of a 

doctor’s certificate confirming th at you are fit to travel. During th e 

journey w e w il provide comfort stops as frequently as possible. During 

th ese stops you are encourag ed to g et off th e coach and w alk around. 

E xercise reduces any discomfort w h ich may be caused by periods of 

immobility. During any journey you sh ould drink alcoh ol only in 

moderation as it leads to deh ydration. 

Pas s en g er beh av io u r 

W e w ant al our customers to h ave a h appy and carefree h oliday. B ut 

you must remember th at you are responsible for your beh aviour and th e 

effect it may h ave on oth ers. If you or any member of your party is 

abusive or disruptive or beh aves in a w ay w h ich , in our reasonable 

opinion, could cause damag e or injury to oth ers or affect th eir 

enjoyment of th eir h oliday, or w h ich could damag e property, w e h ave 

th e rig h t, after reasonable consideration, to terminate your contract w ith 

us. If th is h appens w e w il h ave no furth er oblig ations or liability to you. 

Th e coach driver/representative, sh ip’s captain, or auth orised official of 

oth er means of transport is entitled to refuse you boarding if in th eir 

reasonable opinion you are unacceptably under th e influence of drink or 

drug s or you are being violent or disruptive. If you are refused boarding 

on th e outw ard journey w e w il reg ard it as a cancelation by you and w e 

w il apply cancelation ch arg es according to th e scale above. If th e 

refusal is on th e return journey w e h ave th e rig h t to terminate th e 

contract and w il h ave no furth er oblig ations or liability to you. 

N o s m o k in g p o licy 

W e operate a strict no smoking policy on al our coach es, but make 

frequent comfort stops.Th e no smoking policy of oth er carriers and 

suppliers w il vary and w il be supplied on request. 

Pet s 

W e do not alow pets to be taken on our h olidays. Reg istered A ssistance 

Dog s w il normaly be accommodated on U K h olidays but not on 

overseas h olidays. 

Pick u p p o in t , it in erar ies , t rav el do cu m en t s an d p as s p o r t 

Y ou are responsible for ensuring th at you are at th e correct departure 

point, at th e correct time, w ith th e correct documents and w e cannot be 

h eld liable for any loss or expense suffered by you or your party because 

of an incorrect passport or late arrival at th e departure point. 

If you are a B ritish citiz en traveling outside th e U nited K ing dom you 

must h ave a ful U K passport valid for a minimum of th ree month s after 

your sch eduled date of return. N on-U K citiz ens must seek passport and

visa advice from th e consulates of th e countries you plan to visit prior to 

making a booking for one of our h olidays.Th e name on th e passport 

must match th e name on th e ticket. If someone in your party ch ang es 

th eir name after th e booking is made you must tel us immediately so 

th at w e can issue th e ticket in th e new name. 

W h en you h ave paid th e balance w e w il send you or your booking ag ent 

al th e necessary labels so th at you receive th em in g ood time for your 

h oliday. Certain travel documents may h ave to be retained by us and 

your driver/courier w il th en issue th em to you at th e relevant time. If 

you lose a travel document after it h as been issued to you w e w il 

require you to meet th e direct cost ch arg ed by th e carrier/supplier for 

th e issue of a duplicate or replacement. 

Skinners of O xted reserve th e rig h t to modify itineraries to conform w ith 

requests from th e competent auth orities in th e U nited K ing dom and any 

oth er sovereig n state th roug h w h ich th e tour w il operate. 

Included excursions are detailed on th e relevant broch ure pag e and 

refunds w il not be made for any excursion not taken. O ptional 

excursions may be booked and paid for in resort but th ese w il not form 

part of th e packag e booked w ith us. 

A dmission fees to building s, g rounds etc. are not included in th e price of 

th e h oliday unless oth erw ise stated on th e relevant broch ure pag e. 

W h at h ap p en s if I am delay ed? 

Y our travel insurance may cover you for some delays. In addition w h ere 

you are delayed for more th an six h ours in any one day w e w il seek to 

minimise any discomfort and w h ere possible, arrang e for refresh ments 

and meals. 

Do I n eed t o t ak e o u t t r av el in s u ran ce? 

W e strong ly recommend al our customers to take out travel insurance. 

It is not compulsory in law to h ave travel insurance for our tours w ith in 

th e U nited K ing dom but it is compulsory for our tours operating outside 

th e U nited K ing dom.Y ou do not need to take out our insurance but you 

must h ave insurance, w h ich is at least as g ood or better th an th e 

insurance w e offer. 

W h at as s is t an ce w ill y o u g iv e m e if t h in g s g o w r o n g w h en it is 

n o t y o u r fau lt ? 

If you, or any member of your party, suffer death , ilness or injury w h ilst 

overseas arising out of an activity w h ich does not form part of your 

packag e travel arrang ements or an excursion arrang ed th roug h us in th e 

U K , w e sh al at our discretion, offer advice, g uidance and assistance.W h ere 

leg al action is contemplated and you w ant our assistance, you must obtain 

our w ritten consent prior to commencement of proceeding s. O ur consent 

w il be g iven subject to you undertaking to assig n any costs, benefits 

received under any relevant insurance policy to ourselves.W e limit th e cost 

of our assistance to you and any member of your party to £5000 per party. 

Sp ecial n eeds 

U nfortunately, many h otels overseas do not provide adequate facilities 

for g uests w ith mobility problems or w h o suffer from oth er disabilities. 

B ut w h eth er you are planning a h oliday overseas or in th e U K , please 

notify us before you book if you or any member of your party h as 

special needs or suffers from any disability. 

W e are keen to plan arrang ements for your h oliday so th at special needs 

and requests can be accommodated as far as possible. If you w il need 

assistance or special facilities in th e h otel, or may h ave difficulties in 

taking part in excursions or boarding and traveling on th e coach or 

oth er means of transport you must let us know in advance. N ot al th e 

h olidays in th is broch ure may be suitable for you.W e w ant you to enjoy 

your h oliday and w il try to h elp you select an appropriate trip. If you 

need advice or furth er information eith er you or your booking ag ent 

sh ould contact our office. 

Sp ecial r eq u es t s 

If you require a special diet please tel us before booking , or as soon as 

you are medicaly advised, and send us a copy of th e diet.W e w il notify 

th e h otel or h otels on your h oliday but please note th at some h otels may 

not h ave facilities to cope w ith special diets and w e cannot be h eld liable 

for th eir failure to do so unless th e h otel h as confirmed in w riting th at a 

special diet w il be catered for.W h ere w e th ink th at a h otel is likely to be 

unable to cope w ith a special diet, w e w il tel you prior to your booking 

confirmation being issued so th at you can exercise your rig h t to cancel 

your h oliday booking w ith out ch arg e.A ny extra costs incurred must be 

paid to th e h otel by you prior to departure from th e h otel. 

Y ou sh ould also detail any oth er requests, for example, low floor rooms, 

particular rooms or locations on th e special requests section of th e 

booking form.W e w il pass your request to th e relevant supplier but th is 

does not necessarily mean th at your request w il be fulfiled. If a request 

can be fulfiled you may incur an extra ch arg e payable eith er to us or 

direct to th e h otel. Please note th at requests cannot be g uaranteed 

unless w e confirm on your booking confirmation th at th is is a g uaranteed 

requirement. 

Sin g le O ccu p an cy 

Sing le occupancy of rooms w h en available may be subject to a 

supplementary ch arg e and th is w il be sh ow n on th e broch ure pag e. 

En t er t ain m en t 

Some of our h otels arrang e additional entertainment.W h ere th is is part 

of th e h oliday details are g iven on th e respective broch ure pag e.W h ere 

it is not specified it may stil be available but is at th e discretion of th e 

h otel and is not g uaranteed. It may be w ith draw n if th ere is a lack of 

demand or for operational reasons. 

Dat a Pr o t ect io n Act 

In order to process your booking and to ensure th at your travel 

arrang ements run smooth ly and meet your requirements w e, and your 

travel ag ent, need to use th e information you provide such as name, 

address, any special needs/dietary requirements etc. 

W e take ful responsibility for ensuring th at proper measures are in place 

to protect your information.W e must pass th e information on to th e 

relevant suppliers of your travel arrang ements such as h otels, transport 

companies etc.Th e information may also be supplied to security or 

credit ch ecking companies, public auth orities such as 

customs/immig ration if required by th em, or as required by law. 

A dditionaly, w h ere your h oliday is outside th e E uropean E conomic A rea 

(E E A ), controls on data protection in your destination may not be as 

strong as th e leg al requirements in th is country.W e w il not, h ow ever, 

pass information on to any person not responsible for part of your travel 

arrang ements.Th is applies to any sensitive information th at you g ive to 

us such as details of any disabilities or dietary/relig ious requirements. If 

w e cannot pass th is information to th e relevant suppliers, w h eth er in th e 

E E A or not, w e cannot provide your booking . In making th is booking , you 

consent to th is information being passed on to th e relevant persons. 

Please note th at w h ere information is h eld by your travel ag ent, th is is 

subject to your ag ent’s ow n data protection policy. 

Y our data controler is D Skinner.Y ou are entitled to a copy of your 

information h eld by us. If you w ould like to see th is, please contact us. 

W e retain your ful contact details and oth er information in secure files 

and electronic storag e facilities.W e may use th is information to contact 

you by mail, teleph one or electronic means. If you do not w ish to receive 

furth er information about our products and services, please w rite to th e 

data controler. 

Pu blicat io n dat e an d det ails 

Th is broch ure w as printed in th e U nited K ing dom by Skinners of O xted, 

N ov 2011. 

67

In c o rp o ra tin g 

H o lid a y s & S h o rt B re a k s 

D o o r to D o o r S e rv ic e 

2 01 2 

Skinners of O xted 

15 B arrow G reen Road, Surrey RH 8 0N J 

Teleph one:01883 713633 E mail:in fo @ s k in n er s .t rav el 

w w w .s kinner s .t r av el

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