Loch Lomond In The Summer

Tour Code: 1007LL 6 days
Thursday 22nd July 2010 – Tuesday 27th July 2010
Departure times: A
Price: £525 Per Person (Single Supplement £100.00)
5 nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast in the *** AA Winnock Hotel (www.winnockhotel.com)

Could anywhere be more romantic than the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond? It’s a wonderful Scottish loch, in a perfect setting. Covering 27 square miles it’s the largest single inland waterway in Britain. It contains 37 islands. The majesty of the Trossachs provides the backdrop. Ben Lomond, for instance, towers 3195 ft over the eastern shore. This is nature at her most spectacular, and man’s interventions, castles or cottages, have been sympathetic.
We have loved the Winnock Hotel for many years, and it’s definitely time for Sovereign to return. Built around an 18th century inn, near the loch, in Drymen, the hotel is known for its Scottish fare and weekly Ceilidhs. Tak’ the high road or the low road, but be prepared for the high life here!
Itinerary
Thursday 22nd July If you forgive the early start, sit back and relax for a memorable journey, with enough stops for you to be comfortable and refreshed. Today will be part of the holiday, not a hectic dash north.

Friday 23rd July The best introduction to the loch is from the water. So, we’ll have a lie in this morning, before a scenic drive to Tarbet, where we’ll stop for lunch or a wander. Next, we’ll take an early afternoon cruise. It will last about an hour. There will be a fascinating commentary which we won’t spoil by saying any more about here!

Saturday 24th July We’re going to magnificent Stirling Castle. Part of it will be closed for reconstruction, but there will be plenty to see. Arguably the grandest of the country’s castles, it dominates the city from its 250ft high perch on an extinct volcano. There have been fortifications here since the 11th century, but most of what we’ll see is magnificent renaissance architecture. Mary Queen of Scots was crowned here, having spent her childhood in the castle, which she loved for the rest of her tragic life.

Sunday 25th July And now for something completely different! We’ll do some scenic touring in the Carron Valley, and we’ll take in a wonder of the world, the Falkirk Wheel. This is an innovative solution to an old problem with canals. It replaces a flight of 11 locks with a hair-raising ride through the air in a chamber containing a floating boat. But don’t worry, we won’t frighten you. We’ll call in at the visitor centre so you can experience it the easy way, with your eyes, or over a cup of tea. Tonight’s the Ceilidh!

Monday 26th July Today is for Oban, which Queen Victoria called “one of the finest spots we have seen.” It’s still the most popular holiday resort on Scotland’s west coast, and is often called its seafood capital. It’s in a beautiful setting, dominated by an extraordinary architectural folly, McGaig’s tower, and the 600 year old Dunollie Castle. A thriving port, the
ferry gateway to the Isles, Oban has its own distillery at its geographical and emotional heart!

Tuesday 27th July We bid farewell this morning before a comfortable journey home. But we’ll surely take something of Scotland back with us, perhaps a bottle from Oban, but certainly a distillation of exquisite memories!

Peaks & Valleys of Derbyshire

Tour Code: 1009PD 5 days
Monday 27th September 2010-Friday 1st October 2010
Departure times: B
Prices £329 Per Person (Single Supplement £70.00)
4 nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast in the ***AA Best Western Moorside Grange Hotel
(www.moorsidegrangehotel.com)

Come and explore the Peak District with us! The early autumn colours will further enhance some of England’s most glorious landscapes, a superb setting for the cottages and stately homes for which the Peaks are known. We’ll see wild gritstone edges, beautiful heather moorlands, gentle limestone dales, babbling brooks and crumbling caves. We’ll hear yarns of witches, ghosts, village well dressing and highwaymen. And we’ll have evenings in our warm, friendly hotel. The large Moorside Grange Hotel stands at the north of the Peaks, though it’s actually in Cheshire, and just 30 minutes from the centre of Manchester. As we’ll see, it’s a superb base
for our tour. There’s no shortage of panoramic views, despite its surprising proximity to civilisation!
Itinerary
Monday 27th September We’ll make our way north, with stops for your comfort and relaxation, arriving in time to settle into the hotel and explore its facilities.

Tuesday 28th September Time for our first exploration, beginning with Buxton on its market day. Like Bath, this is a spa town with Roman origins and some fine Georgian architecture. It’s even got its own ‘Royal Crescent.’ Known for its opera house and festival, Buxton is the highest market town in England. We’ll drive on, through Bakewell, to Matlock Bath, yet another spa! Here, we’ll have a difficult choice to make. We can remain in Matlock Bath, perhaps taking the cable car up to the dizzy Heights of Abraham (views, caverns, mines!) until the coach comes back for us, or we can stay on the coach and visit the Crich tramway village. Here, we’ll take a vintage tram ride through authentic old buildings imported from other places. There really is something for everyone. (Please note that today’s entrances are not included in the tour price).

Wednesday 29th September
We’ll slow the pace a little, and savour some stunning countryside. We’ll go through the Snake Pass this morning for a fabulous drive in the shadow of Kinder Scout, all 2088 feet of it, and on past the magnificent Ladybower reservoir. This is
where the dam busters trained; there’s a small museum nearby. Next, we’ll head south, through the pretty village of Bamford and make for Castleton. This will be a good lunch stop. It’s surrounded by caverns, cliffs and Peveril Castle. We’ll drive back to our hotel via
Bradwell and Eyam, still known as the ‘plague village’.

Thursday 30th September Back to the charms of Bakewell, this time to stop for lunch. No jokes about ‘tarts’ today please, but do try to find the Pudding Shop in the Square. And then we’re off to the magnificence of Chatsworth, the main focus of our day and, appropriately, the seat of the Dukes of Devonshire. It’s the UK’s favourite country house. Be sure to make time
for the garden! Entrance to Chatsworth is, naturally, included in the tour price.
Friday 1st October Alas, it’s time for home. But at Sovereign we always try to make these
long runs part of the holiday. This one will be no exception.

A Ticket To Ryde - Isle Of Wight

Tour Code: 1010SH 4 days
Sunday 31st October 2010-Wednesday 3rd November 2010
Departure times: C
Prices £252 Per Person (Single Supplement £45.00)
Sea View Room Supplement subject to availability at £18 Per Person
3 nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast in the ***AA Keats Green Hotel, Shanklin
(www.keatsgreenhotel.co.uk)
The Isle of Wight owes its popularity to its benign climate, its beautiful scenery and a certain feeling that nothing much has changed since Queen Victoria’s days. It’s all so near in distance, yet so far in time. It has a unique and restful charm. Shanklin is one of the Island’s premier resorts. It has a glorious sandy beach to rival others anywhere in the world, but is a delightfully compact and traditional English town. Shanklin Old Village, though, sets it apart and merits exploration. The Keats Green Hotel enjoys beautiful Channel views, spacious public rooms and a relaxed feel. We have recently ‘found’ this hotel, and we’re confident that it’s going to be a success for us.
Itinerary
Sunday 31st October We drive to Southampton for our ferry to East Cowes. The first part of the crossing is Southampton Water. We’ll see the Ocean Terminal, freighters, tankers, yachts, just about anything that floats. Then we’ll cross the Solent to arrive in East Cowes. Cowes has long been a yachting centre, and we’re sure to be impressed by the sheer number of craft we’ll see. After the ferry, we’ll drive past Osborne House, through the centre of the Island, arriving at the hotel about 30 minutes later.

Monday 1st November We’ll explore the south and west of the Island today. We’ll take a look at Shanklin Old Village and, from high chalk cliffs, the Military Road, which traces the southern outline of the Island. We’ll drive along it, stopping for coffee and perhaps some retail therapy at the Island Pearl Centre. Next, we’ll head westward to Totland Bay. We’ll turn briefly inland of Tennison Down, the great poet’s favourite walk, past Dimbola Lodge and a thatched church from the Arts and Craft movement, then Tennison’s house. We’ll learn about all these places as we go. Finally, we’ll emerge on to the cliffs above Alum Bay, for tales of sand, Marconi, secret rocket establishments…and lunch! Next, we’ll turn north and spend time in the pretty little port of Yarmouth, before heading back to Arreton Barns and Shanklin to reflect on a wonderful day.

Tuesday 2nd November After a short drive to the picturesque village of Godshill, we’ll continue through Newport, the Island’s ‘capital’, where, although it’s market day, we won’t stay. In truth, we have better things to see. We’ll go to Ryde, where we’ll stop for lunch. From
the seafront, we’ll see the eastern Solent and ‘Palmerston’s Follies’, its three great forts, hovercraft, a Victorian pier and antique trains dating from 1938 and still in service. We’ll stop for a surprise treat as we leave Ryde – we promise it’s impossible to describe but terrific to see, After this, we’ll return to the hotel via a scenic drive along the eastern coast to Brading.

Wednesday 3rd November We’ll go to West Cowes for the morning. It’s a marvellous grandstand for the Solent. We then drive to East Cowes to take the ferry back to Southampton in the early afternoon.

St. Agnes, Cornwall - Mistletoe & Wine

Tour Code: 1012MW 4 days
Friday 10th December 2010-Monday 13th December 2010
Departure times: D
Prices £267 Per Person (Single Supplement £30.00)
3 nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast in the ***AA Rosemundy House Hotel
(www.rosemundy.co.uk)
St Agnes is a charming village with a fascinating history. A stone’s throw from its beautiful natural harbour on Cornwall’s Atlantic coast, it’s set in great walking territory for those who can manage its challenging hills! Even if you don’t find walking easy, there’s absolutely
nothing in this itinerary to prevent you having a wonderful time. The Rosemundy House Hotel also has some interesting stories to tell about its past. It’s an elegant 18th century building with a welcoming ‘country house’ atmosphere, a family feel and, according to one of our drivers, the best scrambled eggs for breakfast this side of the Atlantic! As befits a hotel of this pedigree, bedrooms vary in size, but they all have everything anyone could want. There isn’t a lift, but we can request ground floor rooms if you ask us; and there are, in any case, no rooms higher than the first floor. Note that festive events in this hotel have a strong reputation within our industry. This is our second year here. Last year went really well.
Itinerary
Friday 10th December We’ll drive to St Agnes via the Tamar Bridge, arriving in time to settle in and relax before dinner in the quaintly named Tom Noggi restaurant. Do join us for a welcome drink in the bar beforehand. Tonight we have a treat. A local historian, a really
talented speaker, will give his terrific slide show and talk on the history of St Agnes. Watch out for the harbour scenes and listen out for the yarn of the wooden figurehead.
Saturday 11th December Merry Christmas (well, nearly)! We’ll drive to the cliffs of Pentire, overlooking the world-famous Fistral Beach. If we wish, we can take the air for a while on the cliffs, before setting off for a spectacular coastal drive to Padstow. Let’s just say we’ll be
glad someone else is doing the driving on this section: we only have to sit back and enjoy the views. In Padstow, we’ll be set down near Rick Stein’s chippy, but we can, of course, choose where to eat. After lunch we’ll come back to St Agnes, allowing time to visit the delights of Presingoll Barns as we enter the village. Tonight, Santa will join us in the bar before dinner. If you have been good, he may even give you a little something. Then we’ll enjoy our traditional Christmas dinner, followed by a fancy hat competition (do bring one if you feel inspired!) and a singer to round the evening off.
Sunday 12th December What can be calmer than an exploration of the North Cornwall coastline as we take you on a tour to St Just with scenery more akin to our Celtic friends. We'll spend the afternoon in Truro, once an old port, and now a beautiful market town with its striking cathedral. After dinner tonight, there will be a quiz and mince pies.
Monday 13th December Back home today. We’ll catch views of Bodmin Moor and
Dartmoor, with plenty of views to remind us why so many people love this area…