September In The Lakes
Tour code: 1209LD 5 Days
Sunday 16th September – Thursday 20th September 2012 Departure Times: F
Price: £465.00 Per Person (No single room supplement)
4 nights' dinner, bed and breakfast.
4 star AA Whitewater Hotel and Leisure Club. www.whitewater-hotel.co.uk
Regular passengers may remember the Whitewater Hotel and Leisure Club at Newby Bridge. Well, it's even better now! After refurbishment it gained the coveted four stars award. Now we're going back. As Wordsworth wrote, "a brief absence proves that love is true". This hotel is the ultimate rural retreat and spa. Expect a pallet of the richest colours in the Lakes, fewer tourists , the brilliance of Nature in all her autumn glory; and, in the evenings, be pampered.
Sunday 16th September Before long, we'll be breathing the rarified Lakeland air at Newby Bridge. We'll enjoy the hotel's famed hospitality, but perhaps we'll still have time for a stroll in eager anticipation of delights to come.
Monday 17th September A leisurely drive today, up the eastern shores of Lake Windermere to Bowness. After a wander around this
bustling place, and perhaps a Cumbrian lunch, we'll board one of the famous Windermere "steamers" for a cruise (included) to Lakeside on the south-western bank. We'll have panoramic views over the vastness of the lake as the brooding 1000 feet high backdrop of Helvellyn rises to the north. At Lakeside we'll walk the short distance to the charming old steam train (included) to Haverthwaite. Our coach will be at Haverthwaite station to take us to the hotel.
Tuesday 18th September We'll take a wonderful circular tour today. After Bowness, we'll make for the town of Windermere and drive up to the Kirkstone Pass. We'll pause at the top, by the ancient inn, marvelling at the views and, perhaps, the hospitality. We'll drive past Brothers Water, then majestic Ullswater, a magical place of solitude and Fells, little steamers and huge birds of prey. After lunch in Keswick, we'll head south, past Thirlmere, Grassmere and Rydal Water, ever feeling the presence of Wordsworth, before contemplating the northern expanse of Lake Windermere. Home, James...
Wednesday 19th September We'll go to Ulverston, Stan Laurel's birthplace and home of Cumbria Crystal, to visit the town or glass
centre. Next, we'll head north along the western side of Coniston Water, another beautiful lake, dominated by "The old Man of
Coniston". As we gaze over the lake, we'll feel for the ultimately tragic Donald Campbell, the only person to set both land and water speed records in a single year. On the opposite shore stands Brantwood, Ruskin's house. We'll make straight for Hawkshead, where we'll have lunch, and possibly visit Wordsworth's school. We'll largely retrace our steps back to the hotel, but we'll pause a while in the village of Coniston .
Thursday 20th September We'll have to tear ourselves away, alas, but we'll make sure that today is part of the holiday and not just a journey.
Cornwall
Pirates, Pasties & Postcards
Tour Code: 1107FC 4 DAYS
Monday 18th July 2011 to Thursday 21st July 2011 Departure times: D
Price: £340.00 Per Person (Single Supplement £30.00)
Sea View £12.75 per person per night or Sea View & Balcony £16.00 per person per night
3 nights dinner, bed and breakfast, 3 STAR Best Western Falmouth Beach Hotel, Falmouth
www.bw‐falmouthbeachhotel.co.uk
If ever a place was shaped by the sea, Falmouth is it. The town largely sprang up in the seventeenth century , the obvious natural harbour to guard the Western Approaches, a role it fulfils to this day, particularly for round‐the world sailors like Ellen Macarthur. The docks and the railway date from the 19th century when the bitter‐sweet news (victory, but at the cost of Nelson’s life) arrived from Trafalgar. The amazing raid on St Nazaire left from Falmouth during the Second World War. And in 2011, Sovereign Coaches will be arriving!
Falmouth today remains a busy port town in a busy harbour, a place of beautiful beaches and bustling commerce. But it’s also a great holiday destination. Its attractions include Pendennis Castle, the National Maritime Museum, beautiful gardens, high quality art galleries and even a five screen cinema, three screens of which actually enjoy waiter
service!
We are proud to introduce the Falmouth Beach Hotel. Its location, opposite the famous Gyllingvase Beach, must be among the most favoured in Cornwall. Many of the
well‐equipped en suite rooms, some with balconies, have spectacular sea views. Entertainment is provided during the week, and there’s an impressive range of facilities, including an indoor heated pool. This is Cornwall’s perfect base!
Monday 18th July 2011 After a coffee stop, we’ll set the scene by taking lunch (not included) in historic Charlestown, where we’ll visit the fascinating Shipwreck Centre. If we’re lucky, we may be able to get a close up view of one of the square‐riggers based in the adjacent old dock and frequently in port.
Tuesday 19th July 2011 We’ll drive into central Falmouth this morning. We’ll have time to take a leisurely stroll or visit some attractions, then have lunch before the coach collects us for the short drive to Trebah Gardens, where we’ll spend the afternoon. Trebah has been rated one of the top 80 gardens of the world, and it’s right here on our holiday doorstep!
Wednesday 20th July 2011 We’ll go a little further today, to spectacular views of the brooding St Michael’s Mount, perched on its island just off the quaint little town of Marazion, and St Ives, renowned for the quality of its light and the beauty of its older houses, which is largely what brought so many artists here. It’s grown, of course, but a few pence will buy a ticket on the minibus to the old town. The bargain of the week!
Thursday 21st July 2011 Alas, it’s time to go home, but we’ll sweeten the pill with a call in nearby Truro, Cornwall’s fine capital city, a little way along the River Fal. The cathedral’s well worth a visit, but we may decide just to take a stroll or have a coffee. Either way, a fitting end to our tour, though we still have a pretty journey home to enjoy.enjoy.