Castles, Stately Homes and Gardens 2008

Watch the countryside unfold as you travel along the scenic Pennine Railway before visiting the second largest inhabited castle in England, with paintings by Canaletto and Van Dyck in its medieval State Rooms. An additional short coach tour provides the perfect vantage point from which to view the dramatic Northumbrian coastline.

(Please note due to planned engineering work, on September and October dates, passengers will travel as far as Durham and be transported by coach to Alnwick approx 1 hour transfer each way.)

(Smart day wear is appropriate. You are asked not to wear jeans. Please remember you will be outdoors for part of your time at Alnwick Castle).

Whether for its striking Great Hall, State Rooms and breathtaking 55m Long Library, or the various external delights of its expansive gardens, arboretum, water terraces and Butterfly House, a visit to the home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill is an enthralling destination.

(Smart day wear is appropriate. You are asked not to wear jeans or trainers. Please remember you will be outdoors for part of your time at Blenheim Palace).

Llandudno is one of Wales’ largest and most popular of seaside resorts. Nestling in the bay between the headlands of Great Ormes Head and Little Ormes Head it still retains much of its Victorian character and charm. Bodnant Gardens is one of the world’s most spectacular gardens, situated above the River Conwy with stunning views across Snowdonia. Begun in 1875, Bodnant features large Italianate terraces and formal lawns on its upper level, with a wooded valley, stream and wild garden below.

(Smart day wear is appropriate for this journey. You are asked not to wear jeans. Please bear in mind that you may be outside for part of your day).

Dunrobin Castle was largely remodelled in the 19th century into a baronial residence inspired by Queen Victoria’s house at Balmoral. The principal rooms include the Drawing Room, hung with tapestries and the Duke’s study, with its secret doors and stairways connecting to other rooms in the Castle; as well as period bedrooms, nurseries and kitchens. The formal gardens, with their arrangement of parterres inspired by the gardens at Versailles, are impressive.

(Smart day wear is appropriate for this journey. You are asked not to wear jeans or trainers. Please bear in mind that you will be outside for part of the day).

The Eden Project communicates its story in a ‘Living Theatre of Plants and People’. Nestling in a large crater, two huge greenhouses or biomes house plants, crops and landscapes from the humid tropics and warm temperate regions. Outdoors is a temperate landscape filled with plants from Britain and other parts of the world. All demonstrate man’s relationship with and dependence upon plants.

(Smart day wear is appropriate for this journey. You are asked not to wear jeans or trainers. Please bear in mind that you will be outside for part of the day).

Strategically positioned at the foot of Ben nevis, by the shore of Loch Linnhe, this bustling town derives its name from the military fort built by William of Orange. Uncover the history of the battle between English Redcoat soldiers and the Jacobite Highlanders, and marvel at the sheer beauty of the surrounding countryside.

(Smart day wear is appropriate for this journey. You are asked not to wear jeans or trainers. Please bear in mind that you will be outside for part of the day).

Known as the 'Royal Palace on the Thames', this truly aristocratic stately home is the proud keeper of a unique royal history that spans 500 years. View the Royal apartments and wander through the sumptuous living rooms before exploring the impressive Tudor kitchens.

(Smart day wear is appropriate. You are asked not to wear jeans. Please remember you will be outdoors for part of your time at Hampton Court).

Lose yourself within the vibrant displays of colour and heady natural beauty offered up by the houses and conservatories, grass and woodland areas of the Royal Botanic Gardens, and wander amongst the largest living plant collection in the world.

(Smart day wear is appropriate. You are asked not to wear jeans. Please remember you will be outdoors for part of your time at Kew Gardens).

Waddesdon Manor was built (1874-89) by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to display his outstanding collection of art treasures and to entertain the fashionable world. Explore this renaissance-style château and grounds. Waddesdon has one of the finest Victorian gardens in Britain, famous for its Parterre, seasonal displays, colourful shrubs, mature trees, statues and carpet bedding. Discover its collections of art treasures and tour the wine cellar.

(Smart day wear is appropriate. You are asked not to wear jeans. Please remember you will be outdoors for part of your time at Waddesdon Manor).