British Ghosts and Ancient Tales Tour

Full Itinerary
B=Breakfast included  D=Dinner included

DAY 1
Depart the United States aboard your overnight trans-Atlantic flight to Europe. The night will pass quickly, and you will soon be landing in Manchester.

DAY 2
Arrive in Mancester and drive to the historic walled city of York. Check into your hotel and take time to rest before embarking on your Ghost Walk of this ancient city which, in centuries past, has been occupied by the Romans and Vikings. Your walk will be conducted by a fully costumed guide and will take in the Shambles (a series of narrow, medieval streets), magnificent York Minister and the site of a workhouse massacre! Following your walk, there will be a dinner cruise on the River Ouse which winds through the city. (D)

DAY 3
After breakfast, drive to Pickering where you will board a train and travel through the North Yorkshire Moors to Grosmont. Your coach will be waiting for you on arrival to transfer you to the town of Whitby on the Yorkshire coast - the town where, according to Bram Stoker, Count Dracula made his first landfall after leaving Transylvania and surviving a shipwreck. Spend some time seeing the town which in fact is a very nice seaside resort and the home of famous explorer Captain Cook. Travel north into County Durham with dinner and overnight in the Durham area. (B,D)

DAY 4
After breakfast, spend the day touring through Northumbria (one of the few unspoiled regions in England) during which you will visit Alnwick Castle, the family seat of the Dukes of Northumberland. This beautiful castle was described by the Victorians as “The Windsor of the North” despite its harsh, medieval exterior.

The castle is furnished in magnificent palatial Renaissance style with some fine furniture and works of art, including paintings by Titian, Van Dyck and Canalleto. But...Alnwick holds a dark secret! It is one of the very few sites linked with lycanthropy - the mythical transformation of a person into a werewolf! The story concerns a medieval lord whose corpse allegedly gushed fresh gore when exhumed and his remains were reduced to ashes, but the memory of his werewolf misdeeds endures!

Spend some time in the market town of Alnwick for an independent lunch before heading back towards Chester-le-Street via the pretty town of Corbridge. This evening your group will celebrate Halloween with Elizabethan Banquet and entertainment in the Baron’s Hall at Lumley Castle. (B,D)

DAY 5
Drive north from Chester-le-Street crossing the border into Scotland and continuing through the Borders Region to the capital city of Edinburgh, arriving early afternoon. A local guide will meet you at your hotel to conduct a sightseeing tour of the city including an interior visit to Edinburgh Castle. Check into your hotel and get settled in. This evening “enjoy” a Murder & Mystery walking tour of this city conducted by Adam Lyal (deceased)!! Hear the stories of witchcraft and burnings, of the bodysnatchers Burke and Hare and be prepared for a few surprises! Your tour will end in the heart of Edinburgh’s historic quarter where you will enjoy dinner. The building has varied history - at one point it was a children’s home and it is now rumored that it is haunted! Return to your hotel after dinner. (B,D)

DAY 6
Your driver will transfer you to Waverley after breakfast where you will catch the Inter-city train to London, arriving early afternoon. On arrival you will be met by a coach and guide who will conduct a panoramic tour of the capital en route to your hotel. The balance of the evening is free for you to enjoy London at your leisure. (B)

DAY 7
Your coach and guide will be at the hotel after breakfast this morning to take you to the Tower of London which dates from the time of William the Conqueror and which is probably the most haunted building in London. The ghosts of Anne Boleyn, the Countess of Salisbury, Sir Walter Raleigh and the Duke of Northumberland (all of whom were executed at the Tower) have been witnessed over the years.

From London drive out to Hampton Court to visit the beautiful Royal Palace located on the banks of the River Thames. Hampton court was built by Cardinal Wolsey, but he bequeathed it to his monarch, Henry VIII, in order to placate him over the divorce from Katherine of Aragon when Henry wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. The palace reputedly has several ghosts including Cardinal Wolsey himself and Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife whom he sentenced to death for alleged adultery.

Return to London late afternoon and then this evening enjoy a pub tour of London with your English guide who will also include a walk around the haunts associated with Jack the Ripper. Visit some of London’s historic pubs including the Grenadier in Wilton Row (originally the officer’s mess for the Duke of Wellington and reputedly haunted by the ghost of an officer accidently flogged to death by his comrades for cheating at cards) and the Prospect of Whitby, London’s oldest riverside pub. The tavern had a good view of “Execution Dock” across the river where pirates were hanged in chains until three tides had washed over them. “Hanging Judge” Jeffries also used the pub in later times as a vantage point to watch the executions of poor victims he had sentenced! Enjoy dinner at the Prospect of Whitby before returning to your hotel.

DAY 8
Today you bid farewell to London as your
motorcoach transfers you to Heathrow Airport for your return flight to the United States, taking with you so many wonderful memories of your British Ghosts and Ancient Tales tour! (B)

General Tour Information
Package price and inclusions
Download British Ghost Tours brochure and reservation form

Check out some of Value Holidays other great special interest tours being offered NOW!

Call your Value Holidays travel agent at 1-800-558-6850 or email us at sales@valhol.com  to book your reservation today!