York, the Dales, Lake District & Hadrian’s Wall 5 Day Tour

Day 1 Highlights include Berwick Upon Tweed, one of Europe’s finest examples of a walled town hugging the banks of the River Tweed. From here we travel south to Alnwick Castle and gardens, home to the Dukes of Northumberland. Our afternoon continues on the Great North Road that takes us through Newcastle Upon Tyne to the historic city of York.

Day 2 is a leisurely day with time to explore the medieval city of York before heading through the north Yorkshire moors to the bustling fishing port of Whitby, where Bram Stoker wrote “Dracula”. The afternoon will give you time to visit Robin Hood’s Bay, accessed on foot only, before returning to York.

Day 3 will take you into the magnificent Yorkshire Dales National Park, a haven of natural scenery, wildlife and  rich cultural heritage. Stopping in the brewing town of Masham and the cheesmaking town of Hawes you will get a real taste of Yorkshire today. Passing Hardraw Force waterfall you continue over the hills before reaching the charming town of Keswick in the heart of the Lake District, your base for 2 nights.

Day 4 highlights include visits to Castlerigg standing stones and Ullswater, described as England’s most beautiful lake, where you can take a forest walk to see the mighty Aira Force waterfall. You will have options to take lunch and a boat cruise on Lake Windemere and explore Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter country around Coniston water, Hawkeshead and the charming village of Grasmere.

Day 5 climbing inland towards the 1900 ft Hartside Pass we continue along Hadrian’s Wall, built as the frontier of the Roman Empire, with stops along the way. Crossing the border into Scotland at Carter Bar  we continue through the Scottish Borders stopping at the world famous Scott’s View overlooking the River Tweed before returning to Edinburgh.

Departure Point 
207 High St, Edinburgh. Click here to see map. 

Return to Waverley Bridge opposite Waverley Train Station

Inclusions 
Transportation by top of the range Mercedes minicoach for a more personal experience with a maximum of 16 passengers on tour. 
We believe a small group tour with a maximum of 16 passengers really does make a big difference to your trip. It allows us to give you a more personal service and remain the only 5 Star operator to offer this personal guarantee. Touring with a maximum of 16 passengers you get more for your money, more personal attention, more time with the locals, more time off the bus, more time on the back-roads and just more of an authentic, friendly experience. The smaller groups allow you to meet people from all over the world and make friends for life. 
Air Conditioning as standard. 
Services of a professional Rabbie's driver/guide 
All ferry and bridge crossings. 
Rabbie's Discount Card - money off restaurants, shopping and attractions. 

Exclusions 
Meals and refreshments. 
All Visitor Attractions.

Accommodation
Your tour does not include accommodation in the price. By giving you a choice of accommodation it allows you to choose your budget, stay in smaller places and get closer to the local people. This also means you help to sustain the communities you visit in the long term. Choose a hotel, B&B or a hostel and we will book it for you.
For more information on accommodation and prices click here

*NB On occasions, when villages we stay in have events on, accommodation can be scarce and expensive so we may use other locations for your accommodation on the tour. We will always inform you of this when this is necessary. 

Discount Price 
Students, Seniors over 60 and Children between 5 and 16 (we regret we do not carry children under 5 years old)

Important Information 
Because we believe in time off the bus and give you opportunities to take nature walks we recommend you bring suitable clothing and footwear for your tour. The Lake District and Yorkshire can be very wet!

Day 1 Our tour starts by hugging the magnificent  East Lothian coastline  as we travel towards the walled border town of Berwick Upon Tweed. After stopping to admire the fortifications we continue to Alnwick Castle, home of the Earls and Dukes of Northumberland since 1309. This magnificent Castle and it’s gardens have appeared in many films and television programmes. Leaving Alnwick behind we travel towards the City of York on the Great North Road, a route that has carried countless Roman Legions between the remote Northern outposts and the more populous  settlements of Roman Brittania. We arrive in York your base for the next two nights in the late afternoon.

Day 2 is a leisurely day that gives you the flexibility to spend time exploring the medieval heart of York, a city whose rich history goes back to the time of the Roman’s, Vikings and the Normans and then join our excursion to the North Sea coast of Yorkshire. Our journey begins in the late morning when we head for the magnificent North Yorkshire Moors National Park. Lunch will be in Whitby, a bustling fishing port and the inspiration for the fertile imagination of author Bram Stoker, who stayed in the Royal Hotel on the western side of Whitby while writing his famous novel Dracula. After lunch and free time in Whitby we travel to the fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay *, a perfectly preserved conservation village of winding lanes and narrow alleys before returning towards York.

Day 3 You will be collected from your accommodation and head west into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Established in 1954, the Yorkshire Dales National Park has outstanding scenery, a range of wildlife habitats and a rich cultural heritage. It’s a special place – a fantastic outdoor arena for recreation and peaceful relaxation and a haven for wildlife. Continuing West our route takes us through the Northern Dales an area of outstanding natural beauty that is the centre of the Dales cattle trade. Throughout the day you will have the opportunity to taste the flavours of Yorkshire when we visit the town of Masham, home to two of Yorkshires best known breweries and the cheesemaking centre in historic Hawes. Our final leg of today’s journey takes us high up into the remote hill of the Yorkshire Dales before descending into the lively market town of Keswick where you will be dropped off at your accommodation and are then free to explore this charming town.

Day 4 After breakfast you head a short distance out of town to the mysterious Castlerigg standing stones. Thought by many to have been built over 5,000 years ago and the scene of ancient rituals. You then travel on to the shores of Ullswater described as England’s most beautiful lake where you can take a forest walk to see the mighty Aira Force waterfall. Continuing south over the narrow and winding Kirkstone Pass you stop at Lake Windermere where you have the option to take a leisurely cruise on the Lake or simply eat lunch while enjoying views of the mountains and lakes. After lunch you travel around the southern tip of Windermere and on towards Coniston Water and shortly afterwards you arrive at the picturesque conservation village of Hawkeshead, where the poet William Wordsworth attended Grammar School. After free time to explore the village you take the narrow country lanes north towards Grasmere, which Wordsworth described as “the loveliest spot that man hath found”. There is free time to visit Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage or enjoy the peace and tranquility of the Wordsworth Daffodil Garden by the River Rothy. In the late afternoon you return to Keswick.

Day 5 Leaving the Lakes behind us we start our climb towards Hartside Pass, at over 1900ft - on a clear day the hills and mountains of Scotland and the English Lake District are clearly visible. We follow the route of the old sheep drovers road between England and Scotland.  Stopping at Hadrians Wall, built by Emporer Hadrian to keep the Scots out of the Roman Empire   there’s an opportunity to explore some of the Roman remains and walk in the footsteps of the Roman Centurions who patrolled this desolate frontier of the Empire. Following the ancient Roman Dere Street we cross the border into Scotland and continue on to the Border town of Jedburgh for refreshments by the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey. Our final stop is at the world famous Scott’s view with stunning views over the River Tweed and the Cheviot hills that form the border between Scotland before continuing North to Edinburgh.

* The minicoach cannot access the main village because of local restrictions. The coach will drop you at the top of the village and you must walk down (and back up!) a steep hill to reach the old village centre.

Photography Credits: 
Visit Scotland.
 Britainonview.
VisitBritain: Lee Beel (Goathland, Yorkshire Dales), Rod Edwards (Hadrian's Wall).
Mike Hasted, Luke Sheppard, Ingrid Rasmussen, Pawel Libera, Tony Pleavin, Craig Easton, David Angel, Martin Brent, Bob Berry, Paul Watts, Kaleeyed (Hawkshead), Ruy Lestrad (Scott's View).