Day 1: Edinburgh

Arrive at Edinburgh/Glasgow airport and collect your hired car. Make your way to your hotel in the Edinburgh area for overnight.

Day 2: Edinburgh – Royal Mile – Edinburgh Castle – Holyrood Palace – New Town

Enjoy a full day in Edinburgh. In the morning, go up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle, which dominates the skyline. See St Margaret's Chapel and the Crown Jewels of Scotland. There are many restaurants and pubs on the Royal Mile for a lunch stop. In the afternoon, visit Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the Queen whilst she is in Scotland. Visit the New Town to admire the Georgian architecture and the well-laid out streets. Overnight.

Day 3: Edinburgh: Hadrian's Wall – Alnwick Castle – Durham

This morning, you will leave Scotland and journey to Northern England. Walk along Hadrian's' Wall, built by the Romans. Also visit Housesteads Fort, the best-preserved site there. Next stop is Alnwick Castle, known as the 'Windsor of the North'. It is the second largest inhabited castle in England and home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, whose ancestors have lived here since 1309. It is also the magical setting for 'Hogwarts' in the Harry Potter films, as well Robin Hood-Prince of Thieves and numerous television programmes. Continue to historic Durham, a medieval treasure and one of the loveliest cities in England. Overnight in Durham area.

Day 4: Durham: Durham Cathedral – Fountains Abbey – Skell Valley - York

This morning, visit Durham Cathedral, completed in 1133 and one of Britain's most architecturally innovative buildings, as it is the first English building with ribbed vault construction and the first stone-roofed cathedral in Europe.

Later, visit Fountains Abbey, the largest monastic ruins in the country. The Abbey is a masterpiece of twelfth century building ingenuity and a beautiful place to visit. Continue to York area for overnight.

Day 5: York : York Minster – Jorvik Viking Centre - Manchester

Visit York Minster, which traces its origins from the early 7th century and features stunning stained glass from the Middle Ages. Continue to the Shambles, once the meat-butchering centre of York, which remains a narrow ancient street, filled with shops and cafes. Visit the Jorvik Viking Centre, the Viking city, discovered many feet below present ground level, which was reconstructed as it stood in 948. A "time car" will take you back through the ages. Continue to Manchester for overnight.

Day 6: Manchester : Manchester United Football Club - Central Library – Royal Exchange Theatre - Chester

Discover Manchester, one of Britain's coolest cities. This once industrial city has reinvented itself as a truly contemporary metropolis, with modern landmark buildings such as the Lowry Centre, a thriving art and culture scene, and world-class sport. It is home to the world - famous Manchester United Football Club. The Central Library, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, is the largest municipal library in the world and the magnificent Royal Exchange Theatre, now houses the world's largest theatre-in-the-round. Continue to Chester for overnight.

Day 7: Chester: Fortress Deva – Amphitheatre – Norman Gothic Cathedral –Eastgate Clock - Lake District

The Roman origin of Chester as Fortress Deva and the surviving grid pattern of streets are so compact that you can get around all the landmarks on foot. Walk along the Roman walls, then visit the amphitheatre, travel forward in time via the impressive Norman and Gothic Cathedral to the medieval rows and on to elegant Georgian terraces. See the elaborate Victorian Eastgate Clock. Continue north to the Lake District for overnight.

Day 8: Lake District: Museum of the Lakeland Life in Kendal – Sizergh Castle – Levens Hall – Kirkby Lonsdale

Visit the Museum Of Lakeland Life in Kendal displaying the life and times of Cumbrians over 200 years. See the outstanding collections of natural history, archaeology and local history.

Visit imposing medieval Sizergh Castle, with its beautiful limestone rock gardens and Elizabethan Levens Hall, a magnificent mansion built around the 13th Century.

Later, visit Kirkby Lonsdale, a historic market town and great tourist attraction only thirteen miles south-east from Kendal along the A65. There are also attractive 17th and 18th century inns and a Norman church here. Admire the wonderful scenery from Ruskin's View. Spanning the River Lune is the 14th century Devil's Bridge with its graceful arches, steeped in legend. Return to your hotel for overnight.

Day 9: Lake District : Scottish Border of Gretna - Culzean Castle - Robbie Burns Country, Alloway - Glasgow

Cross the Scottish Border at Gretna, a favorite destination for eloping English lovers. Continue to Culzean Castle, with its Oval Staircase and saloon. Afterwards, venture into Robbie Burns Country to visit the village of Alloway, where Scotland's most famous poet was born. See his birthplace and monument, as well as his 'Brig o'Doon' before continuing to Glasgow for overnight.

Day 10: Glasgow

Discover Glasgow, one of the liveliest and most cosmopolitan destinations in Europe. A centre of style and vitality set against a backdrop of outstanding Victorian architecture. See world famous art collections, the best shopping in the United Kingdom outside London and the most vibrant nightlife in Scotland. Scotland's best known architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh's style adorns many unique attractions here. Return to your hotel for overnight.

Day 11: Glasgow

Check out of your hotel.