The Emerald Explorer 16

6th Century. It was once a great seat of learning, a university in its time with students from all over Europe. After your tour you transfer by coach to a comfortable hotel, your base for the next two nights. Dinner will be at the hotel this evening. (B D)

Sunday 11th June Visit to Connemara Celtic Crystal and visit to Galway After breakfast you leave the hotel for a short walk to the train station. You travel westward to Westport, at the south-east corner of Clew Bay on the west coast of Ireland. You then have a visit scheduled to Kylemore Abbey and Gardens, a nineteenth-century castle now owned by Benedictine nuns but originally part of Kylemore Castle, built in 1868 as a private home. There’ll be time to explore and buy lunch before you visit Connemara Celtic Crystal, one of the last surviving Irish Crystal factories. It incorporates Celtic designs and Gaelic motifs on ornate, beautifully crafted crystal pieces. You then depart by coach to Galway. Located near an earlier settlement, Galway grew around a fortification built by the King of Connacht in 1124. You’ll have time to explore some of the ancient sites such as St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, the largest medieval church still in everyday use in Ireland, before returning by train to Athlone and dinner at your hotel. (B D)

Monday 12th June Cliffs of Moher and The West Clare Railway After breakfast you leave Athlone by coach for a scenic tour of the stunning Cliffs of Moher with photo stops, pausing in the sea port village of Kinvara for refreshments. Afterwards you head to Kilkee, where you will have time to enjoy lunch before moving on to visit the West Clare Railway and Museum. The West Clare Railway was one of a network of narrow gauge lines built across rural West Ireland in the wake of the 1883 Tramways Act. The line was closed in 1961. Afterwards you travel to Bunratty Castle Hotel, where you’ll stay for the next two nights. A tour highlight this evening is a magnificent Medieval Banquet at Bunratty Castle. (B D)

Tuesday 13th June Visit to Cobh Titanic Experience and Blarney Castle You leave your hotel by coach after breakfast to visit the Cobh Titanic Experience. Cobh is a picturesque town in Cork Harbour. It’s also famous for having been the last port of call for the ocean liner ‘Titanic’. The Experience is in two parts, the first retracing the steps of the 123 passengers who boarded Titanic from Cobh on April 11th, 1912. Part two examines the almost impossible sequence of events that caused Titanic to sink. After lunch you leave Cobh and travel to Blarney Village and historic Blarney Castle & Gardens, built in 1446 by Dermot McCarthy. You’ll have time to kiss the famous stone, which is said to bestow the gift of eternal eloquence on those lucky enough to do so. A must see is the Rock Close area and Poison Garden where the world’s most poisonous plants are kept. After your visit you return to your hotel where dinner will once again be served in the hotel restaurant. (B D)

Wednesday 14th June Waterford Crystal and Private Charter on the Waterford Suir Valley Railway After breakfast you travel by coach to Limerick Station for a train trip to Waterford and a guided tour of The House of Waterford Crystal. See in detail how this stunning crystal has been made since 1783 and the traditional methods still used to this day. After your Waterford tour you enjoy a private charter on the Waterford Suir Valley Railway, Ireland’s longest narrow-gauge railway. Enjoy the panoramic views of the River Suir as you journey to and from Carriganore, where the merchants of Waterford are said to have hidden their treasures from Cromwell’s soldiers. Later you transfer to Wexford Town and a local hotel for dinner and overnight accommodation. (B D)

Thursday 15th June Explore Wexford and Celtic Dinner and Music Evening at the Arlington Hotel This morning you have leisure time to spend exploring Wexford. Walk around the vibrant centre and indulge in the many cafes, pubs and eating places. You then depart Wexford by train and travel to Dublin before transferring to your hotel. In the evening you have a final tour treat with an unforgettable Celtic Night with dinner, traditional Irish music, and dancing at the famous Arlington Hotel. Later you return to your hotel for overnight accommodation. (B D)

Friday 16th June Ferry Crossing to Holyhead and First Class Avanti Service to London Euston After breakfast at the hotel, you meet with the rest of your group in reception with your cases. You then have a coach transfer to the ferry terminal and depart Dublin by ferry to Holyhead. On arrival, you transfer to Holyhead train station where you depart on a First Class Avanti Service to London Euston. (B)

Tour Summary

Tour price £2295 Single supplement £325 Ground only £2095 (Holyhead to Holyhead)

Price includes:

• First Class Rail Travel from London Euston to Holyhead and return • 8 nights accommodation • 8 breakfasts • 8 dinners • All visits, train, coach and ferry travel as detailed in the itinerary • The services of a tour manager

All prices shown are per person based on two persons sharing. Meals included each day are shown as: B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner

June 2023

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2

Approx. timings Outward Return London Euston 09:10 17:36 Holyhead 13:10 13:57

Arran and Kintyre

Saturday 10th June to Friday 16th June 2023

Explore the diverse delights of Western Scotland on this unique holiday to the picturesque Isle of Arran and the scenic peninsula of Kintyre. • Discover the striking landscapes of Arran, ranging from sandy beaches and rolling fields to an interior capped by the towering Goatfell peak. Arran truly is ‘Scotland in Miniature’! • Enjoy three days based in Brodick at the refined Douglas Hotel, and visit Brodick Castle, Gardens and Country Park with a later excursion to Lochranza distillery, and the chance to watch and photograph some stunning wildlife. • Other Arran highlights include the double cascade at Glenashdale Falls, the ancient stones at Machrie Moor and the grand, converted villas along the 2-mile-long Whiting Bay. • Moving on to Kintyre for three nights you’ll visit remote Davaar Island, see the famous Mull of Kintyre and explore

Campbeltown with its three whisky distilleries, all the while enjoying some of the finest scenery in all Scotland. • From exquisite cuisine to lusty off-the-beaten-path excursions along coast and fell, this quintessential Scottish holiday is definitely not to be missed.

Saturday 10th June London to Brodick Your holiday starts in the First-Class lounge at London Kings Cross Station where you board a Virgin Trains service to Edinburgh. You then travel in spacious comfort up the East Coast Main Line (ECML), with an easy interchange at Edinburgh Waverley onto a ScotRail service to Glasgow Central and onto Ardrossan Harbour. There you change onto the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry for the one-hour crossing to Brodick, Arran’s principal town. Here you check into the elegant Douglas Hotel, where you’ll be based for the next three nights. Dinner is at your hotel this evening. (L D) Sunday 11th June Brodick Castle and Gardens; Goatfell and Lochranza Distillery After a leisurely breakfast this morning you’ll have time to look around bustling Brodick before a scheduled late morning visit to Brodick Castle, Gardens and Country Park. A quintessential Victorian estate, this is the only island country park in the whole of Britain. The Castle houses an outstanding collection of period furniture, silverware, porcelain, paintings and sporting trophies. The estate features a range of habitats from the formal walled gardens to wild woodland walks, all against a backdrop of stunning views over Brodick Bay. You’ll see the wild Ayrshire coast on one side, with towering Goatfell peak on the other. After your visit you’ll have a coach trip along the east and north coasts of the island to the whisky distillery at Lochranza, for a guided tour and a ‘wee dram’. There’ll be several stops along the way for bird watching and photography at scenic vantage points, so you can begin to immerse yourself in the amazing landscapes of Arran. Dinner will be served back at your hotel this evening. (B D)

Monday 12th June Nature and scenery of southern and central Arran Today a relaxed tour of the south of Arran awaits, with stops at the sweeping 2-milelong Whiting Bay, the village of Kildonan, the turbulent Glenashdale Falls and the Standing Stones at Machrie Moor. Whiting Bay is the third largest of Arran’s settlements after Lamlash and Brodick and retains much of the quiet gentility of