Post by Owen on Sept 8, 2014 22:11:55 GMT
1 ~ Britain & Ireland Grandeur Tour - June 2013 ~ Oz-T ~ 11583 Views on TT
This travel tale was written by Oz-T and relates to a Trafalgar Tour.
It was originally posted on the Trafalgar forum.
This travel tale was written by Oz-T and relates to a Trafalgar Tour.
It was originally posted on the Trafalgar forum.
This is Trafalgar’s most comprehensive grand tour of Britain and Ireland, 20 days all up. The details here may be of use to anyone considering comparable tours such as Britain & Ireland Panorama, or Britain & Ireland Explorer (Costsaver). And given the usual overlaps, parts of this tour will inevitably be available on many of the shorter tours of Britain and Ireland.
This tour traces a clockwise path through the British Isles, starting in London and heading south-west to Cornwall, up to Wales, to Ireland, back to England, up to Scotland, and down to London. If you’re interested in history, castles, beautiful countryside and Guinness, this tour is for you.
Britain & the British Isles
Just to clarify things, ‘Britain’ refers to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The ‘British Isles’ refers to Britain plus all of Ireland. But if you want to get technical, the ‘British Islands’ refers to Britain (including Northern Ireland that’s not really an island itself) plus Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man which are islands. The United Kingdom comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not the islands of Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man. Ireland is an island that comprises Ireland plus Northern Ireland, the first one being a republic and the latter a part of the UK. Confused? Me too, but I think it was planned that way to annoy the French and to make it tricky for Trafalgar’s marketing department.
Optional Tours
Unlike other Trafalgar tours we have been on, this time we decided to go on every optional tour offered. I’ll detail these and assess each of them as we go.
Currency
Whilst UK pounds are the main currency needed, take some euros for the Ireland portion (but not for Northern Ireland which uses UK pounds). Scotland prints its own pounds which are interchangeable with regular English pounds, although there can be problems with them being accepted in southern England. If this annoys you, complain to Sean Connery, assuming he's prepared to ‘lishen’ to you.
Electricity
Voltage is 230 volts AC in both the UK and Ireland, compatible with appliances used in Europe, Australia and NZ etc. US and Canadian appliances will need to be dual voltage or you can use a converter. You will need an adaptor to plug your device into wall sockets.
Internet
Free WiFi was available at every hotel on this tour, usually in the room, but sometimes only in the lobby. I carry an i-pad and Mrs Oz a mini-ipad. I use an adaptor to insert my camera SD card straight into the i-pad to backup photos and she used her mini-i-pad to take her own photos to share with family and a million of her friends as we travelled.
Weather
Britain has a temperate climate, with no wet or dry seasons, or extreme temperature changes. We were very fortunate in having fine weather for the first two weeks, and only a little rain thereafter. However, the previous tour group was not so lucky. Despite early summer, it’s prudent to bring layered clothing and an umbrella.
I hope you find this narration of the tour interesting.
