Wedded Wonderland

Luxury holidays in the UK

United Kingdom travel packages

Settle into country houses with the fire already lit and the fells outside your window. Tell us the corners of Britain you love, and we plan every train, driver and hotel.

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Find your corner of Britain

Many travellers arrive in Britain with a family name to trace or a childhood book in mind, and the country rarely disappoints. The pleasure is in small things, such as a fire lit in a country house sitting room or a pub lunch after a walk across the fells.

London is the natural start, with theatre, museums and great dining. Within a few hours by train you can be in the honey-stone villages of the Cotswolds, Georgian Bath or medieval York. Scotland rewards a longer stay, with Edinburgh's old town, the Highland lochs and whisky distilleries on Speyside and Islay. Canal barges and small ships offer a quieter way to see the waterways and the islands.

Find the right British trip

United Kingdom

Glasgow, the Highlands and Edinburgh

9 days · 8 nights

Glasgow → Inveraray → Inverness → Cairngorms → St Andrews → Edinburgh

You start in Glasgow with a bagpipe workshop, then follow Loch Lomond to Inveraray Castle and the Great Glen to Inverness. Culloden, a Speyside cooperage and the Cairngorms come next, then St Andrews and a walk on the Old Course. The journey ends in Edinburgh with afternoon tea, the castle and the former royal yacht.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Glasgow, the Highlands and Edinburgh

United Kingdom

Hampton Court to Henley on the Thames

7 days · 6 nights

Hampton Court → Runnymede → Windsor → Cookham → Hurley-on-Thames → Henley-on-Thames

You begin with a cream tea in London and board at Hampton Court for the palace and its maze. The barge passes Runnymede on the way to Windsor Castle, then Dorney Court and Stanley Spencer's Cookham. You end with Oxford's Christ Church and leave at Henley-on-Thames.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Hampton Court to Henley on the Thames

United Kingdom

Liverpool to Lisbon by sea

13 days · 12 nights

Liverpool → Brest → Nantes → Bordeaux → Bilbao → Porto → Lisbon

You spend two nights in Liverpool, with a choice of cathedrals, the Beatles or Anfield, then visit Chester before boarding. The ship crosses to Brest and Nantes in Brittany and spends three days in Bordeaux. Bilbao and Porto follow before you leave the ship in Lisbon.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Liverpool to Lisbon by sea

United Kingdom

Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal

7 days · 6 nights

Inverness → Loch Ness → Fort Augustus → Loch Oich → Loch Lochy → Banavie

You board at Muirtown near Inverness and cruise the heather-lined Caledonian Canal towards Loch Ness. Culloden, Cawdor Castle and a falconry display fill the first days as you climb through the locks at Fort Augustus. Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Lochy, Neptune's Staircase and a whisky tasting finish the week at Banavie.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal

United Kingdom

Sissinghurst, Hidcote and Chelsea

9 days · 8 nights

West Sussex → Great Dixter → Sissinghurst → West Green House → Broadway → Blenheim Palace → London

You start at a manor house hotel in West Sussex, with private visits to Parham, Borde Hill, Great Dixter and Sissinghurst. The route turns west through Hampshire to the Cotswolds for Kiftsgate, Hidcote, a racing yard and Sudeley Castle. Blenheim Palace leads you to London and a Members' Day at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Sissinghurst, Hidcote and Chelsea

United Kingdom

The Highlands and the Edinburgh Tattoo

9 days · 8 nights

Glasgow → Inveraray → Inverness → Cairngorms → St Andrews → Edinburgh

You begin in Glasgow and the Burrell Collection, then travel by Loch Lomond, Inveraray Castle and the Great Glen to Inverness. Culloden, Speyside and the Cairngorms lead to St Andrews and a guided walk on the Old Course. Edinburgh closes the journey, with the castle, the former royal yacht and an evening at the Military Tattoo.

Price on enquirySee the journey: The Highlands and the Edinburgh Tattoo

See more of the UK than London

Guided days in the cities and countryside, each arranged around your trip.

  • Churchill's War Rooms

    Explore the underground rooms where Churchill and his cabinet ran the Second World War, with a guide to bring the history to life.

  • Ride in Windsor Great Park

    Ride with a private instructor through the parkland around Windsor Castle, a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

  • Blend your own gin

    Learn the story of gin on Portobello Road, then taste the botanicals and mix, bottle and take home your own recipe.

  • Sheepdogs in the Cotswolds

    Join shepherds and their collies on an 18th-century farm to see how the dogs are trained and try giving the commands yourself.

  • Castles of the Yorkshire Dales

    Drive the Dales from Middleham Castle, loved by Richard III, to Bolton Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was held.

  • Cruise Lake Windermere

    Glide across England's largest lake, past wooded islands, fells and the villages of the Lake District National Park.

  • Scotland's west coast

    Explore Oban, the harbour town that looks out to the Hebrides, then follow the coast past castles and sea lochs.

  • Design your own tartan

    Visit a Scottish country estate and work with a tailor to choose the colours and pattern of your own tartan or tweed.

Choose between England and Scotland, or both

England is gentle countryside and old towns, while Scotland is wild hills and lochs.

  • London and Windsor

    Palaces, museums and theatre in the capital, with Windsor Castle and Hampton Court a short drive up the Thames.

  • Edinburgh

    The castle on its rock, the Royal Mile and the Georgian New Town, with Arthur's Seat rising above the city.

  • St Andrews

    The home of golf, a medieval university town and long sandy beaches on the Fife coast.

  • Loch Ness and the Great Glen

    The Caledonian Canal links Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness, cruised slowly past Fort Augustus and Ben Nevis.

  • Glasgow and the Highlands

    Victorian Glasgow as a gateway to Glencoe and the west, with Inverness the capital of the Highlands in the north.

Board a barge or join a British tour

In the UK you can cruise the canals by barge, join a small group, sail the islands on an expedition ship or travel by private jet.

  • Small group tours

    Tour England and Scotland with a small group and a guide who knows the villages and lochs.

  • Cruises

    Cruise England's canals by barge or the Scottish isles by small ship, with distilleries ashore.

Plan Britain for long summer evenings

Garden openings, festivals and Highland games fill the calendar, so we book around the events you want.

  • JanuaryAvoid

    Cold and dark early, especially in the Scottish Highlands.

  • FebruaryMixed

    Quiet museums in London, short days in Scotland.

  • MarchMixed

    Daffodils in the parks, changeable weather in the north.

  • AprilGood

    Spring gardens and longer days, the canal season begins.

  • MayBest

    Long light evenings and some of Scotland's driest weather.

  • JuneBest

    The longest days, Highland evenings that barely get dark.

  • JulyGood

    Warmest month, busy in London and Edinburgh.

  • AugustGood

    Edinburgh's festivals fill the city, book well ahead.

  • SeptemberBest

    Calmer after summer, autumn colour starting in the glens.

  • OctoberGood

    Autumn colour in the Highlands, canal season ends.

  • NovemberMixed

    Short grey days, a good time for London's galleries.

  • DecemberMixed

    Christmas lights in London and Hogmanay in Edinburgh.

Land in London, then fly north to Scotland

London has direct flights from across the world, and short flights or trains carry on to Scotland.

  • Sydney (one stop): about 23 h
  • Melbourne (one stop): about 23 h
  • Brisbane (one stop): about 24 h
  • Perth (non-stop): about 17.5 h
  • Los Angeles (non-stop): about 10.5 h
  • London (non-stop): about 1.5 h
  • Dubai (non-stop): about 7.5 h

Cross the Irish Sea or the Channel

Dublin is about an hour's flight away, and Paris is a short train ride through the tunnel.

  • Ireland

    The River Shannon, Dublin and the Cliffs of Moher.

  • France

    Slow canal journeys through Burgundy, the Midi and Provence.

Get your British trip questions answered

Do I need a UK ETA before flying to London?
It depends on your passport. Most visitors who do not need a visa, including Australian, US and Canadian passport holders, need an Electronic Travel Authorisation, applied for on GOV.UK or the official UK ETA app. It covers stays of up to six months at a time over two years or until your passport expires. Each traveller, including children, needs their own. Check your own government's travel advice before you book, as rules change.
Is the train or a driver better for the Cotswolds and Scotland?
Trains reach Bath, York, Edinburgh and Inverness quickly and comfortably out of London. The Cotswolds, the Lake District and the Highlands are best seen with a private driver, as the villages and lochs sit off the rail lines.
When are the days longest in Scotland?
In June the Scottish light lasts until about 10 pm, and May to September is the best window for the Highlands and islands. August brings the Edinburgh festivals, when hotels book out months ahead.
How much time do you need for London and Edinburgh?
Plan four nights in London and three in Edinburgh, linked by a train of about four and a half hours. With the Highlands added, a fortnight lets you travel without rushing.
Can we celebrate a birthday in a Scottish castle hotel?
Yes. Castle and country house hotels in the Highlands and Perthshire host private dinners, whisky tastings and even a piper for the occasion. For an anniversary, a suite above a loch or a Cotswold manor with a spa suits a quieter celebration.
Can we trace family history while we are in Britain?
Yes. A genealogist can research your family before you fly, and we then plan visits to the parish, the old house or the regimental museum. Many visitors find their records in county archives or at the ScotlandsPeople Centre in Edinburgh.
What is a canal barge holiday in Britain like?
A hotel barge carries a few guests along canals such as the Kennet and Avon or the Caledonian Canal in Scotland, with a crew who cook and steer. You cruise a few hours a day and visit gardens, villages and distilleries ashore.

Tell us about your trip to the UK

Tell us when you want to go, for how long and who is travelling. Your travel expert replies in writing with a trip shaped around you.

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