Britain & Ireland Tours with Lisa Friend & Charlie Rawson

0:00 Good evening everyone,

0:01 and welcome to the 2026 Festival of Tours with Rick Steves' Europe.

0:05 My name is Emily Erickson, and I will be your moderator this evening

0:08 as tour guides Lisa Friend and Charlie Ross Rossin

0:12 whisk us away to the British Isles

0:13 for a look at our tours in Britain and Ireland.

0:17 But before we catch up with Lisa and Charlie,

0:19 please allow me just a few introductory announcements.

0:22 We are officially on tonight three of our nine-night travel festival.

0:26 Tonight the star of the show is our Britain and Ireland tours,

0:30 but we still have six programs after tonight,

0:33 and you can register to join us for any

0:35 or all of those using the link in the chat widget.

0:39 And if you miss a live show, do not fret.

0:42 We will post the recordings to all of these programs

0:44 on our website as well as our YouTube channel,

0:47 Rick Steves' Travel Talks, within 48 hours of the live show.

0:52 I am also excited to share that our 2027

0:56 tours are officially open for registration on our website.

1:00 We have not made an official launch announcement quite yet,

1:04 but you early birds heard it here first, so you can start your shopping.

1:08 And in more good news, we are also offering you all $100 off per traveler on all

1:14 of our 2027 tours just as long as you book by Monday, July 6th.

1:19 And that discount is automatically applied at checkout.

1:23 But if you just can't wait until 2027 to travel with us, I have more good news.

1:29 We still have some room on our 2026 tours, and a number of them are on sale.

1:34 Some of them up to $500 off per traveler.

1:37 If you would like to go shopping for some tours on sale,

1:41 simply head to ricksteves.com/toursale.

1:46 I also would like to invite you to join us

1:48 for another virtual event series that we offer, Tours 101.

1:52 This is essentially a crash course in the Rick Steves' tour program

1:58 and we are hosting our next sessions on May 19th and June 25th.

2:04 And during our Tours 101,

2:06 we will dive deep into our travel style and we will paint

2:09 a picture of a typical day in the life on a Rick Steves Tours.

2:14 We will talk about our small, fun, and friendly groups of 24 to 28 travelers.

2:20 We will talk about how we are an educational tour company

2:23 and we are curating authentic local experiences for our tour members.

2:27 We will talk about packing light and right and Charlie and Lisa will touch

2:32 on our travel style during the presentation as it

2:35 relates to our tours in Britain and Ireland,

2:38 but if you would like a more general overview of our tour program,

2:42 I highly recommend that you join us for Tours 101.

2:47 Another thing that we cover in Tours 101 is we like

2:50 to give you some tips for choosing the right tour itinerary for you.

2:55 Based on how much time you have to spend in Europe,

2:57 based on your interests, or maybe the experiences that you're looking to have,

3:02 and that is more important now than ever before because we

3:05 officially have over 50 itineraries to choose from spanning all across Europe.

3:11 But tonight, as I mentioned,

3:13 the star of the show is our Britain and Ireland Tours.

3:17 And so on that note, everyone,

3:19 please join me in welcoming our two hosts for the evening who

3:24 are going to tell us all about our Britain and Ireland Tours.

3:27 It's Lisa Friend and Charlie Rossin.

3:29 Good evening.

3:30 Hello everyone.

3:31 Hey guys.

3:32 How you doing?

3:34 Hello you two.

3:34 I am very excited to see you, but before we get started,

3:38 I know that the two of you are gearing up for the 2026 tour season.

3:43 I think both of you will be on tour in just a matter of weeks.

3:46 So, what have you been doing with your off season?

3:51 Do Do want to go first, Charlie?

3:53 Yeah, I would absolutely love to.

3:54 I felt so incredibly lucky this off-season because so many

3:58 of us guides were able to get together in Edmonds,

4:01 Washington state, and celebrate, and learn, and share.

4:05 It was a really wonderful workshop week.

4:07 But then after that week altogether,

4:10 with all the noise and energy and fun that we had,

4:12 a colleague and I, another guide and I, jumped onto the Empire Builder.

4:17 We took the train from Edmonds all the way across to Chicago.

4:22 We stopped in a couple of places on the way,

4:24 and it was absolutely incredible to meet local people in the middle of America,

4:28 and I'd never been to any of those states in between, so it was a real joy.

4:33 And then since then, I came home,

4:35 and I've been spending some good quality time with my husband,

4:38 and just last week we got back from walking the Camino de Santiago.

4:41 In fact, it's the third time that I've been grateful enough to walk,

4:45 and so three of my shells are back here on the wall behind me.

4:51 Well, that is very active.

4:54 I had a luxury uh a luxury vacation

4:58 with a lot of my co-workers after the the summit.

5:02 Um I went to Singapore for a few days with six of my colleagues,

5:06 and then our sweet friend Divya that we

5:08 work with, who was behind the scenes last night,

5:10 she guided us on a private tour around southern India, and it was amazing.

5:16 Just wonderful food, sweet, kind people,

5:20 and it was probably the furthest culturally I'd ever been from home,

5:24 and it broadened my perspective.

5:27 Amazing.

5:28 And I have to say I also have traveled with one of our co-workers.

5:32 Jen and I actually went on a tour together,

5:34 so Here it seems here if we all love each

5:36 other so much that we Working together is not enough.

5:38 We also have to travel together.

5:40 It's true.

5:41 It's true.

5:43 Well, I am very excited to see what

5:45 you two have put together for us this evening,

5:47 and so, I am going to hand it over to you.

5:50 Okay.

5:51 Well, I would be happy to start.

5:54 These beloved countries, you can see we have five different flags

5:58 that we are dealing with cuz it's five separate nations,

6:01 and Charlie's going to get into the differences and the commonalities.

6:06 And so, I want to introduce her to do

6:09 that, but we're just talking about the Republic of Ireland,

6:12 Northern Ireland, Wales, England, and Scotland.

6:17 So, Charlie, it is all yours, my friend.

6:20 Absolutely.

6:21 Thank you so much for the intro.

6:23 I'm so excited to share about these five nations.

6:26 Now, as you come to these places, wonderful news is that English, of course,

6:31 is the main language across the region,

6:33 making interaction with the locals nice and easy.

6:36 But, you get a huge amount of linguistic color with regional languages,

6:40 dialects, and accents.

6:42 So, what you can see here in the slide

6:44 on the left-hand side is a little bit of Scottish Gaelic,

6:47 and on the right-hand side, a little bit of Welsh.

6:50 But also in Ireland, you'll find Gaelic,

6:52 and then in Cornwall, you'll also have Cornish.

6:55 So, plenty to get stuck into if you like your languages.

6:58 Another similarity that runs throughout our nations is the royal family.

7:03 There are common threads between the five nations, for sure.

7:06 So, there's a historical link, but it not all regions and communities

7:10 have the same opinion of the British Crown.

7:13 It's a complex and multifaceted relationship

7:16 that's fascinating to explore whilst you're here.

7:20 Now, I'd really like to talk to you

7:21 guys about an ingrained custom that highlights fairness,

7:25 patience, and politeness.

7:27 And of course, it's the national sport of queuing.

7:31 Now, jumping the queue is absolutely just not cricket,

7:35 and the risk of reprimand of an audible tutting might take place.

7:41 So, that's one of the ones to look out for.

7:42 You'll see plenty of orderly queuing indeed.

7:45 Now, let's talk about some other things that tie us together and bind us.

7:49 It's our sports.

7:50 So, with rugby, one of the greatest elements

7:53 of rugby in the springtime is the Six Nations.

7:55 And that's when you have Ireland, Wales, Scotland,

7:58 England, France, and Italy all battling it out.

8:03 We've got a collective love of this sport for sure,

8:06 but we're also showing regional pride through this fierce

8:09 competition which I love to get stuck into.

8:12 Now, aside from rugby, we've also got football,

8:14 what you would guys would call soccer.

8:18 Every school has a team, and the women's football has really gained

8:21 a huge following in the last few years.

8:24 Now, what the saying is that goes with these two

8:27 sports is that football is a gentleman's sport played by ruffians,

8:32 and rugby is a ruffian's sport played by gentlemen.

8:36 So, make sure you have time to see one of each whilst you're here,

8:39 and you can decide which makes more sense to you.

8:43 Now, one final sport I would love to mention,

8:46 and more so than any in this week following

8:49 the Masters with Rory Rory McIlroy winning, of course, is golf.

8:54 Now, up in Scotland, you'll certainly get a taste of that in St.

8:57 Andrews, but it's one of those sports

9:00 you'll find throughout our five nations for sure.

9:03 But, of course, we have regional, national sports.

9:06 For instance, cricket in England.

9:09 So many villages have their cricket pitch and their clubhouse.

9:13 But, then in our Celtic nations,

9:15 in Ireland and Scotland, you have hurling and shinty.

9:19 Hurling on the left here, shinty on the right.

9:22 They're kind of similar, like a cross between field hockey and lacrosse,

9:26 and pretty fierce to boot.

9:29 Now, one of my favorite things, because I travel with my taste buds,

9:33 that weave us all together as different nations are our foods.

9:37 The full English, Irish, Scottish,

9:39 or Welsh breakfast is delicious and determined

9:42 by whether you've got black or white pudding included,

9:45 maybe haggis or a tattie scone, and that will determine which of the nations

9:50 that full breakfast can be attributed to.

9:53 Other food types you will definitely stumble

9:55 across as the classic fish and chips.

9:58 This one's a bit on the posh side to be

10:00 honest because we've got a wee salad there as well,

10:03 but you'll get haddock or cod,

10:05 and then you have to have, it's absolutely non-negotiable,

10:08 you've got to try it with salt and vinegar plus mushy peas.

10:13 Absolutely delicious.

10:15 Now, finally, of the food selection that I

10:18 want to share with you is our Sunday roast.

10:21 It comes from going to Sunday uh going to church on Sunday

10:25 and then having that family tradition

10:26 of coming back together for a communal lunch.

10:29 So, on the plate typically you would have a roast meat like maybe beef,

10:33 pork, or perhaps chicken, and then roast potatoes, veg, carrots on this one.

10:39 You can actually see some greens,

10:41 a little red cabbage at the back there, and of course the Yorkshire pudding.

10:45 This light risen batter that is perfect for absorbing all the delicious gravy.

10:51 So, this one is actually a vegetarian version and it's

10:54 so easy these days to accommodate vegetarians on our tours,

10:58 which is fantastic news.

11:00 Now, I would like to talk a little bit about where you would find these dishes.

11:04 And of course, you'll find all three of these dishes in so many of our pubs.

11:10 Pub culture, it's synonymous with all of these nations.

11:13 Popping in for a swift half or a pint or perhaps a wee dram of whiskey.

11:19 Now, these pubs host so many of our gatherings,

11:23 socializing and celebrations of our culture.

11:26 A great example of this is our live music scene, of course,

11:30 with folk music being ever present and seeing

11:32 a real modernization of that taking place at the moment,

11:36 which is incredibly exciting.

11:38 Okay, Lisa, that's me wrapping up all

11:40 the similarities and differences I wanted to touch on.

11:43 Over to you for the best of England in 14 days tour.

11:47 Thank you, Charlie.

11:48 It's awfully fun to be uh with you on screen because your enthusiasm,

11:53 especially at 2:00 a.m.

11:55 your time, is just uh admirable.

11:58 So, I'm going to get down to a little bit of brass tacks.

12:01 We're going to get started on our adventures.

12:04 Our Best of England tour,

12:05 uh which is sadly misnamed because it does include Wales,

12:08 but our Best of England tour in 14 days is a great introduction tour.

12:12 And we start in Bath, which is an easy bus or train ride from London.

12:17 We see the gorgeous Bath Abbey,

12:19 one of three very important Gothic churches on this tour.

12:23 We start off with a walking tour around Bath, going to the Georgian Pump Room.

12:28 We love walking tours on our Rick Steves itineraries because we want to give you

12:32 a strong introduction and orientation to a place

12:35 so you're comfortable during your free time,

12:38 and generally about a third of your time is free on any Rick Steves tour.

12:43 So, Bath has natural hot springs that the Romans enjoyed 2,000 years ago,

12:48 and we will visit the ancient Roman baths of Aquae Sulis.

12:52 And the Roman goddess Minerva will watch

12:54 over the ancient baths in the adjoining museum.

12:58 Now, Bath's heyday was during the Georgian period,

13:01 which I mentioned, named after King Georges 1, 2, 3, 4.

13:06 And a lot of its architecture was built in the 1700s, so it's very harmonious.

13:11 Um except for the cars in this photo,

13:13 you could absolutely imagine Jane Austen walking down the street.

13:18 And we love Bath so much that we start our Best of England tour here,

13:22 and we end our South England tour here as well.

13:25 And I just love this picture um of the Pulteney Bridge.

13:29 It's one of the last remaining medieval covered market bridges in Europe.

13:35 Some of you may be familiar with the other one in Florence, the Ponte Vecchio.

13:40 Charlie, take us away.

13:43 Well, I would like to mention how lovely it

13:45 is to walk along the Kennet and Avon Canal.

13:48 It offers lovely flat walking around Bath,

13:51 and you get to see people living and working on the water.

13:54 But one of my absolute favorite places to walk is the Cotswolds,

13:59 which is next up on our tour.

14:01 These chocolate box villages and rural vistas taking walks

14:05 into rolling agricultural landscapes here is just second to none.

14:09 It is fantastic.

14:11 Here in Stow-on-the-Wold, we are nestled within this gorgeous landscape.

14:15 The history of wool through farming and industry.

14:19 This area became rich through this world.

14:21 And now the stunning architecture houses independent shops and cafes

14:25 a plenty for you to experience the insides of these buildings.

14:29 This is the perfect place to take a wander

14:31 and steal a peek into gorgeous gardens and floral bonanzas.

14:35 The look at the wisteria on that last slide was so gorgeous.

14:39 The smell, the bloom, absolutely love it.

14:42 I think I can smell it from over here.

14:44 Now passing through kissing gates and along

14:46 the cutest of pathways flanked with dry stone walls,

14:50 you can feel how many have walked these paths before you.

14:54 Out across open pastures next dotted with 300-year-old oak trees.

15:00 These paths are peaceful and predominantly flat,

15:03 which makes them wonderfully accessible.

15:06 So as we walk, you can catch a glimpse of grand

15:09 country houses of a bygone era tucked behind hedgerows and tree lines.

15:15 Absolutely stunning.

15:17 Like peeking into a secret world.

15:19 But no countryside walk is truly complete unless you finish

15:23 the day in a pub for a swift half or a pint.

15:25 Now, non-alcoholic options are always available

15:28 and quite the done thing today, as well.

15:31 Now, Lisa, would you like to tell us

15:33 a little bit about the Welsh element of this tour?

15:36 As my mother's maiden name was Evans,

15:38 the first or second most common uh surname in all of Wales,

15:42 I would, but first before we go on, will you uh tell us what a swift half means?

15:48 Absolutely.

15:49 So, typically, folks will say we're just going for a swift half,

15:53 which means you're going for a half pint of beer.

15:56 But, more often than not, it does turn into a pint.

16:00 So, that's just a warning from the outset, but people will generally say,

16:04 "Let's pop in for a swift half," but it might take a bit longer than you expect.

16:08 Speaking of a swift half,

16:10 before we get on to Wales and while we're still in England,

16:13 um I am enjoying a cider this evening,

16:17 which comes from the region around where you live, not that far from Bristol.

16:21 Is that correct?

16:22 Mhm.

16:23 I absolutely enjoy a good cider in the summertime,

16:27 most definitely paired with perhaps a rugby match.

16:30 We've got a couple of different um cideries.

16:34 One is only a 40-minute walk away from where we live across the fields,

16:38 which is a beautiful walk nonetheless.

16:41 So, it's very nice to have the local

16:43 orchards with all the trees with the apples.

16:45 It's stunning, and then you know it's super local, as well.

16:48 Okay.

16:49 Well, as I said, Wales uh is what we're going to talk about next,

16:52 this stop on the best of England tour.

16:54 Wales has the most fun flag of all the countries that we

16:57 visit tonight and is a favorite stop among our tour members.

17:01 So, we make our home base in Wales in the town of Conwy,

17:05 which is a great little town of about 15,000

17:08 people nestled on the bay and capped with a castle.

17:12 Conwy has this imposing castle that now

17:14 welcomes visitors instead of repelling them.

17:17 It's got great pubs, lovely strolls along the water,

17:20 and people with gorgeous accents.

17:23 I recently learned that the Welsh people have

17:25 the most trustworthy accent of anywhere um in the UK.

17:31 And so, you'll hear that accent come out of this man,

17:34 Gareth Wyn Jones, one of the first men that we meet in Wales,

17:38 tells us about his life as a shepherd on the farm

17:41 where his family has lived and farmed for the last 350 years.

17:46 He's passionate about his traditions and sustainable farming,

17:50 and he loves sharing that with our tour members.

17:53 While we're in Conwy, we day trip over to Caernarfon Castle.

17:57 Um Caernarfon Castle is important because this is where the Prince of Wales

18:01 had um his investiture on that Welsh slate circle in the picture in 1969.

18:08 And this castle is a fantastic example of medieval architecture,

18:12 and we have a fun tour around the castle

18:14 grounds with a a lively guide usually named Sue.

18:19 And in the afternoon, we take a scenic drive through Snowdonia National Park.

18:25 Grateful for our professional driver and happy

18:27 that we are not doing the driving ourselves.

18:30 That's a theme that will come in later as well.

18:33 On our way out of Wales, we stop at the stunning Bodnant Gardens.

18:38 Now, I'm not much of a garden person.

18:40 I kill all my houseplants.

18:43 Um but I am fascinated with the gorgeous, gorgeous flowers here.

18:47 And especially the laburnum tunnel that blooms

18:50 here in the late spring and early summer.

18:53 Speaking of blooming, I hope that's not a bad word,

18:55 Charlie, cuz I'm going to turn it back over to you.

18:58 No, that is perfect.

19:00 We are now heading to the Lake District.

19:02 Thank you so much for that Welsh adventure.

19:05 From the Lake District, uh this is a place I have a huge,

19:09 unending amount of enthusiasm for.

19:11 so buckle up, folks.

19:14 The English Lake District is it's a highlight,

19:18 absolutely highlight on this tour.

19:20 And the boat ride that we take goes across Derwent Water.

19:23 It truly exemplifies the beauty and majesty of nature in this area.

19:29 Now, traveling from Keswick, where we stay,

19:31 our launch boat is historic and charming.

19:34 And time out on the water allows you to be utterly present in the moment.

19:39 And you might even get to meet a few furry

19:42 friends whilst you journey to your destination across this stunning waterway.

19:48 So, you'll see whilst on the water there are stunning fells,

19:51 that's what we call the hills.

19:52 And the ones in this image are called Catbells,

19:55 they're kind of two bumps in the in the medium ground there,

19:59 just behind our island.

20:00 Now, for the adventurous on the tour,

20:02 you might want to strike off from the group and climb to the top of Catbells.

20:07 And as you can see from this view back down, it's absolutely stunning.

20:11 And the elevation is only 1,500 ft.

20:14 When walking in the UK and Ireland,

20:16 go prepared for all weather with water, jackets,

20:19 and sturdy shoes because there's no such thing as bad bad weather,

20:23 only a bad choice of clothing.

20:26 Now, the Lake District is renowned also for tea and cake.

20:30 Right on the banks of Derwent Water is Lingholm Estate,

20:33 where Beatrix Potter holidayed, nonetheless.

20:36 And these days they serve delicious cakes

20:39 with edible flowers decorating the top, absolutely divine.

20:44 The wander back from Lingholm to Keswick,

20:46 it's uh mostly flat and beautifully dotted

20:49 with a few refreshment stops on route.

20:53 Now, another of my favorite stops, just outside Keswick,

20:56 really on the outskirts, is called Castlerigg Stone Circle.

21:00 It's a similar age to Stonehenge, about 5,000 years old,

21:04 and it alludes to a community of people gathering.

21:07 I always think invites us to imagine who they

21:10 were and why this place was so important to them.

21:14 Now, Keswick itself is the town that we base ourselves in.

21:18 It's a fabulous, friendly market town with pubs, a chip shops,

21:22 and oodles of history and outdoor gear shops, which I love popping into.

21:28 But, we're now leaving Keswick and the Lakes behind us.

21:31 We travel along Hadrian's Wall, the most superb of Roman structures,

21:36 which once marked the edge of that powerful empire.

21:39 We'll make a stop at the active archaeological dig before traveling on to York.

21:45 Hey Lisa, could you show us around York, please?

21:48 I would love to because York is my favorite city in England after London.

21:52 It has a strong Viking history from the early medieval period,

21:56 and these atmospheric lanes in a neighborhood called The Shambles.

21:59 So, you can see that the houses overhang the streets

22:02 on the top on the street on the top floor.

22:05 And since today is April 15th,

22:06 and I'm probably not the only one hurting from paying my taxes,

22:10 I'll point out that since a house was taxed on its size on the ground floor,

22:14 people maximize the untaxed upper floors.

22:18 Pretty smart.

22:19 The crowning jewel of York is its Minster,

22:21 which is the largest Gothic church north of the Alps.

22:25 The inside of the church is stereotypically Anglican,

22:28 not as ornamental as a Catholic church down in Rome,

22:31 but stately and with clean lines.

22:35 The York Minster also has the largest expanse of medieval glass in Britain,

22:39 and the west window is the great heart of Yorkshire.

22:42 So, I don't know if you can see that.

22:43 I'm going to use my mouse.

22:44 See that heart?

22:46 I think that's so charming.

22:47 Beautiful.

22:49 And during the Middle Ages, the stained glass windows of any church

22:52 acted as a visual interpretation of Bible stories.

22:55 So, you can see Adam and Eve here.

22:58 Very interesting.

22:59 Um I also like to advise to our members

23:02 that they should very seriously consider climbing the ramparts around York.

23:06 There aren't that many places left where you can do that, and it's a fun stroll.

23:12 And before we say goodnight to York,

23:14 which has great walking tours even in the evening,

23:16 York has some of the best ghost tours I've ever been on.

23:19 York is very walkable,

23:20 but I'd like to talk about some taste treats on the best of England tour.

23:25 So, one of the things that all of these tours have in common is great pubs.

23:29 Pub is short for public house.

23:31 They're open to all, and as Charlie said, a great place to socialize.

23:35 A tip I learned is if you want to make friends, stand or sit at the bar.

23:40 If you sit at a table, nobody will bother you.

23:42 So, you're sending a signal out that you're

23:44 there to socialize if you're at the bar.

23:48 But, ale aficionados will certainly enjoy all the English IPAs,

23:52 bitters, and stouts.

23:55 Now, before we leave York figuratively,

23:57 I want to mention two other taste treats that we enjoy on this tour.

24:01 Afternoon tea, cream tea, high tea.

24:04 Um sometimes here at Betty's Tea Room where RAF airmen during

24:08 World War II left messages scrawled on the mirror behind the bar.

24:12 You can still see that today.

24:14 Or sometimes we have tea here at the National Railway Museum,

24:17 which feels like you've stepped back in time.

24:21 Speaking of stepping back in time,

24:23 I saw this picture and I had to ask Charlie what the heck it meant.

24:28 So, I had to sneak this slide in because my dad is a Yorkshireman,

24:31 born in York, Whip-Ma-Whip-Ma Gate.

24:34 It's the shortest street in York with the longest name.

24:37 This is a great example of Yorkshire wit and humor,

24:41 as well as a taste of the local dialect as well.

24:44 And the 16th century name is said to mean

24:47 neither here nor there because it's such a short street.

24:50 I absolutely love it.

24:52 And there is a Viking uh tie-in too, right?

24:55 Because gate in York means street,

24:58 but it would have come from the Danish gata, right?

25:01 Absolutely nailed it.

25:03 Yeah, perfect.

25:04 Well, speaking of nailing it,

25:06 it's my turn to stop and turn this back over to you.

25:09 Oh, thank you so much.

25:11 Well, I am a bit of a train geek,

25:13 hence why I wanted to take that journey from the West

25:16 Coast over to Chicago in January and February of this year.

25:21 So, let's hop on the train because we say a fond farewell

25:24 to our bus driver in York and travel by train down to London.

25:29 So, we leave from this impressive 19th century

25:32 station and the train takes just over 2 hours.

25:35 It's a comfy and direct journey.

25:38 We whiz through pastoral English countryside.

25:41 The journey takes you south through then more built-up

25:44 towns as you get closer and closer to London.

25:47 Eventually arriving into London King's Cross Station.

25:51 It's a hubbub of activity where modernity and historic architecture coalesce.

25:57 You really know that you've arrived

25:59 in England's capital city when you arrive here.

26:02 And for our Harry Potter fans,

26:04 perhaps you'll want to see if you can pass through

26:07 to platform 9 and 3/4 in your search for Hogwarts.

26:12 Now, over and back to you Lisa for us to explore London a little more.

26:17 Well, let's pretend we didn't pass through

26:19 the wall at platform 9 and 3/4 and talk

26:21 about what we do on the last few days of the best of England tour.

26:26 Um, while we are in London,

26:27 it's the culmination of the tour and you're going to see the Tower of London,

26:32 one of the most important buildings in the city.

26:35 Um, there are no pictures allowed of the Crown Jewels,

26:38 so I grabbed this one from Charlie.

26:40 Um, this is when they were out actually doing their job

26:43 as the state jewels at the coronation of King Charles III.

26:48 Nearby you have the gorgeous Tower Bridge and not not the London Bridge.

26:53 This is the Tower Bridge.

26:55 Um but in a fun and efficient way, which are hallmarks of a Rick Steves tour,

26:59 we leave the Tower and take a cruise

27:01 to Westminster along with some fun narration.

27:04 So, we see the tallest building in Europe, which is called The Shard.

27:07 It costs about $50 to get to the top.

27:10 Um it is not my preferred skyscraper in London because of the cost.

27:16 So, across the river you have the free Sky

27:19 Garden um in the building that looks like the Walkie-Talkie.

27:23 So, reservations are highly recommended and you will

27:25 need your ID to get in, but it's free.

27:28 Um and as my friend Charlie told me yesterday,

27:30 it's free until you buy one of the cocktails that are $20, but it's worth it.

27:35 It's a gorgeous view and you can actually

27:36 go outside and walk around a little bit.

27:39 And one of the things that I love about

27:40 London is how witty they are about their buildings.

27:44 They don't take themselves too seriously.

27:46 So, we have the Walkie-Talkie in this picture.

27:49 We have the lip stick, the cheese grater,

27:51 and in the very far distance we have the Gherkin, which is British for pickle.

27:57 So, we end our cruise at Westminster Pier to see Big Ben.

28:03 And then we visit Westminster Abbey

28:05 with its fantastic perpendicular Gothic architecture.

28:10 Some of the tours, the Best of England tour dates,

28:12 will see Westminster and some of them will see St.

28:15 Paul's.

28:15 So, that's clearly labeled on our sign-up page

28:19 and it just depends on the day of the week.

28:21 St.

28:21 Paul's is also equally stunning.

28:24 Um a lot of people know what the inside looks like because

28:26 they saw the wedding of Princess Diana to Prince Charles at the time.

28:30 Um but a wonderful dome that you can climb.

28:34 And as we say goodnight to London,

28:37 we're going to segue into a tour that I have been on as a tour member,

28:41 not guiding, but as a tour member three times.

28:43 That shows you how much I love it.

28:45 We're talking about the best of London in 7 days.

28:49 So, this is one of the ways that your guide will communicate with you.

28:53 They're always going to put up a daily schedule.

28:55 It's always going to be by the front desk.

28:57 So, we did so many fun things and unique things on this one-week tour of London.

29:01 It was great to dive into the city.

29:04 One of the things that was so fun is we went on one

29:06 of these old Routemaster bus tours to get us oriented and our guide

29:10 pointed out all the great things that we were seeing and that we

29:13 were going to see um in the week ahead and we felt pretty cool.

29:18 I mean, some of the times the Routemasters don't have the ceiling on.

29:22 It did when we were because we were there in March,

29:24 but um I'm sure that we were in a lot of people's photos as we were rolling by.

29:31 One of the really cool things that we do on the London

29:34 tour is we go to an early opening of the Tower of London.

29:38 So, we see the ceremony of opening up the tower, which is really cool.

29:42 There's like maybe 30 or 40 people that are seeing

29:46 that and then we are first in line to see the Crown Jewels.

29:51 One of the other things that we do on the London

29:54 tour is we go into a tour of the Globe Theatre.

29:57 So, the recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre,

30:00 which some of you may uh recognize from Hamnet.

30:04 And one of the favorite things that we did,

30:07 this is me in the red coat with my daughter next to me

30:10 and two of our fellow tour members who were so much fun.

30:13 We went on an East End of London food tour and we tried about six

30:17 different things and the guide tied it

30:19 together beautifully with a history of the neighborhood.

30:22 So, the East End of London is vibrant,

30:24 but it is still somewhat gritty and it is always welcomed a variety

30:29 of immigrants and so we enjoy a variety of foods from their cultures.

30:33 From the Jewish people, we have bagels to gentrification where we

30:38 have the internet star dessert humble crumble.

30:42 And because there's a large population of immigrants from Bangladesh,

30:46 this part of town offers some of the best curries in town,

30:49 which we tried on the food tour.

30:52 So we also make time for the traditional English fish and chips,

30:57 and this is Poppies, which has been voted one of the best

31:00 fish and chips places in London many many times.

31:05 One of the reasons I love London so

31:07 much is because of its vibrant theater scene.

31:10 Um we easily equip you with which nights are

31:13 free because London has some of the best theater anywhere,

31:16 and to me it's very affordable.

31:18 Uh I think it's cheaper for me to see a play

31:20 in London than it is for me to see one here in Seattle.

31:24 Um Jen linked uh my favorite website for buying tickets ahead of time,

31:30 and I took this picture of my sweet daughter Nora

31:33 because these were the two plays that we booked ahead.

31:35 So one was a Stranger Things play,

31:37 and the other one was Hamilton, which we'd never seen live.

31:40 So I took that picture of her.

31:42 We booked those from home, as I said,

31:43 but then we went to Leicester Square on another free day,

31:48 and we walked up and bought half-price tickets to Wicked.

31:51 So that's a little tip.

31:53 If you have something you really want to see, book it in advance.

31:56 If you're open to anything, go to Leicester Square and the TKTs booth,

32:01 or you can do it online now, and see what they've got on their push list,

32:05 and you'll easily find something to watch.

32:09 So one of the things that we do on the London tour is a day trip.

32:14 So we end our week with a visit out to Windsor Castle.

32:16 It's about 45 minutes by train,

32:19 so there's another train ride on this tour, but not quite as long.

32:23 And it's one of the wow moments

32:24 on the tour because Windsor Castle is still inhabited,

32:28 and the docents are really chatty.

32:30 So it's a lot of fun, I think.

32:34 So we're We're to switch gears, and we're going to go to our other English tour,

32:38 The Best of South England in 13 days.

32:42 Now, along the south coast of England,

32:44 we get a variety of gorgeous natural scenery,

32:47 and we stay three nights in the smallest

32:49 of the Celtic corners of the island in Cornwall.

32:52 But, we start our Best of South England

32:54 tour in the charming and easy-to-reach Canterbury town.

32:57 It's got evocative half-timbered buildings, a population of about 72,000,

33:02 and one of its prime industries is education.

33:05 So, all of the students give it a really vibrant energy.

33:09 And some students make extra money by punting

33:11 people up and down the River Stour, which our tour members really enjoy.

33:17 We have a fun, fun visit to the cathedral.

33:19 We meet stonemasons, and we see this stunning Gothic cathedral.

33:26 And one of the things the tour members really

33:27 like is they get to meet with the stonemasons,

33:30 as I was saying, and um they hear about the restoration

33:33 work that we do with the stained-glass artisans on the tour.

33:39 Now, going down to Dover, it's a seaside town with a castle overlooking it all.

33:43 You can see the Victorian walkway,

33:45 the modern buildings, and the medieval castle.

33:49 Then, this picture you can see France in the very far distance.

33:52 And the reason I included this picture is

33:55 because English people say, "If you hold Dover,

33:59 you can hold the island." So, it's got a very realistic castle interior.

34:05 Everything was portable because kings were always moving castles,

34:08 and they took their stuff with them.

34:11 And it's also famous because of Operation Dynamo,

34:14 which was the evacuation of Dunkirk, was headquartered in this castle.

34:18 So, interesting World War II history, as well.

34:22 Along the south coast, we visit really great white cliffs.

34:26 The white cliffs of Dover Dover are really only beautiful from the water.

34:32 Charlie told me that the best thing about Dover is leaving it.

34:35 Um but it's important for the castle, so we visit it,

34:38 but we take you to the best chalk cliff.

34:41 So, this is Seven Sisters,

34:42 so you can see it um from below and then you can see it from above.

34:47 So, it's absolutely stunning and such a great place for a light hike.

34:53 Charlie, you're going to tell us about one of the 350 stone circles in England.

34:58 Absolutely, and I'm incredibly enthusiastic about Stonehenge because

35:02 of its wonder and mystery that's imbued within it.

35:05 This 5,000-year-old site gives us a humbling sense of perspective

35:10 and where we are in a sense of time.

35:12 It's an awesome respect that we have

35:14 for our ancestors by seeing this site as well.

35:17 They created this brave and inspiring monument in the landscape

35:21 for us to see thousands of years later.

35:24 It always takes my breath away whenever I see it.

35:27 But continuing on the theme of mystery and mythology,

35:31 Tintagel connects story weaving with history

35:35 at this evocative site on the Cornish coast.

35:38 Supposedly, the site where King Arthur was born.

35:42 Now, the legends of Merlin and Guinevere are

35:45 intertwined with the castle itself and that was

35:48 built in the 1200s and at its time

35:51 was at the center of a powerful trading network.

35:55 But today, we access the rock upon which the castle ruins sit via

35:59 an impressive bridge that reaches out from the mainland and from this bridge,

36:04 you get incredible views out towards the Atlantic.

36:08 Now, at the end of a day of adventure and traveling,

36:11 you can see here our tour members taking

36:14 their carry-on luggage from the bus to their rooms.

36:17 Traveling light it enables us to be nimble and unburdened.

36:21 It means we can prioritize excellent locations for all of our accommodation.

36:26 Now, after a great night's sleep in a local hotel,

36:29 we're always ready to explore a nearby fishing village or town,

36:34 weaving through historic streets.

36:37 And whilst in these Cornish communities,

36:39 we learn to appreciate the incredible families who grafted

36:43 in the mines and at sea through the generations.

36:47 And today, we're able to soak up this history,

36:49 respect the industry, and learn about the future.

36:53 Our tours are educational and experiential.

36:57 So, we will become part of this band,

37:00 a band of merry travelers who are not passive tourists,

37:04 but are people who want to learn, who are asking questions.

37:08 And what better way to do this than at a cooking class, making pasties?

37:13 Now, notice I say pasties and not pasteies.

37:16 These are a very traditional handheld meal from the southwest of England.

37:21 These pastries are typically filled with beef, and potatoes, swede, and onions.

37:28 They were the food of miners, and they'd hold the crimp,

37:30 which allowed them to eat their food

37:32 without contaminating their meal with their dirty hands.

37:36 Today, we eat the filling, the crimp, and all.

37:39 This is a delicious and typical lunchtime

37:41 meal that you will find throughout the UK.

37:44 Now, onto St.

37:46 Michael's Mount, a medieval castle and church once home

37:50 to monks that were connected to the community at Mont St.

37:53 Michel in France.

37:55 It has been in the possession of the St.

37:57 Aubyn family for centuries and is accessed by this tidal

38:01 causeway that you can see in this stunning image.

38:03 This is a real hidden gem, and we are so lucky to visit this site on our tours.

38:09 So, this itinerary actually finishes up in Bath,

38:12 which we've already discussed as part of our best of England itinerary.

38:15 So, you have several options from here.

38:18 You can join the 13-day tour of England,

38:21 or you can see in the image on the bottom left-hand corner that you

38:25 could take a walk along some of the Cotswold way starting in Bath.

38:30 Or the final suggestion I have for you is

38:33 that you could jump on the bus to Bristol Airport.

38:36 Now, I head up to Scotland to lead our Scotland itineraries on a regular

38:40 basis by flying from Bristol Airport because I'm based down in Somerset.

38:45 You can fly to Glasgow or Inverness,

38:48 depending on which of the Scotland tours you prefer to take.

38:52 So, let's start with a deep dive into our 13-day

38:55 Best of Scotland Tour that starts in Glasgow.

38:58 We do two nights in Glasgow and then

39:01 head via Stirling up to Oban for three nights,

39:04 which leaves us with the opportunity to hop out to the islands.

39:08 Then we head up the Great Glen up to Inverness for two nights,

39:11 and then we head down to the Cairngorms for one night,

39:15 and then following down further south to Highland Perthshire,

39:18 two nights there before heading south via St.

39:21 Andrews into Edinburgh for our final two nights of the tour.

39:26 So, Glasgow.

39:28 It was a city of industry and ecclesiastical origins.

39:32 Its name actually comes from "dear green place."

39:36 It has architecture that proves its historic wealth,

39:40 but it's got an open-hearted community of incredibly hard-working folk.

39:44 It's the largest city in Scotland at around 600,000 people.

39:49 But today, it's known for its incredible street art and urban regeneration.

39:54 The piece you can see here is by an artist

39:56 called Smug and tells one of the stories of St.

39:59 Mungo, who is the patron saint of Glasgow.

40:02 Now, from Glasgow, we head up to Stirling Castle,

40:05 arguably the most important castle in Scotland because

40:09 if you held the keys to Stirling Castle,

40:12 you held the keys to Scotland, very much like Dover in England.

40:16 We're heading to Oban and we have our three-night stay here during the tour.

40:21 It's the gateway to the Isles and the seafood capital

40:24 of Scotland and I love to catch the sunset whilst I'm here.

40:28 Now, staying in Oban means we can access the powerful and moving Kilmartin Glen.

40:33 It offers us a chance to connect with our early

40:36 ancestors and ancestors and walk in their footsteps.

40:41 But, during this hour-long wander through the landscape,

40:44 we can get up close and personal to standing stones,

40:47 stone circles, and chambered cairns.

40:50 We are also able to just be in nature,

40:53 surrounded by birdsong at this quiet and off-the-beaten-track site.

40:58 It's a real pleasure to visit and so often there's almost nobody else there.

41:03 Now, for those who wish to dip out of this day of tour activities,

41:07 you can book a 12-hour adventure to the Isle of Staffa.

41:12 Here, you can see the basalt columns like

41:14 those at Giant's Causeway and you're able to visit Fingal's Cave.

41:19 And at certain times of the year, puffins inhabit the island,

41:23 but be sure to book this excursion well in advance

41:27 and know that it is weather dependent as well.

41:30 But, back in Oban, you'll certainly have time to enjoy

41:33 some excellent seafood or fish and chips, super fresh.

41:37 I love to get a plate of succulent oysters and you

41:40 know that they have literally just come out of the sea.

41:43 And the seafood salads are divine, so fresh.

41:47 The mussels, prawns, and queenies,

41:49 which are little baby scallops, absolutely delicious.

41:54 But, Oban, as I mentioned, is also the gateway to the Isles and by ferry,

41:58 we take a group pilgrimage to the Isle of Iona.

42:02 Like with any pilgrimage,

42:03 the journey is just as important as the destination and we meet

42:07 friendly and enthusiastic drivers who share with us stories of island life.

42:13 This is Andrew and he is an absolute gem.

42:17 After a short ride on a second ferry,

42:20 we find ourselves arriving on the Isle of Iona.

42:23 This is the birthplace of Celtic Christianity here in Scotland.

42:28 St.

42:28 Columba arrived here in the 6th century to start his missionary work.

42:32 Iona is a powerful and a peaceful place where

42:36 the veil is thinnest between this world and the next.

42:40 Visiting the Abbey that is run by the Iona

42:42 community gives us time to reflect and be grateful.

42:45 The Iona community is an ecumenical community and that means

42:49 their hymn books have got Christian songs from all over the world,

42:53 a reminder of our global togetherness.

42:56 But the island itself is full of joy and magic

43:00 with the sea and land constantly shifting and changing under the sky above.

43:06 Iona, it's said that you always leave with more than you arrived with.

43:12 And with beaches like this, you might be tempted to take a duke,

43:16 which is like a dip in the sea, but it certainly will be fresh.

43:20 So, you might just want to go in for a little paddle.

43:23 So, we're going to have to is is fresh English for cold?

43:28 It's definitely character-building, I would say.

43:34 But good for good for you, they say, you know,

43:36 all this Wim Hof stuff with the cold water therapy.

43:39 But no, it's not an included activity.

43:43 But we don't have to It's definitely optional in your free time.

43:47 Now, leaving the west coast behind,

43:50 we pass through stunning scenery and landscapes including going past Ben Nevis,

43:54 which is our tallest mountain, go through Glencoe and the Great Glen,

43:59 which cuts northeast as we head.

44:02 We're going past Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness,

44:05 you can see in the back of Urquhart Castle here,

44:09 keeping an eye out for Nessie, of course, as well.

44:12 Now, we're heading, as I mentioned,

44:13 northeast to the capital of the Highlands, and that is called Inverness.

44:18 Inverness is a music lover's dream,

44:21 with folk music being played live in nearly every single pub.

44:25 It's a bubbly city with a great food offering and incredible history to boot.

44:31 Our stay in Inverness means we're also able to visit Culloden

44:34 Battlefield and learn about the last pitched battle fought on British soil.

44:39 This battle saw the dismantling of the Highland clan system

44:42 and is an incredibly important moment in both Scottish and British history.

44:47 Now, from Inverness, we head to the Cairngorms,

44:50 which is a national park, and we visit the Rothiemurchus Estate.

44:54 The local ranger leads us through the landscape,

44:57 and by having an estate expert with us,

44:59 we gain so much knowledge from them about land management and diversification.

45:04 We are blessed to meet some incredible beasts whilst we are on our journey.

45:10 These Highland cows, or heidy coos as you might hear them called in Scotland,

45:15 are iconic with the whole nation, and you couldn't leave without seeing one.

45:20 And whilst nestled in the Cairngorm National Park,

45:23 we come to appreciate the care and hard work necessary

45:26 to maintain such an estate in this day and age.

45:30 But our lunch on this day is all sourced from the estate.

45:34 It has practically no food miles at all and is definitely made with love.

45:39 You can taste it.

45:40 It's a simple meal.

45:41 It's a beef stew with potatoes and freshly baked bread,

45:45 and it's a real highlight on the tour.

45:48 And the team top it off with some

45:50 outstanding chocolate brownies you can see here,

45:53 covered in thick home whipped cream and fresh fruits.

45:57 Oh my gosh, it's making me salivate just looking at these images.

46:01 But of course, after all that tasty food,

46:03 it's great to get a little bit of exercise,

46:05 and we go for a superb woodland walk.

46:07 This is also led by the ranger who points out flora and fauna along the way.

46:13 The walk reaches the stunning Lily Loch,

46:16 where beavers have recently been reintroduced.

46:19 We get to hear all about the conservation and rewilding

46:23 projects that are going on here at the Rothiemurchus Estate.

46:27 And our day is then crowned by a spectacular display

46:31 by the falconry team and their impressive birds of prey.

46:35 This really is a wow day.

46:39 But, continuing on through the Cairngorms, constantly with us,

46:43 we then head south to Leault Farm to meet Neil.

46:47 Now, Neil Ross is an inspiring shepherd who wears his heart on his sleeve,

46:52 sharing his story of the land that he lives and breathes.

46:56 He teaches us how to shear sheep with hand shears, the old-fashioned way.

47:02 It really is quite a thrill.

47:05 And if we're lucky, he might have some puppies for us to cuddle.

47:09 Yes, puppies.

47:10 They often arrive in a bucket.

47:12 Can you imagine?

47:13 It's absolutely brilliant.

47:16 Now, on a bonus day, there might even be a calf that also needs feeding.

47:21 So, be prepared to get stuck in.

47:23 This is a real visit for animal lovers.

47:27 Now, at the end of this day,

47:28 as if all of that wasn't enough, we go and meet Gilly McNab.

47:32 She is a true national treasure who was one of the first ever female bagpipers.

47:38 She has some incredible tunes and some wonderful stories to tell, as well.

47:43 But, this tour then has to head south via the pilgrimage town of St.

47:48 Andrews.

47:49 The university here is the third

47:51 oldest English-speaking university in the world.

47:54 It was established in the year 1413,

47:58 which blows my mind every time I say that out loud.

48:02 St.

48:02 Salvator's Chapel is a real treat to visit with stunning stained glass.

48:08 And my brother actually got married in this chapel because

48:11 both he and his wife were alumni of the university.

48:16 But many of you no doubt will be on a bit of a golf pilgrimage.

48:19 And if you're lucky, you can play the ladies putting green.

48:23 It's called the Himalayas because it's rather undulating,

48:26 and you only need to pay a few pounds.

48:29 And then you get to play on this putting green,

48:31 go home and tell all your friends that you've played golf at St.

48:35 Andrews.

48:36 What a boon.

48:38 But this tour finishes up, of course, in our capital city, Edinburgh.

48:43 And with a local guide who takes us on a tour of the Old Town,

48:47 which includes castle entrance.

48:49 We get to understand why Edinburgh

48:51 and Scotland are such impressive places to visit.

48:55 So that draws us to the close of our best of Scotland tour.

49:00 But perhaps you don't have 13 days, but would still love to explore Scotland.

49:04 So we have the tour for you.

49:06 The 8-day tour focuses on the Highlands and the central sites of interests.

49:11 Two nights up in Inverness with a side trip to Loch Ness,

49:14 then two nights in Highland Perthshire,

49:17 and then heading south again, ticking into St.

49:19 Andrews on the way to Edinburgh,

49:21 where you have three nights in Edinburgh on this tour.

49:25 So starting in Inverness, it's the perfect place to kick off this tour.

49:29 It's vibrant culture and Highland stories give us

49:32 historical context and a greater understanding of Highland culture.

49:37 We start with an exceptional roast dinner

49:39 in a local pub that specializes in folk music.

49:43 It's called McGregor's on Church Street, and you're going to love it.

49:47 In fact, Bruce McGregor and his team regale us with stories and live folk music.

49:53 Bruce used to be in the band Blazing Fiddles.

49:56 I'm sure you'll get the reference, but check them out.

49:58 They are superb and still playing.

50:01 This tour takes a visit to Cawdor Castle,

50:04 which is different from the 13-day tour.

50:06 Cawdor Castle excels in horticultural.

50:10 If you are into your guarding,

50:11 you will absolutely love this visit because the gardens are spectacular.

50:17 This tour also does a slightly deeper dive into local

50:20 industry with a visit to Johnston's of Elgin, the woolen mill.

50:24 You'll have to excuse this rather

50:26 industrial photo because the finished textiles are

50:29 all embargoed as they make stunning wool fabric for the biggest of names.

50:34 Think Gucci and Chanel.

50:37 That's why I don't have any photos of next

50:40 season's goods that are about to be released.

50:43 Now, both Scotland itineraries visit whiskey distilleries.

50:47 Of course we do.

50:48 I've got a little bottle of whiskey right next to me here.

50:50 I promise I haven't had any yet.

50:53 This photo here is actually taken from my kitchen table yesterday,

50:57 which is why I have to excuse that the bottle is almost empty,

51:02 but I promise your guides will give you the skills

51:06 to experience whiskey as more than just a grimace and then fire.

51:11 So, for those who already love whiskey, the journey will continue.

51:15 And as you can see with these three ladies drinking their wee drams of whiskey,

51:21 they are certainly enjoying it perhaps more than they originally expected to.

51:26 Now, none of our Scotland tours would be

51:28 complete without a visit to Neil Ross, of course.

51:31 Spending an hour outside with the freshest of air and the most dynamic of views.

51:37 This stop gives you the chance to meet

51:39 Neil's doggies and maybe those wee puppies, too.

51:42 Even more special if you've left your doggie at home.

51:46 And this itinerary also, of course,

51:48 includes the lovely Gilly and she shares with us

51:51 her remarkable family story and plenty of moving pipe tunes.

51:56 Moving on, this itinerary actually stays in a different location

52:00 in the heart of Highland Perthshire at Loch Rannoch Hotel and Spa.

52:05 Yes, bring your swimmers along.

52:08 From the hotel, the view of Loch Rannoch is absolutely stunning.

52:12 What a vista to wake up to.

52:15 Everyone's always outside in the mornings taking photos before breakfast.

52:19 And there in the distance, you can see the mountain, Schiehallion.

52:23 Now, I climbed up the 3,500 ft last year to take this view photo back down

52:29 towards the hotel to give you an idea

52:32 of how subsumed into the landscape we are here.

52:35 So, if you look down at the loch,

52:37 you'll see the top right-hand corner or bottom right-hand corner,

52:41 little white speck, that's the hotel.

52:44 So, that's the gorgeous landscape that we are in.

52:47 But, what it does mean is that there are some windy roads.

52:51 So, if you do suffer from travel sickness,

52:55 please remember to bring your medication on this tour.

52:59 This tour continues south and making a stop at St.

53:01 Andrews, of course, for the day and you get a really good amount of time to see

53:06 all the sites and have a little go at the putting green if you so wish.

53:11 We then head further south crossing the Firth of Forth,

53:14 the body of water just north of Edinburgh.

53:18 This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

53:20 of engineering and there are three bridges here.

53:23 The 19th century cantilever bridge you can see here,

53:27 a 20th and a 21st century bridge.

53:29 It's a stunning sight to behold.

53:32 But, before arriving into our fantastically located hotel,

53:36 I want to show you this photo because this photo

53:40 is taken from the front door of the hotel.

53:43 Talk about that for a fantastic location in the middle of town.

53:48 Now, our local guide will take us on tour of the old town.

53:52 You can see in this colorful image, this is Victoria Street.

53:56 It's just 5 minutes from the hotel

53:58 and said to be an inspiration for Diagon Alley.

54:02 It's full of independent shops and eateries and in fact,

54:05 I got this waistcoat from there.

54:08 Now, let me remind you, we have three nights in Edinburgh on this tour,

54:13 giving us more time to see the capital.

54:16 This is St.

54:17 Giles, the mother kirk of the Scottish Presbyterian faith.

54:22 And because of this extra time, we have included visits not only to the castle,

54:27 but also to the Palace of Holyrood House.

54:29 This is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland.

54:33 And whilst we're down at Holyrood,

54:36 we also have the opportunity to do a deeper dive

54:38 into Scottish politics to appreciate devolution

54:42 and the potential for Scottish independence, a real hot topic at the moment.

54:47 This is a great visit for understanding modern Scotland.

54:52 So finally, I have a couple of recommendations.

54:55 With the extra time in Edinburgh, if you're visiting during August,

54:58 you'll have more chances to experience the military tattoo, a military parade.

55:04 It's marching bands from all over the world.

55:07 It's a real spectacle to behold.

55:09 So, be sure to book well in advance and you can enjoy this great

55:13 parade that takes place every night of the week apart from on Sundays.

55:19 And also, in the month of August,

55:21 it's the International Festival and Fringe Festival.

55:25 So, you've got music and arts, comedy, opera, theater,

55:29 you've got book launches, poetry readings, and just so much more.

55:34 It's happening everywhere.

55:36 It's a superb time to visit Edinburgh.

55:39 But, if crowds are not your thing, then perhaps it's not the time

55:43 that you particularly would want to visit Edinburgh.

55:47 So, that's me done with our Scotland tours.

55:49 Now, over to Lisa for our Ireland itineraries.

55:52 Charlie, do you have a favorite of the itineraries before we move on?

55:56 Oh, that's such a good question.

55:58 So, with the 13-day tour,

56:00 I really appreciate getting over onto the west coast and out to the islands.

56:05 If you have 13 days, that really gives you the full experience.

56:10 But, if you're tight on time,

56:11 doing the 8-day tour gives you those extra nights in Edinburgh,

56:15 which allows you to really expand that experience you have in our capital city,

56:19 whilst also starting in the Highlands.

56:22 A great compare and contrast.

56:24 So, really both are excellent, but it's driven by how much time you've got.

56:27 If you can wiggle that 13 days, that's the one I'd go for.

56:31 That was a very diplomatic answer.

56:34 Thank you.

56:35 You're welcome.

56:36 So, uh we're going to go across the Irish Sea.

56:39 We've got the whole island of Ireland, the Republic and Northern Ireland.

56:44 So, you get a complete view of the Irish experience in 2 weeks.

56:48 But, to help us switch gears,

56:49 please allow me 26 seconds of your time to get in the mood.

57:24 Thank you for indulging me.

57:25 I just want to get you in the right and proper mood for our Ireland itinerary.

57:31 So, we don't have a rocky road to Dublin,

57:33 we have a smooth transition and we start our 14-day tour in Dublin

57:37 with two nights and we see the Book of Kells and Trinity College.

57:42 And this is a very important work of art from the medieval period.

57:47 Um when Thomas Cahill wrote that the Irish saved civilization,

57:51 it was due to works like this because Irish

57:54 monks meticulously copied and preserved ancient texts and therefore knowledge.

58:01 As we leave Dublin, we stop by one of the most

58:03 important sites of the Republic of Ireland's modern history.

58:07 This is the Victorian era Kilmainham Jail where political prisoners in the war

58:12 for Irish independence were held and 14 of them were executed on site.

58:17 You'll have a moving guided tour through the prison and the one

58:21 thing that I encourage you to do if you're taking

58:23 the Ireland tour is learn and listen to the song Grace before

58:28 you come because it will make your visit even even more meaningful.

58:33 Heading west, we see the Rock of Cashel briefly before

58:37 stopping in the very maritime town of Kinsale for two nights.

58:41 So, we are led through this harbor town by the charming Barry Maloney.

58:46 We learn about Kinsale's history including its

58:49 connection to the Lusitania ship and its sinking.

58:52 We explore Charles Fort and how it guarded the harbor

58:55 and Kinsale is renowned as the capital of foodie culture in Ireland.

59:01 So, it has fantastic restaurants.

59:04 And one of my favorite things to do in Kinsale is to go to a pub

59:08 called Kitty O'Shea's because they have the best

59:11 sing-along pub uh experience in my experience.

59:15 So, don't worry because Barry will point all of this out to you on his tour.

59:21 Now, my favorite Celtic corner of all is

59:24 the Irish-speaking coastal fishing village of Dingle town.

59:29 On the furthest southwest coast of Ireland,

59:31 we spend three nights on the 14-day tour.

59:34 And one of the things that I love so much

59:37 about Dingle is there are 52 pubs in this wee town,

59:41 and that's one for every week of the year.

59:44 Dingle is a magnet for live music,

59:46 and you'll find all kinds of live music from traditional

59:49 like we heard a few minutes ago to modern.

59:52 And there is a pub in Dingle to fit all moods.

59:55 And as Charlie mentioned, you don't need to be a drinker to enjoy the pubs,

59:59 although they do say that Guinness tastes better

1:00:01 in Ireland than anywhere else in the world.

1:00:04 Pubs are short for public houses,

1:00:05 and they have been community mainstays for years, including allowing children.

1:00:11 Now, my favorite seafood restaurant in the world is in Dingle.

1:00:16 It's called Out of the Blue, and it is a beautiful marriage between

1:00:19 fresh seafood and their imported French chef.

1:00:23 And it's kind of a casual cool place that I adore.

1:00:26 It would be very smart of you to make

1:00:28 reservations for your free time before you leave home.

1:00:32 And looking at this picture, I have to say the scallops were divine,

1:00:36 but I keep going back to that scallop shell in the picture with the butter

1:00:40 and the brown bread next to it because it

1:00:42 will make you really feel like you're in Ireland,

1:00:45 and it is absolutely delicious.

1:00:48 So, one of the spectacular things that we do in Dingle

1:00:51 is to head out of town on the 30-mi Slea Head Drive.

1:00:55 It's a loop full of rugged cliffs and stunning vistas.

1:00:59 And two things that our tour members always appreciate

1:01:01 on this day is not having to drive this road,

1:01:04 and also being in the tour bus up high, they have better vantage points.

1:01:09 Now, the Slea Head has more sheep than people,

1:01:13 and we visit the Blasket Island Centre to see

1:01:16 how people were living on a remote island off the coast of Ireland as recently

1:01:21 as the 1950s when they moved everybody to the mainland.

1:01:25 So, on the 14-day tour we enjoy a full free day in Dingle,

1:01:29 a vacation from your vacation,

1:01:31 um which you could take a boat tour or you could hike

1:01:34 along the ridge with views of the seas just outside of town.

1:01:38 Now, we leave Dingle and we head north along the Wild Atlantic Way.

1:01:42 Um we're headed north to Galway.

1:01:45 And Galway is our home base for exploring some of the Aran Islands.

1:01:49 So, specifically we go to Inishmore with the group and you have a free day.

1:01:54 You don't have to go on this boat trip, but most everybody does.

1:01:57 You have a free day on the tour to do this and you can

1:02:01 see the stunning twin sisters of the Cliffs of Moher here at Dun Aengus.

1:02:07 And here you can still belly up to the edge

1:02:10 and hang your head over and contemplate your mortality.

1:02:15 Um but on the island you can go with your guide.

1:02:17 They're going to take a mini bus tour or you can hire a cart and pony,

1:02:21 or you can get an e-bike to run around the island

1:02:24 and your guide will tell you what time to be back at the dock.

1:02:28 Still heading north,

1:02:29 we change countries and we change currency by heading to Northern Ireland,

1:02:33 which Rick says no visit to Ireland is complete without.

1:02:37 We take a tour with a local guide through Derry visiting um murals,

1:02:42 famous murals both political and more recent.

1:02:45 I'm a big fan of the TV show Derry Girls,

1:02:47 and of course we talk about the time that they lived through.

1:02:50 We learn about the Troubles.

1:02:54 We continue to head north to a town called Portrush,

1:02:57 which was where we make our home base for the next few days.

1:03:01 We visit the Giant's Causeway, which is a natural site.

1:03:04 All of our tours are active and I wanted to show what some

1:03:07 of the walking looks life at looks like and the payoff here is spectacular.

1:03:12 Um exploring the beauty of the Antrim Coast,

1:03:15 we visit those basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway,

1:03:18 which um are so close to Scotland that they have the same geology.

1:03:23 And we also visit the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

1:03:26 This is a rope bridge, just like it says,

1:03:28 from the mainland to this little island,

1:03:30 and it was originally built by monks for netting salmon.

1:03:36 Our tour ends in Belfast,

1:03:38 where the Titanic was built at Harland and Wolff shipyards,

1:03:42 and we visit the Titanic Visitor Experience.

1:03:45 And we gather to say goodbye to our newly made friends

1:03:49 as we have done almost a complete circuit of the island.

1:03:55 Now, you've only got 1 week, you say.

1:03:57 So, we've distilled,

1:03:59 get that, our best of Ireland tour down to a sippable 7 days,

1:04:03 staying in the south of Ireland, but still enjoying four great stops.

1:04:07 So, the heart of Ireland starts in Ennis,

1:04:09 which is easy to get to from the Shannon Airport,

1:04:12 and we visit the nearby 700-ft cliffs of the Cliffs of Moher.

1:04:17 And on this tour, we have two nights in Dingle town,

1:04:19 and it is an action-packed time.

1:04:22 So, we visit Sean Daly's uh workshop.

1:04:26 He was trained in Waterford, so we see him do crystal cutting.

1:04:30 And we have live music, of course.

1:04:33 And we do the Slea Head Drive.

1:04:36 And again, you're still glad you're not driving.

1:04:39 But one of the things that we visit on the Slea

1:04:41 Head Drive that I didn't mention before is the Gallarus Oratory,

1:04:45 which is an amazing example of a well-preserved

1:04:48 early Christian church built without mortar 1,300 years ago.

1:04:53 Now, we go back to our cozy guest house,

1:04:55 where we meet Eric, the master falconer,

1:04:59 and we watch them take off and land on you and your tour buddies.

1:05:03 And you get to see and maybe a baby barn owl.

1:05:08 And leaving Dingle, we head to Kilkenny, but we stop at the Rock of Cashel,

1:05:12 which I mentioned earlier, so we make this stop on both tours.

1:05:16 And we stay in Kilkenny, and this has one of the best castles um in Ireland.

1:05:20 So, a lot of people think about castles when they think about Ireland,

1:05:24 but Oliver Cromwell came in and really blew a lot of them up,

1:05:29 so there aren't as many inhabited castles as one would think.

1:05:32 So, this one is owned by the Butler family,

1:05:35 and I really enjoy both the exterior and its interior,

1:05:39 giving me that that peasant in a castle kind of feeling.

1:05:44 And then on the way to Dublin,

1:05:46 we stop by Glasnevin Cemetery to in to continue our lesson on Irish history.

1:05:52 And we end with two nights in the capital city of Dublin,

1:05:55 and we have an informative walking tour in the historic core.

1:05:59 We do a walking tour past the GPO, the General Post Office,

1:06:02 and learn why it's important in the Irish War for Independence.

1:06:07 And we end our tour looking back on our week with our new friends.

1:06:11 Now, before we finish, I have a little surprise for you.

1:06:16 We have two new tours in Ireland and England,

1:06:19 and I'm going to let you know that as a thank you gift for watching this show,

1:06:23 the surprise is these new itineraries.

1:06:26 Um they're called My Way Tours.

1:06:28 We used to call them bus bed

1:06:30 and breakfast because that's what there is included.

1:06:33 It's an unguided tour.

1:06:34 We have this one in England, and this one in Ireland.

1:06:39 And My Way Tours are great for super independent types who don't want to drive.

1:06:43 For full details on all of our new itineraries,

1:06:46 please tune in next Thursday as our colleagues Aggie and Robin

1:06:50 introduce all the new itineraries that we have for 2027.

1:06:56 We've covered our tours in England,

1:06:57 Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.

1:07:00 And if you're ready to sign up, we thank you.

1:07:02 We welcome you, and here is Emily with some next steps.

1:07:07 Thank you, Lisa.

1:07:08 Well, I'm guessing a number of our viewers are ready to sign up for a tour,

1:07:15 so I am going to tell them how to do just that.

1:07:20 The first thing first, to sign up for a tour, you will go to our website.

1:07:26 This is our landing page.

1:07:28 On our landing page, you will see a hamburger hamburger style

1:07:31 menu on the left-hand side of your screen.

1:07:34 You'll click on our tours and be redirected to a menu where you

1:07:38 can find all of the European countries or regions that we visit on tour.

1:07:46 From there, once you choose the tour for you,

1:07:49 you will go to that particular tour's landing

1:07:52 page and click on the dates and prices tab.

1:07:55 This will show you all of the tour

1:07:56 dates that we have for that tour calendar year, as well as their availability.

1:08:02 If you see a green sign up button, for example,

1:08:05 that means we have at least 11 seats available on that particular tour date.

1:08:10 The dark blue filling fast button appears

1:08:12 when we have 10 or fewer seats available.

1:08:15 And our availability is updated in real time,

1:08:19 so you can trust that what you see here

1:08:21 on our website is an accurate picture of our availability.

1:08:26 And once you are ready to sign up for a tour,

1:08:29 you'll hit that sign up button or that filling fast button.

1:08:32 You'll be redirected to a easy five-step sign up form.

1:08:37 During this process, you will put down a $400 deposit per traveler that is

1:08:42 refundable for 30 days after you are confirmed on the tour.

1:08:47 And our deposit refund policy does shift

1:08:50 a little bit if you are a late enrollment.

1:08:52 A late enrollment is enrolling for a tour that departs within 90 days,

1:08:56 but you can find more information about our late

1:08:59 enroll refund window on our website under tour conditions,

1:09:02 or you can always give our customer service team a call.

1:09:08 And once you have signed up for a tour, you will get your very own online tour

1:09:12 account with Rick Steves where you can manage

1:09:15 your tour reservation and find lots of helpful

1:09:18 information to help you prepare for your tour.

1:09:21 I will point out the handy-dandy pre-tour

1:09:24 planner pictured here where you'll find packing tips,

1:09:28 you'll find advice for reserving your flights,

1:09:32 and we will give you some recommendations on things to do if you arrive early.

1:09:37 And to help you with your research,

1:09:39 we will also give you a complimentary tour kit.

1:09:42 So, this includes a complimentary Rick Steves

1:09:45 guidebook for the particular European country or region

1:09:49 that you are visiting with us on tour

1:09:51 as well as a security accessory of your choice.

1:09:56 And finally, if you have any questions or concerns,

1:10:00 don't hesitate to reach out to the fine folks on our customer experience team.

1:10:06 This group of people is truly the most

1:10:08 well-traveled group of people I have ever come

1:10:10 across and they are excited to talk travel

1:10:13 with you and you can find them at tour@ricksteves.com.

1:10:19 And on that note, it is time for my favorite time

1:10:23 of the evening where I get to ask the two of you questions.

1:10:28 And so, I think we will start out with a fun one.

1:10:33 Well, they're all fun, but with a really fun one.

1:10:36 So, Tina H is wondering what both of your favorite chippies

1:10:41 are and they asked this question while we were talking about London.

1:10:45 So, it could be in London or, you know,

1:10:47 if if it's really somewhere remote on an island in Scotland,

1:10:51 I want to hear that, too.

1:10:52 So, where is it?

1:10:54 Well, I I will go with one in London.

1:10:57 I really did enjoy the Poppies fish and chip place

1:11:01 that we went to on the East London food tour.

1:11:04 It was very the batter was very light and fresh,

1:11:07 but there's actually a pub at the end of Notting Hill of Portobello Road.

1:11:13 The market on Saturdays is great and every time I go to the market,

1:11:16 I end up at the pub at the end

1:11:18 of the street and they have some fantastic fish and chips.

1:11:21 And I think it might be called the King's Arms,

1:11:23 but I cannot remember um if people really want to know,

1:11:26 email me and I will look it up and find it.

1:11:28 But that's got my favorite fish and chips in London.

1:11:33 Okay, those are great recommendations.

1:11:34 I'm going to have to go and try those out.

1:11:36 I've got two which are so close I don't think I can divide them,

1:11:39 but they're both on the coast.

1:11:41 One is in Oban.

1:11:42 It's called the Oban fish and chip shop.

1:11:45 So nice and simple name and it's just family run.

1:11:49 It's used by all the locals.

1:11:50 It's really fresh.

1:11:52 They just have a few tables at the back if you wanted to bring your own booze.

1:11:55 You can sit at the back.

1:11:56 They pay charge you corkage and then you just

1:12:00 have your fish and chips in there which is brill.

1:12:02 Or my other alternative is in St.

1:12:05 Andrews.

1:12:06 It's called Cromars and I'm pretty sure

1:12:08 whilst my brother was at university in St.

1:12:10 Andrews, he survived on fish and chips from Cromars.

1:12:13 So he had some pretty good recommendations and whenever I use it,

1:12:17 I absolutely love it.

1:12:18 So those are my two for you.

1:12:19 One on the west coast and one on the east coast of Scotland.

1:12:24 Very posh.

1:12:24 I've been to that chippy in Oban and we that was full

1:12:27 so we had to get takeaway and sit on the on the seawall,

1:12:31 but we had to defend our chips

1:12:34 from the seagulls like really strongly because they're vicious.

1:12:39 They are and they work in pairs.

1:12:40 One of them will come and distract you

1:12:42 whilst another one swoops in and steals your dinner.

1:12:46 So you're right to be on it.

1:12:48 Like pickpockets in the Paris metro.

1:12:51 Yes.

1:12:55 Well, people come to us for travel skills,

1:12:58 so these are important travel skills looking

1:13:01 out for those tricky seagulls while you're traveling.

1:13:05 Um okay, well, since we're on the topic of food, this is sort of a two-parter.

1:13:11 The first part is for you, Charlie.

1:13:13 Natalie was wondering what the meat in your vegetarian roast

1:13:17 was made of, and I was also wondering if you

1:13:20 guys could expand on that a little bit and talk

1:13:22 about how vegetarians fare on our Britain and Ireland tours.

1:13:28 Yeah, absolutely.

1:13:29 I will kick off.

1:13:30 So, it was like a Wellington, and a Wellington is a pastry outer casing that's

1:13:35 stuffed with vegetables and sometimes lentils and things like that.

1:13:39 It's really delicious and goes particularly well with the gravy as well.

1:13:44 In some places, they make a meaty gravy.

1:13:46 So, if there's a vegetarian option,

1:13:48 they always make a vegetarian gravy to go with it as well.

1:13:52 I'm pescetarian, so I've been not eating meat for over 20 years,

1:13:56 so I can definitely vouch for there being options

1:13:58 for the veggies when it comes to your Sunday roast.

1:14:03 Yeah, and on the Ireland and the England tours,

1:14:06 it's really easy to be a vegetarian

1:14:08 or honestly to have dietary restrictions on uh

1:14:13 on those tours in that area because

1:14:16 they're very forward-thinking in their labeling on menus.

1:14:19 So, they'll just put out there like it has gluten or it's gluten-free.

1:14:24 Um all the kind of dietary restrictions that people have

1:14:27 in the US is pretty easily dealt with in the UK and Ireland.

1:14:34 Feel less, and I also believe the the national dish of England is curry.

1:14:39 Is that correct?

1:14:40 Yeah, which is famously often vegetarian.

1:14:43 Um all right, thank you, you two,

1:14:45 and I know um we talked about this earlier the three

1:14:50 of us when we were preparing for the show um local currency.

1:14:54 Do you have any advice to share about um you know,

1:14:59 whether you have to change local currency when you hop across a border?

1:15:04 Any insights on that?

1:15:06 Yeah, that's a really great question.

1:15:08 I just want to kick off with with regards to um sort of British pounds.

1:15:14 So, you will probably recognize Bank of England

1:15:17 notes because you will have seen them more often.

1:15:20 But, up in Scotland there are three banks that also print their own money.

1:15:25 There are also banks in Northern Ireland that print their own money.

1:15:28 They are all sterling so can legally all be spent everywhere.

1:15:33 However, when you get further away from its place of origin,

1:15:36 people might just not recognize it and therefore

1:15:39 they are fully in their rights to say they won't accept it which is very

1:15:43 frustrating when you know that it's legal tender,

1:15:46 but they're also well within their rights to not accept something.

1:15:49 So, the recommendation in Scotland you can have your Scottish notes,

1:15:52 but then if you're planning on traveling down to England,

1:15:56 you should change them to Bank of England notes just

1:15:58 to make it easier and the same for Northern Irish notes.

1:16:02 Wales doesn't have any of its own money I'm afraid in this instance.

1:16:05 They're not printing any of their own.

1:16:07 But, when you're going back home as well having those regional

1:16:10 currencies can be a bit tricky for exchanging back to dollars.

1:16:13 So, again, use your Bank of England notes to leave the country

1:16:17 with if you're taking cash out of out of the UK.

1:16:21 And for the Ireland tours you're dealing with two countries.

1:16:24 you're on the big Ireland tour,

1:16:25 the 14-day Ireland tour, you're also dealing with two currencies.

1:16:29 You're dealing with the euro in the Republic of Ireland

1:16:31 and then you're dealing with pounds in Northern Ireland.

1:16:35 I would say probably 70% of our clients

1:16:38 are going to go through Northern Ireland.

1:16:40 The tour ends in Belfast and they're going to continue on down to Dublin.

1:16:45 So, I don't tell them like don't worry about spending

1:16:48 up your euros if you're going back on to Dublin,

1:16:50 you can use them up at the very end of your trip.

1:16:54 Um the other thing I want to say that's specific

1:16:56 to the Ireland tour is you want to get the UK waiver,

1:17:01 the electronic travel authorization, the ETA.

1:17:05 It's about 20 pounds, and you need it for visiting all

1:17:09 of the places that we discuss except for Ireland.

1:17:13 Ireland doesn't have a waiver right now.

1:17:14 You get it online.

1:17:15 I just got mine last week.

1:17:17 Um there's an app with a beautiful little crown as its logo.

1:17:21 Um again, don't pay more than 20 pounds.

1:17:23 If anybody is trying to sell you one for 20 pounds or more than 20 pounds,

1:17:27 they're like a third party and kind of a scam.

1:17:30 So, easy to get.

1:17:31 It took me literally 20 minutes to download the app and fill out the paperwork.

1:17:36 Um the other thing I want to say is that we found this out, Emily,

1:17:41 is that some people who are going just to Ireland,

1:17:44 just to the Republic, they wouldn't necessarily need that ETA,

1:17:48 but they're flying through Heathrow,

1:17:50 and Heathrow to Dublin or Shannon is considered kind of a domestic flight,

1:17:55 so you're going to go through border control,

1:17:57 so you need to have that ETA if you're transferring in Heathrow.

1:18:02 Ooh.

1:18:03 Thank you, Lisa.

1:18:04 You're great tip, as always.

1:18:08 Okay, well, I think that we have time for just one more question tonight,

1:18:12 and so I think I counted right that we just covered nine different tours if you

1:18:19 throw in that shout out for the uh new My Way tours that we have for 2027.

1:18:24 And this this could be hard, but I was wondering if the two of you could give me

1:18:28 your own personal favorite wow moments from just one of these nine itineraries.

1:18:36 Wow, that's a biggie.

1:18:39 I'm going to I'm going to go first, Charlie,

1:18:40 because I want them to end with you and your fabulous accent.

1:18:44 But I'm going to say it's got to be Dingle.

1:18:48 It's got to be going to a fantastic seafood

1:18:51 dinner at Out of the Blue and then walking 4

1:18:54 minutes to a street and listening outside of two

1:18:58 or three pubs and figuring out which one I want

1:19:01 to go to and then they're so welcoming and they're

1:19:06 so fun that I literally was sitting at a pub

1:19:09 and there were some tourists there that were not

1:19:11 our tourists and they were singing a John Denver song.

1:19:15 But they I think they were English, sorry Charlie.

1:19:18 And they only knew like one chorus and I

1:19:20 was with my friend Karen Kibby, who's also a guide.

1:19:24 Um she was in Ireland while I was there and we were just mightily offended

1:19:30 that these people would sing our sort of national songs and not get the right.

1:19:35 So we started singing all of it.

1:19:39 But that's not the point of the story.

1:19:41 The point of the story is there was this woman

1:19:42 that I was sharing a table with and she started singing

1:19:46 with us and she was an older woman and she

1:19:49 just belted out like I'm getting shivers just thinking about it.

1:19:52 She started belting it out and we just stopped

1:19:55 because we were in awe of her and then

1:19:57 we found out that she was from Dingle and she

1:20:00 came into this pub every once in a while but people knew her and they knew what

1:20:03 a great singer she was and she kind of gave

1:20:05 us a private concert of like four or five songs and I was I was just blown away.

1:20:11 It was a magical magical night.

1:20:14 Wow.

1:20:16 That's a fantastic fantastic story.

1:20:18 I absolutely love it.

1:20:20 Oh, so I'm torn as per usual divide and conquer.

1:20:24 So for me Iona is this magical place where you

1:20:29 reach out and you connect somehow to something which is beyond.

1:20:34 It's a place where synchronicity takes place.

1:20:37 And if you can be aware of what's going on around you,

1:20:41 you can almost hear and see signs that are calling out to you.

1:20:45 It's so special.

1:20:47 So, Iona is incredibly special indeed.

1:20:50 Oh, I think it's possibly my favorite,

1:20:52 especially if you have a wee dook as well.

1:20:55 But, equally, the giggles that we have when we're playing putting golf in St.

1:21:03 Andrews, and the whole group head down and spend a couple of pounds to just

1:21:07 putt and laugh and have a real joy of a moment, it's so much fun.

1:21:13 And that always warms my heart and really indicates what magic we can

1:21:18 create collectively as a group when we become this merry band of travelers.

1:21:23 We're like an extended family.

1:21:25 And it's always so hard at the end of our tours to say goodbye to everybody.

1:21:30 That's the thing I'm absolutely worst at.

1:21:32 I cannot do the goodbyes.

1:21:34 It breaks my heart every time because we do create something so special.

1:21:38 And I can tell that we're getting close to the end of this as well,

1:21:41 and that goodbye is coming, too.

1:21:44 And that's why I wanted to go first, Charlie,

1:21:46 cuz I knew you would wrap it up with something heartfelt and gorgeous.

1:21:52 And but you uh sure did.

1:21:53 Well, thank you both so much for this lovely, fun, and informative evening.

1:21:59 I've been keeping my eye on the Q&A,

1:22:01 and over and over again I've seen, "I love Charlie and Lisa.

1:22:05 They're so enthusiastic, and this is so informational." So,

1:22:10 yeah, this has been a blast.

1:22:12 Thank you both so much for joining us.

1:22:14 Thank you so much for all your hard work.

1:22:16 Absolutely.

1:22:18 All right.

1:22:19 Well, good night to both of you.

1:22:23 And now, good night to everyone at home.

1:22:27 Thank you so much for joining us and spending your Wednesday evening with us.

1:22:32 We will be back tomorrow night for another

1:22:35 presentation this time on Central and Eastern European tours.

1:22:39 You can register to join us live using the link in the chat widget.

1:22:43 And until next time, happy travels.