In Transit: In transit.

Morning: Transfer from Manchester Airport to Bowness-on-Windermere.

Lunch: Lunch in hotel dining room for those arriving by lunchtime.

Afternoon: Free to settle in. Welcome meeting at 5:00pm in hotel.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: Free evening.

Lodging: Windermere Hydro Hotel.

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: 09:00 meeting which will include a briefing on walking and hiking in the lakes.

Lunch: Packed lunch included.

Afternoon: Walk in the Grasmere area to observe local viewpoints, or to Rydal Mount and Dove Cottage, home and inspiration to the poet William Wordsworth. Themes:Access; the 'Lake District Scene', and the Romantic Poets.

Dinner: In the hotel.

Evening: After dinner talk on Vernacular Architecture.

Lodging: Windermere Hydro Hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: This morning you will enjoy a walk to Orrest Head, and a visit to Holehird Gardens, home of the Lakeland Horticultural Society. Orrest Head is the subject of a chapter in Wainwright’s "The Outlying Fells of Lakeland" and was the first fell he climbed. He describes it as "our first ascent in Lakeland, our first sight of mountains in tumultuous array across glittering waters, our awakening to beauty" and also as "a fitting finale, too, to a life made happy by fellwandering". On the walk, follow lanes and winding woodland tracks, culminating in views of the stunning natural beauty of the Lake District. Holehird Gardens covers an impressive 17 acres above Windermere and are reputed to be among the finest in England. The gardens are unique in being maintained entirely by volunteers.

Lunch: In The Mortal Man pub in Troutbeck. An established traditional Lake District Inn since 1689, it resides over the wonderous panoramic views of Lakeland mountains that have captivated the great minds through the centuries. Originally a small ale house built by Isacc Cookson, the Mortal Man's unusual name comes from a sign painted for the Landlord at the time by a famous English painter called Julius Caesar Ibbetson.

Afternoon: Field trip to the village of Troutbeck. Troutbeck can be found between Windermere and Ambleside, just off the Kirkstone Pass. The village of Troutbeck is spread along a hillside which runs from Town End to Town Head. Troutbeck is designated a Conservation Area, with a number of buildings which date from the 17th to the 19th Centuries. Some of the buildings have retained the original features such as mullioned windows, heavy cylindrical chimneys and a rare example of an exposed spinning gallery can be seen. The church and the former school can be found in the valley which was rebuilt in the 18th Century has an east window created in 1873 by William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and Ford Madox Brown. A guided walk of this lovely village, followed by an excursion to the Elizabethan Town End Farm.

Dinner: In hotel dining room

Evening: Free evening.

Lodging: Windermere Hydro Hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: Both walks are in the Langdale valley, an area that has played a key role in the development of walking and hiking in the Lake District. Themes: Flora and Fauna of the high tops; the history and traditions of walking and hiking.

Lunch: Packed lunch included.

Afternoon: Walks continue.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: Free evening.

Lodging: Windermere Hydro Hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: Excursion: A boat cruise on Derwentwater. Theme: Upland farming, the tourist scene.

Lunch: Packed lunch.

Afternoon: The following walk options are available. High Level walk: The long walk takes us over Cat Bells, a favourite of Beatrix Potter. Low Level and medium walks: Across the lower slopes, through the ancient woodlands of the Borrowdale Valley.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: Windermere Hydro Hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: Field trip to nearby Coniston, the centre of the old copper mining industry. The great Victorian thinker John Ruskin and author Arthur Ransome both have strong links with this area. The following walk options are available: High Level walk: Over Coniston Old Man, looking at the disused copper mines and slate quarries. Low Level and medium walk: Alongside Coniston Water, after a short boat trip. There is also a medium level walk through the mountain area known as Coppermines Valley. Themes: Industrial archaeology; literature.

Lunch: Packed lunch included.

Afternoon: Field trip continues.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: Talk "A Lakeland Picture Show".

Lodging: Windermere Hydro Hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: Enjoy a free day with a "Cross Lakes Shuttle" ticket. This is an all day service where a small passenger boat will take you across Windermere, with transportation available to Hilltop and Hawkshead return, alighting at your leisure. You will be provided with a booklet of self-guided walks to help you explore the area, with a choice of Lakeside walks or more taxing walks over Claife Heights for the adventurous!

Lunch: A packed lunch will be provided.

Afternoon: Free

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: Free evening.

Lodging: Windermere Hydro Hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: Transfer to Scotland, with rest stops at Moffat, a small town in the midst of the southern uplands, and at St. Mary's Loch.

Lunch: Pub lunch in Tibbie Sheils -- Set between two lochs surrounded by breathtaking scenery. The Inn takes its name from Isabella (Tibbie) Shiel who moved with her husband Robert Richardson, a mole catcher, in 1823 into what was then known as St. Mary’s cottage on the estate of Lord Napier. After the death of her husband in the following year Tibbie was determined to support herself and six bairns by taking in gentlemen lodgers. James Hogg ‘the Ettrick Shepherd’ was a regular visitor. As an old friend of Hogg, Tibbie was unimpressed by his writing, saying: He wrote a deal o’trash but was a gey sensible man for a’ that”. James Hogg’s friend and contemporary, Sir Walter Scott, was another of Tibbie’s admirers and other names appearing in the visitor’s books (still existing in the care of Tibbie’s descendants) are Robert L. Stevenson, Thomas Carlyle, Thomas Stoddart (angler and angling poet) and Gladstone.

Afternoon: Optional 3 mile walk in the afternoon along the east side of the loch. Arrival Kelso late afternoon.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: Talk: The Borders and the Southern Uplands.

Lodging: Cross Keys.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: The walks today offer a choice of about 4 or 8 miles along the Rivers Tweed and Teviot, probably the most famous salmon rivers in Scotland. Visit St Boswells, a village on the south side of the River Tweed. The village is mostly known for being on the route of St. Cuthbert's Way, a long distance footpath linking Melrose Abbey (5 miles northwest) to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne off the Northumberland coast in north east England. The name commemorates Saint Boisil, an Abbot of Melrose.

Lunch: Pub Lunch.

Afternoon: Walks continue. Visit Harestanes Visitor Centre and walk to Peniel Heugh.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: Talk: Abbeys and Monasteries.

Lodging: Cross Keys.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: Walk near Selkirk. Selkirk has indelibly stamped itself on Scotland's and the Scottish Borders' ancient past. From being the site of the first Border Abbey to where William Wallace, "Braveheart", was declared guardian of Scotland. The diverse names of Bonnie Prince Charlie, The Marquess of Montrose and the Outlaw Murray have all contributed to create a unique historical tapestry.

Lunch: Packed lunch.

Afternoon: Afternoon walks continue.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: Free evening.

Lodging: Cross Keys.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: A full day field trip to Lindisfarne (Holy Island), where we spend 3 to 5 hours, depending on the times of the tides. The Priory will be visited before lunch, and then we will offer a choice of walks.

Lunch: Pub lunch

Afternoon: Walks continue.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: A Scottish Pipe Band plays for us in the Market Square.

Lodging: Cross Keys.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: Walks across the Pennine Way.

Lunch: Picnic lunch.

Afternoon: Walks continue.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: Cross Keys.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: Transfer to Edinburgh. Take a guided field trip of the Scottish Parliament, where you will discover the workings of Parliamentary procedure and details about the design and architecture of the building.

Lunch: Packed lunch.

Afternoon: This afternoon you have a choice of activities. Take a walk up Arthur's Seat, a peak formed by a now extinct volcano system and once described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design". Some claim its name is derived from the legends surrounding King Arthur. Decide for yourself as you enjoy this leisurely walk, with beautiful views over the capital. Casual shoes or sneakers can be worn. Alternatively, relax on a free afternoon with the option of spending time in Edinburgh city centre.

Dinner: In hotel dining room.

Evening: Free evening. Farewell meeting.

Lodging: Quality Hotel Edinburgh.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In hotel dining room.

Morning: Courtesy bus to the airport for return flights to North America.

Meals Included: Breakfast