6/3 arr. Oxford

6/4 explore oxford – Private walking tour (11?…will try to reschedule for 10), 50 min boat cruise 1:45 (food available for purchase before)

Arr. Bath – Walcott Street Apartment

  • 6/5 Tour Bath – Mayor’s tour, 10:30 am, outside Roman baths. 2 hours. Lunch and visit Sally Lunn’s House historical eatery and museum, Austin Center, Roman Baths

6/6 Tour lower Cotswolds – The Crown Inn, Frampton Mansell. Rodmoton

    Castle Comb – Straud Valley walk (6 mi, 3 hours)

6/7 Cotswold Cottage Guest House, Stow on the Wold

Visit Bibury, Visit Burton-on-the-Water, Hire Bikes  in Burton on the Water Hartwells, 3 hour bike tour OR Walk Burton on the Water – Lower Slaughter, Country Inn – Upper Slaughter (6.5 mi, 3 hours)

The Hive (Stow) for dinner or breakfast

6/8 Drive to Barnard Castle (4 hrs 10 min. – stop en route? York…) – Baliol House B&B, explore town and castle/abbey

6/9 Beamish Museum day

6/10 – make our way to Edinburgh. Possible visits to Durham, Hadrian’s Wall. Evening walk the Royal Mile, Visit Mary’s Close

6/11 – visit: Edinburgh castle, Giles Cathedral, Gladstone’s land, whiskey experience, walking tour – dark side of Edinburgh 6:30,

6/12 – visit: People’s Story, Museum of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Dungeon (?), New Town Walking tour 2:30

6/13 – Rabbie’s tour begins

6/17 – tour ends

6/18 – Arthur’s seat, Edinburgh castle if not visited yet, camera obscura

6/19 – train to London. Globe theater in evening

6/20 3:00 Secret London bike tour

 

 I’ve been poking around for a while trying to find and affordable and reasonable flight to Lisbon from San Francisco. The best I could find was in the $800s, with an overnight layover each direction in Istanbul. When I go into the less cumbersome itineraries, I could not find anything below $1400. I kept thinking I could hammer out a better deal – fly to a hub, and RyanAir it in to Lisbon, or something like. But then I ran a search on Orbitz including both airfare and hotel. Right out of the gate, my per person price went down to $630. Yes, for flight AND a room. I upgraded just a bit, to get a highly rated apartment and a great itinerary with minimal layovers, and bingo, our family of four is going to Lisbon for Thanksgiving week for $3000. I am hoping this is a trick I can repeat at a later date.