19 best tours of the UK

Video: The Times’ Adrian Phillips takes an escorted tour in Tenerife with G Adventures

Times Travel has partnered with Tourhub to bring our readers a wide selection of escorted tours from trusted travel partners. Here, we’ve selected the very best tours that showcase the UK. For a bigger selection, visit Tourhub.

Main photo: Eilean Donan, Isle of Skye (Getty Images)

1. ‘Highlights of Scotland’, G Adventures

The heart-thumping beauty of the Highlands is the backdrop for this seven-day romp around munros, cinematic landscapes and fortresses freshly minted for a Game of Thrones fantasy. Tours run from May to September and cover accommodation, transfers and most activities. You’ll kick off in Edinburgh, with time to explore its Royal Mile and hulking castle, before heading to Inverness, where the heather-cloaked moors and granite mountains of the nearby Cairngorms National Park entice hikers. After cruising Loch Ness, it’s time to head over the sea to Skye and its lochside beauty of a castle, Eilean Donan. Fort William then places you within easy striking distance of the Jacobite battlefield of Culloden Moor, the 21-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct (as seen in the Harry Potter films) and whisky tasting at the Ben Nevis Distillery. A night in Glasgow wraps up the week nicely with a dash of urban edge.

Group size Average 12 (max 16)
Price ££

2. ‘The Jurassic Coast’, Titan Travel

With rocks around since dinosaurs walked the earth, the Jurassic Coast is a geological wonder and England’s only natural world heritage site. Great sweeps of butterscotch sand, fossil-rich Jurassic cliffs, stacks and arches give this coastline its distinctive flair. This five-day coach tour typically runs from late spring to early autumn and includes accommodation and most meals and excursions. Using Bournemouth as a base, you’ll be whisked from bay to bay, with a cruise from Poole to Swanage, and a heritage steam train ride to the pretty village of Corfe, framed by the mysterious ruins of its castle, and a visit to Tudor Sherborne Castle, masterminded by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594.

Group size Maximum 48
Price £

Most beautiful places in the UK

3. ‘Peak District Short Break’, Titan Travel

Rippling across the southern Pennines, the wild moors and hills of the Peak District National Park have always held an irresistible allure for hikers, but this five-day tour is more squarely aimed at their one-of-a-kind culture and heritage. Nottingham is the starting point for an exploration of the region’s stone-built villages, stately homes and market towns. It packs a lot into a short space of time: Bakewell (of jam-and-custard-pudding fame); regal Chatsworth House, the swanky abode of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh; grade I listed Calke Abbey; and the Edwardian streets of Crich Tramway Village. The grand finale is a ride on the Peak Rail, which huffs and puffs its way through the Derbyshire countryside. Tours are by coach and run from May to September. Accommodation, many meals and a number of excursions are included in the tour.

Group size Maximum 48
Price £

4. ‘Walking Scotland’s Orkney Islands’, Explore

Sprinkled like stepping stones off Scotland’s north coast, the Orkney Islands enchant with prehistoric mysteries, Norse heritage and gripping landscapes. Running from May to September and including accommodation, transport and some meals, this seven-day, moderately paced walking tour seduces with its culture-meets-nature angle. You’ll be moved by the beauty of Kirkwall and its centrepiece, St Magnus Cathedral; the Brough of Deerness, a well-preserved Viking Age settlement atop a sea stack; and Westray, where high sea cliffs are alive with puffins, kittiwakes and razorbills. From here it’s on to Rousay Island, dubbed the “Egypt of the north” because of its rare archaeological riches.

Group size 10-16
Price ££

Best things to do in Orkney

5. ‘North Wales Adventure’, Explore

Topped off by a whopping medieval fortress, Caernarfon is your springboard for this week-long adventure, homing in on North Wales’s big-hitters. Heritage is writ large across the itinerary, with visits to Blaenau Ffestiniog, once the world’s slate-mining capital, as well as the fanciful Italianate town of Portmeirion, and a canal-boat ride across the world heritage-listed Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, designed by civil engineer superstars Thomas Telford and William Jessop. A ride up Snowdon’s 1,085m peak for dress-circle views of Snowdonia, a RIB ride along Anglesey’s coast and a hike on the glorious Llŷn Peninsula illuminate some of Wales’s most arresting landscapes. Accommodation and transport are included in the tour, with dates in summer and autumn.

Group size 10-15
Price ££

6. ‘Cycle Hadrian’s Wall Coast to Coast’, Explore

Up for a challenge? Get on your bike for this five-day coast-to-coast ride along Hadrian’s Wall, from the Solway Firth across the North Pennines. Stretching across Northumberland and Cumbria, the 73-mile-long fortified wall, built in AD122, once marked the northwestern border of the Roman Empire. Starting in Whitley Bay and ending in Tynemouth Castle, this cycling tour runs from April to October. Explore makes sure all the basics are covered, from accommodation with breakfast to transport, bike hire, detailed maps and route notes. You’ll cycle along serene roads through hill country, taking in the cultural landmarks of this Unesco world heritage site in the company of a small group.

Group size 10-16
Price £

7. ‘Pembrokeshire Coast Walking’, Explore

Taking a deep dive into the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, this six-day walking tour heads over stiles and through kissing gates to lofty cliffs and sea stacks, quaint fishing harbours, Neolithic burial chambers, broad sandy beaches and lonely coves frequented by Atlantic grey seals, porpoises and seabirds. Starting and ending in Mathry, the walk is more challenging than you might expect (the coast path is full of ups and downs). Your reward is getting to see the likes of cathedral-topped St Davids, Britain’s smallest city; wild, wind-whipped Strumble Head; and Abereiddy Bay, where the Blue Lagoon glints in a former slate quarry. April to October is the best walking season. The tour includes simple lodge accommodation, transport and most meals.

Group size 10-16
Price £

8. ‘The Lake District Trail’, Macs Adventure

Hitting the high notes as it weaves deftly through the Lake District’s poetic landscapes, from craggy fell to lake and tarn, this self-guided, 50-mile walking tour begins at Ambleside on Lake Windermere’s shores and ends in Keswick. Running from April to September, the Macs Adventure tour makes hiking here logistically easy, with B&B accommodation, baggage transfer, routes notes, maps and apps all covered. Geared towards fit walkers with some experience, the trips opens up rugged trails with soul-stirring landscapes such as Orrest Head, the Grisedale Valley and Derwentwater, overshadowed by the peak of Skiddaw.

Group size self-guided
Price £

Best things to do in the Lake District

9. ‘Land’s End to John O’Groats Cycling Trip’, Responsible Travel

This is the big one: an epic 16-day cycle ride from Britain’s toe to top — from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’Groats in Scotland. Using your own bike and buoyed on by the camaraderie of a small group, you’ll rattle through lyrical landscapes such as the Mendips, Dartmoor, Wye Valley, Lake District, Loch Lomond and Glencoe, negotiating climbs like the Cross of Greet, The Lecht and Glenshee. A good level of competence and fitness is required. Running in June and September, the tour includes accommodation, breakfast and lunch, luggage transport and bike support.

Group size average 8-12 (max 16)
Price ££-£££

10. ‘In God’s Own Country’, Jules Verne

With drystone walls running riot across moors, dales and peaks, sagging stone villages and many a grand pub, Yorkshire has its own moody beauty. From April to October, you can take a five-day spin of the region with Jules Verne, staying at a country estate, with some meals and a local guide included. The agenda expertly whisks together culture, nature and food, taking you from the 12th-century ruins of world heritage site Fountains Abbey to the huge curving limestone amphitheatre of Malham Cove. Sheepdog demonstrations, an alpaca walk through the pretty villages of the Swaledale valley, and tours and tastings at the Black Sheep Brewery and Wensleydale Creamery are all in the mix.

Group size 6-12
Price ££-£££

11. ‘West Highland Way’, Macs Adventure

The Highlands unravel in all their glory on this ten-day, 96-mile self-guided jaunt through the Highlands, from Milngavie to Fort William. March to October is prime time for walking this easy-to-follow route, which harnesses some of the country’s most enticing landscapes as it picks its way along old drover roads and disused railway lines, past lochs and munros, heather-flecked moors and fast-flowing rivers. Fort William is reached via Glen Nevis, in the shadow of Britain’s highest peak. B&B accommodation, baggage transport, maps and route information allow you to walk the route together with minimal effort, but bring your own hiking gear and midge repellent.

Group size self-guided
Price £

12. ‘Secret Devon & Cornwall’, Jules Verne

This five-day tour presents the cream of Britain’s southwest, with Atlantic-lashed sea cliffs, wild coves that would wreck your ship if you had one, and one ludicrously pretty fishing village and seaside town after the next. Jules Verne offer dates from April to October and organise everything from accommodation to entrance fees and tour guides. Travelling on quiet roads, you’ll discover dramatic landscapes such as the Dartmoor Tors and mystical Bodmin Moor, with their stone circles and secluded valleys, the steep, gorse-swathed cliffs of St Agnes, and National Trust gardens such as Trelissick and Lanhydrock.

Group size 6-12
Price ££-£££

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13. ‘Northern Ireland Walking Holiday’, Responsible Travel

Cliff-hugging trails, high waves and tidal beaches define Northern Ireland’s raw, rugged Causeway Coast, which can only be fully appreciated on foot. Eco-conscious Responsible Travel has nailed the spirit of the region with this easy six-day, 26-mile, self-guided walking tour along a stretch of The Ulster Way, where you’ll get to see the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, strung between high sea cliffs above a raging sea, the world-heritage-recognised Giant’s Causeway’s jigsaw of 40,000 basalt columns, and rugged Rathlin Island. The route is clearly waymarked and walkable from March to October. Itinerary-wise, it has all been sorted, with B&B accommodation, daily luggage transfers, route notes, a map and guidebook included in the tour.

Group size Tailor-made
Price £

14. ‘Kent Castles, Gardens & Vineyards’, Newmarket Holidays

Kent has a gentle beauty all of its own, as this autumn tour through the “Garden of England” reveals. Your base is 12th-century Howfield Manor, and Newmarket also throws in a number of tours, evening meals, castle visits and an expert guide into the price. The five-day tour starts at the 12th-century Cinque Ports of Rye and Hythe, and keeps up the pace at Roman-rooted Dover Castle, spectacularly moated Leeds Castle and in Canterbury, the cradle of English Christianity. An optional tour and tasting at sustainable, family-run Terlingham vineyard introduces the county’s increasingly exciting winemaking scene.

Group size 16-20 (max 24)
Price £

15. ‘Classic Cotswolds’, Abercrombie & Kent

Tucked into the pleats and folds of rolling countryside, the Cotswolds’ honey-hued stone villages are the British country dream. This week-long tour delivers all the classics, beginning with Oxford’s dreaming spires and historic colleges spread along the river, and ending in the city of Bath, with its Roman baths and gracefully curving Royal Crescent. En route you’ll take in the charismatic market town of Woodstock, the lavishly baroque Blenheim Palace (birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill), and the medieval loveliness of Chipping Campden. Tours run year-round and include accommodation with breakfast, entry to sights and guides.

Group size tailor made
Price £££

16. ‘Grand Tour of the Outer Hebrides’, Brightwater Holidays

Out on a limb, the Outer Hebrides have beauty that beggars belief, with salt-white beaches fizzing into turquoise water, and machair-cloaked dunes giving way to heather-misted moorland. Running from March to October, with various pick-up points in the north, this five-day tour takes in the full sweep of the islands from south to north. Cockleshell Beach, with its unique runway governed by tides, Harris’s swirling sands and the extraordinary standing stones of Callanish are just tip-of-the-iceberg stuff. Brightwater takes care of most aspects of the trip, from accommodation to coach transport, ferry crossings and some meals.

Group size average 17-18 (max 25)
Price £-££

17. ‘Luxury Devon’, Untold Story

Devon comes with a generous dollop of luxury on this six-day private tour. The carefully curated trip runs from May to September and covers accommodation in riverside Dartmouth, champagne afternoon tea on arrival, numerous meals and tours, and private transport. Untold Story presents the place through the voices of its people, so you can expect to meet an Agatha Christie biographer and explore wild Burgh Island and its art deco hotel through the eyes of a resident artist. A ride on the last coal-fired paddle-steamer in England and a steam-train journey along the English Riviera evoke the romance of a more graceful era of travel.

Group size tailor made
Price £££

The best luxury hotels in Devon

18. ‘Norfolk Coast Walk’, Cycle Breaks

The wide-open horizons and calm beauty of north Norfolk’s conservation coast form the backdrop of this six-day, self-guided walking tour. Leading from Old Hunstanton to Sheringham, the trail meanders along creek-side footpaths, seemingly infinite dune-flanked sands and salt marshes thrumming with birdlife. Accommodation and luggage transport are arranged, making walking a breeze as you step from Holkham’s vast beach to Cley’s readymade postcard of a windmill and England’s largest seal colony at Blakeney Harbour. Quaint villages such as Burnham Market and the historic port town of Wells-next-the-Sea welcome you after a solid day’s walking.

Group size self-guided
Price £-££

19. ‘Northumberland: Hike, Bike & Kayak’, Intrepid Travel

With its loveable mix of contemporary edge and Victorian glamour, Newcastle is your launchpad for this four-day tour, which ramps up the adventure in England’s northeast on foot and by bike and kayak. Top billing goes to hiking in the Kielder Forest, where you can spot wild ponies by day and distant constellations from the observatory by night; visiting Hadrian’s Wall and Sycamore Gap, where a single sycamore grows in a dip between the Roman walls; and kayaking at the point where the North and South Tyne meet. Intrepid organises tours from June to September, which include stays in historical inns, transport and most activities.

Group size 1-12
Price ££

Other spectacular trips to try

Here’s a selection of some more UK based itineraries from our Times Travel partners.

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