England & Scotland

City lights and highland skies

A historic drama – centuries in the making

england, scotland

England & Scotland: city lights and highland skies

When we sat down to curate our latest trip through England and Scotland, we spent a lot of time drawing maps, making calls, calling in favours, and debating the finer points of bothies and bedrooms. It was a lot of work. And it was totally worth it. The result is a trip that we’re thrilled by – and we think you will be too. It’s full of fine food, heaps of history, breathtaking landscapes, and some very royal treatment. You’ll be working your way around scones, drams, lochs, and a whole lot of drama – enjoying stays at some of the UK’s most enviable hotels along the way. Let’s get started.

When

All year round

Price

From $34,770pp excl. flights

(based on 2 ppl sharing)

How long

14 nights

Ideal length

Days 1-3

London Calling

Very big, and very old, London – you might hear it called the ‘big smoke’ – has gone through more historic costume changes than a West End star. For three days, we’ll give you a properly royal introduction through its deep history and its razor-sharp cutting edge. Expect bright lights, old stone, and some passionately creative gastronomy.

Days 1-3

Day 1

Get the royal treatment

While your bags are ferried to your room, we’ll mark your arrival in proper English style; taking afternoon tea at The Goring (which also happens to be your hotel for the next three nights). This Belgravia landmark – family owned and operated since 1910 – is all crushed velvet and decorous fittings.

Later, why not dine at Mount Street Restaurant – a modern British eatery backed by the gallerists Hauser & Wirth? You’ll be making your way through lobster pie, beef wellington, and London rarebit while original Warhols, Matisses, and Lucien Freuds gaze down upon you. They also boast a very appealing port collection.

Day 2

Heritage and curtain calls

London’s black cabs are an institution; and they remain one of the best ways to zip and zoom around the city, which is precisely how we’re going to introduce you to it. Along the way, this means a private tour of the Tower of London (and its ‘unkindness’ of resident ravens), before a stop at one of London’s world-class museums, where we’ll arrange for a private guide to show you around (we quite like the V&A and the National Gallery, but we’ll help you pick).

By nightfall, it’s off to Theaterland – the West End – where players have kept the city’s populace entertained for centuries. Because there’s always something new and notable on the cards, we’ll help you find the perfect show.

Day 3

The more things change

Cabs are nice, but London has always been a very strollable city. With that in mind, we’ll paint you a path to Westminster – the heart of the UK’s government – and on to Buckingham Palace, where you may get to see the Changing of the Guard in action.

From here, we’ve arranged a gastronomic tour of the city that’ll introduce you to the dishes and traditions that keep millions of Londoners sated every day.

Days 4 & 5

Oxfordshire & The Cotswolds

Leaving London, you’ll be heading to Oxford and the Cotswolds; home to one of the world’s oldest universities – and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (that’s an official thing) that sits serene between the Bristol Channel and the Chiltern Hills. Quite close to the capital, this is a region where people come for a slower pace of life – and some of the best gastronomy in the UK. Happily, you’ll be resting up at Estelle Manor – a stately retreat that draws all sorts of approving sounds when we mention it to other travel people. It’s simply spectacular.

Days 4 & 5

Day 4

From old orders to last orders

Before rocking up at Estelle Manor, we’ll take you on a brief diversion to Windsor. Dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period, this venerable town is the home of Windsor Castle – one of the official residences of the British monarch. There’s a lot of history at hand here; between Chaucer – who was appointed Clerk of Works in 1390 – and Jane Seymour (Henry VIII’s third wife).

Hungry? Consider dinner at The PIG for sterling country cuisine and a beautifully laid-out kitchen garden. Since opening in 2011, it has been a smash hit. Naturally, you’ll end your night in the village pub. When in England.

Day 5

The home of the gentry

Because you’re in palace country, it’s only natural that you’ll walk the halls of Blenheim Palace on a private tour of this opulent country pile. With masses of Baroque detailing and sumptuous rooms, it was considered extravagant even for its time. The grounds – designed by Capability Brown – are also a sight to behold.

Coming back down to earth, you’ll wander your way through some of the Cotswolds’ honeycombed villages and historic markets. Tonight, we recommend dinner at The Billiards Room. There’s also the opportunity to unwind at the hotel’s superlative spa, which we can’t recommend enough.

Days 6-7

Edinburgh

From the vales of the southwest, you’ll be taking a first-class seat on a train across the border; watching hills and peaks give way to heather and bracken. Your destination? Edinburgh – and two nights at the revered Balmoral.

Days 6-7

Days 6-7

Drams and drama

Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline of the city – rising high on its rib of grey-black rock. We’ll set you up with a private guide who’ll introduce you to its history and characters, before taking a wending tour along the eye-popping Royal Mile.

You’ll round off your stay with a curated whisky tasting at The Balmoral’s celebrated Scotch Bar – getting to grips with Scotland’s most revered malts.

Days 8-14

The Highlands

Writing in 1789, Robert Burns – Scotland’s beloved national poet – declared that “my heart’s in the highlands”, and it’s not hard to see why he was so moved. For the next chapter of your trip, we’ll take you deep into the lochs and glens of Scotland’s outer wilds – enjoying stays at some of the country’s most glamorous hotels.

Days 8-14

Day 8

Feeling at home

Cutting across to Braemar – a pretty village in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park – you’ll check in to The Fife Arms. We adore this boutique hotel’s savvy blend of Victorian grandeur and avant-garde stylings. We think you will too.

Day 9

Balmoral and bothies

From The Fife Arms, we’ll whisk you off on a private tour of Balmoral Castle – a vine-clad estate with deep royal connections and a pointedly rebellious history. Later, you’ll hike your way for a picnic at a local bothy, enjoying breathtaking views and the best of the local produce. Full of vim and vigor, we’ll pair you with an expert forager with whom you’ll source wild ingredients that they’ll craft into cocktails.

Back at The Fife Arms, the hotel’s resident art expert will give you a private introduction to their collections – which number over 14,000 pieces. After all that you’ll need dinner; happily, the hotel’s kitchen is utterly pitch perfect.

Days 10-11

Into the wildlands

You’ll be leaving Braemar behind you and heading much deeper into the Highlands; mailing up at the beautifully brooding Glencoe House. Like its name, the surrounding landscape has glens galore. Along the way, you’ll stop at Ballintaggart Farm – a charmingly stylish retreat that boasts some of Scotland’s finest local cooking.

We’ve chosen this corner of the glens to give you the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. So, we’ll set you up with a very special kayaking expedition at Glenfinnan. You’ll paddle along Loch Shiel and the Glenfinnan Monument, enjoying the bounty of the Highland’s scenery and wildlife. It’s good to be outdoors.

Days 12-14

A very fine finale

We’re very excited for your trip’s finale, where we’ll set you up for two nights at Gleneagles – the legendary Scottish sporting estate that’s been entertaining the great and the good since it opened its doors in 1924.

Before you arrive, we’ll take you on a very tempting diversion at Glenturret Distillery; getting a behind the scenes look at producing Scotland’s signature tipple.

At Gleneagles itself, you’ll have the estate’s repertoire of golf, falconry, shooting, and hiking at your fingertips. Later, book a table at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, one of Scotland’s two-Michelin-starred restaurants.

The End

For now

For fourteen fulsome nights, you’ll have drunk deep from the UK – with black cabs, whisky drams, heather scent, and West End shows. As ever, this trip is ‘just’ an idea – something to get you started. But we can tailor its moments and moves however you like.

When you’re ready, just drop us a line.