Sample Itinerary A

DAY 1

Group to arrive in Dublin Airport

                   Transfer to the Rock of Cashel

12.00hrs        Enjoy a guided tour of the Rock of Cashel

The 4th century Rock of Cashel once the seat of the High King of Munster is one of the most enduring images of Ireland, with its amazing collection of ancient walls, towers and halls, and an excellent multilingual audio visual presentation – a site not to be missed.

17.30hrs        Arrive Hotel in Cork x 3 nights

DAY 2

                        Morning set aside for friendly match in the Cardiff area

14.00hrs      Arrive Millennium Stadium  – Stadium Tour of the Millennium Stadium

The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and the Wales national football team but is also host to many other large scale events, such as Wales Rally Great Britain stage of the World Rally Championship, Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain, boxing and many music concerts, including Tina Turner, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, U2 and the Tsunami Relief concert. It was built ready for Cardiff to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

                         Free-time in Cardiff

 18.30hrs        Return to hostel

DAY 3

08.30hrs        Depart hostel

09.00hrs        Arrive Cardiff Blues for coaching session

                    Two and a half hour coaching sessions with Cardiff Blues youth coaches followed by a tour of their new stadium

12.30hrs        Departing Cardiff we stop off at the Museums of the Royal Regiment of Wales in Brecon

13.30hrs        Arrive Brecon

                    Gwell Angau na Chywilydd – Better Death than Dishonour

The South Wales Borderers distinguished themselves in many campaigns. Perhaps best remembered are the Marlborough campaigns, the America War of Independence and the Sikh wars. Its involvement in the Anglo-Zulu war was both tragic and glorious, Isandhlwana and Rorke’s Drift are likely to be remembered for a long time. The Welch Regiment, formed in 1719 as a Regiment of Invalids for garrison duties, went on to distinguish itself in a wide variety of campaigns, most notably in Canada, the Crimea and the Napoleonic Wars, in which elements served at both Waterloo and with the Royal Navy, and not to mention World War I and World War II and more recently Korea.

15.30hrs        Depart Brecon

19.30hrs        Arrive in Caernarfon,

This stylish hotel is located in the famous town of Caernarfon, near Bangor, consisting of 110 en-suite bedrooms,                       a fine dining restaurant, a chic Art Deco bar, conference/meeting facilities, and a superb leisure club.

DAY 4

09.30hrs        Depart hotel

09.45hrs        Arrive National Slate Museum

Set in a stunning landscape amidst the towering slate mountain of Dinorwig Quarry the National Slate Museum at Llanberis offers a wonderful insight into the history of slate quarrying in North Wales.  Your trip will include visiting our stunning  introductory film, ‘To Steal a Mountain’, which interprets the history of slate and its people ; and a chance to see the Industrial Workshops including the CABAN ( Mess Room) Smithy, Foundry and Pattern Lofts. And a chance to marvel at one of the largest waterwheels in the world, now with improved access via a lift and stairway.

12.45hrs        Depart Slate Museum

13.30hrs        Arrive Electric Mountain. Llanberis

From Electric Mountain, visitors can take a fully guided tour around Dinorwig Power Station. This starts with a sound and vision spectacular at Electric Mountain, illustrating the role that pumped storage plays in ensuring the country’s electricity demands are always met. An Electric Mountain Expedition bus will then transport visitors to                       the power station itself. Descending deep inside the ancient Elidir mountain’s labyrinth of dark and imposing tunnels, you’ll experience one of man’s greatest engineering achievements.

15.30hrs        Depart Electric Mountain

16.30hrs        Arrive Abergele RUFC

Afternoon set aside for friendly matches

DAY 5

09.00hrs        Check-out and depart hotel

09.15hrs        Arrive Caernarfon Castle

Mighty Caernarfon is possibly the most famous of Wales’s castles. Its sheer scale and commanding presence easily set it apart from the rest, and to this day, still trumpet in no uncertain terms the intention of its builder Edward I.  Begun in 1283 as the definitive chapter in his conquest of Wales, Caernarfon was constructed not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and royal palace. The castle’s majestic persona is no architectural accident: it was designed to echo the walls of Constantinople, the imperial power of Rome and the dream castle, ‘the fairest that ever man saw’, of Welsh myth and legend. After all these years Caernarfon’s immense strength remains unchanged. Standing at the mouth of the Seiont river, the fortress (with its unique polygonal towers, intimidating battlements and colour banded masonry) dominates the walled town also founded by Edward I. Caernarfon’s symbolic status was emphasized when Edward made sure that his son, the first English Prince of Wales, was born here in 1284. In 1969, the castle gained worldwide fame as the setting for the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales. History comes alive at Caernarfon in so many ways – along the lofty wall walks, beneath the twin-towered gatehouse and within imaginative exhibitions located within the towers. The castle also houses the Regimental Museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, Wales’s oldest regiment.   Caernarfon’s position of pre-eminence in historic rankings is recognized in its status as a World Heritage inscribed site.

12.00hrs        Depart castle

13.30hrs        Arrive Chester

Walking Tour of Chester

Walk the most complete city walls in Britain for birds eye views of Chester’s attractions, from the oldest racecourse in the country to the famous Eastgate Clock. Enjoy stylish retail therapy in the Rows, the world-renowned galleried arcades that date from the Middle Ages and include England’s oldest shop front the Old Tree Arches.

16.30hrs        Depart Chester

17.30hrs        Arrive hotel in Greater Manchester Area

                   Check-in & dinner

DAY 6

08.45hrs        Depart hotel  

09.30hrs        Arrive Old Trafford

Stadium tour of Old Trafford

11.45hrs        Depart Old Trafford

12.00hrs        Arrive Trafford Centre

Time for some last minute shopping

15.00hrs        Depart Trafford Centre

Afternoon set aside for rugby matches.

19.00hrs        Return to hotel and dinner 

DAY 7

08.30hrs        Check-out and depart hotel

11.15hrs        Arrive Webb Ellis Rugby Museum, Rugby

The Rugby Football Museum is housed opposite Rugby School in the original building where James Gilbert, boot and shoemaker, made the first rugby footballs in 1842. The collection is privately owned and currently on loan to Rugby Borough Council. It is being managed and cared for by staff from Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.

Free-time in Rugby

13.00hrs        Depart Rugby

15.00hrs        Visit to the London Eye

The London Eye, sometimes called the Millennium Wheel, is the first-built and largest observation wheel in the world  and has been since its opening at the end of 1999. It stands 135 metres (443 feet) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames in Lambeth, London, England, between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges. It is adjacent to London’s County Hall, and stands opposite the offices of the Ministry of Defence situated in Westminster which it overlooks to the west.

17.00hrs        Depart The London Eye

17.30hrs        Arrive Covent Gardens

Free-time in the Covent Gardens – Piccadilly area

19.00hrs        Depart Covent Gardens

20.00hrs        Arrive hotel adjacent to Heathrow Airport

DAY 8

     Transfer to airport.