top of page

Discover England & Wales in 8 Days

8 DAYS, 7 NIGHTS | Chatsworth House, Peak District, Wales, Wye Valley & Bath
​
​
PRIVATE TOUR ITINERARY 

​

​

Enjoy this wonderful tour of England & Wales with your very own chauffeur-guide, all the while staying in luxury country house hotels. You’ll visit the Peak District, home to Chatsworth House, setting of The Duchess, and Haddon Hall, one of Britain's greatest Elizabethan homes and setting of The Other Boleyn Girl . You'll cross into castle-topped North Wales for visits to Conwy Castle and Caernarfon Castle (as seen in The Crown). You'll enjoy a historic steam train ride through the Snowdonia National Park and meander through beautiful Wales to the Brecon Beacons and Wye Valley. From Wales you'll head to elegant Bath, made famous by the Romans and Jane Austen. Enjoy England & Wales!

​

Day 1: Hardwick Hall & Peak District

Depart London for Derbyshire where you'll enjoy a visit to Hardwick Hall (setting of Mary Queen of Scots), one of Britain's greatest Elizabethan homes, built between 1590 and 1597 for the formidable Bess of Hardwick. Your journey will then continue into the beautiful Peak District for a two-night stay at the Cavendish Hotel, by the Chatsworth Estate, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

 

Day 2: Chatsworth House & Haddon Hall

This morning, you'll enjoy a visit to Chatsworth House (setting of The Duchess and The Secrets of Chatsworth House), peacefully situated in the valleys of the Peak District and home to the Duke of Devonshire. Set in expansive parkland and backed by wooded, rocky hills rising to heather moorland, the house is surrounded by fine gardens and contains an important collection of paintings and furniture. This afternoon, you'll visit nearby Haddon Hall (setting of The Other Boleyn Girl), an English country house in the form of a medieval manor house, with Elizabethan gardens and a walled topiary—it has been described as one of the most complete houses of its period and belongs to the Duke of Rutland.
 

Day 3: Conwy Castle
This morning, you'll be driven through the Peak District National Park to the castle-topped harbor town of Conwy in North Wales for a private-guided walking tour. Explore Conwy's historic town and castle, built by Edward I during his conquest of Wales between 1283 and 1289. You'll then arrive at Bodysgallen Hall for a two-night stay. With spectacular views of Snowdonia and Conwy Castle, Bodysgallen Hall provides all that is best in country house hospitality.  Beautiful gardens include a rare 17th-century parterre of box hedges filled with sweet-scented herbs, a walled rose garden and several follies.
 

Day 4: Snowdonia National Park & Caernarfon Castle
Today, enjoy a scenic-steam-train ride in first-class through the stunning scenery of Snowdonia National Park. You'll then continue your journey by road to Mount Snowden and through some of the most gorgeous scenery North Wales has to offer. This afternoon you'll visit the seaside town of Caernarfon and Caernarfon Castle (as seen with Prince Charles in The Crown), part of the system of English garrison castles that Edward I built to enforce English rule over North Wales 700 years ago. 

 

Day 5: Stokesay Castle & Welsh Borders
Depart for Stokesay Castle, just inside the English border, a fortified manor house built in the late 13th century by Laurence of Ludlow, a leading wool merchant at the time. Continue to Llangoed Hall (former home of the designer Laura Ashley) for a two-night stay—a wonderfully elegant and historic country house hotel situated in beautiful Welsh countryside. The hotel’s grounds are the epitome of peace and tranquility, and boast 17 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens and stunning views of the surrounding rolling hills and the Black Mountains. 

​

Day 6: Black Mountains & Wye Valley
Today, you'll explore the wilds of the Black Mountains, home to canals, waterfalls, red kites, and natural beauty. Visit the small attractive market town of Hay-on-Wye, home to the Hay-on-Wye Book Festival, littered with book shops—secondhand and new—and return to Llangoed Hall in plenty of time for you to enjoy the hotel's surroundings.

 

Day 7: Tintern Abbey & Bath

This morning you'll visit Tintern Abbey. Built in 1131, the abbey fell into ruin after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. Its remains have been celebrated in poetry and painting from the 18th century onwards, including by Jane Austen and Thomas Gainsborough. This afternoon, you'll cross the Severn Estuary to Bath in England. You'll visit the incredibly preserved Roman Baths, and enjoy a private guided walking tour through Bath’s exquisite Palladian architecture, inspired by its Roman heritage - including visits to Bath Abbey, No.1 Royal Crescent and the Assembly Rooms, and places associated to Jane Austen's time and life in the city.

​

Day 8: London & optional visit to Stonehenge

This morning depart for London Airport for your return flight. If your schedule allows, visit Stonehenge en route.

​
  Included with this private tour:
  • Luxury country house hotels

  • 8 days full touring

  • Your very own professional driver-guide and luxury vehicle

  • 7 breakfasts

  • 6 gourmet dinners 

  • Flexible itinerary

  • All entrance fees

  • Historic steam train ride

  • Airport transfers

  • All tolls and taxes

 CHOOSE YOUR ACCOMMODATION:

​

Superior Boutique

In this category, we have hand-picked five-star guest houses or smaller luxury hotels. These lodgings are often family owned and offer a truly unique, authentic and welcome atmosphere where you are more likely to engage with local people than in a higher-end hotel. Some tours involve a mixture of both Superior and Luxury Boutique.

​

Luxury Boutique 

Through our 35 years of experience, we have hand-picked luxury boutique hotels which are not only very comfortable in the traditional sense, but just as importantly offer gourmet food, and an ambience giving you a truly authentic local experience. All our hotel choices are of unique character, range from 4-star to 5-star, and are either situated downtown, or enjoy a spectacular rural or village setting. Our detailed offer to you will specify the hotels recommended.

Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House is the seat to the Duke of Devonshire, a title of the Cavendish family. The house  has been home to the family since 1549. Sir William Cavendish married Bess of Hardwick (of Hardwick Hall) in 1547 and purchased the Chatsworth estate in 1549. The couple began to build Chatsworth House in 1552. Set in expansive parkland and backed by wooded, rocky hills rising to heather moorland, the house is surrounded by fine gardens and contains an important collection of paintings and furniture.

Just a few tour highlights:

  • Castle-topped Conwy

  • Caernarfon Castle

  • Beautiful country house hotels

  • National Parks

  • The book town of Hay-on-Wye

  • Elegant Bath 

  • Tintern Abbey

  • Stonehenge

2025 Prices & Dates

 

Choose any dates. Price is determined by your choice of dates (season), accommodation type, and the number of people in your group. Prices below are based on the hotels described in the itinerary, and may change in accordance with your individual preferences.  

​

Prices are in USD, per person, based on double occupancy.

​

Prices from:

From $4590 per person (group of 6 people)

From $5490 per person (group of 4 people)

From $6390 per person (group of 2 people)

​

​

Want a luxury private tour? This tour can be customized to your wishes with 5-star luxury accommodation. Simply call, or email us with your specifics and we'll plan a program that's right for you.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS

Trisha and I wanted to drop you a line to formally thank you for making our recent 50th Wedding Anniversary Trip to England and Wales so special. Every aspect of our trip's planning and execution demonstrated your dedication to superior customer service. While the itinerary, accommodations and restaurant selections exceeded our expectations, it was your attention to every detail that stands out. It was a pleasure to just sit back and enjoy the experience without worrying about a thing. 

Hugh, your interpersonal skills are exceptional. You demonstrated the ability to balance our often conflicting needs. Whether it was helping Trisha with her shopping or finding that interesting pub for a late afternoon pint for me, we both came away happy. In closing, this trip certainly convinced us of the merits of your full service private touring service and we hope to use your services on a future European trip. We have also told our friends of our great experience with Wanderlust Private Tours, so you might be getting some new business from the Philadelphia area.  

Peter & Trisha Palmer, Philadelphia

bottom of page