British Landscapes

We’ll, it was not perfect. The worst thing was no portage available at the train station in Paris. That was way too much for many, let alone a 73 year old woman. This definitely needs to be corrected.

I know we were on a schedule but I would have enjoyed more free time in Scotland to explore. Scotland in general was my favorite part of the trip and I didn’t get to see nearly enough of it! Because of that, I am hoping to return for a trip that is based strictly in Scotland at some point. I will give the tour mgr credit for being knowledgeable but her overall attitude and willingness to work with her group was sorely lacking. And her organizational skills were practically nonexistent. Local guides were accommodating and excellent. I cannot say that for the tour manager. I could write pages about our tour manager but I don’t want to take the time. Just let it be said that she was not the best manager given the situation. Our bus driver, on the other hand, was excellent.. I have been on bus tours where I felt like I was seeing my life flashing before me because I felt unsafe in the hands of the driver. That was not the case with Ryan. I felt totally comfortable with him behind the wheel.. Most of our accommodations were too small. Not enough room for 2 people and luggage as well. Best accommodations as far as size and quality were Chester and London. All rooms were nice and clean but the space was sorely lacking. I realize the rooms are a landing place and used primarily for sleeping but it should be said that it’s also a place to rest between day and evening outings as well as the space to get ready for the day which was hard to do in the space offered.

Loved Edinburgh as a whole.

Weather was agreeable and group was mostly compatible. Enjoyed the extra offerings mostly

It was a beautiful experience.

Good tour and great employees

very good experience. I would do it again. I think for the large tour that it was, the manager did an exceptional job. I probably would not include Oxford and maybe a little extra time in London

Walking the canal trail in Wales. The area was gorgeous, sun was out, temperature not too cool and the people joyful.

We had a very lovely time. The only reason I’m giving Collette 4 stars is because our guide wasn’t up to date on Covid guidelines in each country we visited. Don’t get me wrong. She spent hours on the internet trying to figure out what forms were needed for entering France. I realize that guidelines are changing rapidly; however, Collette should have made sure that our guide was briefed before our tour.

Andrea was the best for manager and we had excellent local guides along the way.

Well organized-took care of everything! If any problem arose, it was taken care of immediately! They made sure that we were able to experience as much as possible.

Our tour guide Chris was outstanding. Extremely knowledable and entertaining. He was very involved in helping when needed. We had quite the extension of our trip due to Covid. He was very helpful and supportive of our needs, arranging changes in hotel and flight reservations.

The 2 provided dinner providers were not prepared.

Well planned tour, was able to many of the British sites-felt totally safe and all of our needs were met.

There were a couple of hiccups on the tour. Pick up in Paris and meal in Stratford on the Avon

The best tour company I've ever used.

The number of participants was way too large and detracted from the experience. Considerable time was used unloading and reloading the bus as well as managing such a large group at comfort stops and sights. I traveled with Collette in a group under 25 in the past and my experience was much better. I would be more than willing to pay an increase in costs for a smaller group size. It had nothing to do with the skills of the tour guide or driver. In fact given the large number, the tour manager was exceptional in her duties, in managing such a large group. My room at Ruthin Castle had a water leak above my bed, castle manager gave me a bucket for the leak. Possibly rethink this location. The last accommodation, Indigo Hotel, in Stratford Upon Avon, was a total delight. That’s a keeper! Susan Ore answered emails prior to the start of the trip and provided valuable sight seeing information for my pre trip in London. I consider this a special touch for a travel agency when a tour guide goes above and beyond their duties. I would travel with Susan again!

Loved York and the quaint shops and venues.

Visit to the Cottswolds although it was too short. Also, the stop between England and Scotland.

The tour hit many of the highlights of Britain that we wanted to see, and threw in a few gems we have not heard of. Loved the anvil wedding on the Scotland-England border where we were "remarried" on our anniversary.

nothing specific, the whole tour was great.

had the best time. I saw things I have only read about, never thought I would have ever seen them. Christine was very knowledgable and shared that with us. Best experience was seeing Edinbrugh Castle and Hadrian's wall.

Thoroughly enjoyed Stratford-upon-Avon, Cotswolds, York, and Edinburgh. London is trip by itself so I didn’t enjoy it especially since we lost a day due to lousy service of airline.

Pub crawl in London, Tour of London, Stonehenge

All was amazing. Stonehenge was amazing. We had wonderful trip.

The favorite part was Edinburgh

Did not have a memorable experience but did enjoy seen stonehedge

Not enough detail was given initially about this trip. Morning departure times should have been stated. Not giving enough leisure time was missed. I did enjoy seeing Edinburgh and Holyroodhouse. I also liked seeing Stonehenge. That was an amazing experience. We did have a problem with two of the hotels. The Doubletree in York was filthy. I had to clean my room before I could put my things on the dressers! The Dalmahoy was way too far from town. We wasted so much time in traffic! It was hard to navigate and had inadequate bathrooms. The other hotels were very nice.

Holy rood palace was my favorite.

Train ride to York and walking tour.

Because it was a tour, you needed to stay on time, which we understood but there were some places we would have liked to have had more time.

OUR TOUR GUIDE, NORMAN GREENE, WAS EXCELLENT IN EVERY WAY. MY FAVORITE NIGHTS STAY WAS AT RUTHIN CASTLE.

See previous submission. Really?

English crown jewels which we had to pay 70 dollars for and should have been free.

We would of liked to of seen more

My favorite was Military Tattoo and Stonehenge. At 2 of the hotels we had to carry our own luggage to our room. I’ve been on numerous tours and they all took care of the luggage once you got thru the airport. That’s one of the nice perks you pay for on tours. Not sure why it didn’t work on theses two occasions.

Edinburgh was definitely the highlight. The city, the tour, and the tattoo almost made the long bus ride worthwhile. This tour tries to do too much. As a result there is very limited time in each location. Most of the tour was spent on the bus!

Seeing the Militarty Tattoo. Disappointed that the USA wasn't in it, but that is NOT your fault!

The tour included Highclere Castle and the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo. April, our tour guide, was so amazing.

Stratford on Avon was most enjoyable

Loved every place we visited, hotels were great and the meals that were included were really good as well.

Too much time on the bus and it was not called out in the brochure we had.

Spending a day and night in York was a favorite, as was the night at Ruthin Castle (which I understand will no longer be part of this tour).

We saw a lot. Good sampler of England . Spent a lot of time on the bus.

Love the history, landscape, sheep grazing, flowers, climate. Having hot tea daily with milk and a scone is a plus!

1. I really hate filling out these forms

I loved Edinburgh. We enjoyed our visit to Holyrood and St Giles Cathedral.

I love the quick pace of traveling 1200 miles and seeing so much of Britain. We were exposed to major attractions, regional food, and beautiful vistas. I also enjoy meeting travelers from across the US on the tour. Most exceptional was our tour manager, Peter Camara who has a reference book inside his head about everything British. I appreciated his personal email prior to the trip with additional details to better prepare. It's always a memorable experience traveling with Collette; we have done it 10 times.

I was sick all week. Trip was pretty much a waste for me, but my granddaughter and her friend enjoyed themselves.

Just meeting new people and seeing new things as I had never been to a European country before.

London was my favorite because I could relate to it the most. Loved Ruthin Castle and could have spent a little more time there.

The dress rehearsal parade for the Queen's birthday was the most memorable. The castles in Scotland were also memorable.

tour guide excellent, very courteous bus driver, good overview of the three countries

Really enjoyed Edinburgh-------lots of history to see and absorb.

There were so many things to see and do. So hard to describe it all. Our Tour guide, John was very informative, fun and helpful, and our coach driver Skippy was very professional and kind.

All were favorites just not enough time spen at location

Nice tour of London Love Scotland and time to explore on my own Wales was beautiful.....would love to see more of it

It was nice to be in London again but the weather was not great, really liked York! Edinburgh was special...so pleased it was included and glad the Queen wasn’t in holyrood as it was special to be there on mother’s day! Nice to stay in castle in Wale’s...and to learn so much about the area. Our speaker at dinner was so informative. Loved Stratford on Avon...some of us got tickets for a play at the Royal Shakespeare theater...a most memorable experience. Could’ve stayed longer in Stratford but then it was exciting to see Stonehenge!

Our Tour Manager, Madeline was wonderful. She was always a step ahead and very sensitive to her customers needs. Our Tour Driver Tom was very skilled, patient, and professional. He has a great attitude!!!!

I most enjoyed the stop in Cambridge. I wish we could have stayed longer.

See previous comments. I enjoyed visiting Cambridge (however briefly) and York, and the opportunity to attend Evensong at the Minster.

The tour was great but the pre-trip was horrible.

Overall tour was excellent! Free time was used to explore on our own.

Have nothing to compare it to.

The tour guide made the trip a wonderful time.

Our tour manager kept us on time, knew the ins and outs of traveling. She really took great care of us.

As I previously stated, not enough time to take in the shopping, museums and scenery at each destination.

wonderful adventures great people

We really enjoyed ourselves. My favorite things were the Tour of London, Highclere Castle side trip, SCOTLAND especially Edinburgh, and the Wales countryside scenery. Also loved the Stratford on Avon area. I really wished we'd had a day in YORK way too short time there.

Loved all the cities, castles, gardens and history. My favorite was visiting Stonehenge.

Boring long bus tour. No cultural tour

Highclere was my highlight of the trip. Our bus driver even played the Downton Abbey theme music as we drove e up the long drive. Hearing that music made it even more special.

London city tour, Edinburgh Castle

Two many to name but Highclere and Edinburgh was favorites!

Experience much positive in short tour.

The best tour manager - very professional, informative and fun! Comfortable coach taking us through gorgeous countryside to amazing sights. Our day in York was most memorable from the high speed train ride to the excellent local tour and time on our own to find a wonderful restaurant.

The tour was superbly paced and designed especially for the group traveler. Excellent Tour Manager. I always love going to Anne Hathaway's House, but an added delight this time was out farewell meal with a few snippets form Shakespeare's plays!

Satisfied with this tour.

The tour provided an excellent overview of the United Kingdom. I had never been there before, but having such an good experience made me feel at home. Would have liked more time in London. That was the only location I felt rushed since there were so many places to see. Did not have a chance to go into St. Paul's Cathedral or Westminster Cathedral, only saw them from outside. Really liked staying in Ruhin Castle. I was concerned that we would be staying in a separate building on the castle grounds, but our rooms were in the actual castle. Walking on the Royal Mile and touring the Edinburgh Castle was a memorable experience. The most moving experience was seeing Stonehenge.

Loved the train ride to York and the town of York. So enjoyed the Viking Museum. Enjoyed Edinburgh Castle and Gretna Green stop. So wonderful for shopping. Liked the stop we made in a little town that had Shakespere grave, the little cafe was great. When we were on the coach going from town to town enjoyed the countryside and all the sheep, it was so wonderful. Liked staying in the Rutin Castle . Also made friends with some of the other travelers and it was so enjoyable

I enjoyed all the sights. I especially our sight seeing in London. Duncan, our guide was knowledgeable,friendly, and very fun to see the sights with.

See my earlier comments. Why?

Too much bus time, not enough time at site locations.

London, Edinburgh, York & Stonehenge.

Wonderful itinerary and leaser. Wish the group was smaller

Wales in Stratford where my favorite places. However we did not stay nearly long enough in the castle and wales. I could have easily done without going to Stonehenge. We had just a really short time and the lines were very long.

I had booked the earlier tour for August which included the military tattoo but we got moved to Sept. The Scottish night experience was a little too touristy and too long, and this replaced the tattoo. So that was a disappointment for our British Landscape tour.

HAD MY HEART SET ON SEEING STONE HENGE

Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace

Some memorable experiences included Stonehenge, London in general, a Scottish Night Out, and the scenery while on the bus. The weather could not have been better!

Beautiful places. Enjoyed everything

There were so many memories that we made on this trip, but my favorite was Edinburgh Scotland and the castle we stayed at in Wales.

Loved ruthin castle and wales was able to add 3 days in London so we could take advantage of our trip and visit some museums. Colette also provided that portion of the hotel so that was very convienent. On a personal note, this trip was a second honeymoon for us and was the same route we took in 1973 but was did not backpack so the bags were all taken care of which was great,

We enjoyed it. But it was too much traveling between cities on the bus, only to spend one night at the next town. (London to York...Edinburgh to Wales) We both felt that 2 nights in each location would have been better...to be able to see more of each location.

WELL WORTH THE MONEY. THE ENTIRE TRIP WAS WITHOUT ANY SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS.

Everywhere we went was awesome. My favorite experience of Ruthin Castle. I only wish we could have spent more time there exploring the grounds.

Outstanding sampling of England, Scotland , and Wales. I wish there was more time in London. I would recommend anyone taking this tour either come in 2 to 3 days early or stay that long after the tour. London has too much to offer and 2 nights and 1 day is insufficient to see this great city.

We saw the beautiful countryside lined by years old stone fences and manicured hedges.

Interesting places to visit. Most of the hotels were comfortable. Food was good except for the optional Scottish show.

dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

Scotland and Ruthin Castle were my favorites.

Good tour just not enough time in York to see things I wanted to see. One day in London - not enough.

You tried to put at least one too many things in the to do package. For example thr trip to Stonehenge was to not good. Way to little time to even visit the museum or gift shop.

Tour was well planned out as far as what to see. Instead of walking around York to look at bars they could of taken us into the York Minster Cathedral. Could of gone into Westminster Abbey. Our Tour Manager was very knowledgeable, BUT was very unorganized. When left to go to the airport to go home From time we got to airport in London, we had about 45 min. to go thru security, to gate, etc. They should allow more time

All ready discussed, See above

Stonehenge was a bucket list item for me, but the Jorvik Museum in York was a neat surprise.

I loved the tour in Edinborough Scotland. The castle, Holyrood, and the dinner were great. Since you don't provide space for criticism, I am adding it, here. The average age is over 65. If you are going to get us up early and run all day, it might be wise to have earlier dinners. People were exhausted. Also, the farewell dinner should not be on the last night, but the night before, so everyone can pack and relax before flying home. I have other suggestions, but, I think you don't want to hear them.

The Military Tattoo, Stratford-upon-Avon tours, and Stonehenge visit were all fabulous - I can't pick just one!

The Military Tattoo Festival

Visiting the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and visiting Shakespeare's grave in Stratford-upon-Avon.

One of the things I loved about this tour was the diversity among the places visited. Collette seemed to have covered all of the areas that appeal to visitors...the only problem is that you fall in love with a city or town and wish you could stay longer. That's the sign of a good tour for me.

Great locations and well planned daily tours. Super coach drive and brand new ride. Very "on time" attendees.

Beautiful drives through the countryside! London hotel was perfectly located for walking near the Thames and the Tower. Right near Piccadilly tube station too!

Could have spent s little more time in London and maybe had a your in the tower of London.

Everything on this tour was great. Our Group Leader was helpful and kept us informed and if there were changes to the itinerary he let us know in plenty of time and explained our options. The hotels were comfortable and the provided meals were excellent. Some of the hotels were "quaint" but they were usually located near restaurants and shopping. The Ruthin Castle was a grand experience even though it was a bit off the beaten path. The peacocks were awesome! The most memorable experience was riding through the Lake District. The green fields and grazing sheep were the quintessential experience of the English countryside.

Tour is very quick and cursory. It's a good overview of the the island I just wish it was more in depth.

Tour should be 1 day longer, spend 1 night in Oxford rather than 90 minutes, so we could properly see Oxford and then on to Ruatha and enjoy it and the castle, rather than no time in Ruatha.

Where do I start? Everything was wonderful! Our favorite part was Rookery Hall - beautiful scenery and lovely accommodations. Our only complaint is that we would have loved another day there! Another high point was Highclere Castle.

Most memorable experience was Stonehenge.

Hotels were not up to par. Optional and included meals were to long. Meal times were two and a half hours to three hours in length. Not fun finishing a meal at 9 to 10 at night and then up at 5 or 6 in the morning. Bus was too crowded and seats did not have good leg room-especially the seat to the back of the back door of the bus.

Our first trip to England so we were excited to see the difference in cities, the landscape and learn more about the history of the country. Interesting to realize a large percentage of the buildings have stood for 500 years.

Overall really enjoyed tour. Loved the Lake District and Grasmere and would like to spend more time in the area. Bourton on the Water was worth the stop, wouldn't have stopped if on our own. The pub at the Hadrian's Wall stop was excellent. The Scottish Night out was lots of fun and would recommend. Enjoyed so many things about this tour, the dinner at Shakespeare's daughters home was wonderful, Ruthin Castle is a recommend would have like to spend more time here as well.

We rode on the bus way too much! Shorter days on the bus would have been much better. Perhaps different routing would have saved us having to ride so much. When we were in Oxford we could have visited Stonehenge.....not having to ride there from Stratford!

Very well planned and organized.

I had envisioned more time in London. Had jet lag so the 4 hour London Tour was good but I had wanted to do the London Eye. Little time for any shopping except in Cotswolds.

The Military Tattoo in Edinburgh was beyond description, simply awesome.

Excellent Tour Manager. I would definately travel with Collette again. Food was wonderful. A very nice mix of traditional English yet one could always choose healthly. It wa nice to sit back and leave the driving to someone else. Instead of having to have my nose burried in a map, I could watch the beautiful countryside.

There were so many...I would single out the Military Tattoo, which was awesome, along with the trip to Highclere Castle, which was fantastic.

The Edinburgh Tattoo and the selection of resturants, the tour guide.

tatto in Scotland. Very exciting and moving

The tour manager gave us a lot of information about the areas we were in.

Wish we had more free time in London to see the interiors of some of the landmarks.

I loved all the palace and castle visits including Highclere, of course. Our tour guide took a group photo here as well! The walking tour in Edinburgh was fantastic, as was our local tour guide. The welsh harpist at Ruskin castle was a delight and so personable. I enjoyed the Scottish night out entertainment, but our view was obstructed.

Can't pick just one--Ruthin Castle, Shakespearean scenes in the garden, getting to sing at Scottish night, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge on a grey day on Salisbury plain. . . . And I particularly liked the things I did myself: tea at Fortnum and Mason's, Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Edinburg's real Mary King Close. . . .

My pick up sedan to Los Angeles airport was A-1. Did not feel the pickup at Heathrow met your standards.

Must go back to London and Scotland

The trip was well organized and ran effectively throughout the tour. The tour manager and bus driver were knowledgeable and professional; we always knew we were in good hands and what to expect each day. The city tours in London and Edinburgh were good overviews but we didn't have time to go to many places we saw and learned about in passing. London was busy at this time of year so lines were long to The Westminster Abbey and other places we would have enjoyed visiting in the afternoon. In Edinburgh, we were able to walk down The Royal Mile and visit some sites about which we learned on the tour. York was a delightful city with interesting history and great food, especially The Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Pudding, only available on Sunday, of course. We enjoyed the Castle in Ruthin and seeing the beautiful countryside with rolling hills and sheep. We enjoyed the Avon River Cruise, seeing Shakespeare's home, and walking around Stratford-upon-Avon and were especially glad we chose to see a play at the Royal Shakespeare Theater. Going to Stonehenge was definitely memorable although it was a long day of driving. Overall, the trip was well organized and we saw a lot; now we can go back to the places we enjoyed most for a more in-depth experience if we choose. I can't say enough about how knowledgeable our tour manager was; she gave us information about the history, the economy, the agriculture and other businesses, famous people who lived or worked in certain cities, and told interesting tidbits about the countries we visited.

I thought Ruthin Castle was a great part of the tour. I had a nice room and the food was great,very nicely presented.

My favorite experience is Edinburgh! The places the tour set up for us, the entertainment, the food, and the amount of time on our own. Perfect!

I was very please with the overall trip.

I missed the entire London portion of the trip due to airline issues so I cannot speak to that. Edinburgh was the best. I enjoyed how there was group activities as well as explore on your own time. 1000 miles is a lot to cover and the coach time was excessive, but gave us time to nap. I appreciated stopping every couple of hours for toilets and stretching legs. Stratford -Upon - Avon was a waste of time, unless you were a die-hard Shakespeare fan. It was a real down way to end a otherwise delightful tour. I wish we could have spent more time in Wales or the Lakes District. Time in Ruthin felt rushed. Drop off bags, 45 min til dinner, then a presentation gave us little time to explore the grounds or town at all. Then back on the bus first thing in the AM. Add another night there and drop a night it Stratford. York was amazing! The perfect stop! arrive, walk about with tour guide, afternoon to explore on own, then dinner out (optional excursion I HIGHLY recommend), with enough time to pop in the pub on the way back. Edinburgh was lovely and I adored staying in the old part of town. (Some goes for the London property). Plenty to see and do. (Don't let them pressure you into spending the extra money for the "Scottish Night Out" you can get Haggis most anywhere and for a lot less than $160! Another plus of the tour was that we did not have to wait in line for tickets for places like the castle, Stonehenge, etc. and the local tour guides were fantastic. So much history to learn and ours (Ann took us off the high a bit and gave us some real local color - much obliged for that!

We had a great trip even though we missed the first two days due to airline delays - Collette was great and made sure we caught up to our group. Some of the meals were just ok, some were excellent, and all of the included experiences were pretty good. My favourite tour was the walking tours in Cambridge and York, our locally guided walking tour in Edinburgh from the Castle to the Palace and our trip to Stonehenge. I loved the beautiful scenery when we were driving on the scenic routes. My least favourite optional was the Scottish Experience - I found it crowded and the caterer didn't seem to care about allergies and as a result I was ill following this dinner. The best optional was the "beer tasting" in York - the food and beverage were excellent, as were the hosts, and they were very accommodating.

We found everything outstanding. The Tour Guide was excellent. She kept us informed at all times and handled a difficult traveler in a professional manner. The tour did not allow enough time in London; we needed at least one more day. We came a day early and that helped. The locations we visited were well planned and the Tour Guides for the specific locations were very good, especially the one in Edinburgh (Sheilla). All the accommodations were clean and were in good locations. The one in London was too small, but in good location. The food ranged from very good to excellent.

Staying in castle. Also Highclere

The only two draw backs were I was not pleased with the play choose. We saw Willy Wonker and the Chocolate factory. We had been told the original choices were going to be Miss Saigon or Matilda. And the last two nights, the hotel was a tremendous let down. Not a good way to end the trip. But in spite of those two things the trip was a overall success! Thanks, Maureen

The main reason I wanted to take this trip was to visit Highclere castle. I felt there was too much driving, going all the way up to Scotland, into Wales & back into England. I did not like the fact I had to arrange & pay for transfers back to the airport.

It was a great tour, with spectacular visits to Scotland and Wales. My favorite experience was being in England during the celebration of the Queen's 90th birthday! I do think that the hotels could have been a bit higher quality.