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July 14–31, 2016

Join us in the summer of 2016 for a once-in-a-lifetime 17-day tour of Great Britain

Led by geologist/paleontologist/author Dr. Donald Prothero, we will explore the geology and natural history of Great Britain from the White Cliffs to the North Sea coast of Scotland. Our tour will focus on sites of scientific and skeptical interest, including famous fossil beds and geologic sites, behind-the-scenes tours of natural history museums, historic places associated with scientists such Charles Darwin, A.R. Wallace, Isaac Newton, geologist James Hutton, and skeptic philosopher David Hume, plus a boat tour of Loch Ness, a visit to Stonehenge, tours of a Cornish tin mine and a Welsh coal mine and slate quarry, guided tours of London and Edinburgh, as well as visits to castles, battlefields, and other fascinating places. Also coming on the trip and lecturing on the history of science and evolutionary theory, especially Darwin and Wallace, is Dr. Michael Shermer.

Cliffs at Lands End, Cornwall
Edinburgh Castle on Castle Rock at sunset
Big Ben and Westminster Bridge
Stonehenge at sunset
White Cliffs of Dover
Ruins of Urquhart Castle near Loch Ness
Roman Baths at Avon
Lumley Castle Elizabethan Banquet Room
London Eye Ferris Wheel on the River Thames
Llechwedd Caverns, illuminated

Download a tour map

View tour photos on Facebook

Itinerary
Thursday, July 14
Arrive in London. Welcoming reception at our hotel.
Friday, July 15
Morning behind-the-scenes tour of the Natural History Museum; afternoon free to explore London
Saturday, July 16
Full-day guided tour of London, including walking tours of Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London
Sunday, July 17
Kent and Sussex: tour of Darwin’s house in Downe, Sydenham dinosaurs and site of first dinosaur discovery, White Cliffs and English coast
Monday, July 18
Tours of Cambridge University (Sedgwick Museum, Cavendish lab) and Oxford University (Natural History Museum)
Tuesday, July 19
Dorset and Devonshire: Stonehenge; the Fossil Coast at Lyme Regis; tour of ammonite beds at low tide; historic Plymouth
Wednesday, July 20
Cornwall: Land’s End, the Cornish tin mines, and ancient oceanic crust at Coverack Beach
Thursday, July 21
Bath and Wales: the Roman Baths; the birthplace of stratigraphy; southern Welsh Coast (Cardiff and Swansea); overnight at Aberavon Beach Hotel
Friday, July 22
Southern Wales and Shropshire: over the Breton Beacons to Blaenavon coal mine; Darwin’s birthplace at Shrewsbury; Chester Roman amphitheatre
Saturday, July 23
Northern Wales: the Snowdonia Mountains and Llechwedd Caverns slate quarry; geologic sites on the Anglesey Peninsula
Sunday, July 24
North to Scotland, via Grantham (Isaac Newton’s home, Woolsthorpe Manor); overnight at Lumley Castle, Durham (Elizabethan banquet dinner)
Monday, July 25
Scottish Lowlands: Hadrian’s Wall and Housteads Roman fort; Hutton’s unconformities at Jedburgh and Siccar Point
Tuesday, July 26
Edinburgh: Tour of Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile; Our Dynamic Earth Museum; Hutton’s section at Salisbury Craigs and Arthur’s Seat volcano
Wednesday, July 27
Full day free to explore Edinburgh
Thursday, July 28
Stirling Castle and Doune Castle; Bannockburn battlefield; Falkirk Wheel
Friday, July 29
Scottish Highlands: over the Cairngorms to Elgin Museum; Culloden Battlefield and Inverness
Saturday, July 30
Scottish Highlands: Loch Ness cruise; Fort William; Glencoe and the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond; ending in Glasgow. Farewell dinner
Sunday, July 31
Fly home from Glasgow
Pricing
  1. DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: £3439 per person
    (ground tour only; in pounds sterling), which comes to about $300 a day in $US.
  2. SINGLE OCCUPANCY: £3984 per person
    (ground tour only, in pounds sterling).

This is cheaper than, or comparable to trips of similar length and distance offered by most tour companies.

What’s Included?

The price includes 17 nights’ lodging (including one night in a historic castle and another at a beach resort), all breakfasts, 9 lunches, and a few dinners (including an Elizabethan Banquet at the castle), motorcoach transport and tour guides, guidebook, and all admission fees.

You must book your round-trip airfare to the UK separately from your own point of origin, but our travel agent, Dreammaker Travel, Inc., will get you the best possible price.

Hurry! This trip is unique and never to be repeated. Book now, because space is very limited!

Questions?

Email us or call 1-626-794-3119 with a credit card to secure your spot.

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