Day 1 - DEPART USA  - We depart our home city to connect with our overnight flight to London. We enjoy beverages, in-flight movies, dinner, and breakfast aloft.  

Day 2  - LONDON/GLASTONBURY/CARDIFF – Today, following our arrival, we are greeted by our Unitours Tour Manager and board our coach bus for our journey west through the English countryside to holy Glastonbury, the first Christian settlement in England. According to legend, Our Lord himself walked here in Glastonbury and the Mother of God sailed here from the Holy Land. They also tell of the coming of St. Joseph of Arimathea, who planted the famous Glastonbury thorn, which flowers at Old Christmas each year. Many other Saints were venerated at Glastonbury. We enjoy a tour of the site and town and view the thorn, the emotive and beautiful ruins of the Abbey of Glastonbury, where we celebrate mass at St. Mary's Church. We enjoy our “welcome dinner” and overnight in Cardiff. 

Day 3 - CARDIFF/SWANSEA – This morning, we start our day with a vist to the Llandaff Cathedral. Built in the 11th century by St. Dubricius (Dyfrig), and later by St. Teilo and St. Teilo’s nephew, St. Oudoceus (Euddogwy), it was damaged several times during small wars as well as the English Civil War. Both St. Bubricius and St. Teilo are entombed here. We break for lunch on our own as we head south to the town of Llantwit Major and the Church of St. Illtud. On these grounds once stood an Abbey and school of great learning. Built in the sixth century, the school once held over one thousand students, becoming one of Great Britain’s earliest centers of learning. Both St. David, as well as St. Patrick went there! The church was not built until the 13th century and was comprised of no less than three separate chapels. The church has been perpetually maintained ever since and is one of the oldest active churches in Wales, as well as Great Britain. We conclude our day with dinner and overnight in nearby Swansea. 

Day 4 - SWANSEA/ST.DAVID/ABERYSTWYTH - Today, we start our day with a journey north to the Village of St. David. The village of St. David, originally known as Tyddewi or “City of David,” and the Cathedral of St. David. St. David was an extremely popular local Bishop, who would establish not only a church but a monastery and many other buildings, which were the foundation for this town. As the patron saint of Wales, this site became a pilgrimage site instantly after his death in 589AD. The monastery became a well-respected center of learning, even garnering the attention of Alfred the Great! We stop for lunch on our own along the way as we enjoy the beautiful countryside of Wales! We arrive at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Taper, known locally as Our Lady of Cardigan. Legend has it that a statue of an unknown origin was found near the Teifi River in the eighth century. It was a mother & child, with the mother holding a burning taper in her hand. A shrine church was built nearby to house the statue of the Madonna and child in 1158AD. During the persecution of Cromwell’s army, all statues of the Blessed Mother were destroyed, including this one. Centuries later, a new statue was sculpted by a religious sister and in 1956, a new shrine church was constructed. It was declared s National Shrine in 1986 by then Pope John Paul II. We celebrate Mass while here before we check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.   

Day 5 - ABERYSTWYTH/ BARDSEY ISLAND/LLANDUDNO – This morning, we drive to the coast as we journey to the “Island of 20,000 Saints”, as Bardsey Island is known to the many pilgrims that visit the island every year. We enjoy a short ferry/water taxi ride to the island, where St. Cadfan founded a monastery, which would be later maintained by the Augustinian Order. During the medieval period, it was an extremely popular pilgrimage site, in spite of the sometimes-treacherous boat ride to the island! Like many of the monasteries, it was destroyed by King Henry the VIII and nothing remains of the original monastery but some scattered ruins. We pray for the many saints who were formed while here and pray this country is once again a center of spiritual learning. We return to the mainland and stop for lunch on our own nearby before heading to our hotel. Following check-in, we have some leisure time before dinner and overnight.

DAY 6 - LLANDUDNO/ HOLYWELL/FLINT/CHESTER – Today, our first stop is St. Winefride’s Chapel and Holy Well. This pilgrimage site has existed since the early 12th century, with the Holy Well dating back even further to the seventh century. It was at this very well that St. Beuno brought his niece, Winifred, back to life using the water from this well. Many consider this site to be the oldest pilgrimage site in all Great Britain! Following our visit here, we journey to nearby Basingwerk Abbey, part of a collection of early settlements built by the 4th Earl of Chester for the Benedictines and then the Cistercian Order in the early 12th century, around the same time the Chapel of St. Winefride was constructed. Remodeled in both the 13th and 14th centuries, the entire monastery complex would be destroyed during the reign of Henry VIII. Following our visit here, we break for lunch on our own. This afternoon, we visit Flint Castle, one of the early castles constructed in the late 13th century as part of King Edward I campaign to subdue the Welsh. Richard II was held here by Henry IV before being sent to London for execution. The castle would see numerous skirmishes over the next few centuries before being brought to ruin by Cromwell’s directive. The ruins are all that is left of this once important castle! We conclude our day with some leisure time to enjoy the area, get in some shopping, or simply relax before dinner and overnight at our hotel. 

Day 7 - CHESTER/ LINDISFARNE (HOLY ISLAND)/EDINBURGH – This morning we journey north-east toward the Scottish boarder along the coast of England, where we visit the tiny island of Lindisfarne, known as “Holy Island”. The religious history of the island dates back to the very origins of Christianity in England, for St. Aidan established a monastery there in 635AD. A missionary from Iona, he was consecrated first bishop of Lindisfarne and under him and his successors, the island became a beacon of Christianity. We visit this holy site which still has an 11th century priory and Parish church, whose ruins are movingly beautiful. We continue our journey along the East coast road, which affords wonderful views out to sea. We conclude our day in Edinburgh, the glorious Scottish capital. We enjoy dinner and overnight at your hotel. 

Day 8 - EDINBURGH – Today, we leave the midlands and journey to York arriving by lunchtime. York is one of England's finest and most beautifully preserved historic cities. Here St. Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the Roman Empire. We enjoy a walking tour of the historic center taking in the narrow medieval cobbled streets known as the 'shambles'. We visit the Cathedral of St. Peter, York Minster, estimated to contain more than half of all medieval stained glass in England! We view the beautiful Rose Window and the Great East Window, which depicts the beginning and the end of the world in over a hundred small scenes taken from the Books of Genesis and Revelation. We then visit the famous Jorvik Viking Center where a time-car journey takes us back 1,000 years to an accurate reconstruction of Viking York. We also see the amazing 20th century excavation, which revealed a whole Viking Street, whicToday, we enjoy a panoramic tour of the old town, taking in the historic “Royal Mile” in the old town and the Georgian 'new town', enjoying the many fine Georgian crescents, squares, and streets with their distinctive buildings. We then tour Edinburgh Castle, home to the Scottish crown jewels, and with stunning views over the city and out to the Firth of Forth. We also visit the Cathedral of St. Giles. After some time for lunch on our own, we drive through the city to enjoy the memorable sites and views as we tour by Arthur's seat, through Holyrood Park and visit the Botanic gardens. The remainder of the afternoon will be at leisure to explore or shop for Scottish arts and crafts. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.h has been carefully preserved. We enjoy dinner and overnight in York. 

Day 9 - EDINBURGH – Then we travel to St. Andrews in Fife and visit St. Andrews Cathedral. Once Scotland’s largest and most magnificent church, these ruins still show how impressive the original footprint of St. Andrews Cathedral would have been when it was originally built in the 12th century. As a Catholic stronghold in medieval Scotland, it was captured by Calvinist zealots during the Protestant Reformation in 1560. St. Andrews was the seat of the country's leading bishops. Used for worship since the eighth century AD, when the Holy Relics of St. Andrew, Scotland’s admired patron Saint, are said to have been brought here from abroad. It soon became a major pilgrimage Shrine for Scotland and northern Europe’s early Christians. The cathedral and buildings are surrounded by a graveyard and a massive enclosure of walls. The “X” shape, in which St. Andrew was crucified, is a symbol on the Scottish national flag to remind the country of his martyrdom. We celebrate Mass while in St. Andrews. We conclude our travels back to Edinburgh, where we enjoy a brief time for relaxation before our “farewell” dinner. Tonight. we enjoy a special “Scottish” evening with traditional Scottish music, dance, and food. We overnight upon return at our hotel. 

Day 10  - EDINBURGH/RETURN TO THE USA -  We transfer to Airport for our flight home with unforgettable memories to cherish always.