Day 7 was extra special, especially the afternoon and evening when we reached Liverpool.

We left Glasgow and went via the lowland hills to Gretna Green, historic for the number of weddings held there by runaway couples. We then continued through the Lakes District and Grasmere - home of famous poet William Wordsworth.

On arrival in Liverpool we headed straight for the 'Beatles Story' - a tremendous interactive attraction of the lives and careers of the Fab Four. It is  an amazing chronicle of their lives and music.

The night's optional Liverpool tour was hosted by a wonderful lady who grew up with Ritchie Starkey, aka Ringo Starr, and her stories about the group and its members gave us an even greater insight in he Beatles.

The next morning we crossed into Wales and eventually the three-plus hour ferry crossing to Ireland via Betws-y-coed and the landscapes of the Snowdon National Park.

After visiting the tongue-twisting Llanfair............(well the place with around 60 letters in it's name), we boarded the ferry for six wonderful nights in Ireland.

An orientation of Dublin was first up next morning, with its Georgian Squares and St Patrick's Cathedral then off to Trinity College, home of Oscar Wilde and a view of the magnificent historical collection of famous paintings and scripts.

The collection included the 1200 year-old Book of Kells, all housed in a huge library which held thousands of historical books.

But better was to follow with the evening tour of the Guinness Storehouse and Brewery.

We were escorted on a tour of the brewery and shown a complete history of the company, followed by a sampling session in the superb Gravity Bar, which boasted 360 degree views of the city, then dinner (steak and Guinness pie of course) before heading back to our hotel.

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, the next morning we had an early visit to the Irish National Horse Stud and Japanese Gardens at Kildare.

The stud is home of the famous sire Invincible Spirit, who demands a service fee of 70,000 Euro, and also former Melbourne Cup winner Vintage Crop, who passed away just two months before at the ripe old age of 27.

We then headed to see the Rock of Cashel at Tipperary (oh and it's not such a long way to Tipperary after all) visiting St Mary's Cathedal and King John's Castle and drove past the stone where the treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691.

That night we attended a medieval banquet at the 500-year old Knappogue Castle.

A west coast excursion beckoned on day 11 and what a superb day it turned out to be.

The breathtaking Clare Coast and the Cliffs of Mohr were at their very best and then we drove across the Burren to the port city of Galway, where we all fell in love with the wonderful city, even though we were only there for a few hours.

It was then off to Rathburn Farm where we baked our own scones and learned about sheep farming on the Irish lowlands and saw a sheep dog demo. That night was traditional Irish dinner and show.

The next morning we headed off via the thatched cottages of Adare and Killorgin to join the spectacular Ring of Kerry, 100 miles around Ireland's south western tip.

This was an incredible journey through breathtaking scenery of the highest quality, including the lakes of Killarney before moving to our overnight stop of Tralee.

The next morning started with a trip to Blarney - site of the Blarney Castle and the famous stone - however it all sounded a little too hard for us so we decided instead to explore the town and have a coffee.

It was then off to Waterford, home of Waterford Crystal and a tremendous tour of the facility. After watching the process of creating the crystal pieces, it is little wonder the prices are so high.

The next morning it was off to Rosslare for the four-hour crossing to Pembroke in Wales. I can honestly say leaving Ireland was extremely hard after six wonderful days there.

That evening's traditional Welsh night at Cardiff Castle was preceded with a tour of the castle. Both tour and show were very well done.

In drizzly conditions the following morning saw us travel to Bath and the city's famous baths which dated back to Roman times.

This incredible complex, which has been substantially upgraded over recent years, and they have left absolutely nothing to spare as it covers the period where the Romans occupied this area in great detail.

From there it was off to our lunch stop in Glastonbury, famous for the legend of King Arthur and the city has been transformed into an eclectic array of quirky shops selling all types of spiritual and natural goods.

We then headed for our overnight base of Exeter and the next morning, despite steady rain, to Cornwell, an area steeped in Naval history.

First we visited the shark fishing village of Looe, then off to Plymouth where the Pilgrim Fathers left in 1620 and were told about Sir Francis Drake.

When the weather cleared, we took an impressive cruise around Plymouth Sound, seeing the many historic points as well as the former docks, which had been converted from a fish port into a viable port for the refitting naval craft, including frigates and submarines.

The final day was a short one, but none-the-less memorable as it took in of the world's most famous - and mysterious sites - Stonehenge.

The site, unlike in the past, is now a well organised tourist destination and it has astounded archeologists for thousands of years as to what the site was used for and how it was built.

A quick trip back to London and our fabulous tour of Great Britain had come to an end, but will remain with us for many years to come, making many new friends from both Australia and the USA.