Holidays 2026

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Depart Local Area

After boarding your luxury coach, you make your way south to Bournemouth. There will be comfort stops en-route for coffee, and lunch will be at Newbury. Arriving at your hotel by late afternoon, where you will enjoy the next 4 nights with dinner bed and breakfast at the Suncliff Hotel, overlooking the sea. On arrival there will be a welcome tea/coffee and porterage. After settling into your rooms, time to relax before dinner. There is a free bar from 6pm-9pm (house brands only), each evening.

Day 2: Day at Leisure

A free day for you to explore Bournemouth at your leisure. There will be lunch of a main course from the hot buffet as you have a day off.

Day 3: Poole & Swanage

Today you will visit Poole harbour and Swanage.

Poole Harbour features the second largest natural harbour in the world (after Sydney) and is fast becoming the St Tropez of the South Coast as lucrative investment spreads along the harbour from the mega-money areas of Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs and Lilliput. Visit the many quaint little shops and cafes along the quay. Later you will drive to Sandbanks, see some of the houses that the rich and famous own before boarding the ferry to Swanage.

Swanage marks the Eastern end of the world-famous Jurassic Coast. The other end officially is Exmouth to the West. The rock at the Swanage end produces the most beautiful white cliffs to rival those around Dover. Swanage, in this pretty part of Dorset which is also known as the Isle of Purbeck. Walk along Swanage Pier and you'll be walking in the footsteps of generations. Whether you're diving, sailing, fishing or simply strolling, Swanage Pier offers something for everyone including, of course, the finest views of Swanage. Later you return to the hotel.

Day 4: New Forest & Lyndhurst

The New Forest is a former royal hunting area in the south of England. It was created in 1079 by William I (known as William the Conqueror) as a hunting area, principally of deer. It is a unique area of historical, ecological and agricultural significance, and retains many of the rural practices conceded by the Crown in historical times to local people. Principal of these is the pasturing of ponies, cattle, pigs and donkeys in the open Forest by local inhabitants known as commoners. The New Forest has also been an important source of timber for the Crown.

Lyndhurst is often thought of as the Capital of the New Forest it enjoys a broadly central location, is surrounded by relatively fertile land, and stands at a junction of historic routes. There's no better starting point for visitors than the centrally located New Forest Museum, which gives a unique guide into the forest's history and heritage. Towering over the skyline is the church of St Michael and All Angels where the grave of former Lyndhurst resident Alice Liddell, Lewis Carroll's inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, can be found. Lyndhurst offers a wide range of shops, cosy tea rooms, old world pubs, cafes and fine restaurants to discover.

Day 5: Depart for Home

After breakfast and the cases have been loaded onto the coach, we say farewell to our hosts at the Suncliff Hotel and head for home. On departing the hotel, we head for Shaftesbury.

Steeped in history and tradition, Shaftesbury offers visitors breathtaking views and the warmest of welcomes. Shaftesbury is a small market town with history that goes back to medieval times and hill-top forts. The 'Shaston' of Thomas Hardy's novels, Shaftesbury is one of the oldest and highest towns in England and dominates what Hardy called the 'engirdled and secluded' Blackmore Vale. The beauty of the surrounding Dorset countryside is complemented by the collection of fine historical buildings that make up the centre of Shaftesbury itself. Gold Hill made famous by the Hovis Bread advertisement, with its steep cobbles and picturesque cottages is the epitome of rural charm from a previous time.

On departing from Shaftesbury, we continue our journey home, arriving in your local area by early evening.