The British Isles in Depth Reviews

We had a great time touring the UK with a great tour guide and bus driver. Hotels were fine and mostly central. Lots of history but also some beautiful scenery to see in the highlands of Scotland. Options were all the same, dinner and shows, would have liked to see some more choices. Overall really happy with our Cosmos tour. Thanks again Georgie for read more your help and we will be booking again through Global Journeys.

Fantastic tour! Great tour director and driver. Accommodation and all included meals were great. Some places where a little bit out of town which was sometimes annoying but not a huge problem. Overall a fabulous tour and a great way to see the British Isles!

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and experience. I would certainly choose to travel with Cosmos again. I travelled solo but found other solo travellers on the tour and was able to gel well with all the others on tour.

This otherwise excellent tour was very badly let down by the pre and post tour accommodation of the Kensington Close hotel and by the absolutely appalling bus that was provided for the trip. The bus we were given for this 3 week tour covering England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales was little more than a local tour bus with read more absolutely none of the usual inclusions of a proper touring bus. The seats were narrow and very uncomfortable; there was no leg room between seats; the aisle was extremely narrow which meant that it was difficult for anyone of slightly larger build to traverse without bumping the seated passengers; there was no space overhead for even the smallest of bags; the air conditioning could not be properly controlled and the back door could not be opened on most occasions because it opened outward on to the traffic side of the bus!

As there were 42 people on this particular trip the loading and unloading via the front door only made everything very slow, plus the air conditioning either froze or overheated everyone who sat at the rear of the bus (and we all took our turns here due to seat rotation). Riding in the rear of the bus was particularly uncomfortable not only due to the erratic air conditioning but also to the very poor road adherence of the rear of the bus it bumped and slid around quite uncomfortably especially on some of the narrow and rough country roads. Whenever our bus was pulled up beside another touring bus at a viewing site it was very noticeable how small and inferior the bus was to the others.Our previous Cosmos trip in Europe had a superior bus and as several of the people on this coach tour had also travelled through Europe on a similar trip we particularly noticed and commented on this inferiority and discomfort.

Despite these two negative areas, the actual tour itself was fabulous! The Tour Guide Kevin was a fountain of historical knowledge and a great personality who made the trip special! He ensured that we were all well informed of sites etc. prior to our stopovers to avoid wasting precious time. He really added an extra element to the enjoyment by expanding on the history that most of us had only minor knowledge of prior to the trip - in fact he made everything come to life!

The early morning starts that so many people complain about in these reviews are in our opinion great, as they get you to places before the majority of the sightseers and thus give you the maximum time and space to look around. Alistair our driver did a wonderful job of controlling a very poor bus, especially along the one car wide laneways we travelled throughout the Scottish Highlands. The accommodation in all of the country hotels was well above our expectations; some was even of a surprising 4+ star rating and most welcome! There was always ample hot water; comfortable beds and plenty of heating (we needed it in the very cold Scottish Summer!) and the provided food was of good quality and plentiful. The only hotel that lets this entire trip down is the Kensington Close hotel which despite its excellent location near Kensington High Street station is a definitely inferior 2.5 stars at best!

Perhaps Cosmos might well heed the negative feedback it gets about this hotel and seek to change this accommodation in the future, thereby ensuring a better rating for this trip? We would definitely have rated this trip higher if it hadn't been for the Kensington Close and that appalling bus! Thank you Emily of Global Journeys for all your excellent work in organising this trip, we will certainly recommend and use Global Journeys for our future travel.

This was great value for money and I would book with Global Journeys again and do a Cosmos tour again.

Brilliant Holiday! Travelled with Cosmos Tours, in the UK, in May/June. Tour was amazing, with wonderful memories! We travelled as a group of three and found that despite the odd number, accommodation for triple rooms was easy, very comfortable and well organised! The coach was very good, our group was entertaining and fun to be with. The tour director read more was extremely helpful and down to earth, and the driver's skill over tight roads etc amazed and at times thrilled us! The pace was not too fast, two day stay overs seemed well timed. Overall we were very impressed with Cosmos. Highly organised, professional, funny and informative. Would travel with them again.

Overall the tour was good and the pace was pretty good too given the distances that had to be covered. However it seemed to us that in a lot of cases, we spent little time (eg 20-60 minutes including lunch) in the most beautiful and interesting places eg Oxford, York, etc. In some not so interesting places eg pottery factory, jewellery factory/shops read more we spent far too much time and most people were not interested. Also the bus temperature was not properly regulated and at times it got too hot and stuffy. Complaining to bus driver did not make much difference.

Trip was all encompassing as the name suggested. It was tiring towards the end so in hindsight I would not have done so many days. Accommodation was pretty ordinary and two places were extremely bad. I was surprised they had a license to operate. It was very cold for most of the trip and most places would not turn the heating on until 6 pm or later. read more Otherwise we got to see the places we wanted to.

I found the pace good - more avid travelers lamented the short stops which prevented them from really having a good look around. The tour director Tara was excellent, and went far beyond the call of her duties.

Overall, the tour was great. It is the first bus tour we have been on and was considerably better than we expected. The tour director, Tara, was a font of information, she was super efficient, friendly and approachable. The regular driver, Andy was also top class. The relief drivers were also very good - with one exception, a lady at Edinburgh (I read more think) - her driving was fine, but she didn't have a clue where she was or how to get to the next place. (I suppose there was one plus to that, we saw the same bits of the city several times from different directions). The trip is possibly a few days longer than many of us could 'cope with'. It would be difficult to fit in what we did in any less time, its just that the majority of us were in our senior years and I think 18 days is about our limit. We did have a free day in Dublin which should have 'revived' us but unfortunately Dot got sick so we didn't have much of our 'free day'. The one 'disappointing' day was the Cornwall Loop out of Plymouth. An awful lot of travelling with not much to see. St Ives. This is a bit of a time waster in that in the time available, some of us spent 15 - 30 minutes waiting for a bus to take us down and up the hill. Perhaps Cosmos could consider a brief stop at picturesque St Ives (at the upper bus park), for a 'photo opportunity' and then calling in at one of the 'lesser' port towns for lunch. As for Lands End - it is all very Ho-Hum a long way there and back (over almost the same roads) for very little. It would have been better to visit = a few of the smaller towns than have to go all that way to see a bit of ocean and the A21. It was great that we didn't have to lug our own main baggage back and forth. Some other tours did this and the people on them were not too happy doing it.

The hotels were generally good, (the plumbing was interesting, each night having to sort out how to have a shower) as were the meals (when provided) - one exception, the first night, Hinkley Island (Coventry) - dinner time was chaotic - they had several tour groups in at the same time, some from other countries were obviously not used to forming a line for service.

Optional excursions - those we went on were mostly cultural which were all good value - the 'Jaunty Ride' at Kilarney was pretty ordinary, even though the driver was humorous with his Irish blarney, we didn't see an awful lot other than roads. We did get to the castle, but its 'just another castle', it did not live up to the rap that Tara gave it.

Tour Coach - generally good although the over seat storage lockers were rather small. The front seats did not have enough leg room for some of us, as did the seats behind the middle door. The very back seats are uncomfortable and appear narrow as the bus wall reduces the usable width of the seat. The bus was clean and Andy made sure that all windows were cleaned regularly.

Other comments - It might be a good idea for Tour directors to have to walk the 'It's just a short walk' carrying 50kgs on their back - this might give some of the younger people a better idea of just how older people (some with minor walking issues) find walking these distances, often on steps, cobblestones etc. The vast majority of us were in our senior years and 'just a short walk' for us is no more than about 200m. Still on 'Seniors' - a few times, the time between 'comfort stops' was longer than was comfortable.

Gratuities - this is a perpetual problem for Australians travelling abroad. We are not comfortable at all about giving extra money to someone who has already been paid (we assume) for their service. It is not part of our culture at all. Even though there are guidelines we generally do not agree with the concept. In these times, we expect that people are given a fair wage in line with their responsibilities - perhaps Cosmos could adopt the policy used by many Australian based tour companies, (eg Scenic, APT, Princess Line) in which all gratuities are paid by the company and become part of the overall cost which the customer is quoted and pays. This way the customer knows the actual overall cost and also avoids possible embarrassing situations, & Cosmos gets kudos by advertising 'No gratuities - all inclusive'. (GJ. The ability to prepay gratuities is possible with Cosmos - most we have found prefer not to).

I think that's it. I thank Cosmos and Global Journeys for a very enjoyable and informative coach tour, albeit fairly exhausting.

Your services for organising the booking and seeing it through to the actual tour ran as smoothly as clockwork. Information sought by us or provided by you as normal procedure was always readily forthcoming and easy to follow. Thank you for your efficiency. We certainly have enjoyed our tour of the British Isles from start to finish. The route chosen read more had many interesting places and when appropriate we enjoyed communicating with the locals. Andrew Hynd, our tour guide, was excellent and the bus drivers were capable and also helpful, always having our luggage smoothly organised. The coach was comfortable and, although it was never used, we were pleased to see that it had an emergency toilet on board. We thoroughly enjoyed Andrew's commentaries about the areas we were passing through but especially his stories about people who had lived in those places and historical anecdotes. He was always pleasant and his organisation was superb. Generally the accommodation was of a very high standard but we could not say that about the hotel in Strathpeffer. The provision of breakfasts was a shambles and cold showers on the second day were not appreciated. Our selected optional excursions were enjoyed and well executed. The Edinburgh Tattoo was a highlight but we felt that the others were also good value. We would have no hesitation in recommending the tour to our friends.

Dave, our coach driver, was wonderful - excellent driver and always ready with his helping hand as we got off the coach. Bob, our tour guide, was amazing. Every day he delighted us with his in-depth knowledge of the surrounding districts and his sense of humour was boundless. His anecdotes amused us continuously and both men held us captivated with read more their gorgeous Irish accents. I travelled as a single but was never aware of this as my fellow travellers were very friendly and inclusive. I really had a very good holiday in the UK and was pleasantly surprised at the high standard of the accommodation. There was only one hotel towards the end of the holiday which disappointed all of us - the food was atrocious.

The tour and everything that went with it was excellent as I have indicated in my scores below. We would like to say thank you very very much for your excellent service and helping us with organizing the tour.

We had a most enjoyable time on our tour. The organization was superb and the tour guide and driver could not be faulted. We would recommend this tour to anyone wanting a very good introduction to the United Kingdom and Ireland. Thank you Global Journeys for an unforgettable holiday experience.

From start to end including booking the tour, everything was taken care of. Guide was most informative and very knowledgeable. The driver was excellent, always there to help you off the coach and always smiling. You could tell he loved his job. Great tour from start to finish.

I felt too much was crammed into the time available. Too little time in places I have longed to see. Would prefer more time in fewer places. The Tour Director was just excellent, very informative, organised and friendly. Our driver, Dave, was also excellent. A nice man and very obliging. I think it was good value.

Excellent Tour guide and Driver - excellent tour, keeping in mind value for money. Would have liked to have had more choices to purchase lunches.

The tour was a great experience, but I did think the pace was a bit fast and would have liked a bit more time in places to see more of each place. But cannot complain about the content and organization of the full tour. Our tour guide was a very knowledgable man and could answer any question asked of him, and the driver was of top quality and I felt read more very safe with him in charge so thank you Bob and Dave for your contribution in making my holiday so enjoyable.

We both had a wonderful time, the itinerary included most of the things we wanted to see and we thought the accommodation was great with the exception of the pre and post hotel. (Kensington Close) This place was very expensive and the room was smaller than a cabin on a boat. We had to take turns sitting on the bed to squeeze through to the bathroom. read more They wanted ten pounds per night for WiFi were all the other hotels were free. Our Earls Ct hotel in comparison was roomy and a third of the price per night, free WIFi and great breakfasts. I would like to highly commend our tour guide Katherine. She was a fund of knowledge (amazing) with a wicked sense of humour and just good fun or 'Craic' as she called it. Everything went like clockwork and we enjoyed the whole trip. Thanks for your assistance and we will be in touch in the future to do a tour through Germany.

I really enjoyed my tour, however a few 'hiccups' during the tour, caused unnecessary stress. I was a single female sharing with a stranger, however, I was not advised of who I was sharing with and only found out as we were both searching for keys at reception at the 1st night's accommodation. The accommodation in most locations was pretty good, however, read more in 2 hotels (toward the end of the tour) I found the bedding arrangement unsatisfactory - as I am a tall person, I found sleeping on a pull out sofa-bed difficult and unacceptable. I felt that the tour guide did his best, however, general 'housekeeping' information was not explained - he was more enthusiastic about the historical aspects of locations.