We depart the Europa Buscentre at 6.30am and drive south to Dun Laoghaire where we take the Stena HSS to Holyhead. An afternoon journey through North Wales brings us into the English Midlands and our overnight hotel in Bromsgrove.

We enter the Cotswolds this morning at Evesham, proceed south via Cheltenham and Stroud to our mid-day stop in the historic city of Bath. In the afternoon we travel through England’s smallest city, Wells and the Cheddar Gorge before joining the motorway for the last leg of our journey to Devon and our hotel for the next five nights in Tiverton.

We travel through the Exmoor National Park today, stopping first in Dunster, with its hilltop castle and in the nearby coastal town of Minehead. We then negotiate one of Britain’s most exciting coastal drives, climbing Porlock Hill and entering Lynton/Lynmouth. The Moor tilts gently southwards from West Somerset back to the plain of Devon around South Molton and we pass this way on our return to the hotel.

Montacute House, near Yeovil, about a one hour drive to the east, is our first stop this morning. We spend a couple of hours here at one of the most charming country houses in the West Country before crossing the county border into Dorset for a mid-day break in Sherbourne. Our final visit today is in the cider capital, Tauton.

Clovelly, on the west coast, is one of the world’s most unique villages, where the steep cobbled street tumbles down past gleaming white cottages to a tiny 14th century harbour. The manor house and excellent visitor centre at the top of the town are well worth a visit, but those wishing to walk down through the town please note that sensible footwear and good lungs are essential! Land Rover transport is available - there are no cars, never mind coaches, in the traffic-free village.

In the afternoon we visit the Royal Horticultural Society’s “Garden for all the Senses” at Rosemoor. Here you will find over 2,000 roses (200+ varieties) and easy terrain - a restful visit after the exertions of Clovelly.

Exeter is just 18 miles away and today is market day. We meet our ‘Red Coat Guide’ this morning for an introduction to this ancient city which dates back some 2,000 years. We visit St Peter’s Cathedral, the historic quayside and Parliament Street, reputed to be the narrowest street in the world. The afternoon is free to explore further on your own.

We leave the West Country this morning and join the motorway network, just ten miles from the hotel and drive north to our last overnight stop, at Daresbury, just to the south of Liverpool and near the Welsh border.

A short drive along the North Wales coast takes us to Holyhead where we catch the early afternoon Stena ferry to Dublin. We use the new tunnel to escape the worst of Dublin’s traffic and arrive back in Belfast around 7.30pm.