Self-Launched UK, Ireland & Northern France Grand Loop (with Loch Ness)

Land at Heathrow/Gatwick and take the Tube or Elizabeth line into town. Check into a hostel in King's Cross or Clapham (YHA London St Pancras, Clink78, Wombat's City Hostel are solid picks). Use the afternoon to get a feel for the city, pick up an Oyster card or just tap with contactless, and do a free walking tour of the West End at 18:00 (tip-based, ~£5–10 tip). Eat at a street-food market or a Wetherspoons to keep costs down. Book tomorrow's train to Cambridge now if you can.

🚌Tube/Elizabeth line from airport ~£5–13; contactless daily cap ~£8.90 in Zones 1–2

🛏Hostel dorm, King's Cross/Clapham (~£25–35/night)

• →Free West End walking tour (tip-based)
• →Evening stroll Piccadilly Circus–Leicester Square–Chinatown–Soho

Do the same panoramic loop the coach tour covers, on foot and by bus: Westminster/Big Ben, Parliament Square, Buckingham Palace (Changing of the Guard if timing works — check the schedule), then walk the South Bank past the London Eye to Borough Market for lunch. In the afternoon take a £10-ish Thames Clipper river bus from Bankside to Greenwich instead of a tourist cruise. Optional swap-in: a half-day Windsor & Thames Valley excursion (GetYourGuide ~£40–50) or a West End show via TodayTix (~£25–35). Skip the €160 Moulin Rouge-style splurge.

🚌Walking + Thames Clipper river bus ~£8–10

🛏Hostel dorm, London (~£25–35/night)

• →Westminster & Buckingham Palace
• →Borough Market lunch
• →Thames Clipper to Greenwich
• →Optional Windsor excursion (~£45)

Early train from King's Cross to Cambridge (45 min, ~£12–20 advance). Wander the colleges from the outside (King's College Chapel entry ~£12 if you want inside; punt hire from Scudamore's ~£20 shared), then take the direct CrossCountry train Cambridge → York (~2h30, ~£25–35 advance). Drop bags at a hostel near Micklegate, then walk the Roman city walls (free), see York Minster from outside (free) or enter (~£13), and explore the Shambles at dusk. The full day the coach does Cambridge + York + Durham is unrealistic — you'll do it in two.

🚌Rail: London–Cambridge ~£15, Cambridge–York ~£30 (advance)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget B&B, York (~£22–30)

• →Cambridge colleges & punting
• →York city walls walk
• →York Minster (exterior free, ~£13 to enter)
• →The Shambles

Train York → Durham (45 min, ~£8–12) for a couple of hours around Durham Cathedral and Castle (cathedral free, castle tours bookable ~£5). Continue north: Durham → Alnmouth (~45 min) then a local bus to Alnwick to see Alnwick Castle & Garden (combined ticket ~£35 on the Alnwick Castle website; garden alone ~£16). Then Alnmouth → Edinburgh (~1h15, ~£15–20 advance). Arrive Edinburgh and check into Castle Rock Hostel or a budget guesthouse in Leith. Realistically, if you're short on time, skip Alnwick and head straight to Edinburgh for a free evening walking tour.

🚌Rail York–Durham–Alnmouth–Edinburgh ~£35 total advance; local bus to Alnwick ~£3 return

🛏Hostel dorm, Edinburgh (~£25–35)

• →Durham Cathedral & Castle
• →Alnwick Castle & Garden (~£35)
• →Edinburgh old town evening walk

Self-guided Edinburgh: climb Arthur's Seat for free sunrise views, walk the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle (exterior free, entry ~£21 — book direct on edinburghcastle.scot), and do a Sandeman's free walking tour (tip-based). In the afternoon, try a £10-ish tour of the Real Mary King's Close or the free National Museum of Scotland. This replaces the coach's 'panoramic tour with local guide' — everything is walkable.

🚌All walking; Lothian buses ~£2 single if needed

🛏Hostel dorm, Edinburgh (~£25–35)

• →Arthur's Seat hike
• →Royal Mile & Edinburgh Castle
• →Free walking tour
• →National Museum of Scotland (free)

The highlight day. Take the early Citylink/Scottish Citylink bus or train from Edinburgh to Inverness (~3h30, bus ~£20–25 advance on Citylink). From Inverness, the local bus 919 to Drumnadrochit drops you at Urquhart Castle (~£12 castle entry via Historic Environment Scotland). Book a one-hour Loch Ness cruise from the castle pier via GetYourGuide (~£16–20) — this is the self-bookable equivalent of the tour's included boat ride. Alternatively, take a GetYourGuide Loch Ness day tour from Inverness (~£40). Skip Pitlochry's coffee stop; the loch is the point. Overnight in Inverness or Drumnadrochit.

🚌Citylink bus Edinburgh–Inverness ~£22; local bus 919 to Drumnadrochit ~£5 each way

🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Inverness (~£25–35)

• →Urquhart Castle (~£12)
• →Loch Ness boat cruise (~£18 via GetYourGuide)

Bus/train Inverness → Glasgow (~3h30, Citylink ~£20–25). Spend the afternoon on the free Kelvingrove Art Gallery, the Necropolis, and the West End — the tour's Pitlochry/Loch Lomond/Fort William drive-throughs aren't worth replicating by coach; if you want scenery, add a half-day Loch Lomond trip from Glasgow (~£25 via GetYourGuide). Book tomorrow's ferry: the Stena Line Cairnryan–Belfast crossing (~£30–40 foot passenger) plus the Citylink bus Glasgow → Cairnryan (~£15, 2h45).

🚌Citylink bus Inverness–Glasgow ~£22

🛏Hostel dorm, Glasgow (~£20–28)

• →Kelvingrove Art Gallery (free)
• →Necropolis walk
• →Optional Loch Lomond trip (~£25)

Bus to Cairnryan, Stena Line ferry to Belfast (~2h15), then explore Belfast for a few hours: Titanic Belfast (~£25) or the free Black Taxi political murals tour (~£15) and St George's Market. Overnight in Belfast or push on to Dublin via the Enterprise train (~2h, ~£20–30 advance) or a Ryanair/Aer Lingus flight (~£25–40) — the coach tour's direct Belfast–Dublin leg is easy to replicate. If you've already seen Belfast, take the morning ferry and be in Dublin by early afternoon.

🚌Bus Glasgow–Cairnryan ~£15; ferry ~£35; Belfast–Dublin train ~£25

🛏Hostel dorm, Dublin or Belfast (~£25–35)

• →Belfast murals tour (~£15)
• →Titanic Belfast (optional ~£25)
• →St George's Market

Do the tour's Dublin day independently: walk the River Liffey from the Ha'penny Bridge, see Trinity College's exterior (Book of Kells ~£17 if you want in), and take a Sandeman's free walking tour (tip-based) around Dublin Castle and Temple Bar. Optional: St Patrick's Cathedral (~£9 direct) and a Guinness Storehouse visit (~£25–30). In the evening, trad music in a Temple Bar pub (no cover, just the price of a pint) beats the coach's €35 walking tour.

🚌Walking; Leap Card for occasional buses/ Luas ~£2 each

🛏Hostel dorm, Dublin (~£25–35)

• →Free Dublin walking tour
• →River Liffey & Trinity College
• →St Patrick's Cathedral (~£9)
• →Guinness Storehouse (optional ~£28)

Take the early Irish Ferries/Stena Line Dublin–Holyhead ferry (~3h30, foot passenger ~£35–45 booked direct) or the fast ferry (~2h15). From Holyhead, the train runs to Bangor (~40 min, ~£10) then a bus to Caernarfon for Caernarfon Castle (~£12 entry). Continue by rail Bangor → Chester → Liverpool (~2h, ~£20–25 advance). Walk the Albert Dock and do a free Liverpool waterfront wander in the evening. Note: the tour's 'Cardiff (Caernarfon)' label is misleading — there's no Cardiff stop, so don't add one.

🚌Ferry ~£40; rail Holyhead–Liverpool ~£30; local bus to Caernarfon ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm, Liverpool (~£20–30)

• →Caernarfon Castle (~£12)
• →Albert Dock & waterfront walk
• →Optional Beatles Story (~£19)

Train Liverpool → Birmingham (~1h40, ~£15–20 advance), then local train to Stratford-upon-Avon (~50 min) for Shakespeare's Birthplace (~£20) and a walk by the Avon. Continue to Oxford (~1h15 via Leamington/Banbury, ~£15) for the colleges and the Covered Market. Late train Oxford → Portsmouth Harbour (~2h, ~£20–25 advance) to catch the overnight Brittany Ferries Portsmouth–Saint-Malo sailing (usually departs around 22:30, arrives ~08:00; foot passenger ~£60–90 booked direct on brittany-ferries.co.uk — book early, this is the priciest leg after rail).

🚌Rail Liverpool–Birmingham–Stratford–Oxford–Portsmouth ~£55 advance; Brittany Ferries foot passenger ~£75

🛏Overnight ferry, reclining seat / shared cabin (~£70)

• →Shakespeare's Birthplace (~£20)
• →Oxford colleges & Covered Market
• →Brittany Ferries overnight crossing

Arrive in Saint-Malo mid-morning, drop bags (or use station lockers), and walk the walled old town (free). Take the Keolis Émeraude bus Saint-Malo → Mont-Saint-Michel (~1h15, ~£10–12 each way; book on keolis-emeraude.com) — Mont-Saint-Michel abbey entry is ~£11 direct. On the way back, stop in Dinan for its medieval ramparts and timber houses (free). Evening train/bus Dinan → Rennes (~1h, ~£8–12). Stay in a hostel in Rennes centre (Auberge de Jeunesse Rennes).

🚌Émeraude bus ~£22 return; Dinan–Rennes ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm, Rennes (~£22–30)

• →Mont-Saint-Michel abbey (~£11)
• →Saint-Malo old town walls
• →Dinan medieval centre

TER regional train Rennes → Angers (~1h15, ~£12–18), quick stop for Angers Castle with the Apocalypse Tapestry (~£10). Continue to Tours (~1h, ~£10), then take bus or train to Villandry for the Château de Villandry gardens (entry ~£12 direct on chateauvillandry.fr; the tour's included 'garden admission' is easily self-booked). Overnight in Tours or Amboise — the Loire is best seen by bike, so consider renting one (~£12/day) for the day.

🚌TER rail Rennes–Angers–Tours ~£25; local bus to Villandry ~£3

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Tours/Amboise (~£25–35)

• →Angers Castle & Apocalypse Tapestry (~£10)
• →Château de Villandry gardens (~£12)
• →Bike hire on the Loire (~£12)

Bus/train to Chenonceau (Fil Bleu/ Rémi local services, ~£5, or the Touraine 'châteaux shuttle' ~£8) and tour the château (~£16 direct on chenonceau.com — the famous gallery over the Cher). Then a shuttle or taxi (there's no cheap direct bus; a shared taxi/GetYourGuide Loire shuttle ~£20) to Chambord castle park (~£14 entry, park free). Late TER train from Blois or Amboise → Paris Austerlitz (~1h30, ~£20–30 advance). Check into a hostel in the 10th/11th arrondissement (Generator, St Christopher's Canal, or similar).

🚌Local buses/shuttle ~£30; TER Amboise–Paris ~£25

🛏Hostel dorm, Paris (~£30–45)

• →Château de Chenonceau (~£16)
• →Château de Chambord (~£14)
• →Amboise old town stroll

Pre-book the Eiffel Tower 2nd floor summit lift ticket direct (toureiffel.paris, ~£24–28, sells out weeks ahead — set a reminder). Do a self-guided walk of Montmartre or the Latin Quarter in the morning, take a one-hour Seine river cruise (Bateaux Parisiens / Vedettes du Pont Neuf ~£15 via GetYourGuide), and finish at Trocadéro for the classic Eiffel view before heading to CDG/Orly. Optional Palace of Versailles via RER C (~£15 return + ~£18 palace entry) if you have a late flight.

🚌Métro/RER ~£2.15 per single; CDG RER B ~£11.80, Orly Orlyval+metro ~£15

🛏—

• →Eiffel Tower 2nd floor (~£26)
• →Seine river cruise (~£15)
• →Montmartre or Latin Quarter walk
• →Optional Versailles (~£33)