InterStudies Excursions

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1 InterStudies Excursions InterStudies is pleased to announce our excursion programme for the programme year! All excursions are led by InterStudies staff, and give students a fantastic opportunity to see areas of the UK and Ireland which they might not otherwise see, as well as meet other InterStudies students from around the world. This years excursion programme starts in Edinburgh. Join us for 2 action packed days exploring the magnificent Scottish capital. With it s mixture of arts, cultural attractions, historic architecture and modern shopping, all set in a magnificent mountainous background, Edinburgh has something to offer for everyone. Following our stay in Edinburgh you will have the opportunity to see more of the Scottish landscape, joining our tour of the Scottish Highlands. We will leave Edinburgh, and travel north to the towns of Aviemore and Fort William, spending a night in each before returning to Edinburgh. Along the way we will take in the sights and sounds of Scotland, visiting a whisky distillery, Scottish castles, and exploring the beautiful Highland scenery. You might even spot Nessie! The final trip in the InterStudies calendar visits Dublin, the charming Irish capital! Highlights of our midweek break in one of Europe s most friendly cities will include a tour of the Guinness Storehouse home of the famous Irish brew, a visit to the famous Christ Church Cathedral, as well as a chance to explore Viking Dublin, and taste some genuine Irish cuisine. Please read on to see more details of this years excursions, and details of how to sign up! We look forward to showing you more of our country! 1

2 Scotland Edinburgh City Meet the men in kilts! Edinburgh is the second most visited city in Great Britain, and it s easy to see why. With it s mixture of arts, cultural attractions, historic architecture, modern shopping and the world famous Edinburgh Castle, all set in a magnificent mountainous background, Edinburgh truly does have something to offer for everyone. Our trip will give you the chance to meet InterStudies staff and students; we will take you to visit the major attractions, as well as allowing you some free time to explore Edinburgh by yourself. You can either join the Edinburgh tour by itself, or combine it with our Highland Tour. We start our trip with a visit to one of Edinburgh s most famous attractions, Edinburgh castle, perched high above the city on Castle Rock the castle also provides a vantage point to gain an overview of the rest of the city. Having worked up an appetite we will then enjoy a heart Scottish meal before retiring to our hostel for the night. The following day will be spent exploring some of Edinburgh s most important sites, including the Royal Mile, the Scottish Parliament (one of Edinburgh s most controversial attractions) St Giles Cathedral and the Scottish National Museum. After some free time for dinner we will regroup for our evening activity, a spooky tour of Edinburgh in the charming company of a dead highwayman. On our second full day in the city we will visit more sights, including Princes Street Gardens, the National Gallery, and the Scott monument (those with a head for heights can climb the 287 steps to enjoy the view from the top!), before we move on to the New Town, where after a short tour, you will be free to explore yourselves, visit the shops, and have dinner with other students, before returning to our hostel for the evening. After a good nights rest we will spend the final morning exploring the Camera Obscura exhibition, before rounding off the trip with a traditional Scottish lunch, before you return to your host families. Those of you who also wish to join the Highland trip will be able to enjoy the rest of the day exploring the city, before we travel North the following morning. Included in the price: Hostel accommodation for 3 nights (expect multi bedded rooms), breakfast, entrance to attractions included on the tours, and InterStudies tour guides. The welcome dinner on the first evening, and the lunch on the final morning are included in the price. Other meals are not included in the price, and you will be free to decide where and what to eat. PRICE: 190 Extra night 20 (for students continuing to the Highland trip) DATES: Start: 27 th October, 2pm Finish: 30 th October, 2pm Sign up deadline: 9 th September 2012 You will be responsible for your own travel to and from Edinburgh at the start and end of the trip. The trip will start and finish around 2pm, so you should arrange your travel accordingly. Please see pages 5-6 for terms & conditions and more practical information. 2

3 Scotland The Scottish Highlands Join us on our most scenic tour! Departing from Edinburgh you will have the chance to explore the stunning Scottish scenery, as well as visiting castles, a whisky distillery, meeting the Scottish wildlife, and trying your hand at Nessie spotting! A true taste of Scotland. Leaving Edinburgh in the morning we will drive north to the picturesque village of Pitlochry, where we will tour the Blair Athol distillery (no trip to Scotland is complete without a distillery tour), before continuing north to the Highland Wildlife Park, located in the spectacular Cairngorms national park, where you will get a chance to discover and learn about some of Scotland s wildlife, as well as other endangered species. Following our visit to the park, we will continue to Aviemore, our first overnight stop. After a hearty welcome meal and a chance to get to know each other we will retire to our hostel for the night. The following day we will continue to Inverness, widely regarded as the capital of the Highlands. After a short stop to see the city, we will continue our way along Loch Ness. The loch is, of course, world famous for the legendary monster, Nessie, which many people claim to have seen and even photographed. We will stop at the bank of Loch Ness, so you can take the all important picture, and have a go at spotting Nessie yourself. We will spend our lunch break at the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre, where you can learn more about the famous loch and its monster, before driving on to Urquhart Castle. We will then move on to Fort William, where we will spend our second night. After a restful night in Fort William, we will drive south through the spectacular mountainous scenery, passing the foot of Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Scotland and the UK), and stopping along the way to admire the magnificent views. Stirling. Before reaching Edinburgh again we will visit the town of Stirling, where we will explore Stirling castle, and you will have the chance to spend any left-over pocket money in the large selection of shops. Included in the price: Hostel accommodation for two nights (expect multi bedded rooms), breakfast, entrance to Blair Athol whisky distillery, the Highland Wildlife Park, the Loch Ness exhibition centre, Urquhart Castle and Stirling Castle, InterStudies staff, coach and driver. Our welcome meal in Aviemore is included, other meals are not included in the price, and you will be free to decide when and what to eat. PRICE: 205 Extra night: 20 DATES: Start: 31 st October, 9am Finish: 2 nd November, approx. 6pm Sign up deadline: 9 th September 2012 You will be responsible for your own travel to and from Edinburgh at the start and end of the trip. We will depart from Edinburgh at 9am, and accommodation will be provided the night before for students from outside the area (and those also participating in the Edinburgh trip) at an extra cost of 20. The trip will finish at 6pm, and you should book your return travel accordingly. Please see pages 5-6 for terms & conditions and more practical information. 3

4 Ireland Explore Dublin Experience a true Irish welcome! Join us for a few days exploring Irelands charming capital and find out why Dublin is so well known for it s relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. The InterStudies excursion to Dublin is a great chance to meet other students, socialising and making international friends while enjoying the famous Irish hospitality. Our trip will start on the Monday afternoon, with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse the centre of Guinness Brewing since 1770, and one of Dublin s most popular visitor attractions. We will tour the storehouse, learning how the world famous Guinness Stout is brewed. After this we will enjoy a tasty Irish dinner, before returning to our hostel for the night. On Tuesday morning we will enjoy a walking tour of historic Dublin taking in sights such as Trinity College, the City Hall, Dublin Castle and St Stevens Green. We will visit the historic Christ Church Cathedral and tour the Dublinia exhibition, which will give you a fascinating insight into the history of the Irish capital. After finishing our tour you will be free to explore and eat dinner in small groups before we meet again for the evenings entertainment. On Wesdnesday morning we will return to Trinity College, where we will visit one of Irelands most important national treasures, the Book of Kells, which contains the Latin text of the 4 gospels, decorated by Irish monks in the year 800AD. We will continue our cultural tour with a visit to the National Gallery of Ireland, before returning to the city centre, where you will be free to spend the afternoon exploring Dublin s excellent shops. We will meet again on Wednesday evening for dinner together, before enjoying a truly impressive display of Irish dancing. On Thursday morning we will visit our final attraction, the National Wax Museum, where you will have the chance to meet many a famous figure, both Irish and International. We will complete our time in Dublin with a farewell lunch, after which you will return to your host families. Included in the price: Hostel accommodation for three nights (expect multi bedded rooms), breakfast, entrance to the Guinness Storehouse, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia, Book of Kells exhibition, the National Wax Museum, and InterStudies tour guides. The welcome dinner on Monday, as well as the dinner and show on Wednesday and the farewell lunch are included. Other meals are not included in the price, and you will be free to decide where and what to eat. PRICE: 249 EUR (Euros) DATES: Start: 11 th February, afternoon Finish: 14 th February, afternoon Sign up deadline: 6 th January You will be responsible for your own travel to and from Dublin at the start and end of the trip. The trip will start and finish around 2pm, so you should arrange your travel accordingly. Please see pages 5-6 for terms & conditions and more practical information. 4

5 InterStudies Excursions Practical information! Signing up & Payment You can register for the trips on the InterStudies student website: using the login name: student and the password: isxukstu The deadlines for signing up for the trips are: - Edinburgh: 9th September - Highlands: 9th september - Dublin: 6th January Once you have signed up for the trip you must pay the trip fee in order to confirm your place. Please do this by paying the fee directly into our bank account (details at the bottom of this page). You must pay the trip fee within 1 week of signing up for the trip. When paying you must include the name of the student taking part in the trip on the payment, and transfer enough money to cover any bank charges, so that the full cost of the trip is deposited in our account. Applications to take part in the trip are binding, and in applying to take part in the trip you undertake to pay the price of the trip. The fee is non refundable except in the case of InterStudies cancelling the trip altogether. A minimum number of participants is required for the trip to go ahead. Should this minimum number not be reached any trip fees will be refunded in full. You will recieve confirmation once your place on the trip is confirmed. Please DO NOT book your transport to the trip until we have confirmed that the minimum number of participants has been reached, and the trip is going ahead. Transport You are responsible for your own transport to and from the trip start and end points, which means that you can choose how you wish to travel You must make sure that the travel you book allows you to arrive at the trip start point in good time, and that you have ample time to catch any return coach / flight / train at the end of the trip. Please remember that it takes time to get to the airport / station, and you must also allow ample time to check in. Please note that overnight buses / trains / ferries will not be approved. If you are in doubt as to whether your travel plans are OK then please contact InterStudies head office for advice An extra nights accommodation will be provided on the night of the 30th October for students taking part in both the Edinburgh and Highland trips, and for students who need to arrive the day before to take part in the Highland trip. The cost of this is 20. Other than this extra accommodation will not be available, and you must arrive on the trip start date, and return to your host family on the day the trip finishes. Please your travel information to us at: info@interstudies.com as soon as you have booked your flight / train / bus. You must inform us of your travel information at least 2 weeks before the start of the trip. All trip payments must be made into the following accounts: Please make your GBP payment to: Royal Bank of Scotland, Penicuik Branch, 42 John Street, EH26 8AB Account no.: , Sort code: , IBAN: GB97 RBOS , BIC code: RBOS GB 2L Please make your EUR payment to: Bank of Ireland, Baggot Street, Dublin 2, Ireland Account nr.: , Branch code: , IBAN: IE98 BOFI , Bank code: BOFIIE2D 5

6 InterStudies Excursions Practical information! Meals The meals detailed in the tour description are included in the price of the tour. Other meals are not included, and you will be free to choose where to eat in groups. Please make sure you bring enough pocket money to pay for your meals! If you have any special dietary requirements (e.g. vegatarian / allergies etc.) then please let us know when signing up for the trip! Accommodation We will be staying in multi-bedded rooms in hostel style accommodation on all our trips School As school holiday dates are not the same in all areas the trip may be in school term time. If this is the case then you must ask permission at school before signing up for the trip. If the school requires a letter to confirm that you are taking part in the trip then please contact the InterStudies office Questions If you have any questions about any of our trips please info@interstudies.com, and we will get back to you as soon as possible What to bring All the trips involve some walking, and we will be outside most days. Please bring warm and comfortable clothes, waterproofs, and shoes that are suitable for walking Your camera Any personal necesities / toiletteries A towel Pocket money A smile All trip payments must be made into the following accounts: Please make your GBP payment to: Royal Bank of Scotland, Penicuik Branch, 42 John Street, EH26 8AB Account no.: , Sort code: , IBAN: GB97 RBOS , BIC code: RBOS GB 2L Please make your EUR payment to: Bank of Ireland, Baggot Street, Dublin 2, Ireland Account nr.: , Branch code: , IBAN: IE98 BOFI , Bank code: BOFIIE2D 6