Celebrating 30 years of Grand UK
One of our popular featured tour operators, Grand UK Holidays, has unveiled more than 40 new holidays in its summer 2014 brochure – which celebrates the 30th anniversary of the travel company who specialise in holidays for the over-55s.
Back in 1984, their very first trip visited the resort of Bournemouth, and since then Grand UK Holidays have taken more than a million mature holidaymakers to explore the very best of Britain, Europe and beyond.
New holidays in the 2014 brochure include 26 tours in the UK and Ireland, 10 in Europe, four river cruises and two rail holidays. The touring programme also features two ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experiences for the mature traveller marking the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One, taking customers to the fields of Flanders and the Somme.
And 30 years after the first Grand UK customers visited Bournemouth, the resort features in a new tour for 2014, called ‘Bournemouth and D-Day’. Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, this new tour includes excursions to see the command post at Southwick House, the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth, and other associated sites in Weymouth and Portland.
The interest in World War Two has also led to the introduction of another new holiday – ‘Cambridge, Duxford and Bletchley Park’. This new tour explores the world of the famous war-time code-breakers as well as a visit to the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.
Fresh options have been added to their range of themed breaks, including ‘Medieval Magic’, which boasts a medieval banquet in a castle – complementing the ever-popular regulars such as Line Dancing, Bingo Breaks, Rambling and Antiques & Collectables. Green-fingered holidaymakers are catered for with a range of new garden holidays, including trips to see the RHS Malvern Gardening Show; the ‘Secret Gardens of Yorkshire’s East Riding’; ‘Ireland in Bloom’; and ‘Holland in Bloom’.
The Grand UK Gold tours, that offer more upmarket accommodation and luxury coach travel, have been expanded again, and feature new options in resorts such as the Cotswolds, Peak District, Holland and Austria.
Over on the Continent, there are new tours taking in some of Europe’s best kept secrets such as ‘Canals, Carats and the Palace of Het Loo'. There are established favourites in Germany and Austria in addition to the increased popularity for holidays in Istria and the capitals of Central Europe.
Guests who want to view Europe from the deck of a river cruise ship have four new options across the Continent, while those who enjoy tours by train have two fresh destinations: the Isle of Man and Ireland.
Sales director Harold Burke said: “Grand UK Holidays has seen great changes in the holiday landscape over the past 30 years and we have refreshed our range of tours each season to cater for the evolving tastes of our mature holidaymakers. And since 1984, we have striven to offer the chance to explore the best of Britain and beyond – and to innovate with our services such as singles holidays, the Grand UK Gold range and no single supplements on British mainland holidays.”
Sample new packages:
- In Flanders Fields, 5 days, from £299pp
- Remembrance on the Western Front, 5 days, from £389pp
- Canals, Carats and the Palace of Het Loo!, 5 days, from £359pp
- Bournemouth and D-Day, 5 days, £329pp
- Cambridge, Duxford & Bletchley Park, 5 days, from £349pp
- Medieval Magic, 4 days, £229pp
- Secret Gardens of Yorkshire’s East Riding, 5 days, from £299pp
Prices in the new 2014 summer brochure start at £139pp for a four-day Magical Mystery Tour in the UK, including coach travel, half-board accommodation and excursions.