My Girls & I Want To Go in 2027. Also 1 of The Top Excursions is To The Cliffs of Moher Which I Didn’t See On Gate 1 . My Sister Recommended Gate 1 As A Company That She Has Used & Trusted. I Would Also Love to Have All Tips / Fees Included in The Price. Also a Smaller Group Would Be Nice.
sounds like the the Rick Steves tours, small groups, all inclusive except airfare, well respected but to do all you want would take 3x 7 day tours, a week each in Scotland, England and Wales, and Ireland.
Do you have 3 weeks to do 3 Rick Steves tours back to back to back?
They don't cover all of the British Isles + Ireland in only one tour.
Look at the Discovery Tours section on Gate 1 for smaller size groups.
I have done, and thoroughly enjoyed, both Rick Steves Tours and Gate 1 tours. The tips thing is not that big of a deal. The tips are included in a Rick Steves Tour and not included in Gate 1, but the price difference reflects that fact. I simply set an envelope aside before I go with the tip for the tour manager and bus driver. I give it to them the last day. Really not much of a hassle.
I actually prefer that Gate 1 provides pricing options on certain sightseeing options. If I don’t want to participate in an activity ( such as a vineyard tour/winetasting) I am not paying for it anyway.
I would make my decision based on itinerary. If you know what is truly important for you to see, then you can almost always find a tour or tour company to match.
Some forum members string together shorter tours from companies like Rabbies. I have known friends that really enjoyed their CIE tours. Seymour tours is pricey and focuses more on a smaller geographical area, but size is very restricted and forum members rave about them as well.
Odysseys Unlimited offers tours you may like.
How much time will you have? I'm not sure you'll find any tour companies that will do all that in one tour so you'll most likely have to cobble together 2 or more tours. And a lot depends on what you want to see in each country. Good luck with your planning.