Finally have a little free time, before starting our day. I'm currently on day 10 of the ESW tour.
tl;dr - great trip
TD Rachel is top notch. I'd place her tied for #1 with Steven Fisher, who I had on the Central Europe tour about 6 years ago. Great fund of historical knowledge.
I suggest going in August so you get to see the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh. It's a great show. The VIP military guy at the show was Mark Milley, and I actually rode down the elevator with him at the Sheraton, but didn't recognize him.
Weather - A nice break from summer, but even cooler than I expected. Temps have been in the low 60s most days. It has rained at least part of every day, except yesterday. The rain has been light and sporadic, though we did get caught in a downpour at Hadrian's Wall. ALWAYS carry an umbrella and rain jacket. If you see blue sky, it will be gone in short order.
Food has been very good. Hotels so-so (haven't been to the Savoy yet). While they are all in great locations, some of them are hundreds of years old with fairly small rooms. In my current hotel, Francis Hotel Bath, I think the mattress is OEM. 
Beginning on day 2, there were a few people coughing, supposedly "allergies." They are still on the trip. Several more people are coughing now. Two other people left the tour yesterday when they tested positive for Covid. I have been one of 6-7 people wearing a mask on the bus and crowded indoor sites. Nobody in the UK wears masks any longer. We signed Tauck's Covid document at the start, but it is really meaningless. It's all honor system, and some people have no hono(u)r.
