Travelling is one of the most special ways to forge strong bonds and create loving memories with a partner. In honour of Valentine's Day, we bring you the best destinations to pledge your eternal love:
Just north of the England-Scotland border lies a pretty little village called Gretna Green. With rolling green hills, this gorgeous little Scottish town is famous for uniting couples in marriage ‘over the anvil’.
Long known as the spot where young couples would run away to get married (often against their respective families wishes), Gretna Green’s romantic past has its roots in 18-century English law. The 1754 Marriage Act forbade one to marry without your parents’ permission if you were under the age of 21. To flout this law, young lovers from Wales and England, eager to ‘get hitched’, would make a beeline for the border where the first town they would come to was none other than Gretna Green.
Being of a rebellious Scottish nature the English Marriage Act did not hold sway in the land of tartan. All that was required to enter into a legal marriage was two willing witnesses and the assurance from the couple that they were free to marry. A ‘handfasting’ ceremony – often performed by the local Blacksmith – sealed the deal. At the striking of the anvil the couple were declared married.
Gretna Green remains a place of romance and wedding vows with more than 5,000 ceremonies performed here every year. Travellers can visit the town, see the legendary Old Smith Marriage Anvil, stop for a picture the Kissing Gate or just enjoy the ambience of this gorgeous Scottish town.
Join Costsaver on an 8-day England and Scotland Heritage guided holiday that visits London, Windsor, Bath, Gloucester, Chester, Liverpool, the Lake District, Gretna Green, the Scottish Highlands, Glasgow, Edinburgh and York. Contact your nearest Sure Travel agency to enquire or book, or call 0861 47 48 49.
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Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers might be a work of pure fiction, but that doesn't stop thousands of travellers from visiting the ‘scene’ where Romeo wooed Juliet from below her balcony in Verona, Italy. They leave letters to their current or hoped-for loves using gum and sticky notes. It seems that true love always finds a way (even if it's a bit icky).
Visit this love-loving city of Verona on the Jewels of Italy, a 7-day trip taking in the essentials of Italy. Rome, Siena, Pisa, Florence, Verona, Venice and Bologna are all highlights to take in. Contact your nearest Sure Travel agency for a quote, or call 0861 47 48 49.
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Is there any other city in the world that inspires romance more than Paris? What is not to love? The food, the wine, the scenery, the Champs Elysee, the Eiffel Tower, the romantic Seine, that gorgeous French accent… they all add up to the reason why many couples choose Paris as their honeymoon destination or the spot where the proposal happens.
Visit the famous Lock Bridge, also known as the Pont des Arts, where love-struck visitors attach personalized padlocks to its railing and throw the keys away in the Seine River. The government of Paris has tried to stop tourists and visitors from doing this for safety concerns. At the height of popularity the Lock Bridge saw millions of locks weighing nearly 45 tons on the bridge.
Visit Paris on the 8-day Jewels of France which will take you from Paris to Rouen, Honfleur, the D-Day Landing beaches of Normandy, Mont St. Michel, the Loire Valley and back to romantic Paris. Contact your nearest Sure Travel agency to enquire or book, or call 0861 47 48 49.
