Afternoon catnaps will keep the Pope fresh for his UK visit

As every tourist knows, travelling can be exhausting.

So it's a good job that a series of catnaps have been scheduled into Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to England and Scotland.

The Pontiff's packed itinerary, disclosed yesterday by the Vatican, will be punctuated every afternoon by breaks of several hours to allow the 83-year-old to catch up on his sleep.

Pope Benedict XVI, 83, has been given several hours every day to rest and recover

But the Bavarian-born Pope will be cramming a lot into his waking hours - including private audiences with David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Harriet Harman.

An insider at the Vatican said the gaps in the schedule were deliberately included to give the Pope a chance to rest and recover his strength.

The source said: 'We are talking about a very gruelling and packed schedule which lasts from Thursday until the Sunday and there are several events, as well as a lot of travelling.

The Holy Father will arrive in Scotland and spend the day there before travelling to London where he will spend the next two days and the final day will be in Birmingham.

'Let's not forget that he is 83 years old and like any elderly person he does get tired in the afternoon and he also gets up very early - he is up at 6am so a few hours' rest is to be expected.'

Pope Benedict's tour begins on September 16, when he flies from Rome to Edinburgh with Alitalia Airlines and will meet Queen Elizabeth at Holyrood Palace.

Before returning to Italy, he will take in Glasgow, London and Birmingham, including a visit to a church-run home for the elderly and a meeting with college students.

He has also been allocated a 20-minute appointment with the Prime Minister in London on the Saturday morning - but will spend only ten minutes with the deputy leader.

SIC: DMUK