8 Day England

Day 1 – Oxford and Blenheim Palace

• University town of Oxford, seat of ancient learning and the city of Dreaming Spires. Our walking tour includes a visit of one of the famous colleges.  The group will also see a memorial to the Oxford Martyrs; three Anglican bishops burnt at the stake on the orders of Mary I.  

• Enjoy a typical English tea with scones, jam and cream.   

• Visit the magnificent grounds of Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill and home to the Dukes of Marlborough.

  Day 2 – Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon

• Stratford-upon-Avon for a walking tour and to visit William Shakespeare’s birthplace. See Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.   

• Warwick Castle, perhaps the finest medieval castle in England and where the group can explore the dark Dungeons!   

• Evening production at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre

  Day 3 - Bath

• The beautiful Georgian city of Bath where the group will have a panoramic tour of some the finest architectural sights in Europe including Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent, Jane Austen’s house and the famous Pulteney Bridge.  

• Visit the Roman Baths, where a temple and bath houses were built during the time of the Roman Empire. We explore the extensive Roman baths complex and the exhibition and view the Georgian pump rooms.    

• Stonehenge, the most prehistoric site in England.  The original monument was built here in 3000BC.  

  Day 4 - Salisbury and Winchester  

• Tour of the magnificent medieval city of Salisbury, with its historic streets and alleyways, charming half-timbered buildings, traditional English eating houses and characterful shopping streets.  The group will have access to one of the UK’s finest medieval cathedrals.  

• Visit Jane Austen's home in Chawton, where she lived for the last eight years of her life, and the museum which houses a fine range of Jane Austen memorabilia.  

• The beautiful city of Winchester, including Jane Austen’s memorial and grave in the Cathedral.

  Day 5 – Chartwell, Hever Castle and Royal Tunbridge Wells  

• Chartwell and the house bought by Sir Winston Churchill for its magnificent views over the Weald of Kent.  This was his home and the place from which he drew inspiration from 1924 until the end of his life.  The rooms remain much as they were when he lived here, with pictures, books, personal mementoes evoking the career and wide-ranging interests of this great statesman.     

• Hever Castle, a romantic 13th century moated castle, where Anne Boleyn spent her childhood and was wooed by Henry VIII. Hever is like a perfect child’s drawing of a castle, approached by a drawbridge across a neatly squared-off moat, with outstanding gardens, a maze and a 35 acre lake.   

• The elegant spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, with its shopping malls and the Georgian “Pantiles”, a unique colonnaded promenade.

  Day 6 – Canterbury and Leeds Castle  

• Chilham, one of the most beautiful villages, lying atop a hill alongside the Jacobean gables and tall chimneys of the Chilham Castle.   

• Walking tour of Canterbury and its famous Cathedral, official seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury.   During a famous incident in English history, Thomas à Becket was brutally murdered here in 1170. Within its massive medieval walls, Canterbury is a bustling modern city which never forgets its colourful and historic past.   

• Leeds Castle’s, in a romantic setting of water, trees and gently rolling parkland. For more than 300 years the castle was the favorite country retreat of the medieval queens of England and was a favourite of King Henry VIII.   

  Day 7 - London  

• Panoramic tour of the city of London including sites such as Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, London’s West End, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, London’s theatre district and Piccadilly Circus.   

• Visit Westminster Abbey where many kings, queens, statesmen, poets and writers are buried.   

• Watch the ceremony of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.  

• Evening ride on the London Eye, the world’s tallest observation wheel. The 30 minute flight offers views over famous landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and St Pauls Cathedral.  

• Option of evening trip to West End theatre.

  Day 8 - London  

• Enjoy a morning cruise along the River Thames to the Tower of London.    

• The Tower of London, including the Crown Jewels. The tower is one of the world’s most famous fortresses and over the past 1000 years has been used as a Royal Palace, an armoury and a place of imprisonment and execution.    

• In the afternoon the group will be free to explore London at their leisure and enjoy shopping on Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street.  Alternatively visit one of the many attractions, including Madame Tussauds, Rock Circus and London Dungeons.

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