William of Normandy Tour Program

Day 1 - Visit Falaise, home of William’s mother Herleva, the daughter of a common tanner, and the place of William’s birth. Experience Norman culture at its height with the feudal city gates and old city walls surrounding William’s birthplace, the 11th Century medieval castle; the churches of the Holy Trinity, Saint Gervais, Guilbray and Saint-Laurent; the wealth of ancient houses, and the famous Fountain of Arlette. Afternoon visit to the famous town of Bayeux to see the world-renowned Bayeux Tapestry, which is traditionally attributed to the Conqueror’s flamboyant wife, Mathilde. The Tapestry dates from the 11th Century and traces the Conquest from the original planning up until the Battle of Hastings. Bayeux also offers a film, an exhibition of 58 scenes from the Tapestry and the famous 11th Century Cathedral which combines Gothic workmanship with the Norman crypt and great towers. Free time in Bayeux for shopping or personal sightseeing, possibly to include an optional visit to the Baron Gerard Museum which houses Bayeux and Rouen porcelain and lace made with the Bayeux stitch; the Diocesan Museum of Religious Art; the quaint streets of Old Bayeux, or symbols of  much later wars, such as the 1944 Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum and the Liberation Monument. Dinner and overnight accommodation in Normandy.
Day 2 - Medieval Caen, already an important town before William of Normandy seized it at the Battle of Val-es-Dunes. Caen Castle, one of the largest remaining medieval fortresses, built by William in 1060,  and currently housing one of France’s finest collections of European art. We also visit Queen Mathilde’s ‘Abbaye aux Dames’ (‘The Women’s Abbey’) for a guided tour of the convent and the  magnificent crypt where Mathilde is buried, followed by William’s ‘Abbaye aux Hommes’ (‘Men’s Abbey’) where the Conqueror himself is buried. Free time in Caen, possibly to include an optional visit to the Museum of Peace. Afternoon visit to Dives sur Mer, from where William and his men set sail for England. Visit a church displaying a unique list of all the Conqueror’s victorious companions, and the picturesque 15th Century market hall. Dinner and overnight accommodation in Normandy.
Day 3 - Leave Normandy for Calais and ferry-crossing to Dover in England. Arrive in Dover and drive past the famous White Cliffs and Dover Castle, a stronghold built by the Conqueror’s descendent, Henry II to safeguard England against further invasions. Visit Hastings, home of William’s first English castle, and enjoy the ‘1066 Experience’, which includes an audio-visual program covering the story of the Conquest, and the history of the castle since the invasion. The Experience also enables visitors to share the sights, sounds and smells of Norman England, and to journey underground to the dungeons and whispering chambers beneath the castle ruins. Hastings offers a picturesque Old Town, St Clement’s Church, the Net Shops, St Mary in the Castle, the Shipwreck Heritage Center and a series of caverns and caves entitled ‘Smugglers’ Adventure’, which brings Hastings’ smuggling past to life. Dinner and overnight accommodation.
Day 4- Morning visit to beautiful Herstmonceux Castle with its wide moat and rolling parkland, to see the charming Elizabethan gardens and examples of the rural trug-making industry. Lunch in Herstmonceux. Journey on towards Battle, halting briefly at the quaint hamlet of Whatlington with its array of charmingly thatched buildings. Before 1066, Whatlington Manor belonged to the ill-fated King Harold, but was later claimed by the Conqueror and was inaugurated into the Battle Abbey lands. Whatlington Church is an old Norman building and is home to a famous thousand year-old Yew tree. Pass Salehurst and Mountfield, which with Whatlington were the sites of earlier Norman raids leading up to the main invasion. Afternoon visit to the famous market town of Battle, the well-known site of William’s victory over the English King Harold. See the hill where Harold reputedly lost his eye to a Norman arrow. Visit Battle Abbey, standing on the notorious battleground, which was built by the Conqueror to commemorate his victory and also to appease the Pope for the shocking loss of life; the Battle Town Model in the old Almonry building, and the Battle Museum of Local History, home to a wealth of Norman and Saxon artifacts, including a  facsimile Domesday Book, Norman coins, toys and children’s games and displays of how life in England changed and continued after William’s invasion. Dinner and overnight accommodation.
Day 5 - Experience the Battlefield Audio Tour, and choose to relive the battle through the eyes of either a Norman courtier, a knight or the Lady Edith, King Harold’s famous long-necked mistress. Followed by free time in Battle for shopping or personal sightseeing. Afternoon visit to the small village of Bodiam, which in Roman times was a major crossing point between Beauport and the North Kent coast, and which is home to the last great mediaeval military fortress to be built in England. We cross the long bridge over the broad moat and immerse ourselves in this impressive fairytale castle. Dinner and overnight accommodation.
Day 6 - Visit historical Pevensey Bay with its colorful past, famed for being the place where William the Conqueror landed, but whose Castle was built in AD 280 by much earlier, Roman, invaders. Locals were being attacked by invading Anglo-Saxons as early as 491AD, and the Roman fortress which we visit now was attacked by the Saxons, after which it lay derelict for 600 years until William’s arrival. During the 4 centuries after the Conqueror’s arrival Pevensey was besieged frequently, after which it became one of the famous Cinque Ports and was on royal appointment to the King. The town thrived under the Tudor monarchs, but the castle remained uninhabited and was only briefly revived during the Spanish Armada threat. Pevensey finally became a World War II military base, and we visit the remaining gun emplacements and pill boxes. We visit another of the Cinque Ports – charming and antiquated Rye with its beautiful cobbled streets and medieval buildings. Free time to enjoy lunch and personal sightseeing in this quaint town which was once surrounded by the sea, possibly to include a visit to the 12th Century St Mary’s Church with its long clock pendulum; to experience the ‘Story of Rye’ brought to life through an entertaining show, or Rye Castle Museum, which stands on 2 sites – Ypres Tower, a medieval building which has  been a fort, house jail and mortuary, and East Street with its pottery and medieval fashion displays.

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