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(Formerly "Rural England")
Land Package: 17 nights
Two dates:
Saturday, June 4 to Monday, June 20, 2011 (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, August 27 to Monday, September 12, 2011
Land only: £2125. £250 non-refundable deposit required by date TBA.
All-inclusive except lunches.
This is a most exciting tour. It includes five of England's famous
"Treasure Houses" as well as so many of its most well-known
stately homes, castles, gardens, and ruins, in addition to driving through
some of England's most breath-taking and diverse countryside, picturesque
villages, and visiting the sites of several movies and TV series.
The South of England, and especially the south-east, is one of the most
historic areas of England because of its proximity to both London and
France. Prehistoric man built strange monuments all over Britain. The
Romans built magnificent villas. Religious orders erected beautiful abbeys
and cathedrals. Kings and noblemen built sumptuous palaces and stately
homes, each with their own magnificent gardens.
We visit romantic, moated castles and fortified mansions — every one
now a museum in itself. They all specialize in as many different aspects
of architecture, interior decorating, marble, plaster work, wood carving,
exquisite furnishings, china, paintings, art treasures, etc. as the mind
can imagine.
Because of the milder climate, the south-east of England also boasts
some of Britain's most gorgeous, world-renowned gardens. Many of the
villages have medieval, half-timbered houses, unique converted oasthouses
(where they used to dry the hops for beer), and thatched cottages.
The Derbyshire Peak District is a beautiful, yet lesser-known, area
(other than to the British!) at the southern end of the Pennines - the
chain of wild rugged hills which runs down the centre of the country from
the Scottish borders.
Perhaps we don't need to describe Yorkshire as, nowadays, it is seen in
so many films and TV shows — with its Dales, wild moorlands and rugged
coastline, home to magnificent stately homes, gardens, ruined castles,
abbeys, and many lovely villages — yet all very different from those in
the south. And to the west of the Yorkshire Dales is the Lake District.
Roughly measuring only 35 square miles, it contains some of the best-loved
scenery in England. Its appeal is the amazing variety of outstanding
beauty all within such a concentrated area — its peaks, valleys and
glorious lakes have inspired many romantic poets and writers. There are
sixteen lakes of different size ranging from Lake Windermere (10.5 miles
long) to tiny Brothers' Water (half a mile long).
We finish the tour with visits to two of England's most famous Treasure
Houses — Warwick Castle and amazing Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston
Churchill. There are so many different attractions to choose from in
England, and we have tried to include as many varied ones as possible. Our
routing is always through many of the prettiest villages and most
beautiful scenery, whenever possible stopping at delightful pubs for
lunch. It is truly a photographer's dream.
B.C. residents could win this tour by becoming a Knowledge Network donor!
The tour is fully escorted by Maggie Rodgers
who has taught Travel courses for Continuing Education in Vancouver and
Surrey, B.C. Canada, for several years. Maggie has travelled extensively
and really knows her native England.
Included in the price:
- Airport transfers for those arriving and leaving with the group
- Accommodation and transportation (up to 35-seater coach) for tour
length
- All breakfasts and dinners, as specified in the itinerary, including
coffee or tea with all hotel dinners
- Admission to all attractions as per itinerary*
- Porterage - one bag per person in and out of hotels
- Escort throughout
Not included:
- Airfare and related taxes
- Lunches, unless specified
- Any insurance
- Personal requirements, laundry
- Alcoholic beverages
- Gratuities for driver and escort/guide
*Please contact Margaret personally regarding the
acquisition of a 15-day Great British Heritage Pass. The rules for buying
these passes has changed, and unfortunately they are no longer available
for group purchase. The Pass was originally included in the cost of the
tour, but the price of the tour has been reduced by the amount of the
15-day Pass so that you can acquire your own. It is very easy and you will
be instructed as to how to do this. All other attractions (not dependent
on the Pass) are of course included in the tour.
Day 1/2 (Sat 4 / Sun 5)
We fly from North America overnight to arrive at Heathrow next morning
(or meet at Heathrow Airport at a specified time) and transfer to our
resort hotel located in the Kent countryside.
First of 4 nights at Donnington Manor Hotel, Nr. Sevenoaks,
Kent.
Dinner
Day 3 (Mon 6)
First stop this morning is Bodiam Castle, originally built in
1385 as a nobleman's dwelling against an anticipated French invasion. It
is the best example in the country of a complete castle exterior with a
moat, spiral staircases and battlements from which there are magnificent
views of the surrounding countryside.
Our next highlight is famous Sissinghurst Gardens, the 5½-acre
connoisseurs' garden created by the late Vita Sackville-West and her
husband Sir Harold Nicolson. It consists of a series of truly beautiful
small, enclosed gardens, many particularly designed around special colour
schemes. The White Garden is of special note, and its ideas have been
copied in gardens all over the world.
We end our first day at Ightham Mote, a beautiful medieval
moated manor house with a 13th-century Great Hall, old chapel, crypt and
beautiful gardens. An exhibition in the Billiards Room explains how this
is the largest building conservation ever undertaken by the National
Trust.
2nd of 4 nights at Donnington Manor. Dinner
& breakfast
Day 4 (Tue 7)
We visit Leeds Castle, described by many as the most lovely
castle in England. Built in the 9th century in a fabulous setting on two
small islands in the midst of a lake (which is a natural habitat for
unusual and exotic wildfowl), the castle is surrounded by gardens and
parkland. It has been a Norman stronghold, a royal residence to six of
England's medieval queens, a playground and palace to Henry VIII, and a
private house. It is now home to a splendid collection of medieval
furnishings, paintings, tapestries and treasures, and also has a most
unusual Dog Collar Museum.
On to Hever Castle and Gardens, one of the most beautiful small
castles in Britain. It was here that Anne Boleyn lived and met Henry VIII.
He seized the house after her execution and murdered her brother. In 1903
William Waldorf Astor acquired the castle and invested millions to make
massive renovations and improvements to both this fascinating moated
castle and its gardens. Check out the Miniature Houses Exhibition -
illustrating houses of many different periods.
3rd of 4 nights at Donnington Manor. Dinner
& breakfast
Day 5 (Wed 8)
We start our day with a visit to Chartwell, home of Sir Winston
Churchill from 1924 to the end of his life. The rooms are left as they
were in his lifetime, with two rooms serving as a museum for his personal
memorabilia. A Garden Studio contains many of Sir Winston's paintings.
After lunch at Chartwell we proceed to Scotney Castle, built by
a lake in the 14th century, in reality it is a manor house designed to be
heavily fortified. It is known for being in one of the most romantic
settings in entire the country.
Last to Knole House, owned by Lord Sackville and set in a
magnificent deer park. Dating from 1456, this is the largest private house
in England, with 365 rooms, 7 court-yards and 52 staircases! It contains
collections of silver, tapestries, 17th-century furniture and portraits,
including works by Gainsborough and Reynolds — a connoisseur "must.
Last of 4 nights at Donnington Manor. Dinner &
breakfast
Day 6 (Thur 9)
An early start to transfer north — to the Derbyshire Peak District to visit
Chatsworth House, the magnificent, monumental, ancestral home of the dukes of
Devonshire and one of England's greatest Treasure Houses. Its 175 rooms
are filled with treasures: look out for its incredible collection of
antique clocks located all over the house, all exactly "on
time." It is surrounded by elaborate gardens, greenhouses, rock
gardens, cascading water and terraces designed by two of England's
greatest landscape artists, Capability Brown and Joseph Paxton.
Read an article by Margaret Rodgers, with
photos, about the history and features of Chatsworth House.
Overnight. Ringwood Hall Hotel, Nr. Chesterfield.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 7 (Fri 10)
We continue further north into Yorkshire, first to visit Castle
Howard, another famous Treasure House, perhaps best known as the
setting for the TV series "Brideshead Revisited". Designed by
Sir John Vanbrugh who also designed Blenheim Palace, it took 60 years to
build (1699-1759). Its magnificent interior is packed with fine furniture
and works of art; and its beautiful landscape includes woods, lakes,
bridges, obelisks, temples, and a mausoleum.
Lunch is in the attractive market town of Helmsley, which also
has a beautiful castle overlooking the town. On to Hutton-le-Hole,
one of the most picturesque villages in Britain where the tame sheep
wander everywhere and do a marvellous job of grass-cutting the enormous
village 'square'. We visit the Ryedale Folk Museum which shows
4,000 years of North Yorkshire life (from Roman times to the 20th
century). In 1995 this fascinating museum won the Gulbenkian Prize for
Museum of the Year. Several restored buildings are acquired from different
parts of the area.
First of 2 nights. Ramada Fairfield Manor Hotel, Nr.
York. Dinner
& Breakfast
Day 8 (Sat 11)
We depart for Pickering to board the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
to Goathland village, better known to TV's "Heartbeat"
fans as Aidensfield. After lunch, our coach will pick us up to continue on
to the picturesque fishing town of Whitby with its majestic Abbey
high on the cliffs overlooking the North Sea. It was founded in AD 657 by
St. Hilda and the monk, Caedmon, the first identifiable poet of the
English language. A photo stop at the statue of Captain Cook. Maybe his
ship, the Endeavour, will be moored in the harbour.
We continue via the popular seaside resort of Scarborough, with
its castle perched on top of a hill overlooking two beautiful bays and
busy Scarborough harbour. A short stop at Thornton-le-Dale village
with its streams and many little bridges, en route back to our hotel.
Last of 2 nights at Fairfield Manor. Dinner
& Breakfast
Day 9 (Sun 12)
TOUR OF THE EASTERN DALES
We drive through attractive villages for a stop in Leyburn, then
visit Middleham Castle, the massive 12th-Century keep which was the
childhood home of Richard III. We continue, for a pub lunch, over the wild moorland to the small village
Kettlewell, site of many movies (including Calendar Girls),
via Grassington and Pateley Bridge, to fabulous Fountains
Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens, now known as one of the
most remarkable World Heritage sites in Europe. Set within a 400-acre deer
park, the site encompasses the spectacular ruin of the 12th-century
Cistercian Fountains Abbey, a Jacobean Mansion, and one of the
best-surviving Georgian water gardens, with long vistas along the lakes
towards the great ruins of the Abbey with its high tower and 13th-century
arches.
Beautiful Ripon Cathedral is within a 15-minute walk from our hotel,
with some of the most wonderful carving you will see in any cathedral.
Overnight. The Ripon Spa Hotel, Ripon. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 10 (Mon 13)
An early start for the drive into Northumberland, via some of Catherine
Cookson country, to Housesteads Roman Fort where you may walk on
the famous Hadrian's Wall which is now a World Heritage Site. Begun
after the Roman emperor Hadrian's visit in AD 121, the wall originally
spanned 73 miles from just north of Newcastle to just west of Carlisle and
marked the northern border of the Roman Empire in Britain. Each mile was
reinforced by a "milecastle" or small fort, and each third of a
mile by a turret. At Housesteads we tour an excavated 5-acre fort and the
museum, and you can see a large expanse of the wall itself. We stop at a
lovely pub for lunch.
We continue to the Lake District via Penrith and Ullswater to
our lovely resort hotel near Kendal.
First of 4 nights. The Castle Green Hotel, Nr. Kendal.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 11 (Tue 14)
Our tour of the northern section of the Lake District begins at Grasmere
Village, with a photo stop at Dove Cottage, home of William
Wordsworth from 1799-1808. Free time to explore the village and graveyard.
We next stop at Castlerigg Stone Circle, similar but much smaller
than Stonehenge, but set on a hill against the dramatic backdrop of the
mountains. In the market town of Keswick we visit the surprisingly
popular Cumberland Pencil Museum. We stop in Ambleside to
photograph the tiniest house which straddles a stream, then, weather
dependent, there is the opportunity to have a boat trip on Lake Windermere
en route back to our hotel (not included). We may have time to visit
famous Lakeland Plastics or, even more popular with previous tours,
the opportunity to visit a large English supermarket!
2nd of 4 nights at the Castle Green. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 12 (Wed 15)
Today we explore the lovely southern end of the Lake District, first
stop Levens Hall, a grand 16th-century manor house famous for its
incredible topiary garden which was laid out in 1692, with yew and box
hedges cut into elaborate and curious shapes. There is also a fascinating
steam engine collection. Next is Sizergh Castle, which remains the
home of the Strickland family after 750 years. Its impressive 14th-century
pele tower was extended in Tudor times, and it has some of the finest
Elizabethan carved over-mantels in the country. The castle is home to the
National Trust's largest and most beautiful limestone rock garden.
3rd of 4 nights at the Castle Green. Dinner & breakfast
Day 13 (Thur 16)
TOUR OF THE WESTERN DALES
We drive to Hawes, centre of beautiful Wensleydale, to visit the Wensleydale
Cheese Factory, with time to explore the village. You may wish to see
the Dales Countryside Museum or the very interesting Rope
Factory. This is the country where much of the James Herriot's TV
series was filmed.
After lunch in Hawes we continue through the Dales via Ingleton,
famous for its limestone potholes, and visit Kirkby Lonsdale, a
delightful town with flint and limestone houses much loved by the famous
writer/critic John Ruskin.
Last of 4 nights at the Castle Green. Dinner &
Breakfast
Day 14 (Fri 17)
Sadly we leave the Lake District to go south again, first stopping at Little
Moreton Hall, the most famous of England's "magpie" houses.
Begun in the 15th century and extensively restored in 1991, this gem is
regarded as the most perfect example of a timber-framed moated house in
the country.
We next visit Kennilworth Castle, whose great red ruins are all
that remain of one of the most formidable fortresses in England.
Kenilworth's history is vividly depicted in Sir Walter Scott's novel
"Kenilworth".
We finish the day in an old highwayman's hotel north of Oxford.
First of 2 nights. Holt Hotel, Steeple Ashton, Nr.
Oxford. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 15 (Sat 18)
This morning we visit another of England's famous Treasure Houses, Warwick
Castle, the finest example of a medieval castle in England. Over the
centuries if has been owned by some of England's most famous people —
Richard III, Henry VII and Elizabeth I as well as the powerful Earls of
Warwick. The armoury, dungeon, torture chamber, ghost tower, clock tower,
and Guy's Tower create a vivid picture of the castle's turbulent past and
its important role in the history of England, and the private apartments
of the Earl of Warwick's son, who sold the castle to Madame Tussaud's
waxworks company in 1978, display a carefully reconstructed Royal Weekend
House Party of 1898.
We finish the day at Charlecote House, a very ornate Elizabethan
mansion centred in a huge country estate. The original house was built in
1247 and the present one was heavily restored in the 1550s but keeping its
original gatehouse. It was visited by Queen Elizabeth I and is full of
souvenirs of the British Empire. There are rich Victorian interiors from
1820s onwards. Its magnificent grounds were landscaped by Capability
Brown, and the Rivers Avon and Dene flow through the park.
Last of 2 nights near Oxford. Dinner &
Breakfast
Day 16 (Sun 19)
We depart for some time in the attractive little market town of Woodstock,
full of Georgian houses and with royal associations as far back as the
Saxon kings who hunted here, before visiting Blenheim Palace.
We started our tour with Churchill, and we finish with him! — at the
extravagant baroque "Treasure House" of Blenheim Palace,
Britain's largest stately home and birthplace (by accident!) of Sir
Winston Churchill. Queen Anne gave the palace to General John Churchill,
first Duke of Marlborough, for defeating Louis XIV at the battle of
Blenheim in 1704, and it is now the home of the 11th duke. Built by Sir
John Vanbrugh in the early 1700s, this classical-style mansion stands in
2,000 acres of parkland and gardens landscaped by famous landscape
gardener, Capability Brown. The palace, loaded with riches, also contains
an exhibition devoted to Winston Churchill.
After lunch, we finish our tour at the very special stately home of Waddesdon
Manor, a magnificent mansion built for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild
in the style of a French chateau to house his enormous art collections.
The house and gardens have been extensively and lavishly restored.
Overnight: The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nr. Heathrow. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 17 (Mon 20)
Tour ends. This morning we transfer to Heathrow, appropriate Terminals for
the flight home, arriving in North America the same day. If you wish to
stay on in Britain after the tour, you can continue into London from
Heathrow via bus, tube or taxi.
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