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Land Package: 17 days (15 nights) $4,245 all-inclusive
(based on max. 20 people) Single Supplement $550
Land Portion: Friday, May 10 to Saturday, May 25. Leaving North America: Thursday, May 9, 2013
You will be required to purchase a 14-day National Trust Tourist Pass at a cost of approx. £28 per person or £50 for 2 people (approx. $45 or $80 at 2012 prices). Detailed instructions on how to do this will be given a few months prior to departure. This is the replacement for the Great British Heritage Pass which has been required for all previous UK tours, but is no longer available. Otherwise, all-inclusive except lunches. A commitment and deposit of $400 is preferable by October 15, 2012 in order to secure the hotels, as all our tours are unique, often staying in small country hotels and resorts.
The South West of England, known as "The West Country", is
especially noted for its mild climate, its spectacular coastline, and
picturesque fishing villages. Many films and TV series (e.g. Doc Martin, Wycliffe)
have taken place in this part of the country, particularly in the
smugglers' haunts of Cornwall. The deserted tin mines and romantic
neolithic standing stones add drama to many novels, and the West Country's
wild Dartmoor, Exmoor, and Bodmin Moor are featured in such novels as "Lorna
Doone", "Black Beauty", "The Shell
Seekers", Daphne duMaurier's "Jamaica Inn", and
E.V. Thompson's "Ben Retallick" series, to name but a
few.
Because of its mild climate, Cornwall is especially noted for its many
and varied gardens, full of exotic plants which grow nowhere else in
Britain. Connoisseurs from all over the world make special trips to see
these glorious gardens, which are at their best in springtime and early
summer. The magnificent Eden Project near St. Austell, is now Europe’s
No.1 top attraction, with The Lost Gardens of Heligan a fast runner-up.
Somerset, Devon and Cornwall are also home to several of England’s
particularly lovely stately homes, and the delightful village of Clovelly
is legendary.
Our 15-day Land Tour gives the most in-depth coverage of any itinerary
available to England’s glorious West Country, and also includes a visit
to beautiful Forde Abbey and Stonehenge. We visit approximately 25
attractions in a leisurely way, with no “optional extras.”
The tour is fully escorted by Margaret Rodgers who has
taught Travel courses for Continuing Education in both Vancouver and
Surrey for several years. Margaret 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)
- All Insurance
- Personal requirements, laundry
- Alcoholic beverages
- Gratuities for driver and escort/guide
Day 1/2 (Thu 09)
Fly from North America overnight to arrive at Heathrow next morning.
Day 2 (Fri 10)
We transfer to our first hotel to relax and recover from the flight, or
perhaps enjoy the swimming pool or sauna.
Overnight. Hilton Hotel, Swindon Dinner, Bed &
Breakfast
Day 3 (Sat 11)
Our first stop is Avebury Megalithic Monuments, one of the most
important of their type in Europe, approx. 200 years older than
Stonehenge. In Avebury Village, with its pretty thatched cottages,
you are free to spend time visiting the Alexander Keiller
Museum & Wiltshire Life Society's display of Wiltshire rural life,
charming little Avebury Church and graveyard with its lovely lych
gate, and Avebury Manor Garden (all included). The house dates from
the 16th century and is surrounded by ruined medieval walls and
fascinating topiary gardens.
After lunch at an Avebury pub we see a Wiltshire white horse
carved in the hillside, then visit Lacock Abbey, founded in 1232.
This was converted into a country house in 1539, and in the mid-1800's
became the home of William Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of photography. The
Abbey also served as one of the interiors of Hogwart's in the Harry
Potter films. See the Fox Talbot Museum and have time to
explore the picturesque village of Lacock. We continue to our lovely hotel
overlooking the Mendip Hills. Sorry, it is not one of the TV series “Midsomer
Murders” villages!
First of 2 nights. Limpley Stoke Hotel, Nr. Bath.
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 4 (Sun 12)
We spend the day in Bath, one of Britain's most attractive
cities, famed for its hot springs and wealth of historical interest. Jane
Austen wrote "Persuasion" and "Northanger
Abbey" here, and Gainsborough became known as a landscape and
portrait painter. A morning tour includes The Circus, three
crescents of 3-storey houses arranged in a tight circle with a carved
frieze running round the entire circle; elegant Royal Crescent, a
stately arc of Georgian houses studded with plaques naming many of Bath's
eminent inhabitants; the Roman Baths and Pump Room. After our
extensive tour, the afternoon is free to explore Bath at
your own pace, to enjoy its lovely pale gold architecture, museums, parks
and shops.
Last of 2 nights in Limpley Stoke. Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 5 (Mon 13)
This morning we visit Cheddar Gorge & Caves and explore the
Cheddar Valley. This huge limestone gorge cuts a jagged gash through the
Mendip Hills, with striking underground caves with awesome stalagmites and
stalactites. This was the home of the famous Cheddar Cheese (although it
is no longer made here). The village is a great place to indulge in a
cream tea for lunch! We continue to Wells where the afternoon is free
for you to visit the unbelievably elaborate Cathedral, the Vicars'
Close full of 14th-century medieval cottages, and the wonderful Bishop's
Palace, residence of the Bishop of Wells and Bath, wherein is the well
which gives the city its name.
Overnight. Swan Hotel, WELLS. Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 6 (Tue 14)
An early departure to drive over Exmoor, Lorna Doone and Black
Beauty country, to visit the picturesque village of Dunster,
one of the best-preserved medieval settlements in Britain, dominated by Dunster
Castle, the fortified home of the Luttrell family, with a castle below
a Norman motte. It has a beautiful staircase and plaster work, terraced
garden and large park. Then a guided walk along the river, past a
picturesque water mill, reveals some of the prettiest thatched cottages in
the country. In the picture-postcard village is a lovely example of an old
Yarn Market outside the hotel where Hercule Poirot stayed!
After lunch in Dunster, we continue to spend some time in the lovely
harbour and picturesque village of Lynmouth, then through
Barnstaple, a centuries-old market town on the estuary of the River Taw,
to Bideford, an attractive little town on the estuary of the River
Torridge, home of the author Charles Kingsley from where he wrote "Westward
Ho."
First of 2 nights in Bossiney House Hotel, Tintagel.
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 7 (Wed 15)
The picturesque village of Clovelly must have featured on more
calendars than anywhere else in Britain. Be sure to wear good walking
shoes to explore its steep cobbled street, past flower-smothered cottages,
down to the tiny harbour.
We stop for lunch en route for Port Isaac, better known to most
as Port Wenn of the "Doc Martin" TV series. After enough time
for photographs, we continue to Tintagel, with its famous Post
Office, a small, medieval 14th-century stone house used as a
letter-receiving office in the 19th century and now restored for the same
use. But perhaps more well-known is the legendary King Arthur's Castle,
a ruined castle perched precariously on a rocky cliff. Re-live the legends
of Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table. We view it from an excellent
vantage point, but only the really fit should attempt the long and
somewhat dangerous walk to visit it.
Last of 2 nights in Tintagel. Dinner,
Bed & Breakfast
Day 8 (Thur 16)
An interesting coffee stop at Jamaica Inn of Daphne du Maurier
fame on desolate Bodmin Moor—yes, it really does exist—before visiting
the gem of Lanhydrock. This magnificent Victorian house has
beautiful gardens overlooking the River Fowey, with a 1651 gatehouse and
116-ft. gallery both in their original state. The house has its own chapel
overlooking some magnificent French-style formal gardens. Within the
house, an unusual treat of particular interest is being able to visit the
kitchens and see how those 'under-the-stairs' lived.
We continue to lovely Falmouth which has one of the finest natural
harbours in the country where you have free time to explore
and shop before checking into our hotel.
First of 5 nights in Falmouth Hotel, Falmouth.
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 9 (Fri 17)
A relaxing morning until 10:30 when we visit Pendennis Castle,
which guards the entrance to the River Fal estuary (known as Carrick
Roads) and played a very strategic role during World War II. It was built
by Henry VIII in the 1540's and improved upon by Elizabeth I. Its sister
fort, St. Mawes Castle, can be seen on the other side of the estuary.
St. Ives, next, is a delightful resort of lovely beaches, an
attractive fishing harbour, and steep, winding streets full of intriguing
shops, pubs and restaurants. The rest of the afternoon is free
for you to explore this lovely resort. Or you may wish to visit the new
branch of the Tate Gallery, or Barbara Hepworth's special museum of modern
architecture. Dinner is on your own tonight in this popular resort—maybe fish & chips!
2nd of 5 nights in Falmouth. Bed & Breakfast
Day 10 (Sat 18)
We take the coastal route south from St. Ives where the countryside is
wild and different from anywhere else in Cornwall. We see evidence of the
old tin mines, written about so well in many novels, and Lanyon Quoit,
a megalithic standing stone a bit like Stonehenge. Then it is on to Sennen
Cove to walk along the cliffs to Land's End for spectacular
views of the coastline (or the coach can drop you off at Land's End!).
After a pub lunch, we have a photo stop at Marazion for the best
view of St. Michael's Mount, a spectacular monastery on a granite
and slate island approached by a causeway in Penzance Bay. It dates from
the 14th century and was originally the site of a Benedictine chapel
established by Edward the Confessor, and is a model of Mont St. Michel in
Brittany, France.
We then visit one of Cornwall's famous gardens, Glendurgan Garden,
set in a beautiful valley running down to the water, full of exotic plants
and water gardens, with lovely views over Cornwall's finger-like eastern
coastline which so attracted smugglers not that long ago!
3rd of 5 nights in Falmouth. Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 11 (Sun 19)
First we visit Bedruthan Steps, strange rock formations on the
beach and one of the most dramatic areas on the Cornish Atlantic coast.
Then on to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan, one of Cornwall's
most famous gardens which was only "rediscovered" in 1991 since
when it has been the largest garden restoration in Britain. It includes a
massive 57 acres of planted garden. 27 acres of 'Jungle' Valley Garden
combined with a wonderful collection a Walled Gardens, Grotto, Italian
Garden, and working Kitchen Garden. We continue to Probus Gardens,
known uniquely amongst Cornish gardens as the Gardeners' Garden, full of
ideas for keen gardeners.
4th of 5 nights in Falmouth. Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 12 (Mon 20)
We visit the world-famous Eden Project. Since it first opened in
2001, it has become not only Britain's most popular tourist attraction but
the No.1 European attraction, and a magnet for people from all over the
world. To describe it in a nutshell is impossible (the Internet has dozens
of pages about it). It's about plants - "the way we treat them and
work with them is the story of the planet." Of the 100,000 plus
plants, representing 5,000 species from many climatic zones, many can grow
in the mild climate of Cornwall. Those that cannot are housed in the two
enormous Biomes of the Eden Project (the world's largest greenhouses).
We also visit the Wheal Martyn China Clay Heritage
Centre, which gives you the complete story of the china clay working,
for which Cornwall is famous, over the last 200 years. An audio visual
show prepares you for the historic trail which takes you to a spectacular
modern working clay pit.
Last of 5 nights in Falmouth. Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 13 (Tue 21)
We start with a picture-postcard fishing village in a ravine (another
kind of Eden!). Polperro is little-changed since its heyday when it
was known for pilchard fishing and smuggling. Free time to
wander and have lunch at a pub here before we continue to Buckland
Abbey, home of Sir Francis Drake for many years. It was originally
founded in 1278 by Cistercian monks, and converted to a comfortable
Elizabethan home after the Dissolution of the Monasteries
We continue to Torquay, the resort justifiably known as the “Queen
of the English Riviera” where there should be some free time to explore
before dinner.
First of 3 nights in The Livermead Cliff Hotel, Torquay. Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 14 (Wed 22)
 DARTMOOR
DAY: We begin our tour of dramatic Dartmoor National Park, 365
square miles of raw granite, bogland and heather-covered moorland with a
number of mysterious large piles of rock (tors) left by the Ice Age,
travelling via Two Bridges and Clapper Bridge to Castle
Drogo, the last real castle to be built in Britain - as late as
1910-1930. This modern granite castle, designed by Sir Edwin Luytyens,
overlooks the River Teign gorge with beautiful views of Dartmoor. If we
have time, we will pay a short visit to the Cardew Teapottery in Bovey
Tracey to see some of the world's most collectable teapots being made,
before returning to Torquay where you have free time to
explore the town and for last-minute shopping.
2nd of 3 nights in Torquay. Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 15 (Thur 23)
A special day's trip to Dartmouth, known as "the Jewel in
South Devon's Crown." Today's tour includes a cruise up the River
Dart from which we have an excellent view of the Royal Naval College
and famous authoress Agatha Christie's Estate, Sir Walter Raleigh's
Boathouse, and Dartmouth and Kingswear Castles guarding the mouth
of the river.
In Dartmouth we walk to Bayards Cove, site of many movies, after
which there is free time for you to explore the rest of this
delightful little town.
We meet on the dock again for the ferry across the river to Kingswear
to catch the little steam train to Paignton from where the bus will
take us to Torquay.
Last of 3 nights in Torquay. Dinner Bed & Breakfast
Day 16 (Fri 24)
Depart 8:30 for Forde Abbey, the most complete 12th-century
Cistercian monastic building to survive as a home in Britain (it's been a
private home since 1649 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries), with 30
acres of award-winning, world famous gardens.
After lunch we continue through the lovely Dorset countryside to Shaftesbury
for a stop to see one of the most-photographed, steepest, streets in
England, before continuing to our last stop at Stonehenge—we
started with one Stone Circle and finish with another.
Overnight. Crown Plaza Hotel, near Heathrow. Dinner,
Bed & Breakfast
Day 17 (Sat 25)
Tour ends. This morning we transfer to Heathrow for the flight home,
arriving in Vancouver 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.
Breakfast
**If you wish to save another air fare and do the West Country Tour back-to-back with the Ireland Tour — which starts in Dublin on Monday, May 27, please contact me regarding the additional two nights between tours — i.e. if you wish to spend them in London, Dublin, or with friends. If you wish to spend the additional two nights in Dublin, Royal Heights is offering a special package between the two tours at a cost of $400 which includes airfare and two nights B&B in Dublin.
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