The City of Bath and Stonehenge
We will have a day out to remember. The original roman city of Aquae Sulis was built nearly two thousand years ago, and much of the original bathing complex is preserved. Three hundred years ago the city was transformed into a luxurious Georgian town and today is a UNESCO world heritage site. You will see the circus which is some of the finest architecture in the nation as is the crescent of stunning baroque houses. Those two masterpieces have a hidden connection to Stonehenge. The famous Pulteney bridge and magnificent 15c Abbey. You can taste the delicious local ice cream. A glorious countryside drive to Stonehenge awaits, and why build it there? And how did they build it? How did the people live, their houses, food and why was it abandoned? All will be revealed, as you visit the mysterious sarsen stones.
Stratford upon Avon and Warwick Castle
Warwick castle is one of the best preserved castles in the nation and it contains a great collection of paintings and armour. Brilliantly constructed battlements and a dungeon to hold the unloved! And we enter the chamber! A magnificent view awaits you at the top of the building. I will clear away a few myths, there was no water in the moat and the arrow slits were not for arrows. You will see the A short drive follows to see the house where William Shakespeare met Anne Hathaway, his wife. He was 18 when he married, a shotgun wedding! Then we move on to the house he grew up in and why the beds were so short! I will explain why the signatures on the marriage certificate were spelt wrong, his lucky break into acting and writing. His words we still use, sleep tight, potluck, upper crust, and his eventual return to Stratford and finally his burial place, where you will hear the last strange fact of an incredible life.
The Real Cotswolds and Oxford
A tour to one of the most beautiful parts of England. The village of Bibury on the Coln river, its marvellous stone bridges, and fine row of 15 century cottages. We will take a magnificent drive off the tourist trail to Winston, Coln St. Dennis, Northleach. Then through the back roads to Lower Slaughter. Here we have a little walk to see the village and learn why towns have ton or ham at the end of their names. You will see an old water wheel in one of the most stunning villages in the Cotswolds. Lunch can be taken at a cosy country pub. Then on to Oxford and visit a college, possibly Christ Church. Here much of Harry Potter was filmed including scenes in the famous dining room. You can stand where Professor Mc Gonagall said, “Welcome to Hogwarts children.” You will learn what a Junior member is, about the “House,” a gaudy and being sent down. There will be a lovely walk around the town before we set off back to London..
Hampton Court and Windsor Castle
This is a great visit to Henry the V111’s palace which originally belonged to his right hand man, Cardinal Woolsey. Marvel at the splendour of this grand medieval and renaissance palace. We will enter the grand dining room and see magnificent tapestries, hear what the King and his court ate and drank as well as seeing the wine cellar, kitchen, and the royal chapel. Grand royal bedrooms, magnificent gardens, and the largest grape vine in the world. Then we have a short drive to Windsor Castle. Here is an official royal residence, his majesty is often in residence. This castle has a marvellous collection of art commissioned by various monarchs over the ages with an especially important chapel built for the knights of the Garter, the longest running military order of chivalry in the world.