Day 1 - You will be met this morning at London Heathrow Airport, but our adventure begins in the West of England with a first stop at Avebury Stone Circle, the largest known stone ring in the world. Older than the more famous Stonehenge, and for many visitors far more spectacular, the multiple rings of Avebury are cloaked with mysteries which archaeologists have only begun to unravel. Then we are off to Marlborough and Lunch at The Polly Tearooms. The High Street in Marlborough is one of the widest in Europe and lined on both sides with characterful old buildings housing an array of high quality shops. The Merchant's House is one of the finest 17th century middle-class homes in England and contains a wealth of period features, paintings and artifacts. We then continue to our accommodation to get checked in before dinner. Welcoming Dinner and Overnight near Bradford-on-Avon. (L,D)
Day 2 - This morning we take the train to Bath to explore all the wonders of this delightful spa town. Nourished by natural hot springs, Bath offers a unique experience with stunning architecture. While here, you will have tickets to visit the Roman Baths, a magnificent temple and bathing complex that still flows with natural hot water. You may also want to visit the Jane Austen Centre. We then take a short train journey back to Bradford-on-Avon for Afternoon Tea at the Bridge Tearooms. After tea you will have some time to wander around this lovely town. Its magical position on the banks of the River Avon gives visitors a wonderful setting for leisure, cultural and tourist activities. Bradford-on-Avon has delightful shops, restaurants, hotels and bed and breakfasts lining the narrow streets of the town centre. The surrounding hillside is covered with Cotswold Stone Houses and Cottages of every shape and size. Dinner on your own this evening. Overnight near Bradford-on-Avon. (B,L)
Day 3 - This morning we make our way further north into the Cotswolds with a stop at Lacock. Often in listings for Britain's loveliest villages, the village dates from the 13th century and has many limewashed half-timbered and stone houses and was used as a location in the TV and film productions of Pride and Prejudice, Moll Flanders and Emma. Our next stop is Tetbury with over 1300 years of recorded history and was an important market town for the Cotswolds wool trade and the town centre is still dominated by the splendid pillared Market House built in 1655. This afternoon we visit Chavenage House where will have lunch before a tour of the house. Originally built in 1383, there have been additions and renovations to the property over the centuries. Since Tudor times, only two families have owned Chavenage. The house has been used for filming on many projects including BBC's 'Lark Rise to Candleford' and 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles'. Dinner and Overnight Cotswolds. (B,L,D)
Day 4 - This morning we visit the lovely market towns of Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh and Bourton-on-the-Water, perhaps the best known of the small Cotswolds towns. Stow is an important shopping centre and has many fine Antique shops, Art galleries and Gifts and Crafts Shops. Moreton has been a traveller's town for at least 1700 years and the high street has many elegant eighteenth-century inns and houses and Bourton-on-the-Water has been described as the 'Little Venice' of the Cotswolds. Next, we spend some time in the beautiful Old Cotswolds Market Town of Chipping Campden. Chipping Campden was the centre for wool trade during the 14th and 15th centuries and has retained its feel of a place stepped back in time and is quite a lovely town to explore. Before exploring, first things first, so we stop in at Badger's Tearoom for Afternoon Tea. Dinner on your own and Overnight Cotswolds. (B,L)
Day 5 - The best part of being in the Cotswolds is the lovely villages and spectacular country drives you find at every
turn. Our first stop is Broadway and Broadway Tower they will be first. Built in 1799, it is a perfect example of an
18th Century Gothic Folly and at 1024 feet above sea level you can see 13 counties! It is always worth a climb to the
top! Next is the wee village of Blockley. There is not a lot here, but it never fails to charm both myself and everyone that
we bring here. Next we visit Winchcombe which has a wonderfully timeless quality about it, Cotswold Stone Cottages enhanced by black and white half-timbered buildings, narrow side streets and charming houses make up the centre of this fabulous town.
Then we make our way to Lower Slaughter for Afternoon Tea before exploring this lovely town with its honey-coloured stone architecture, quaint little cottages and the most romantic street in Britain, Copse Hill Road. Overnight Cotswolds. (B,L,D)
Day 6 - This morning we make our way north toward Chester with a first stop at. Stoneleigh Abbey. Stoneleigh Abbey was founded by the Cistercians in 1154, but very little trace remains of the original Abbey buildings except for the 14th-century Gatehouse. One of the seats of the Leigh family, Stoneleigh Abbey has played house to several people of note, including King Charles I, Queen Victoria, and novelist Jane Austen. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the estate was acquired by Sir Thomas Leigh, Lord Mayor of London in 1558, and a house was built on the site of the monastic buildings. It was the home of the Leigh family from 1561 to 1990. Our guided tour will take us on a journey through the West Wing of the house and gives a real insight into how the house was used and how it looked at its peak. We will have Afternoon Tea in the Vaulted Hall Tea Room before departing. We next stop in Stoke on Trent, the World capitol of potteries. We will get up close and see how our beautiful pottery is made on a factory tour. Our expert guide will take us round and show us all the aspects of the hand-made processes from mould making, slip casting, hand turning, lithographing, hand painting, kiln firing and glazing. We can chat to the skilled workers as we watch and learn about the skills and craftsmanship that go into producing this famous pottery. Dinner and Overnight near Chester. (B,L,D)
Day 8 - Today will be spent in Chester and in particular, the Chester Rows. The Rows are continuous half-timbered galleries, reached by steps, which form a second row of shops above those at street level along Watergate Street, Northgate Street, Eastgate Street and Bridge Street. The Rows are unique in the world and some are the original 13th century buildings, including the Three Old Arches in Bridge Street which have survived the ravages of time and are still magnificent and greatly contribute to the beauty and character of Chester. Afternoon Tea at the Mad Hatter Tearoom before a visit to Chester Cathedral. There has been a church on this site for over 1,000 years. Originally a Saxon Minster, then rebuilt as a Benedictine Abbey, this magnificent building is a national treasure in the heart of the city and has been the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Chester since 1541. From Norman arches to Gothic columns, spectacular fourteenth century woodcarvings, the medieval shrine of St. Werburgh and spectacular stained glass. The Cloisters and Church form one of the most complete monastic complexes in the country. Dinner on your own and Overnight near Chester. (B,L)
Day 9 - This morning we leave Chester behind as we head toward the Peak District. We will stop at the Lewis Carroll Centre at All Saints Church in Daresbury. The author of Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the Looking Glass spent the first 11 years of his life in Daresbury growing up in the Parsonage with has father as the Vicar. After our visit we head to Northwich and Davenport Farm Shop and Tearooms for their special Mad Hatters Tea Party! The tearoom is themed around Alice in Wonderland with murals on the walls, Alice in Wonderland Collectables, Alice Chess Sets and Playing Cards. We then make our way to Congleton to visit Little Moreton Hall, an iconic Tudor Manor House that logically should not still be standing up! Fortunately this timber-framed building, curled around with a scenic moat, has defied logic for over 500 years and remains standing! Then we get settled into our accommodation before dinner. Dinner and Overnight in the Peak District. (B,L,D)
Day 10 - This morning we visit Chatsworth House, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Chatsworth and has been passed down through 16 generations of the Cavendish Family. The house architecture and collection have been evolving for five centuries. The house has over 30 rooms to explore, from the magnificent Painted Hall, regal State Rooms, newly restored Sketch Galleries and beautiful Sculpture Gallery. In the Guest Bedrooms, meet an Edwardian Lady's Maid who will be revealing the secrets of her mistress's suitcase of clothes, or dress up in one of our period costumes. We will have Afternoon Tea at Chatsworth before our way to Bakewell, the only market town in the Peak District National Park. Set in an enviable location on the banks of the Wye, with the river meandering gently through the centre, this beautiful old market town is in the heart of the Peak District, surrounded by stunning countryside views. Famous for its Puddings, Annual events and for receiving royal charter as a market town in 1330. Overnight Peak District. (B,L)
Day 11 - Our first stop this morning is Haworth, situated at the edge of the Pennine Moors in West Yorkshire. Haworth is most famous for the Bronte Sisters who wrote most of their famous works while living at the Haworth Parsonage which is now the Bronte Parsonage Museum, home from 1820-1861 to novelists Charlotte, Emily and Anne. This is a lovely town with many shops to take in and you can wander about getting acquainted with lovely spot in Yorkshire. After wandering up and down the streets of the village enjoying all the wee shoppes, we will stop for Afternoon Tea at Ashmount House before we journey to Sizergh Castle and Gardens. Home of the Strickland family for over 750 years, Sizergh is a romantic fortified mansion that contains some of the finest Elizabethan Carved Overmantels in the country. We then make our way into the beautiful Lake District. Dinner and Overnight Lake District. (B,L,D)
Day 12 - This morning we visit Rydal Mount and Gardens, the famous home of William Wordsworth. With the breathtaking views of the lakes you can understand why he loved to write here. This was Wordsworth's best loved family home for the greater part of his life from 1813 to his death in 1850 at the age of 80. We then take a lovely drive through the district on our way to have Lunch at the Minstrels Tearoom in Hawkshead before we visit Beatrix Potters most beloved home of Hill Top. It is kept exactly as she left and complete with treasured furniture and china. You will feel as if you stepped into her books! Full of her favourite things, the house appears as if Beatrix had just stepped out for a walk. Every room contains a reference to a picture in a 'tale'. The lovely cottage garden is a haphazard mix of flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables. We then return by Ferry across Lake Windermere to have some time to enjoy Ambleside, a lovely village nestled alongside the shore of Lake Windermere. Dinner on your own and Overnight Lake District. (B,L)
Day 13 - This morning before we leave the area behind, we visit Dove Cottage, the home of William Wordsworth from December 1799 to May 1808, the years of his supreme work as a poet. We then make our way to the Yorkshire Dales over the winding roads and hills that make up James Herriot's Yorkshire Dales. Our next stop is Wensleydale Creamery at Hawes in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The creamery incorporates a museum, viewing gallery, specialist cheese shop and fully licensed restaurant. This afternoon we visit Bolton Castle, a spectacular mediaeval fortress, situated in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, on the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Built in 1399, the castle is famous for having been the prison of Mary Queen of Scots for 6 months. We will have. We then make our way toward the spa town of Harrogate through Middleham, Masham and Ripon enjoying the areas that James Herriot so loved. Dinner and Overnight Yorkshire. (B,L,D)
Day 14 - This morning we visit Thirsk, one of the inspirations for James Herriot's Darrowby. We will explore Thirsk for a bit before a stop at Skeldale House at 23 Kirkgate, the actual residence and surgery in James Herriot's Darrowby which now houses The World of James Herriot Museum. The museum encompasses the very essence of the world renowned vet James Herriot. It offers visitors an unforgettable interactive experience of the life and times of a man, who became a national celebrity after the airing of the BBC drama "All Creatures Great and Small". We then make our way to Ripon and one of my very favourite tearooms, Madisons where we enjoy a lovely Luncheon Tea before a visit to Ripon Cathedral. Ripon is a lovely Cathedral City with its 800 year old cathedral built over a 7th century Saxon crypt. The cathedral was founded by St Wilfrid (c. 634-709), who brought craftsmen from the continent to build a new stone church dedicated to St Peter, in 672. The only part of Wilfrid’s church to survive, however, is the ancient Saxon crypt. Dinner and Overnight Yorkshire. (B,L,D)
Day 15 - Today we will take the train into York, a walled city founded by the Ancient Romans. Its huge 13th-Century Gothic Cathedral, York Minster with its medieval stained glass and two functioning bell towers. We will have a tour of the Minster before stopping for Afternoon Tea. We then visit York's Chocolate Story with a tour of the factory. We will learn how a simple cocoa bean is transformed into the finest chocolate and also discover the history of some of York’s most iconic chocolate brands. Then it’s time to master the Secrets of the Chocolatier, as we create hand-made chocolates before seeing how their very own experts do it. Watch the Chocolatiers as they showcase the art of chocolate-making and sample the fruits of their labour, fresh hand-made chocolates. You may then want to take in the City Walls that form a walkway on both sides of the River Ouse. The Monk Bar Gate houses an exhibition tracing the life of 15th-Century Plantagenet King Richard III. You will be able to find some dinner in York and then we make our way back home. Overnight Yorkshire. (B,L)
Day 16 - This morning we visit Harewood House. Harewood sits at the heart of Yorkshire, one of the treasure houses of England, the house was built in the 18th century and has art collections to rival the finest in the land in the setting of Yorkshire’s most beautiful landscape. The house is furnished by master cabinet maker Thomas Chippendale, with interiors by the much celebrated Robert Adam, all the in the setting of 'Capability' Brown's finest landscape. This afternoon we visit the Castle and Gardens of Ripley. In 2009 the Ingilby family celebrated 700 years at Ripley Castle. For any family to occupy the same house for 700 years is truly remarkable. All those letters, deeds and documents that tend to get lost, damaged or thrown away when you move from one house to another have survived, and give a unique record of the family's history, their births, marriages and deaths, their trials and their tribulations, during the course of the last seven centuries. Farewell Dinner and Overnight near Manchester. (B,D)
Day 17 - This morning we are off to the Manchester International Airport.