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Special Group Tours

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kate@specialgrouptours.com

IN SEARCH OF...ROMAN BRITAIN

They Came, They Saw, They Conquered…

11 day tour inc. arrival/departure days  

The Romans set about conquering Britain following their second time arrival in AD54, and then ruled the country for nearly 400 years. It wasn't an easy task (in fact the Celtic queen, Boudicea, inflicted the heaviest defeat on Imperial Rome in her history) and it required the building of many military forts, fortifications and roads.

Over time, however, the unruly tribes were settled (at least as far as today's Scotland) and the Romano-British set about civilising the country. Highly decorated villas, resplendent with mosaics, ornate gardens and fine statuary, extensive towns, bathhouses, amphitheaters and temples all appeared. 

Inevitably, there were also tombs and all the other essential paraphernalia of life and death. They even left us with their language!

Despite the intervening 1600 years (and Saxon, Viking, Norman, Mediaeval settlements often built from the stones of the earlier Roman buildings) there's still plenty of physical evidence of their occupation to discover.

This is a splendid tour for those who'd enjoy seeing some of the prettiest parts of the UK but with an emphasis on discovering more about our Roman legacy. While we concentrate on the historical, visiting archeological sites, ancient Roman towns and relevant museums, we don't do so at the total expense of seeing other aspects of our country. Partners who might not be quite as keen on the main theme will therefore find plenty of other distractions.

Available at any date for private groups of 2 – 15 people. Price available upon application.

Rates are based upon vehicle and guide hire per day; groups of 7 - 15 would have a per person rate same/similar to one of our scheduled tours of the same length.

Please note, this is a suggested itinerary. It may be revised to suit your individual group needs.

If you do not have a group of traveling companions and are still interested in this custom tour itinerary, you are welcomed to join a waitlist…

We record who is looking for travel companions to make up a tour with them. We need between 6 and 8 persons minimum to operate a tour without it being uneconomic for us or too expensive for you. Back-Roads Touring Co Ltd will be happy to run the occasional special departure IF there is sufficient interest.

If you would like to check on or join a waitlist for this itinerary, please email us for full information: kate@specialgrouptours.com

TENTATIVE ITINERARY

Day One

You arrive at London’s Heathrow airport to be met by your Back-Roads Touring Co. Guide. This afternoon (we’re assuming that everyone has arrived by mid-day) we’ll take advantage of the light Sunday London traffic and enjoy a brief overview of Roman Londinium. Our tour takes us into the heart of the financial district and into the ‘square mile’.

NIGHTSTOP London

Day Two

Leaving London, we drive south-west. Our first stop will be at Reading Museum where we’ll see finds from nearby Silchester. Next to Silchester itself, the ancient capital of the Celtic Antrebates tribe. Here hexagonal walls enclose 107 acres, and excavations in the 1930 produced the most complete Roman town plan known in Britain.

Continuing south, we come to a pretty southern town built on the site of the first of the II Legion, Chichester. The main attraction here, however, is the palace of Fishbourne. This superb site, only found in 1960, has mosaics and a large formal garden, unique north of the Alps.

NIGHTSTOP Winchester

Day Three

Turning west, our first port of call is at Winchester. This was the ancient capital of the Saxons and the Roman point of interest here is largely the street layout. It’s a lovely city where you’ll also enjoy visiting the cathedral and mediaeval hall.

Then on to Sarum. The Romans placed a staging fort in this Iron Age hill fort. Its commanding position made it popular for reuse by the Norman’s and later mediaeval builders of Salisbury’s first cathedral. It’s an impressive site.

Our final visit on this well-filled day is Bath where we concentrate on the famed Roman pump room and bathhouse. This was a major ‘R and R’ point for the legions.

NIGHTSTOP Chepstow

Day Four

In the Wales/England border counties of Gwent and Gloucester, we find a concentration of well preserved Roman sites including an amphitheatre at Caerleon (Isca) the legionary fortress of II Augusta, Caerwent, with its almost complete circuit of walls, Cirencester, the second largest town outside of London, and the superb villas at Chedworth and great Whitcombe in the region better known as the Cotswolds.

NIGHTSTOP Chepstow

Day Five

Dominating eastern mid Wales are the mountains called the Brecon Beacons. Here we’ll visit a well-reserved cavalry fort with remaining gates and standing walls of over 10’.

Next, to another fine remains, Wroxeter. It’s one of the few examples of a Roman town that have not been built over and it, too, has some excellent high standing walls. Displayed in nearby Shrewsbury Museum are finds from the site. What makes Wroxeter even more interesting are the continuing discoveries still being made in the region and one school of thought places Arthur’s Camelot here.

NIGHTSTOP Chester

Day Six

Chester (Diva), home of originally of the Legio II Augusta then later the XX Valeria Victrix, boasts the remains of an amphitheatre, part of a quay (it sits on a navigable river) and magnificent Grosvenor Museum. There’s also part of a hypocaust lying beneath a modern-day shop that it is sometimes possible to visit.

We continue north some 25 miles or so, discovering in the middle of the extremely pretty county of Lancashire the little visited Ribchester. Though the site remains to be completely excavated, it has already produced some memorable finds including the famed Ribchester helmet, which we’ll see later on our tour in the British Museum.

NIGHTSTOP England/Scotland borders

Day Seven

The focus of today’s attention will be the mighty Hadrian’s Wall which marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire. Undoubtedly, the most important of all remaining Roman legacies, this 73 miles of winding wall was built in the 2nd century to keep out marauding Picts and Scots.

We’ll visit first along the wall, walk one of the best preserved and most dramatic sections and tour several museums based actually at the wall to see some of the incredible finds that are still being turned up almost daily. If there is a dig current, we’ll take the advantage of visiting it.

We’ll be visiting the Northumbrian market town of Hexham where the mediaeval abbey houses some fascinating tombstones and one of the highlights of the tour, the new Roman museum at Segedunum, Wallsend, near Newcastle.

NIGHTSTOP England/Scotland borders

Day Eight

York was the legionary fortress of the IX and later VI. It was also the military capital of Britannia Inferior.

There is much to see amidst the remnants of later middle ages and mediaeval building work in this splendid city. We’ll find, for example, a remarkable expanse of painted plaster that has survived nearly 2000 years. In addition to this there are also long runs of city walls complete with towers, a bath house, and a museum that houses many city finds including tomb inscriptions, household implements, and a bust of Constantine the Great who was proclaimed Emperor here in 306 on the death of his father, Constantine the First.

York is a fantastic city with much to see in addition to the Roman artefacts and remains.

NIGHTSTOP York

Day Nine

We travel south to London, first following Dere Street and then Ermine Street. Our route takes us through Leicester, a large town in the English midlands, now known for its shoe industry and football team but originally the capital of the Celtic Coritani tribe. The focus of our visit here will be some fine mosaics preserved in situ under the Old Central Station, and the Jewery Wall.

Our final stop before reaching Londinium is Verulamium, now known as St Albans and the third largest city in Roman Britain. The abbey here was built using Roman stone and tiles. The museum here is a model of its kind and a fitting visit for us. There’s also the only theatre in Britain that can be visited.

We follow the Fosse way into the capital.

NIGHTSTOP London

Day Ten

Our day in London will be spent visiting those sites still able to be seen including the Walls and temple of Mithras. We’ll also visit both the British Museum and Museum of London to see important collections and special displays. A highlight of our tour, and an excellent climax, will be to visit one of the on-going digs in the city where we’ll hear from city archaeologists how the Roman city is being steadily uncovered, interpreted and preserved. New Roman remains and exciting finds are almost being discovered almost monthly (in 1999 a rich and undisturbed tomb to a Roman Princess was discovered) and perhaps we’ll be on-hand to witness a major find! It will provide a memorable last day.

Tonight we'll dine besides the River Thames, close by to the exact point where Julius Ceasar's legions crossed the river at the time of conquest.

NIGHTSTOP London

Day Eleven  

'O me miserum' - it’s time to depart!   You’ll be transported to the airport for flights home. 

Itinerary note: please note, the order of attractions visited may change depending on opening times and seasons.

This tour is operated by Back-Roads Touring Co Ltd