|
Literary England, ‘The Classic’ Route
London, Oxford, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Bath, Stonehenge, Canterbury, Dover
This is a sample itinerary for private groups, outlining possibilities within a certain time frame with school groups in mind - but of course is available for all guests! We welcome parties of just 2 guests and up and will create an itinerary to best suit YOU.
It is possible to do this entire itinerary as day trips from London, with restrictions to the main sites. We recommend staying out in the countryside (as listed below) to get more in depth touring opportunities. Eliminating driving time back and forth to London will open up valuable touring time, allowing you to explore other literary highlights en-route including Dickens’ Rochester, Jane Austen’s Chawton, Lacock village and the historic city of Gloucester.
This is just a suggested itinerary and your itinerary will be customized to best suit your individual group based on age, interests, available time frame and course study. Please discuss your wishes with us!
DAY 1 LONDON
You can be met at one of London’s airports and embark on a panoramic orientation tour of the city’s icons. Learn about Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, the Globe Theatre and more. The rest of the day is free to recover from your international journey and explore at your leisure.
NIGHTSTOP: London
DAY 2 LITERARY LONDON
Your day can focus on the rich literary heritage of the Capital. Go past some writer's homes, locations used as famed settings such as Bankside, Brick Lane, and the 'Olde Curiosity Shoppe.' There are former author homes now opened as museums for Dickens, Carlyle, Dr Johnson and Keats. There’s the Cheyne Walk area of Chelsea, the residence of choice for George Eliot, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Carlyle and others, the Bloomsbury of Virginia Woolf and friends, Keats’ Highgate North London neighborhood, Dr Johnson’s Fleet Street, Borough of Chaucer and later Dickens, the Bankside neighborhood of Shakespeare, now current home to the new Globe Theatre... Please discuss options with us - we can create a great day out in Literary London but you’ll need to choose, there’s too much to fit in just one day!
We recommend taking advantage of the world famous London theatre during your stay, there’s the famed West End, Shakespeare’s Globe several ‘off West End’ gems too.
Several theatres offer literary/theatre workshops for groups, a wonderful opportunity to get a ‘behind the scenes’ peek at the inner workings of Shakespeare’s Globe, The National, Drury Lane and/or The Theatre Museum. Workshops cater to all ages and level of study, subjects can include anything from in depth text studies to historical overviews, costume design, acting/movement, and sword play.
NIGHTSTOP: London
DAY 3 LONDON
Another day to explore the general and literary sites in London. In addition to the neighborhood explorations and theatre workshop options, we recommend The British Museum Library to see their manuscript exhibit. Texts preserved here include Beowulf, Sir Gawain, Magna Carta, works by Austen, Bronte and Johnson. The London Museum and Museum of Costume are other fine choices. Another day spoilt for choice!
NIGHTSTOP: London
DAY 4 KENT
We depart London via the old coaching route, tracing the path of Chaucer’s Pilgrims. This was an area of London also well known to Shakespeare and Dickens. Our first stop is Charles Dickens’ Rochester. This gem of a city, with its cathedral and Norman castle, overflows with Dickens's sites, such as plaques on the places mentioned in his books, ‘Mrs Haversham's house’ and Dickens himself lived here.
Later, Dover Castle, where we’ll find a wealth of history from the mediaeval times of Henry V through to modern times with the WWII secret wartime tunnels.
By staying overnight, we can spend ample time in Chaucer’s mediaeval city of Canterbury. We can meander the charming high street and of course pay our respects inside of the Cathedral.
NIGHTSTOP: Canterbury
DAY 5 HAMPSHIRE
We’ll take a scenic cross country route to ‘Jane Austen Country,’ with her home at Chawton being our main destination. It was in this quaint village that she completed most of her novels and once inside the cottage, now a museum dedicated to her life and works, we are in her world.
Our overnight stop of Winchester is a place well known to several authors, this is Thomas Hardy’s ‘Wintoncester’ and the final resting place for Jane Austen in Winchester Cathedral. A walking tour of this original Saxon capital of England will introduce you to the general sights, including ‘King Arthur's Round Table.’
NIGHTSTOP: Winchester
DAY 6 SALISBURY, STONEHENGE, BATH
During our day, we’ll visit in iconic Salisbury. Here we can pay our respects inside the stunning gothic cathedral and see one of the greatest pieces of writing, the Magna Carta.
Another stop will be the setting for a famous scene from Hardy’s ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles,’ the great prehistoric temple of Stonehenge.
This afternoon, we will make our way to Bath, the city of Georgian splendor and Roman antiquity. Upon arrival, your guide will be on hand for an orientation walking tour of Jane Austen’s city. This place was enjoyed by the social set of the 18th and 19th centuries, a setting for Jane Austen amongst many other writers. Austen fans should recognize several streets and squares from her novels such as ‘Northanger Abbey’ and ‘Persuasion’ and we can see places where the author lived. During your visit to Bath, we highly recommend time in the famed Roman Baths and Pump Rooms and the the Jane Austen Centre.
NIGHTSTOP: Bath
DAY 7 LACOCK, GLOUCESTER, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
Our first destination today can be the medieval village of Lacock, which has hardly changed in the past 200 years. With its magnificent abbey, half timbered cottages and greystone houses, it provides a perfect setting. This lovely place, where TV ariels, telephone wires and advertising are banned, has been used as a film set for many popular films such as the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle production of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, the BBC series of ‘Cranford’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.’
The lovely, historic city of Gloucester has many wonderful literary connections. Gloucester Cathedral and the King's School have enjoyed a recent surge in popularity since each were used as locations for ‘Hogwarts’ in ‘Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone.’ Gloucester also features as a setting for Beatrix Potter and ‘Humpty Dumpty’ can claim his origins here.
Stratford-Upon-Avon is a charming town besides its famous Shakespeare connections. You’re spoilt for choice here - visit the local church, burial place for the Bard, his mother Mary Arden’s home with its bird of prey centre as well as the well known iconic sites such as his Birthplace.
By staying overnight here, we have the opportunity to attend the theatre at the RSC if you wish. Performances are very popular, tickets subject to availability and performance schedules, pre-booking is highly recommended. SGT can assist with tickets. The RSC celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2011, opening a renovated theatre space, restaurant and viewing tower offering stunning views over Stratford’s landscape. Surely worth a visit even if not attending a performance!
NIGHTSTOP: Stratford-Upon-Avon
DAY 8 OXFORD
We have time this morning to linger in Stratford if you wish. Later, we’ll continue our way south. If there’s an interest, we can route via one or two of the quaint, thatch-roofed Cotswolds villages known in this region.
Our main destination for today is the 'city of the dreaming spires' Oxford. This is the jewel in the literary crown. The Dean of Mathematics at Christchurch College was one Charles Dodgson, better known as ‘Lewis Carroll’ and one finds 'Alice' everywhere here. See the ancient pub in the town centre where the Inklings (CS Lewis, Tolkien…) met to talk and drink. And, of course, contemporary literature is represented by Colin Dexter’s detective 'Morse' and there is Harry’s ‘Hogwarts’ to discover too. A walking tour of the city will introduce you to these highlights and to many others.
NIGHTSTOP: Oxford (if afternoon flight from Heathrow tomorrow) or London
DAY 9 HOMEWARD BOUND
Fly home from London.
|
