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Shakespeare Country
Literary Highlights in the Heart of England
4 days/3 nights from London
The region of the Cotswolds and the "The Heart of England" is famed for many things including quaint, thatched roof cottage villages, charming antique and tea shops, ancient market towns, imposing castles and, of course a wondrous literary heritage.
On our short adventure, we’ll find iconic sites such as Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of The Bard, Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Warwick Castle but also off the beaten track places of interest. Discover where George Eliot, Flora Thompson (“Lark Rise & Candleford” trilogy,) George Bernard Shaw and others lived, worked and were inspired. Along the way, we'll certainly find time to wander the scenic countryside and charming market towns.
Come and enjoy a lovely few days in the countryside!
Tour Dates: Your choice! Begin on any day of the week. (Note that some attractions may not be opened daily.)
Available at any date for private groups of 2 – 15 people, subject to availability. 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.
Price: dependent upon how many are in your party; please contact us for a quote. Contact us for availability and rate quote: specialgrouptours@yahoo.com
Please note, this is a suggested itinerary. It may be revised to suit your individual group needs.
What your tour package includes: The private services of your driver/guide for 4 touring days, your accommodation for 3 nights while on the tour including breakfast and dinner daily, all entrance fees to gardens and attractions, transportation, all taxes and tips other than those you may wish to give your guide.
Airport transfers, accommodation pre and post tour, London city tours, London attraction passes and London transport passes are not included but can be added to your package as you wish. Ask us for details.
Why not Link it? This tour ’links up’ with any of the short tours in our “Name the Date” Series such as Literary Kent and Sussex, or Hampshire Gardens to name a few. Heaps of choices! Mix, match and create a holiday break to suit your schedule!
This tour begins and finishes in London. You will be picked up from your London hotel at approximately 09:00.
TENTATIVE ITINERARY
Day 1
We leave London, making our way through the lovely Chiltern Hills. This area of the English countryside is close to London, but still remains relatively undiscovered. We’ll enjoy a stop at the pretty riverside town of Marlow where Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein and where T S Elliot lived for some years.
Our destination 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’s ‘Hogwarts’ to discover too. A walking tour of the city will introduce you to these highlights and to many others.
We’ll also enjoy a visit to Blenheim Palace. This incredible treasure house was given to Winston Churchill's ancestor John, 1st Duke of Marlborough. The superb collection here includes fine paintings, furniture, bronzes, the Marlborough Victories tapestries and gardens designed in part by Capability Brown. It is often forgotten that Churchill won a Nobel Prize for Literature, as if we need an excuse to include this wonderful place on our itinerary!
Time permitting, we can see the prehistoric Rollright Stones en-route to our overnight location for these next few evenings.
ON Cotswolds
Day 2
A full, leisurely day in the wonderful Cotswolds is on our agenda. We'll explore the honey coloured villages which are so much a part of this picturesque countryside, see ancient parish churches unchanged over the centuries and visit market towns as we choose, like Chipping Campden, Broadway and Stow-on-the-Wold. Each is unique and pretty in its own right and there are many opportunities for a stop in a tea shop or wandering the antique shops. With our small vehicle, we'll get where larger coaches can't and avoid the commercialized 'honey-pots,' discovering the best. As ours is a literary theme, we can have a stop in the village of Stanway, former home to Peter Pan author, JM Barrie. A great cricket enthusiast, his team included Arthur Conan Doyle and HG Wells.
The lovely city of Gloucester with its many wonderful literary connections is also possible today. In addition to their historical connections, Gloucester Cathedral and the King's School were used in the Harry Potter films; there are also sites to do with another Potter, Beatrix, plus Humpty Dumpty can claim his origins here. Spoilt for choice!
ON Cotswolds
Day 3
Our day first sees us visiting the Bard’s hometown Stratford-Upon-Avon, where we’ll have ample time to discover the charming town and Shakespeare connections. Our visits can include time in 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. Stratford can be busy but, by staying in the area and arriving early, we should avoid most of the crowds of ‘London day-trippers!
Just north are George Eliot’s "Milby" and "Middlemarch," where the author grew up and spent most of her days. If we’ve fans aboard, we can spend some time exploring places of inspiration for her novels in this area.
Warwick Castle is another well visited attraction, with good reason! It origins go back 1100 years, the first structure being built by order of Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great. Over the years, there are countless connections to historical figures including Richard III. Literary connections include Tolkien (who was married in Warwick town) and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
ON Cotwolds
Day 4
We have some time this morning to linger a bit in the Cotwolds villages. We’ll meander our way to the real hamlet of “Lark Rise” & nearby village of “Candleford” where the author Flora Thompson grew up and set her charming stories about rural life in the late 19th Century. There is a small museum in Buckingham dedicated to her life and works.
‘Shaw’s Corner’ in Hertfordshire’s Ayot St Lawrence will be our next attraction. This is an Edwardian Arts & Crafts influenced house, home to George Bernard Shaw for over 40 years. See the great dramatist's revolving writing hut featuring many literary and personal effects, including his Oscar and Nobel Prize.
Back to London, where we’ll arrive late afternoon. This evening is free so you have the option to attend the theatre.
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