Quilts, Textiles and Antiques Tours

While visiting some of England’s most attractive CLASSIC cities, towns and villages, you’ll be taken to a variety of places on our quilts, textiles, tapestries and antiques theme. We’ll see some of England’s iconic sites plus a selection of specialty shops, stately homes, traditional working mills and fine china outlets. This tour features beautiful English countryside, charming market towns and thatch roofed villages. CLASSIC scenery, CLASSIC tradition, CLASSIC history…join us for a real CLASSIC tour!

The ‘green and pleasant land’ of Wales is quite a source of inspiration for many art forms, from the poetry of Dylan Thomas, to the talented singers in the male voice choirs to the local crafts people of woodwork and textiles. Quilting has been a part of the Welsh culture since at least the 18thCentury. In recent years, interest has been rekindled by local women and we will have the opportunity to meet some of these remarkable ladies. No Welsh Quilts tour would be complete without time in the Jen Jones Centre or visiting with members of the Welsh Quilts Guild.

While visiting a variety of attractions on our quilting theme, we’ll enjoy some of the highlights of this magical country, the scenic countryside of Pembroke National Park and the Gower Coast, Dylan Thomas’ Laugharne, ancient Pentre Ifan and the charming towns of St David’s and Hay-on-Wye. Our grand finale is a full day at the Autumn Quilts UK Show in Malvern, certain to be a treat for quilt lovers!

What makes us different? SGT strives to get you off the beaten track so you can have an authentic experience, the opportunity to mingle with the locals. We do not like 'whistle stops' and it is our goal to have guests off of the vehicle exploring as much as possible.

Your SMALL GROUP day trip accommodates from a minimum of 2 guests to a max of just 16 guests per departure. Travel in (dependant on participant numbers) a standard car, MPV/SUV or mini-coach.

SGT London Day Trips

London Escapes with a Difference! Small Group Touring. Special Themes: Gardens, Literary Heritage, Downton Abbey, Antiques, Tudors, Britain at War...

PRIVATE HIRE DAYS OUT FROM LONDON, ESCORTED BY YOUR PERSONAL DRIVER/GUIDE

SGT DAY TRIPS

Shakespeare Country: Stratford-Upon-Avon & Downton Abbey Cotswolds Villages

Jane Austen’s Hampshire: Chawton & Winchester

Jane Austen’s Bath & Lacock

Cambridge & Duxford Aviation Imperial War Museum

Tudor Day Out - Hampton Court & Hever Castle

Garden of England Sampler: Sissinghurst & Great Dixter (April – September only)

Heroes of WWII: Royal Air Force & Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

Royal Gardens/Winter Hothouse Gardens: Kew & RHS Wisley

London Antiques Markets & Shakespeare's Globe London

Spiritual London: Multi Faith City

Dickens' Kent: Rochester and Chatham Historic Dockyards

This tour is written for joining special tour leaders/guides, subject to availability. Tour Leaders Richard Mulholland, descendant of the Austen family, and Dr Sophia Hillan, author of "May, Lou & Cass, Jane Austen's Nieces in Ireland," on this special adventure into the cultural landscapes of Donegal and Northern Ireland.

Fans of Jane Austen might not immediately think of Ireland as a destination associated with her life or novels but all the elements are here, waiting for you to discover. Using the real life paths of three of Jane Austen’s beloved nieces, delve into the fascinating history of this area. 'Meet' three of Edward Austen Knight’s children, Marianne (May,) Cassandra (Cass) and Louisa (Lou.) See family homes, places connected to their husbands and children; explore lace, linen, knitting and tweed crafts, visit stately homes, a national park, lovely coastal villages, romantic country estates with sumptuous interiors, meander breathtaking countryside, local parish churches, picturesque harbours; see Belfast and iconic Giant's Causeway. Uncover what life was like in early 19th Century, both ‘upstairs and downstairs.’

As a special treat, again subject to availability, your tour can include a private "Regency style" luncheon at Ballyscullion Park hosted by driver/guide Richard, Jane Austen's seven times grand-nephew, and his wife Rosalind.

MORE ABOUT YOUR TOUR LEADER: “Belfast writer and academic Dr Sophia Hillan, formerly associate director of the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen’s University, has researched the life and times of May, Lou and Cass, their relationship with their famous aunt, how they came to reside in Donegal and, most interestingly, the way their lives came to uncannily resonate with the plots & themes of Austen’s fiction…” Read Joanne Savage’s full article here: http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article.aspx?art_id=4532

"This is a book that keeps on giving and one which I feel Jane Austen herself would have dearly loved to read." Maggie Lane, Jane Austen Society Newsletter (Oct 2012)

"May Lou and Cass, what a marvellous book. It's a wonderful addition to Jane Austen studies. I knew nothing of any of this and I am really grateful for being enlightened." - Patricia Craig

 "An intriguing story, invitingly told." - Hermione Lee

 Austen Only Book Review: http://austenonly.com/category/lou-and-cassjane-austens-nieces-in-ireland/

BUY YOUR COPY of “May, Lou & Cass” here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/may-lou-and-cass-sophia-hillan/1110785369?ean=9780856408687

What makes us different? SGT strives to get you off the beaten track so you can have an authentic experience, the opportunity to mingle with the locals. We do not like 'whistle stops' and it is our goal to have guests off of the vehicle exploring as much as possible.

Your SMALL GROUP day trip accommodates from a minimum of 2 guests to a max of just 16 guests per departure. Travel in (dependant on participant numbers) a standard car, MPV/SUV or mini-coach.

SGT London Day Trips

London Escapes with a Difference! Small Group Touring. Special Themes: Gardens, Literary Heritage, Downton Abbey, Antiques, Tudors, Britain at War...

PRIVATE HIRE DAYS OUT FROM LONDON, ESCORTED BY YOUR PERSONAL DRIVER/GUIDE

SGT DAY TRIPS

Shakespeare Country: Stratford-Upon-Avon & Downton Abbey Cotswolds Villages

Jane Austen’s Hampshire: Chawton & Winchester

Jane Austen’s Bath & Lacock

Cambridge & Duxford Aviation Imperial War Museum

Tudor Day Out - Hampton Court & Hever Castle

 Garden of England Sampler: Sissinghurst & Great Dixter (April – September only)

Heroes of WWII: Royal Air Force & Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

Royal Gardens/Winter Hothouse Gardens: Kew & RHS Wisley

London Antiques Markets & Shakespeare's Globe London

Spiritual London: Multi Faith City

Dickens' Kent: Rochester and Chatham Historic Dockyards

Our explorations follow the haunts of William Shakespeare in and around his home town of Stratford-Upon-Avon and London. This is a theatre tour, a literary heritage adventure, a garden sampler and a general interest focus on London and the Midlands. The tour will feature quaint villages, beautiful stately homes, a castle and gardens throughout the Heart of England and around the capital, all stunningly beautiful in their own right and many of which have Tudor connections, some which would have been known to the Bard. Go backstage to 3 of the UK's top theatres, experience a theatre workshop and have opportunity to attend a variety of performances.