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POPULAR DESTINATIONS
Although my guiding is geared to taking you wherever you want to go, the more
popular sites include (click a site to jump to the section on this page):
London, Westminister Abbey,
Hampton Court Palace,
Windsor Castle, Stonehenge,
Salisbury Cathedral, Bath,
Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon,
Cotswolds, Canterbury,
Dover Castle, Oxford,
Blenheim Palace, Hever Castle,
Chartwell, and Highclere Castle.
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LONDON
Since 2017, I have been offering tours on foot in London. These can either
be my standard walking tour in the City of Westminster, with visits inside
Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London or maybe the Churchill War Rooms
and St Paul’s Cathedral. The journey from Westminster to the Tower of London
would be by Tube. Feedback on these foot tours has been very positive, with
many clients glad that they have had the chance to be escorted on the Tube.
This is a standard walk, happy to tailor the tour to your particular requirements:
 | Westminster Walk passing the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Downing
Street, Trafalgar Square, St James’s Palace, Buckingham Palace, St James’s
Park and much more. Sometimes it’s fun to watch the New Guard
march to Buckingham Palace. |
| A tour inside the beautiful Westminster Abbey, our 900 year old
coronation church. The Abbey is an ancient royal burial site,
but also has memorials to other interesting people and events.
Followed by lunch in a 500 year old pub. |
| Travel by Tube from Westminster to see the nearly 1,000 year old
Tower of London with its gruesome tales of execution and torture and
the highlight of the Crown Jewels. |
Alternatively, I am still happy to provide a driver/guide tour.
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HAMPTON COURT PALACE & WINDSOR
CASTLE
Hampton Court Palace, built over 500 years ago and a favourite of Henry
VIII. Beautiful Tudor and Baroque architecture, perhaps sense the
ghost of Katherine Howard, 5th wife of Henry VIII. Ancient
gardens and maze. |
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Windsor Castle is one of the largest and longest continuously lived
in castles in the world. Visit the magnificent State apartments and the
beautiful St George’s Chapel, burial place of many sovereigns. “Her
Majesty the Queen’s favourite weekend cottage”. Hampton Court Palace and
Windsor Castle may be toured separately in a “long half day” of 5 hours.
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STONEHENGE (alone or with Windsor Castle
or Salisbury Cathedral)
The atmospheric 5,000-year-old World Heritage Site, an extraordinary feat
of engineering, now with an on-site Visitor Centre. Stonehenge can
either be a single venue or works well with Windsor Castle or Salisbury
Cathedral. |
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13th century Salisbury Cathedral is not far from Stonehenge,
has the tallest spire in England and is the home of one of the original
1215 Magna Carta documents. |
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BATH
Bath in the West Country is an 18th century spa town, with Roman
Baths remains. The 15th century Abbey stands on the site
of the original Saxon Church, where the first King of all England, Edgar,
was crowned in 973. The Georgian splendour of the Assembly Rooms,
The Royal Crescent, The Circus as written about by Jane Austen and much
more. My recommendation is that we travel by train, a 90 minute trip each
way as opposed to 180 minutes by car. My clients have been pleasantly surprised
how comfortable this is, and cost effective if tickets are booked in advance
and gives you more time in Bath. |
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WARWICK CASTLE &/or STRATFORD-upon-AVON
& THE COTSWOLDS
11th century Warwick Castle, home of the King Maker (Earl of
Warwick) during the 15th century Wars of the Roses, with displays,
including State Rooms, Towers and Ramparts. The Horrible Histories Maze,
Dungeon, Royal Weekend Party tableaux and the Gardens. Warwick Castle is
strongly geared towards the entertainment for children. |
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Stratford is William Shakespeare’s birthplace. Visit the Birthplace
Visitors’ Centre, walk around the house where Shakespeare was born, grew
up and owned in later life. There are a number of properties belonging to
the Birthplace Trust which all have connections with Shakespeare. One can
even visit where Shakespeare went to school. Holy Trinity Church is where
Shakespeare is buried. As one visits the various properties, the walk around
the town is very pleasant with hanging baskets of flowers everywhere (in
the summer). On the way back, we will drive through some picturesque Cotswold
villages. |
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COTSWOLDS
A day out to the Cotswolds, is a joy in itself with picturesque villages
in honey-coloured Cotswold stone, lunch in a nearby 300 year old coaching
inn, finishing with the ancient market town of Stow-on-the-Wold for antique/gift/boutique
shopping. |
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CANTERBURY and DOVER CASTLE
Canterbury is the cradle of Christianity in England. Geoffrey Chaucer’s
Canterbury Tales were told by pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St
Thomas Becket, murdered in 1170 in the Cathedral. Canterbury Cathedral is
a Norman (11th century) on the site of much earlier churches.
Dover Castle’s 12th century keep is one of the largest in England,
surrounded by a double ring of concentric walls. The castle grounds are
riddled with tunnels, from medieval to those dug during the Napoleonic wars
in the late 18th century. Secret tunnels were added during World
War II, only opened to the public in 2000.
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OXFORD & BLENHEIM PALACE
Oxford is England’s oldest university (12th century). Visit colleges
such as Christchurch and its chapel (Oxford Cathedral, the smallest cathedral
in the country). Other university buildings include Sir Christopher Wren’s
Sheldonian Theatre, the famous Bodlean Library, the Clarendon Building and
the ancient 15th century Divinity School.Blenheim Palace,
built by Sir John Vanbrugh, gardens by “Capability” Brown, for the first
Duke of Marlborough (John Churchill) and paid for by Queen Anne, as a reward
for his decisive victory over the French at the Battle of Blenheim (1704).
It was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill with a small museum dedicated
to him.
Oxford is England’s oldest university (12th century). Visit
colleges such as Christchurch and its chapel (Oxford Cathedral, the smallest
cathedral in the country). Other university buildings include Sir Christopher
Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre, the famous Bodlean Library, the Clarendon Building
and the ancient 15th century Divinity School.
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LESS WELL-KNOWN DESTINATIONS
There are so many interesting and famous locations that I could not possibly include
them all in this brochure. Some of these do however close for the winter, but I
can advise you about these at the planning stage.
| HEVER CASTLE - Home of Anne Boleyn,
the executed second wife of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves, the divorced
fourth wife of Henry VIII! Later it became the country seat of the Astor
family. The world famous gardens (including the Italianate garden) are a
pleasure to walk around. |
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| CHARTWELL - The Country home of Sir
Winston Churchill, the famous statesman and inspirational World War II leader.
Set in the beautiful Kent countryside |
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| HIGHCLERE CASTLE ("Downtown Abbey")
- Ancestral Home of the Earls of Carnarvon. This Victorian “castle”
is a beautiful building in its own right, but is also the filming location
of the popular TV drama, Downton Abbey. |
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