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Introduction

Time: 9 Nights / 10 Days

Accommodation: First Class Accommodation

Start Date: Any Day

Group Size: Singles, Couples, Families and School Groups

Britain boasts many of the great authors and writers. This tour incorporates the famous authors of each region, from Jane Austen in the south to the Brontes in the north and writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns in Scotland. The tour also includes important historical attractions en route.

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This tour begins in London and travels northwards to Scotland, visiting sites associated with authors such as Dickens, Conan Doyle, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Elizabeth Gaskell, The Brontes, Beatrix Potter, James Herriott and Robert Burns, to name but a few. As with all our tours, the itinerary can be adapted to take account of your interests and authors of your choice.

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Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer - Introduction to London

Having collected you from your airport, we take you on a sightseeing tour of some of LONDON’S most famous landmarks. According to your wishes, we could see sites such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Thames, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and The City. You may wish to visit one of the museums such as The British Museum, The National Gallery, The British Library or the Victoria & Albert museum.

Day 2: Dickens - British Library - Westminster

The CHARLES DICKENS MUSEUM was his home from 1837.The Museum holds an important collection of paintings, rare editions, manuscripts and furniture relating Dickens. Here he completed The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist. SHERLOCK HOLMES lived at 221b Baker Street and here is the museum which has been kept as it was in Victorian times. At Paddington Station there is astatue of Paddington Bear before visiting THE BRITISH LIBRARY with its many original manuscripts. Finally, WESTMINSTER ABBEY, the scene of coronations since William I and burial place of many writers and poets.

Day 3: Windsor Castle - Henley - Roald Dahl

WINDSOR CASTLE is probably the most magnificent of the Queen’s palaces and is the largest inhabited castle in the world. The state rooms contain many treasures and St. George’s Chapel contains the tomb of Henry VIII. The WIND IN THE WILLOWS GALLERY in Henley depicts the characters of Ratty and Mole from Kenneth Graham’s classic novel. Situated in the village where he wrote his enchanting novels, the ROALD DAHL Museum houses the author’s unique archive.

Day 4: Oxford - Stonehenge - Salisbury

Walking through the parks and colleges of OXFORD UNIVERSITY takes you to the Eagle and Child where the inklings, C.S. Lewis and Tolkein met. You see the Bodlean Library and the places made famous in Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse novels. Then, onto STONEHENGE, one of the ancient wonders of the world before visiting OLD SARUM and SALISBURY with its magnificent cathedral containing the Magna Carta. Salisbury has many literary connections with Thomas Hardy, Dickens, Edward Rutherford and William Golding, whose novel ‘The Spire’ describes the building of the cathedral.

Day 5: Chawton - Winchester - Great Hall

We wind through country roads to the village of STEVENTON where Jane Austen was born. You see the church where her father preached and the remains of the vicarage where she lived. CHAWTON village is a haven for Jane Austen fans, with her childhood home, now an extensive museum. The village church contains the graves of both her mother and sister and is situated next to the magnificent manor house owned by her brother. WINCHESTER was capital of England under Alfred the Great and the final resting place of Jane Austen. Here we see her grave and King Arthur’s ROUND TABLE in the Great Hall.

Day 6: Bath - Cotswolds - Shakespeare

The Georgian City of BATH is a World Heritage Site and an architectural gem. A walking tour will reveal the secrets of the Circus, Royal Crescent and the ROMAN BATHS. The JANE AUSTEN CENTRE, with exhibits relating to her time spent in the City. Passing through the picturesque villages of the COTSWOLDS, we will arrive at Stratford-upon-Avon, SHAKESPEARE'S home town. ANNE HATHAWAY was the bard's wife and her COTTAGE is a classic Engligh country cottage. In the evening, we will see a performance at the ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE.

Day 7: Knutsford - Haworth - Herriott

The Beautiful town of KNUTSFORD was originally a Viking town and now, a shrine to those who love the novels of Elizabeth Gaskell such as CRANFORD. We tour the town and see her home, sites referred to in her novels and her grave. The Parsonage next to the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in HAWORTH was the Bronte’s home. The museum explains there time in the village where they wrote Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Travelling to Thirsk in Yorkshire we visit the Veterinary surgery where JAMES HERRIOTT practiced before writing ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.

Day 8: Yorkshire - Dove Cottage - Hill Top

We cross the stunning YORKSHIRE DALES on The James Herriott Trail, passing the isolated farming communities he described in his books, we will arrive in The Lake District. DOVE COTTAGE was home to William Wordsworth, one of England’s most famous poets lived. We then go to HILL TOP, the idyllic rural retreat of Beatrix Potter in the heart of the Lakes. In the nearby village of Hawkshead her husband’s office has been made into the Beatrix Potter Gallery, displaying many of her drawings of characters such as Peter Rabbit, Jeremy Fisher and Jemima Puddleduck.

Day 9: Abottsford - Rosslyn Chapel

The morning begins in the Southern Uplands of Scotland where we see ABOTTSFORD, the home of Walter Scott. We see his immense collection of historic relics, weapons and armour and over 9,000 rare books. Not far away is Scott’s View – Sir Walter’s favourite view of the Scottish Borderlands. Just south of Edinburgh is ROSSLYN CHAPEL, a C15th church with rich and unusual carvings and masonic symbols. It first came to literary prominence in a poem by Walter Scott and more recently featured as the resting place of the Holy Grail in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. From here we travel to Edinburgh for the evening.

Day 10: Edinburgh - Museums - Harry Potter

EDINBURGH is a UNESCO City of Literature and has a wealth of literary associations. We begin at Edinburgh CASTLE, the magnificent fortress at the top of the Royal Mile. Winding down the street from here we visit the WRITERS MUSEUM devoted to Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Exhibits here include Burns’ desk and Scott’s chessboard. Close is the Scott monument, a Victorian gothic monument. Stopping at the Elephant Café where J.K. Rowling created HARRY POTTER before seeing sights associated with Murial Sparks Miss Jean Brodie and Conan Doyle’s SHERLOCK HOLMES.