DAY 1
10.30am arrive Heathrow
11.30am follow A308 to Runnymede, site of the signing of Magna Carta. Continue to Windsor with tour of Windsor Castle including State Apartments and St George's Chapel.
1.30pm light lunch in Windsor
2.15pm depart Windsor for scenic drive through Chilterns to Oxford (via Henley, Wallingford and Dorchester)
3.30pm arrive Oxford; check in at hotel
4pm 90-minute tour of Oxford
DAY 2
9.00am depart Oxford for Blenheim Palace
9.30am arrive Blenheim for 45 minutes in park.
10.15am depart for Burford
11am arrive Burford, stop for 30 mins
11.30am depart for Stow-on-the-Wold
2pm. Stratford with immediate visit of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage for 1-hour tour.
3pm Drive to Ringo car park.
4.30pm depart Stratford heading south into the Cotswolds via Mickleton and Chipping Campden to Broadway. If time include a short walk on Dover’s Hill for stunning views of Vale of Evesham
Arrive Broadway 6.45pm
DAY 3
9am depart Broadway for tour of North Cotswolds with idyllic villages of Stanton and Stanway then continue to Broadway Tower (with short walk weather permitting)
10am continue southeast to Stow-on-the-Wold at the centre of the Cotswolds. Tearoom visit.
11.15am head southwest towards Cheltenham then south along the idyllic Coln Valley to Bibury. Lunch in Bibury. Alternative: visit to Chedworth Roman villa (with lunch) followed by shorter visit to Bibury.
2.15pm head from Bibury across the southern Cotswolds via Tetbury to Bath
Arrive Bath 3.45pm, for initial 30-minute minibus tour of this World Heritage Site city famous for its Georgian architecture and amazing Roman Baths.
4.15pm check into hotel
5.30pm early evening visit to the Roman Baths (museum; not for swimming!)
DAY 4
Sun 4th August 2019
8.30am Early start along A36 to Stonehenge
9.30am arrive Stonehenge for tour of the monument followed by refreshments
11.15am depart Stonehenge
12am latest arrive Salisbury for visit to the Cathedral with lunch in the cathedral cafe
1.30am depart Salisbury for Southampton
DESTINATIONS & TOURS
DESTINATIONS & TOURS
Banbury & North Cotswolds
Banbury is an interesting place, with its triangular-shaped marketplace – a legacy of Viking invaders –
and several buildings that allude to great prosperity. Its importance as a market town rose with the completion of the Oxford Canal in 1790, but its famous Cattle Market closed in 1998 after more than 1,000 years of trading.
FAMOUS ASSOCIATIONS
Banbury is associated with the nursery rhyme 'Ride a white horse to Banbury Cross', which has made the town famous throughout the English-speaking world, though the actual cross referred to was torn down by puritans in 1600. Then there are the delicious Banbury Cakes, pastries filled with currants; and even a song entitled 'Banbury Ale'. It has also been a home of the Gulliver family, of which Tony Gulliver is a descendant. Their tombs in St Mary's churchyard inspired Jonathan Swift to a name for his famous protagonist. Some of the Gullivers became publicans in the town.
HISTORIC HOMES
Nearby Broughton Castle is the ancestral home of the Fiennes family, headed by the Baron Saye and Sele. Complete with moat and great hall, the castle, which dates back to the 14th century, has been used as a backdrop in several films, including Shakespeare in Love, The Madness of King George and Jane Eyre. It also featured in the BBC’s adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. East of Banbury is Sulgrave Manor, once home to a branch of the Washington family, who left England for Virginia after the Civil War and eventually produced George, the first president of the United States.
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VILLAGES AND ANCIENT SITES
Banbury makes a good starting point for exploring the quaint villages of the North Cotswolds, including Wroxton and Great Tew. Near Little Rollright are the fabled Rollright Stones, consisting of groups of limestone monuments and a stone circle dating back to Neolithic times. Hook Norton is home to the eponymous brewery where one can take a guided tour. Further to the north the ridge of Edgehill was the scene of the first major battle of the English Civil War (1642). Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Camden and other well-known Cotswold villages are all within easy reach, via beautiful drives across the hills.
