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
With our driver-guided tours you can drop in on Shakespeare’s birthplace; visit ancient sites like Stonehenge, Avebury and Hadrian's Wall; and see landscapes that inspired authors and composers such as Tolkien, Wordsworth and Elgar. You can explore great gardens and stately homes; enjoy pretty Cotswold villages like Broadway and Bibury; and discover world-famous cities such as Oxford and Bath. Explore the scenic Admire great cathedrals like Salisbury and Gloucester, and castles like Windsor and Warwick. You can even journey to the cradle of the Industrial Revolution.
SELECTED DESTINATIONS
OXFORD
Its world-famous University is the oldest in England, founded in the 12th century. Explore the city’s lanes and visit one of the colleges, and perhaps the Divinity School with its amazing ceiling. Nearby Blenheim Palace can also be visited.
Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes
WALKING TOURS
OXFORD WALKING TOUR 2HRS
Visit Oxford and take a walking tour through the City of Dreaming Spires, learning about historical events as well as some of the famous people who have studied or taught here. We also talk about student life and the collegiate system and will visit a college (if available). Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland also feature.
COTSWOLDS FULL-DAY
Travel from Oxford to see and experience the rolling hills and picturesque honey-coloured villages of the Cotswolds, with great viewpoints and stops including Burford, Broadway, Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold.
OXFORD TO STRATFORD FULL-DAY
Drive to Stratford, where we have a 90-minute walking tour of Shakespeare’s town and visit to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and a number of other attractions. Followed by a trip to Warwick Castle or alternative venue of your choice (eg Cotswolds) in the afternoon.
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OXFORD TO BANBURY AND BEYOND FULL-DAY
A trip up the road to Banbury, where we take in the origins of the famous nursery rhyme and visit the old centre and a famous old pub. Followed by a tour of the local brewery and a visit to a moated castle or manor house, and a prehistoric stone circle.
BATH & STONEHENGE FULL-DAY
Journey from Oxford to the World Heritage city of Bath, including a minibus tour of the Georgian city (with stops) and a visit to the Roman Baths Museum, before heading to the astonishing Stonehenge, another World Heritage Site.
STONEHENGE & AVEBURY PLUS SALISBURY FULL-DAY
Journey from Oxford to see and experience the iconic World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, before visiting nearby Salisbury for its spectacular cathedral, Old Sarum and the wonders of Neolithic Avebury.
STONEHENGE HALF-DAY 5 HOURS
Oxford to Stonehenge and back via the Marlborough Downs, spending two hours at this World Heritage Site.
WYE VALLEY FULL-DAY
Journey from Oxford to Chepstow, from where we begin the tour of the Wye Valley via Tintern Abbey, Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye. Includes a stunning walk and an impressive castle.
SHROPSHIRE AND THE IRON BRIDGE
Journey from Oxford to see and experience the beautiful countryside of Shropshire, stopping at an ancient priory before visiting the cradle of the Industrial Revolution at Ironbridge with its numerous attractions.
2-DAY SHROPSHIRE
DAY 1
Oxford to Ludlow followed by the Shropshire Hills and Shrewsbury (hotel), finishing up with 1-hour guided walk of the town.
DAY 2
Shrewsbury to Ironbridge via Wroxeter Roman City, visiting the famous Iron Bridge, Coalbookdale and Blists Hill Victorian Town before returning to Oxford.
4-DAY GRAND TOUR
Taking in Windsor, Oxford, the Cotswolds, Bath, Stonehenge and Salisbury.
DRIVER-GUIDED TOURS
BESPOKE TOURS
None of the tours above are set in stone. We can make even the most radical of changes if desired, helping you create your own personalised experience which can last from a few hours to several days (see Grand Tour above). We can mould a tour to your interests, whether they be in industrial heritage, archaeology, arts & crafts, country houses, gardens, ancient churches, film locations, gastronomy and even tracing your ancestors.
We can collect you from Heathrow, Gatwick or Birmingham airport and take you direct to Oxford or anywhere in the region. From Heathrow the journey can take in the Thames meadow at Runnymede, where King John signed the Magna Carta, and Windsor Castle*. The route back to Oxford could continue either direct via the motorway or through the attractive Chiltern Hills to Henley and Wallingford, heart of Midsomer Murders Country.
AIRPORT PICK-UP
GULLIVER’S GUIDES covers other areas of the Heart of England, including Birmingham and Coventry, the Malvern Hills, the Staffordshire Potteries and the Peak District. But we venture further afield as well, to areas very familiar to Tony Gulliver, including Yorkshire where he grew up, Northumbria, the Lake District, the mountains of North Wales, and the Southwest.
Explore with us…
HADRIAN'S
WALL