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
STONEHENGE
Still standing after almost 4,500 years, the stone circle at Stonehenge is one of the wonders of the world. The monument lies amidst the chalk landscape of the Wiltshire Downs. It has existed as giant time-piece signalling the arrival of summer and winter, as a place for gatherings and ceremonies (including burials), and a centre for healing. While there is much mystery surrounding this place, some remarkably contemporary-looking construction techniques are clearly evident.
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AVEBURY
An equally fascinating neolithic landscape lies just 25 miles to the north, this time with the great stone circles of Avebury at its centre – all part of the same World Heritage Site as Stonehenge. The main stone circle here measures some 300m in diameter, making it the largest megalithic stone circle in the world. Nearby Silbury Hill is the largest artificial prehistoric mound in Europe, and the West Kennet Long Barrow one of the most impressive neolithic chambered tombs in Britain. The sites were linked by a network of processional routes lined by ancient standing stones.
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SALISBURY
Built between 1220–60, Salisbury Cathedral is another place of superlatives. It is considered one of the most architecturally homogenous cathedrals in the country, all of it (apart from the slightly later tower and spire) constructed in the Early English style of Gothic architecture. It also boasts the tallest church spire in the land, topping out at 123m (404ft) above the ground. And inside the cathedral chapter house you'll find one of just four copies of the original Magna Carta, signed by King John in 1215.
OLD SARUM
Just to the north of Salisbury lies the original settlement, today known as Old Sarum. Its remains sit atop an ancient Iron-Age hill fort. With developments ranging from the Romans to Anglo Saxons, Normans and into the Middle Ages – a history spanning more than 2,000 years – it is one of the most intriguing historic sites in southern England.
