11 Days Episcopal British Isles

DAY   01:  NORTH AMERICA / LONDON.  We begin our British Isles tour by boarding our trans-Atlantic flight to London.

DAY 02: LONDON / SALISBURY / EXETER/ BATH / BRISTOL AREA. Upon arrival at London's Heathrow Airport we are met by our tour escort and motorcoach.   We will drive swiftly to the market town of Salisbury to visit its Cathedral, which has the tallest spire in England.  Then on across Salisbury Plains to mysterious Stonehenge to visit the fascinating collection of ancient monoliths placed there nearly 2000 years before the birth of Christ.  They were once used to calculate the eclipses and equinoxes.  We continue via the beautiful town of Amesbury to Exeter and our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 03: TRURO / FALMOUTH /  BRISTOL AREA. After breakfast we travel to Truro to visit the Cathedral. Then to Cornwall to visit Trwint (Wesley Cottage), Gwennap Pit near Redruth and Paal Mall Rock. Continue to Bristol, rich in seafaring tradition and linked with the colonization of America.  Dinner and overnight at our hotel in the area.

DAY04:    BRISTOL AREA / OXFORD / STRATFORD / COVENTRY.  Leaving the Bristol area we drive to the university town of Oxford, where we will visit Regents Park College.  We then skirt the picturesque Cotswolds area on our way to Stratford-Upon-Avon, birthplace of the Bard William Shakespeare.  We will visit his birthplace, see the 16th century Harvard House, the Guildhall and other points of interest in this beautiful old market town with numerous timbered old buildings.   A short drive then brings us to Coventry, where we will visit the new cathedral designed by Sir Basil Spence which is situated next to the old one destroyed by the tremendous air raids of World War II.  Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Coventry.

DAY 05:  COVENTRY / CHESTER / WINDERMERE.  Our journey today takes us to the fascinating old city of Chester, where our sightseeing will include the medieval walls that completely enclose Chester, the "magpie" houses, so called because of their black timbers and white plasters; the 12th century Cathedral and St. Johns’, an impressive Norman Church.  Then we travel to the Windermere for dinner and overnight.

DAY 06: WINDERMERE / LINDISFARNE / EDINBURGH.    We have a scenic tour of Lake Windermere, the largest lake in the area, and then drive through the quaint old town of Berwick Upon Tweed, which the distinction of being the Border Town as it has changed hands between England and Scotland thirteen times. Continue to Lindisfarne to visit the Holy Island, the Lindisfarne Castle and Priory. We head for Edinburgh, the city of Sir Walter Scott, John Knox and Robert Louis Stevenson, among many others.  Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Edinburgh.

DAY 07:  EDINBURGH.  Our morning sightseeing tour of Edinburgh will include a visit to Edinburgh Castle; we also see the Palace of Holyrood House, so tragically associated with the reign of the Stuarts.  We drive to the Scott Monument, Princes Street, St. Giles Cathedral (Thistle Chapel) where John Knox was minister, the prestigious Edinburgh University, Greyfriars and the Mound. Visit the Scotland Museum and then some time at leisure for shoppingor other independent activities.  Dinner and overnight in Edinburgh.

DAY 08:  EDINBURGH / YORK / HARROGATE AREA.  Today we drive to Abbotsford, the turreted mansion built by Sir Walter Scott and his home until his death there in 1832.  We then continue southward through the wind-swept Cheviot Hills to Newcastle and on across the Yorkshire's high open moors to York, founded on Roman and Viking towns.  Our sightseeingof York includes a visit to the Minster with its majestic towers and priceless stained glass windows, and a walking tour through medieval streets where the upper stories of houses lean precariously across the roadway towards each other.  The names are fascinating: Stonegate, Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate and Shambles, the old butchers quarter.  We then drive the short distance to the floral town of Harrogate for dinner and overnight.

DAY 09: HARROGATE / EPWORTH / WALSINGHAM / LONDON.  Today's drive takes us to Epworth, the birthplace of John Wesley in 1703 at the Ole Rectory and his hymn writing brother Charles in 1708. Continue to Waksingham in north Norfolk. Visit the Shrine of Our Lady and the Walsingham Abbey grounds. Then on to London for dinner and overnight. 

DAY 10:  LONDON.  Our morning sightseeing tour of England's exciting capital city will include Marble Arch, Mayfair, Piccadilly, The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard ceremony (if held).  The highlight of our tour will be a visit to Westminster Abbey.  The afternoon is at leisure for independent activities you may care to shop, to stroll in one of London's many beautiful parks, or visit an art gallery or museum.  Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 11:  LONDON / USA.  This morning we transfer to the airport for our return flight to the Unites States at the end of our enjoyable journey.