Day Trips & Excursions

The Braintree Village Outlet (formally known as Freeport) in Essex is an outlet shopping center which is home to more that 85 brands. It is set up in a form of a shopping village, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. With a comfortable atmosphere for shopping, it offers a great variety of stores, with male and female apparel, shoes and more. This shopping mall is home to many shops, including Billabong, Hollister, Adidas, Jaeger, Nike, Clark's, Tommy Hilfiger and more.

This outlet mall is known for its stores offering a wide choice of cookware, bake ware, fine china, glassware and cutlery, such as the famous Valeroy & Boch, Le Creuset and the ProCook stores. There is an extensive car parking area, a baby changing area, as well as ATM machines and free Wi-Fi connection. 

Apart from shopping at great prices in a relaxed setting, the mall also offers numerous dining and refreshment venues, such as cafes and restaurants, namely Andrea Mattia that boasts al fresco meals, BB’s Coffee and Muffins and Starbucks, known for their great choice of coffees and snacks, as well as the Tutti Tuscan Grille, an Italian restaurant that is open 7 days a week.

https://braintree-village.com/shops

Adult: £26 ~ Senior £25 ~ Child: £22

Enjoy a summers day out as we head to the Sufflok coast starting in Aldeburgh - a truly scenic and traditional sea side town.

After lunch we head to Southwold with its sandy beach and beach hut lined promenade for the rest of the afternoon.

Adult: £25 ~ Senior £24 ~ Child: £21

Black Country Living Museum is an award-winning open-air museum that tells the story of one of the very first industrialised landscapes in Britain.

Set across 26 acres, you'll explore over forty carefully reconstructed shops, houses and industrial areas that represent the Black Country's story. You'll learn how steam power, human ingenuity and an increasingly interconnected world transformed this region into a manufacturing powerhouse.

You'll meet their historic characters who'll tell you stories of what it was really like to live and work during this revolutionary period of history.

Most importantly, you'll see history brought to life before your eyes - you'll hear the clang of hammers; smell the smoke billowing from red brick chimneys; and maybe even taste the best fish and chips in the world.

extract taken from https://www.bclm.co.uk/

Adult: £64 ~ Senior £63 ~ Child: £60

Up in the sky, down on the ground and everywhere in between – get set for unforgettable, sky-high excitement!

Feel the thrill as high-speed aerobatics roar overhead, while the ground buzzes with a full day of family-friendly displays, activities and entertainment at the spectacular Duxford Summer Air Show.

And for 2026, the show returns bigger than ever with a special anniversary celebration marking 250 years since the signing of the US Declaration of Independence.

Drawing on IWM Duxford’s powerful wartime ties with the US Air Force, this special event brings history to life as you explore the story of two nations connected and inspired through flight.

Adult: £73 ~ Senior £72 ~ Child: £28 (admission free)

*** COACH TRAVEL ONLY PRICE £28 - please call office to book ***

ABBA Voyage is the long-awaited concert from one of the biggest pop acts of all time featuring a setlist of ABBA’s biggest, most popular hits – each handpicked with great care by the band.

Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid have created the kind of concert they always wanted, performing for their fans at their very best: as digital versions of themselves backed by today’s finest musicians. Blurring the lines between the physical and digital, see the magic of ABBA brought to life using the latest in motion capture technology. It’s the greatest ABBA performance the world has never seen. Until now…

The ABBA Arena is built around ABBA's timeless music and never-before-seen concert, so you can have the time of your life.

Located at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, the arena is purpose-built for ABBA’s never before-seen concert.

We start by meeting our Blue Badge guide for coffee & cake (included) at Hadleigh Park just outside Southend. Hadleigh Parks crests a hill with views of the romantic ruins of Hadleigh Castle set against the dramatic backdrop of the Thames Estuary.

Then a morning coach tour explores a landscape of lonely creeks, wide horizons, wildfowl, marsh farmers and oystermen. At ancient Canewdon we hear of legendary witches before we meet the sea and sweep along the Thames Estuary back into Southend.

This is the seaside to generations of Londoners. A two-course lunch with coffee is served at the Palace Hotel looking out to sea - it's a lovely spot, see the photograph below. After lunch there's a little free time to enjoy Southend.

We end the day in Old Leigh-on-Sea, which was once a thriving fishing and smuggling village. Leigh fishermen became Dunkirk heroes and today keep alive Leigh's reputation as the centre of the world cockling trade.

There's an old-world charm here with cockle boats and cockle sheds, sailors' inns and clapboard cottages. Sample the traditional cockney teatime treat or buy a simple cup of tea before heading home at 4.45pm

Lunch Menu:
Grilled Chicken with Red Wine Gravy served with seasonal vegetables and roast potatoes
or Vegetarian Moussaka

Strawberry Gateau followed by Tea/Coffee.

The main course can be served with gluten free gravy and a lactose free dessert is available by pre-order.

Adult: £80 ~ Senior £79 ~ Child: £76

Today we make our way to the Sandringham Estate, where you will have entry to the house and gardens.  

With its Jacobean-style exterior – the house sits at the heart of the Sandringham Estate. As a beautiful country retreat for the British Royal Family, it has been open to the public since 1977. With eight ground-floor rooms, largely unchanged from Edwardian times, your self-guided tour allows you to admire stunning objects d’art collected by and gifted to members of The Royal Family over the years.

These include collections of Meissen porcelain, semi-precious stones, Minton China and trompe-l’oeil ceiling work.

An onsite café allows you to obtain your own lunch and refreshments.

Adult: £49 ~ Senior £48 ~ Child: £23

Join us on a wonderful day out to Leeds Castle, one of Britain’s most celebrated historic attractions.

With a history stretching back almost 1,000 years, the castle has served many roles — from a Norman stronghold to the private residence of six medieval queens, and later a royal palace for Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Over the centuries it evolved into a Jacobean country house, a Georgian mansion, and an elegant 20th-century retreat for the rich and famous.

Today, Leeds Castle is among the most visited historic buildings in the UK, set within beautiful parkland and gardens. Standard admission is included, allowing you to enjoy a self-guided visit of the castle and its beautiful gardens at your own pace. Take time to explore the richly furnished rooms, stroll the landscaped grounds, and soak up the atmosphere of this truly iconic destination.

Adult: £55 ~ Senior £54 ~ Child: £50

Always on the telly, on many people's lists of places to see but rarely open and notoriously difficult to get to is the Sir Joseph Bazalgette's Cathedral of Sewage housing the Crossness Engines. This is one of the quirkiest visits in London that we have ever had on sale.

A welcome hot drink and buffet lunch will be served on arrival.

Enjoy a guided tour from the guides - telling the story of spending a penny in London from Roman times to the coming of the Victorian sewers. We go out onto the riverside, discover the reservoir that once held 25 million gallons of waste, walk through a sewer, explore the quirky exhibition, and take a tour of the incredible Cathedral of Sewage to see the largest beam engines in the world.

You will be able to download a free app on your smart phones and use your own earphones to listen to our tour guide's entertaining live commentary if you want.

Before heading home, we enjoy a cuppa and a Q & A session with the guides.

Adult: £86 ~ Senior £85 ~ Child: £82

Fresh out of college, aspiring journalist Andy scores a job at the prestigious Runway magazine working for fashion's most powerful and terrifying icon - editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly. Sacrificing her personal life to meet Miranda's impossible demands, Andy finds herself seduced by the glamorous world she once despised. How far will she go to succeed...and will it be worth selling her soul to get what she’s always wanted?

Ready, set, strut! Elton John’s musical The Devil Wears Prada, based on the blockbuster film and bestselling novel, is click-clacking down the runway and straight into London's Dominion Theatre in October 2024.The Devil Wears Prada Musical West End tickets are available now and are bound to sell out faster than a Dolce and Gabbana cashmere sweater! Book your The Devil Wears Prada Musical tickets now!

Venue: Dominion Theatre, Tottenham Court Road

Start Time: 1430

Running Time: TBC

Seating Information:

Stalls | Rows P, R & S

Adult: £88 ~ Senior £88 ~ Child: £88