Day 1: After your collection by our door to door taxi service, we join our luxury tour coach and head south west to Gloucestershire and our hotel for the next four nights, The Delta by Marriott Cheltenham Chase Hotel. Upon our arrival tea/coffee will be served while your cases are delivered to your room.
Day 2: This morning we make our way to Adam Henson Farm Park. Sitting in the heart of the Cotswolds, visitors can interact closely with the animals and learn about farming, past and present. As the home of rare breed conservation, you can meet over 50 flocks and herds of farm animals, including Gloucestershire Old Spot Pigs and Highland cattle. We continue our day to Stow-on-the-Wold. At nearly 800ft, Stow is the highest of the Cotswold towns, located on the Roman Fosse Way and at the point where several roads meet. The Market Square is large and impressive and testifies to the town’s former importance. It is surrounded by town houses, independent shops, antique centres, cosy cafes and inns all built in the mellow local stone, and it has been the focus of town life over many centuries, with the medieval market stocks at one end, the ancient market cross at the other and the impressive St Edwards Hall standing in the centre.
Day 3: After breakfast we travel to Broadway. A famous Cotswold beauty spot, Broadway is nestled at the foot of the rolling Cotswold hills. As its name suggests, Broadway is dominated by a wide tree-lined street packed with independent shops, restaurants, hotels and a couple of excellent museums. Don’t miss the Gordon Russell Design Museum, which celebrates the work of the renowned 20th century furniture designer, or the Broadway Museum and Art Gallery where you can gain an insight into the history of the village and its cultural heritage. (attractions in Broadway subject to individual choice and payment).
We then join the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway for a single journey to Cheltenham. Upon arrival, there will be time to explore Britain’s most complete Regency town, its famous promenade and carefully manicured gardens, before returning to our hotel.
Day 4: Today we discover the picturesque medieval town of Tewkesbury, an ancient settlement at the meeting of the Rivers Severn and Avon. Here you will see one of the best medieval townscapes in England, with its fine half-timbered buildings, overhanging upper storeys and narrow alleyways. The beautiful Norman Abbey, built in the early 12th century, dominates the town and in 1471 the fields to the south saw the penultimate and decisive battle in the Wars of the Roses leading the house of York to power. This afternoon we make our way to Sudeley Castle. Located in the heart of the Cotswolds, Sudeley Castle & Gardens has played an important role in England’s history for over 1,000 years. The castle rooms and exhibits contain many fascinating treasures, from ancient Roman times to the present day. Outside, the castle is surrounded by a breath-taking 1,200 acre estate and ten award-winning gardens. The centrepiece is the Queens Garden, so named because four of England’s queens – Anne Boleyn, Katherine Parr, Lady Jane Grey and Elizabeth I – once walked upon the original Tudor Parterre. Sudeley Castle & Gardens is also the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within its grounds – Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six wives. Today visitors can explore the beautiful 15th-century church where she lies entombed.
Day 5: Sadly this morning we depart our hotel and make our way to Blenheim Palace. Set in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, Blenheim Palace is considered to be one of the finest baroque houses in the country, a gift from Queen Anne and a grateful nation to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his famous victory over the French at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Inside the Palace can be found a superb collection of tapestries, paintings, porcelain and furniture in the magnificent State Rooms. Sir Winston Churchill was born in the Palace in 1874 and a permanent exhibition about him is located next to his birth room - both are included in the Palace tour. A state-of-the-art visitor experience is open in the heart of the Palace called 'Blenheim Palace: the Untold Story'. Dramatic moments from the last 300 years of history at Blenheim Palace are brought to life through animatronic figures and innovative film and projection technology, seen through the eyes of the servants. Surrounding the Palace are over 2,000 acres of beautiful 'Capability Brown' parkland, lakes, fountains and formal gardens. A miniature train connects the Palace to the Pleasure Gardens. An impressive lake crossed by a bridge leads up to Blenheim Palace giving what must be one of the most picturesque and photographed scenes in the UK.
After our visit we continue for Norfolk, where our door to door service will be waiting to return you home.
Holiday Information:
4 Nights Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Price: £690pp
Single Supplement: £nil (Limited Availability)
Additional Singles Beyond Allocation From: £128 (Will be allocated a twin or double room for sole occupancy, depending on availability)
Insurance: TBC (Insurance not currently available)
Tour Reference: AWE4846
Deposit Required: £50pp
Balance Due: 8 weeks prior to departure