Day 1: Following your home taxi collection we join our luxury tour coach and make our way to Maidstone in Kent and our hotel for the next four nights, the 4 star Marriott Tudor Park, on a dinner bed and breakfast basis.
Day 2: This morning after breakfast we make our way to the historic city of Canterbury. One of the most beautiful and historic cities in England, the medieval city centre bustles with famous name stores and exclusive boutiques while the picturesque side streets are home to smaller specialist shops, pubs and restaurants. UNESCO has granted world heritage status to part of the city, including St Martin’s Church, St Augustine’s Abbey and the Cathedral. The Norman cathedral still dominates the skyline as you approach Canterbury; giving 21st century visitors the same sense of awe as their medieval counterparts. The city centre is very compact and is best explored on foot.
After lunch we visit Leeds Castle. Visitors never forget their first breath-taking vision of Leeds Castle in Kent, rising majestically from the moat. With its riveting history serving six of England’s medieval queens, to its elaborate transformation into an elegant 20th-century retreat by Anglo-American heiress, Lady Baillie, Leeds Castle’s rich heritage has secured its place as one of the most visited historic attractions in Britain. There’s plenty for all to enjoy, from exploring the Princess Alexandra Gardens and the elaborate castle, to watching in awe as the Birds of Prey fly overhead in the daily display.
Day 3: This morning we head to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens. The gardens were created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson who transformed the ruins of this Elizabethan mansion and gardens in the 1930s. The castle tower dating from the 16th century is virtually all that remains of the grand Manor House. People now come from all over the world to see the Garden which is administered by the National Trust.
The garden is divided into a series of ‘rooms’ filled with informal arrangements of plants around a theme: the White Garden, the Purple Border, the Rose Garden, the Herb Garden, the Lime Walk, and the Cottage Garden. The White Garden with rosa mullingani has cascades of white flowers, and during spring and early summer, the first wave of purple arrives with the tulips and wallflowers that weave their way through the clumps of emerging foliage.
Sissinghurst Garden is one of our top 20 gardens in the British Isles and is a must visit for the garden lover.
This afternoon, we have some free time in Maidstone, before returning to the hotel.
Day 4: This morning we visit the Spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, passing Tonbridge enroute. A magnet for royalty and the gentry, Tunbridge Wells in Kent was one of the most fashionable destinations of the Georgian England - ever since the discovery of the Chalybeate Spring over 400 years ago. The elegance and atmosphere of this bygone era still remain today in this, the only spa town in South East England. The Pantiles - the famous colonnaded walkway where the aristocracy once promenaded - is now home to a wonderful selection of high quality boutiques, specialist independent shops, bars and cafés.
This afternoon we make our way to Hever Castle where we will experience 700 years of history at the romantic double-moated castle once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. The splendid rooms contain fine furniture, tapestries, antiques, an important collection of Tudor paintings and two prayer books inscribed and signed by Anne Boleyn herself.
Day 5: Sadly this morning we depart our hotel and make our way back to Norfolk making suitable stops along the way. We then re-join our door to door taxi service who will return you home.
Holiday Information:
4 Nights Dinner, Bed & Breakfast (Dinner will be 3-course with table service)
Price: £715pp
Single Supplement: £Nil (Limited Availability)
Additional Singles Beyond Allocation From: £148 (Will be allocated a twin or double room for sole occupancy, depending on availability)
Tour Reference: AWE5187
Deposit Required: £50pp
Balance Due: 8 weeks prior to departure