EASTERN ENGLAND & SCOTLAND'S
LOWLANDS
Lands of the Vikings
13 day inc arrival/departure
The very roots of the English can be traced to Eastern England where
Celts, Romans, Angles and especially Vikings all left their mark. This was a
region known as 'The Danelaw', settled and ruled by the Vikings in the 8th
and 9th centuries. It's rich in contrasting scenery, history, architecture
and cultural tradition. Low lying fenlands, the countryside of artists
Turner and Constable, the 'Wuthering Heights' moorlands of Yorkshire, the
rolling hills of the Derbyshire peaks and the bird-filled marshlands and
beaches of the coastal areas offer amazing scenic variety. You have history
in the medieval towns and cities such as Cambridge, Norwich and York;
architectural heritage in the great cathedrals, in the many castles and
fortresses, in the Cambridge colleges, and in the changing styles of
everyday houses and homes. And there are rich cultural traditions to be
discovered in the local markets, fairs and events which we'll find en route.
DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES FOR YEAR 2003
| Tour Code |
Arrive London |
Depart
Edinburgh |
|
EE |
Sunday
|
Friday |
|
VEE01 |
08 Jun
|
20 Jun |
VEE02
|
20 Jul
|
01 Aug
|
|
VEE03 |
31 Aug
|
12
Sep |
Price: US$2,299.00 Single Supplement: US$425.00
TENTATIVE ITINERARY
DAY ONE - SUNDAY
Arrival at London's Heathrow airport where you'll be met and transported
to our London hotel accommodation. Following a short orientation tour of the
neighbourhood that we use as our base, you'll be free for the remainder of
the day to discover area (it has a charming historic home and garden, and
the artist William Hogarth's home museum, nearby) or take the
underground/bus to the city centre.
DAY TWO - MONDAY
As we leave London behind us, we head east into the fascinating and
little visited area of East Anglia. This is the countryside of Turner and
Constable and we'll visit sites painted by Constable which are still easily
recognisable today. Our mid-day stop is at the medieval village of Lavenham,
one of the prettiest villages of East Anglia. We'll take time to have lunch
and explore this captivating village before continuing our journey. We pas
through the attractive market town of Bury St Edmunds on our way to the
ancient priory town of Thetford. This as the home town of Thomas Paine and
we'll find a statue of the man himself in the town centre. If we have time,
we'll also explore the remains of Thetford Castle, before making our way to
Norwich and our base for the next two nights.
DAY THREE - TUESDAY
Today's touring will be leisurely and relaxed. We'll begin by exploring
the Norfolk Broads made up of 30 large and very beautiful tracts of water,
often linked by navigable channels. The best way to appreciate the character
of the Broads is from a boat and we'll take the opportunity to spend some
time cruising on these unique waterways. After taking lunch at a country
pub, we'll head into the fine old cathedral city of Norwich where we'll
spend the afternoon. There is much to see including the square Norman keep
of Norwich Castle, housing the city museum and art gallery, the beautiful
Norman cathedral and adjacent cathedral close and school, once attended by
Nelson, later Admiral Nelson, the Strangers' Hall museum, a fascinating
preserved medieval merchant's house, the bustling market beside the old
Guildhall, built in the 15th century of local knapped flint and the many
curious old streets and alleys that you'll find at almost every turn.
DAY FOUR - WEDNESDAY
Our first port of call this morning is at the village of Little
Walsingham with its shrine of Our Lady. Founded in the 11th century,
virtually every English king from Richard I to Henry VIII came here. From
here, we'll follow the road that hugs the north Norfolk coast - we'll see
the wide sandy bays backed by wild salt marshes that are so typical of this
area. After lunch we'll drop in on the Queen's Norfolk residence at
Sandringham. Here we'll take time to explore the magnificent 19th century
house and grounds before continuing our journey to the medieval port of
King's Lynn. Journeying south, we now find ourselves in the flat fertile
fenlands of Cambridgeshire.
DAY FIVE - THURSDAY
Our first visit this morning is to Ely, the cathedral capital of the
Fens. Oliver Cromwell was once the local tax collector here and his house is
now the town's tourist information centre. Having explored Ely, we head
south to one of the great university cities of the world, Cambridge. The
university was founded as early as the 13th century and we'll visit one of
the colleges on our walking tour of the city. You'll have 'organised
independence' to take lunch an explore at leisure, perhaps even taking the
opportunity to punt on the river Cam, before we continue our day's touring.
This afternoon we'll visit a fascinating Bronze Age excavation at Flag Fen
near Peterborough.
DAY SIX - FRIDAY
Today we head north to Lincolnshire. Our first stop is at Stamford,
justly considered one of the most beautiful stone-built towns in England.
Having explored this picturesque town, we'll continue our journey
northwards. The ancient cathedral city of Lincoln is our next port of call.
This busy city has an abundance of Roman and Norman remains, in fact, two of
the oldest domestic buildings are Norman, dating from around 1170.
DAY SEVEN - SATURDAY
A full day in York. This fabulous Viking walled city has much to offer
its visitors, from the splendid Minster to the medieval shopping 'Shambles'.
After a walking tour, you'll be free to explore at leisure.
DAY EIGHT - SUNDAY
A short drive from our Yorkshire base, is the most spectacular stately
home in Yorkshire, Castle Howard, and first on the agenda today. This
beautiful palace is still lived in by the Howard family who built it back in
the 18th century. You'll have free time here to explore the house and
grounds. Then we head to the heather-covered moors for a change of
transport. You'll board a train (subject to schedules) at the North
Yorkshire Moors Railway and for the duration of the journey you'll relive
the nostalgia of the steam age. The area we'll be passing through is Captain
Cook country. After our steam train ride we'll continue our explorations of
this sometimes bleak and remote countryside towards Hexham stopping enroute
at the majestic cathedral town of Durham.
DAY NINE - MONDAY
The market town of Hexham makes a splendid starting point for our day
exploring along the great Roman, Hadrian's wall. Built by the Romans in the
2nd century to hold back the unruly Picts and Scots, this incredible
engineering feat spans the breadth of the country. Along it we'll find Roman
fortresses to visit and section of the wall to walk.
DAY TEN - TUESDAY
Then we drive through the dipping dales of Northumberland towards the
Scottish borders and the town of Jedburgh. Following our visit here
(following Mary Queen of Scots footsteps) we drive a short distance to
another marvellous Borders town, Melrose. Here we'll visit the ruined abbey
where the great Robert the Bruce's heart is buried, and also Abbotsford, the
home of Walter Scott. Then we turn towards the coast, driving through the
gently undulating Borders scenery to the small coastal town of Bamburgh.
DAY ELEVEN - WEDNESDAY
Lying just off the coast, and reachable only at low tide, is the Holy
Island of Lindisfarne. Here we'll discover an ancient monastery, a seat of
learning from the 7th century onwards. We'll also visit the stunning
Bamburgh Castle, which sits inviolably on a cliff top. Our day also includes
Berwick-on-Tweed; an old seaport that changed hands between England and
Scotland no less than 13 times between 1127 and 1482 alone! Needless to say,
it has splendid fortifications! If the weather allows, we'll end our day
with a boat trip around the Farne Islands.
DAY TWELVE - THURSDAY
Our final day takes us firmly back into Scotland. Amongst the highlights
will be Traquair House, one of the oldest inhabited castles in the United
Kingdom, a woollen mill for some shopping, and Flodden Field-scene in 1513
of the most emotive of all battles between Scot and Englishman. We arrive in
Edinburgh where our tour completes.
DAY THIRTEEN - FRIDAY
Alas, 'tis home time and you'll be transferred to the airport or train
station. You may, however, wish to stay on in this lovely city and enjoy a
few leisurely day's exploring before returning home. We'll be pleased to
assist you with any accommodation arrangements you might wish to make.
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