Day 1: Early morning departure from North Wales as we take one of the classic English tours around the villages and small market towns of the Gloucestershire Cotswolds. The area, which is centred on the Cotswold Hills, is best known for the famous Cotswold stone. Our tour will include Broadway and the ‘Little Venice’ of the Cotswolds, Bourton-on-the-Water. We continue to our hotel in Swindon for a 3-night stay.
Day 2: This morning we travel to the ancient capital of England, Winchester. A beautiful and unspoiled cathedral city on the edge of the rolling South Downs. Popular for bustling shopping streets Winchester is brimming with colour. The 11th century Cathedral, resting place of author Jane Austen, and the Great Hall, home to the greatest symbol of medieval mythology – King Arthur’s Round Table, are well worth a visit. We continue to the medieval city of Salisbury. Why not visit Salisbury Cathedral, Britain’s finest 13th century Gothic cathedral? Find out more about 750 years of history, Britain’s tallest spire, some magnificent cloisters, and the world’s best-preserved Magna Carta (admission extra).
This evening join Elfyn in the bar for a pre-dinner drink to celebrate his 55th birthday!!
Day 3: Today we travel to the Roman city of Bath where there’s free time to discover the city’s Georgian architecture. There is an option to take a 1 hour 30 minutes guided coach tour around the city for £7. A highlight is the world-famous Roman Baths, one of the city’s finest historic sites where you can walk on the ancient-cobbled pathways much as the Romans did 2,000 years ago (admission extra). You could also walk to the Grade I listed Pulteney Bridge. Completed by 1774, the bridge was designed by Robert Adam in a Palladian style. It is exceptional for having shops built across its full span on both sides.
Day 4: Today we travel through the Cotswolds to Stratford-upon-Avon as we follow in the footsteps of the Bard. There will be time at leisure to explore the town, discover more about Shakespeare’s life with a visit to his birthplace in the centre of town which provides an insight into what shaped the great man (admission extra). We depart during the afternoon for our return journey to North Wales.