Itinerary
DAY 1
Sunday: Arrival
On arrival at Heathrow airport, a private transfer will take you to our overnight hotel, the Macdonald Windsor Hotel. In the evening, join the group for a welcome drink, followed by dinner.
Meals: Dinner
DAY 2
Monday: Highclere Castle
After breakfast, we journey to the world-famous Highclere Castle, residence of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and filming location for the much-loved Downton Abbey television series and movie. Entrance includes access to the Egyptian Exhibition in the cellars of the castle, which explores the achievements of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922.
From here, we travel to Leicestershire and the Stapleford Park Country House Hotel, where we stay for the next two nights.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 3
Tuesday: Chatsworth House
We start the day at Chatsworth House where we enjoy a house tour followed by afternoon tea. This magnificent estate is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and has witnessed sixteen generations of the powerful Cavendish family and boasts grandiose interiors, wonderful grounds and a superlative art collection. Chatsworth also appeared as Pemberley in the 2005 movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Meals: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, Dinner
DAY 4
Wednesday: Hardwick Hall, York and Fairfax House
Our first visit is to the National Trust’s Hardwick Hall. Ordered in the 16th century by Bess of Hardwick, England’s richest woman after her Queen, Elizabeth I, Hardwick is a striking Elizabethan treasure. The lavish number of windows (at a time when glass was a luxury) inspired the neat phrase, ‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall’.
We then travel north to the historic city of York. Here we visit Fairfax House, a stunning Georgian town house that has been restored to its former glory, providing a perfect time capsule of life in Georgian times with a richly-decorated interior and a fine collection of English 18th-century furniture.
This evening we enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant in York. Afterward, we make our way to our hotel for the next two nights, the Wood Hall Hotel & Spa.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 5
Thursday: Fountains Abbey and Harrogate
This morning we visit the largest monastic ruin in Britain, Fountains Abbey, where we enjoy a guided tour. Nestling in the Skell Valley, the ruin is surrounded by some 800 acres of gorgeous countryside, including the Georgian Studley Royal Water Garden with its wonderful views, cascades, follies and statues, and a medieval deer park.
Our next stop is the elegant Victorian spa town of Harrogate, located in the heart of scenic Yorkshire. Notable sights include the Royal Pump Room and the Grade II listed Royal Hall, and don’t miss the attractive Montpellier Quarter with its pedestrianized streets lined with 19th-century buildings.
After dinner at the hotel this evening, we enjoy a fascinating talk by a guest speaker.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 6
Friday: Castle Howard
Our first visit of the day is to Castle Howard, home to the Howard family for over 300 years, where we enjoy a private guided tour and refreshments. Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, Castle Howard has twice appeared as Brideshead in movie and television adaptations of Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel, as well as providing the backdrop for various scenes in the hit Netflix series, Bridgerton. This magnificent 18th-century residence, surmounted with its iconic gilded dome, offers world-renowned collections and stunning architecture, all set within 1,000 acres of breathtaking scenery.
Later, we check in to the Lumley Castle Hotel, our base for the next two nights.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 7
Saturday: Alnwick Castle and Cragside
Still home to the Duke of Northumberland and his family, Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England and has featured in Downton Abbey and Harry Potter. Inside the medieval walls are lavish State Rooms filled with an eclectic array of furniture, ceramics and art collected by the Percy family over hundreds of years, which we discover on our guided State Rooms tour.
We then enjoy a scenic coastal drive to Cragside, built into the rock high above the clear waters of Debdon Burn. Once the home of Victorian inventor Lord Armstrong, this imposing house is packed to the rafters with fascinating gadgets from the era. It was also the first house in the world to be lit by hydro-electricity and in 2014, a fully-working Archimedes Screw was installed, once again producing enough energy to light the house.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 8
Sunday: Nostell Priory
Today we visit Nostell Priory, an 18th-century architectural masterpiece which has been the home of the Winn family for 300 years. Set in landscaped parkland, Nostell is also home to England’s best documented collection of Chippendale furniture, designed especially for the estate.
Later, we check back in to the Stapleford Park Country House Hotel, where we stay overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 9
Monday: Blenheim Palace
We head to Blenheim Palace, designed on an awe-inspiring scale by Vanbrugh and set in beautiful parkland landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. As the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough, the palace is synonymous with the Churchill family and is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. A permanent exhibition commemorates the life of this famous wartime Prime Minister, whilst the magnificent State Rooms reveal a superb collection of tapestries, paintings, porcelain and furniture and we learn more on our audio guided tour followed by a delicious afternoon tea.
From here we travel Hartwell House & Spa, one of the National Trust’s Historic House Hotels, where we enjoy a farewell dinner together.
Meals: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, Dinner
DAY 10
Tuesday: Departure
A private transfer will take you back to Heathrow airport for your return flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
Please note: as this tour travels from the Home Counties to the north of England and back, some days will involve fairly long journeys.
Please note: the order of excursions is subject to change and guided tours are subject to restrictions.
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