Welcome to Ambassador Tours

Literary Tour of England

Ambassador Tours The United Kingdom has a vast wealth of famous authors and literary heritage. As you travel around, you can explore the areas where many of these authors lived and visit the places where their stories were set and their characters came to life.

Born in Edinburgh, Sir Walter Scott made his home in the border country. Scotland's best loved poet, Robert Burns was born in a tiny cottage in Alloway, where there is a museum and a visitors center.

You may visit the Lake District of Northern England which was home to William Wordsworth, who lived at Dove Cottage in Grasmere, and Beatrix Potter whose home was in Near Sawrey and whose galleries were in Hawkshead and Bowness-on-Windermere. The Bronte sisters spent most of their lives in Haworth and based their novels and poems in the high, wild, surrounding moorlands. The Yorkshire Dales town of Thirsk was the backdrop of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small. The mining communities of Bath, Lyme Regis, and Chawton are Jane Austen's homes and settings of her many novels.

Probably the most famous literary town in the world is Stratford-Upon-Avon, and no literary tour is complete without a visit to Shakespeare's birthplace.

London — Take a guided tour with one of London’s “Blue Badge” guides; visit Westminster Abbey and enjoy a cruise on the River Thames. Tour the Globe Theatre and Exhibition Center, attend a play, and dine at Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, formerly know as the Cheshire Tavern, once frequented by many writers.

Stratford-upon-Avon — Visit Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Shakespeare’s birthplace, and Holy Trinity Church where he is buried. Enjoy a backstage tour of the Royal Theatre, and attend a performance at one of the three Shakespeare Theatres

Bath — Tour the city and visit the Jane Austen center and the Museum of Costume, the Roman Baths, and attend a play at the Theatre Royal.

Excursion to Dorchester — where Thomas Hardy spent much of his life. Visit the Corset County Museum which houses a wonderful collection of Hardy memorabilia, see the King’s Arms Hotel, and the small thatched cottage where hardy was born.

Excursion to Lyme Regis — the historic village and fishing port where Jane Austen and her family visited. Lyme plays a significant role in the novel of Persuassion, and is also the setting for Fowles’ French Leutenant’s Woman.

Chawton, Steventon and Winchester — Visit Jane Austen’s house in Chawton, and the Steventon Church where she was baptized. Jane moved to Winchester in 1817 to be near her physician. She died in Winchester and is buried in Winchester Cathedral.

PROPOSED ITINERARY:
Ten Days/ Eight Nights

Ambassador Tours Day 1: (Friday) ENROUTE TO LONDON

Assemble at the airport for your flight to London. Three hours later, depart. Dinner and overnight on board the plane.

Day 2: (Saturday) ARRIVE LONDON

Breakfast on the plane. After clearing customs at the airport, you will be greeted by your Ambassador Tours escort, and board your private motor coach. It will be too early to check into your hotel, so this morning you will meet your professional Blue Badge guide for a panoramic city tour of London. See Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Harrods Department Store, and more. Independent lunch in London. Mid-afternoon, check in to your centrally located London hotel. Remainder of the afternoon free to freshen up, rest and relax. Dinner and overnight in the hotel.

Day 3: (Sunday) LONDON

After breakfast at the hotel, attend church services, perhaps at Westminster Abbey where you may see Poet’s Corner where the remains of many writers are commemorated with statues, busts, tablets and monuments near the tomb of Geoffrey Chaucer. After church, walk over to Westminster Pier to board a Thames River Cruiser for a scenic boat tour to Tower Pier (ticket included). Disembark at the Pier and enjoy your independent lunch prior to a visit to the Tower of London (admission included). Mid-afternoon, walk across the Tower Bridge and along the new riverside walkway by the Thames to the Globe Theatre. Here you will have a guided tour of the Globe Theatre and Exhibition (admission included). Note: Performances at the Globe do not begin until May. This evening, enjoy an arranged dinner in an historic London Pub, such as “Ye Old Cheshire Cheese”. Ye Old Cheshire Cheese was formerly known as the Cheshire Tavern and was the favorite haunt of many writers, including: Dr. Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, Charles Dickens, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and W. B. Yeats. Return to the hotel for overnight.

Day 4: (Monday) LONDON/ STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

Check out of the hotel after breakfast and travel by coach to Stratford-upon-Avon. As you approach Stratford, stop at the nearby town of Shottery for a visit to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (admission included). Tradition says that William Shakespeare wooed Anne on the oak settle in the parlour. Continue the short distance to Stratford to visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace (admission included). After your visit, enjoy an independent lunch and free time to explore this pretty town. Walk along the River Avon to Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried. Check into your Stratford hotel. Late afternoon, assemble at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for a guided backstage tour (included). Return to your hotel for dinner. This evening, attend a performance at one of the three Shakespeare Theatres (ticket included). Overnight at the hotel.

.Day 5: (Tuesday) STRATFORD-UPON-AVON/ BATH

Garden Breakfast at the hotel. Depart Stratford this morning for a drive through the pretty countryside of the Cotswolds to Bath. Upon arrival in Bath, enjoy your independent lunch. Meet your Blue Badge guide for a walking tour of this beautiful Georgian city highlighting those areas most associated with the author Jane Austen and including a visit to the Jane Austen Centre (admission included). Your tour will end at the Museum of Costume (admission included). Bath was a famous spa town in the 18th century, when the two John Woods (Elder and Younger), both architects, designed the city’s fine Palladian-style buildings. It was here that Jane Austen moved with her family in 1801. Free time for a bit of shopping this afternoon. Check into your Bath area hotel. Dinner and overnight in the hotel.

Day 6: (Wednesday) BATH/ EXCURSION TO DORCHESTER

Breakfast at the hotel. First thing this morning, tour the Roman Baths (admission included). The remains of the Roman baths give a vivid impression of life nearly 2000 years ago. Built next to Britain’s only hot spring, the baths served the sick and pilgrims visiting the adjacent Temple of Sulis Minerva. Late morning, meet your coach for an excursion into the county of Dorset to the town of Dorchester. This is where the author, Thomas Hardy, spent much of his life and wrote The Mayor of Casterbridge, among many other novels, and referred to the area as “Wessex”. A visit to the Dorset County Museum will be planned (admission included). The museum houses a wonderful collection of Hardy memorabilia, including manuscripts and personal items of interest, as well as a reconstruction of his study. Independent lunch in Dorchester. You might have a stroll through the town where you will see the King’s Arms Hotel, a 19th century landmark that is well-used in Hardy’s novels. This afternoon, travel the short distance to the village of Higher Bockhampton to visit Hardy’s Cottage (admission included). This small thatched cottage was where he was born in 1840. His early novels Under the Greenwood Tree and Far from the Madding Crowd were written here. Return to Bath late afternoon. Independent dinner in Bath and evening at leisure. Overnight in the hotel.

Day 7: (Thursday) BATH/ EXCURSION TO LYME REGIS

After breakfast this morning, an excursion to Lyme Regis will be planned. Situated in the South West of Dorset, Lyme Regis is an historic unspoiled village and fishing port on the world famous Cobb Harbor. Jane Austen, with the Reverend and Mrs. Austen, Jane’s brother and Cassandra, her sister, visited Lyme Regis in 1803 and 1804. They stayed initially at a large house called “Wings” near the Cobb harbour and later moved to “Payne House”, a smaller property nearer the main town. The two sisters were extremely hardy, it is reported, and they continued to swim in the sea into October. Lyme plays a significant role in the novel of Persuasion. A more modern literary connection is with local author John Fowles whose French Lieutenant’s Woman is largely set in the town. The 1979 movie of the same name was filmed here. Take a walk on the Cobb where you will find the spot where the character Louisa Musgrove (from Persuasion) fell. The jagged steps are called Granny’s Teeth. Midday, enjoy a Devon Cream Tea in a local Lyme Regis tearoom (included). Free time for shopping and independent sightseeing in this pretty, historic seaside town. Mid-afternoon, return to Bath. This evening after dinner at the hotel, attend a play at the Theatre Royal in Bath (tickets included). Return to the hotel for overnight.

Day 8: (Friday) BATH/ CHAWTON & STEVENTON/ WINCHESTER/ LONDON

Check out of the hotel after breakfast, board your coach and travel east to Chawton to visit Jane Austen’s House (admission included). The period that she lived here was the most prolific of her life. She revised the novels Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice and wrote Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion. The house contains a museum containing her memorabilia, and chairs and a bookcase from her first home in nearby Steventon. Travel the short distance to Steventon to visit the Steventon Church, where Jane was baptized and worshipped. Her father, two of her brothers, and her nephew, were all Rectors here. The 12th century church is almost unchanged from those days. Independent lunch. Continue traveling south to Winchester to visit Winchester Cathedral (admission and tour included). In 1816, Jane became ill and in May, 1817, she moved to Winchester to be nearer to her physician. She died July 18, 1817 and is buried in Winchester Cathedral where you will see her tomb. Late afternoon, board your coach for the final portion of your journey to London. Check into your centrally located London hotel and have dinner. Overnight in the hotel.

Ambassador Tours Day 9: (Saturday) LONDON

After breakfast at the hotel, free time for independent sightseeing and shopping using London’s “Tube” underground system. Independent lunch. Late afternoon, assemble at a central London hotel for a special “High Tea”. The Duchess of Bedford began the custom of afternoon tea in 1830 when she ordered a light meal to stave off her hunger pangs between lunch and dinner. By the 1840’s, thin bread sandwiches of finely chopped cucumber, platters of light sponge cakes and freshly brewed pots of tea were being serviced all across London. This would be a good night attend a performance of a play or musical in London’s famous West End Theatre District (optional, not included). Return to the hotel for overnight. Pack for travel home tomorrow!

Day 10: (Sunday) LONDON/ ENROUTE TO THE U.S.

Breakfast at the hotel. Load coach for the transfer to your London airport for check-in. Three hours later, you will board the plane for your mid-morning transatlantic flight back to the U.S. Lunch and a snack will be served prior to your late afternoon or evening arrival.

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