International Tours - England II
Dates
June 22, 2006 to July 7, 2006
Itinerary
The newly revised itinerary for our England tour will also be published in our Fall Bulletin.
Tuesday, June 20 and Wednesday, June 21
Depart for London airport.
Thursday June 22
Check in to our London hotel. Hear a brief orientation and have a day to shake jet lag. Dinner and overnight at the Clarendon Hotel or similar.
Friday, June 23
Mini-tour of the main sights of London, Changing of the Guard (time permitting), Downing St., Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Trafalgar Square. Check in at our hotel at the end of the tour.
Travel to Greenwich and visit the vessel Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum. We have requested a behind the scene viewing of the Queen’s House, then the Nelson exhibition and on to the observatory, then return to dinner at our London hotel.
Saturday, June 24
An early start to Trinity House with a tour followed by tea and coffee with the Directors. After the visit we head to Broadstairs with a stop at a pub en route. In the afternoon we visit North Foreland Lighthouse with a talk by the keeper. Continue on to the South Foreland Lighthouse (the first to use electricity, Marconi connection, etc.). Depart to visit Dover Castle and the Roman Lighthouse (circa 40 A.D.). Dinner at leisure. Stay in the Folkstone hotel in Dover.
Sunday, June 25
Journey to Hythe to see the 'World's Smallest Railway', then board a train to Dungeness and visit the old and new Dungeness Lighthouses, viewing the Beachy Head Lighthouse from the cliffs afterward. Travel to Portsmouth with a ferry ride to the Isle of Wight. Transfer to hotel in Shanklin for check-in and dinner.
Monday, June 26
After a continental breakfast at the hotel, visit Trinity House Depot, hear a short talk, make a possible visit to Osborne House. Continue on to visit St. Catherine’s Lighthouse, Pepper Pot Lighthouse, and then a view of the Needles Lighthouse. Return to port and board a ferry to Lymington. Travel to Bournemouth to check-in and have dinner at the hotel.
Tuesday, June 27
Drive to Anvil Point Lighthouse and then the Portland Bill Lighthouse before lunch. In the afternoon we visit the Berry Head Lighthouse and Start Point Lighthouse (half mile walk down a trail). In the afternoon we arrive in Plymouth for two nights at the Grand Hotel.
Wednesday, June 28
Greet a local guide for a panoramic tour of Plymouth including the Mayflower Steps and the Royal Citadel on Plymouth Hoe.
During the afternoon you will be free to explore the city. We will gather as a group for a pre-theater dinner at a local restaurant. During the evening we will attend the theater in Plymouth. Overnight at our Plymouth hotel.
Thursday, June 29
We visit Lizard Lighthouse in the morning. We motor to Penzance after lunch to visit the Trinity House Lighthouse Museum Centre. Overnight in Penzance.
Friday, June 30
A full day excursion to Pendeen Lighthouse, proceeding to Land's End to view the off-shore Lighthouses of Longships and Wolf Rock. We return to Penzance for dinner at a local restaurant and to our Penzance hotel for a second overnight.
Saturday, July 1
Visit the Penzance Lighthouse Depot Museum, drive to Trevose Head Lighthouse, then on to Ilfracombe and visit the Bull Point Lighthouse. Drive to St. Nicholas Chapel (Lantern Hill). Arrive Mendip Lodge near Frome for the night. Dinner at the hotel.
Sunday, July 2
Visit Longleat House and Safari Park in the morning. We will see the Avebury Circle of stones in the afternoon (said to be better than Stonehenge). We continue to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we meet a guide for a tour in the afternoon. After visiting the birthplace of Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway's cottage, we head toward Hull. We arrive at our hotel; check in and have dinner. There is a possibility of a viewing an old film on Lighthouses in the evening.
Monday, July 3
Travel to Hull, stopping to visit Flamborough Head Lighthouse. Proceed onward to the Withernsea Lighthouse, and to the Spur Lighthouse (time permitting). Dinner at the hotel; overnight stay in Hull.
Tuesday, July 4
Set out for Harwich, stopping en route for a visit at Lowerstof and Southwold Lighthouses, and at Orfordness Lighthouse (a National Trust property). Continue on to Harwich for dinner and an overnight at our hotel.
Wednesday, July 5
Visit the Harwich Trinity Lighthouse Depot. Meet with the Harwich Historical Society and visit the sites of the old Lighthouse. Travel to London for dinner and check-in at our hotel.
Thursday, July 6
Free day at your leisure. We travel to the West End in the evening as a group for dinner in a restaurant and an evening theatre performance.
Friday, July 7
Travel back to the airport and return home.
Trip Details
Included in Tour Costs: Round trip air fare from an east coast and a west coast gateway; lodging for 15 nights; breakfasts, dinners, and one lunch; two theater shows; entrance fees to all attractions; coach and guide; two or three vessel trips; a train ride from Hythe to Dungeness; taxes and fees; and a donation to the Society.
We will see 36 Lighthouses, gaining entrance into 26 or 27 of them. We visit several museums & historic sites, attend two plays, have a dinner or two with Lighthouse keepers and enthusiasts, and tour two vessels.
Cost: Estimated price is $8,208 (double) and $4,764 (single).