churches, gardens, moors, and scenic coastline
[September 12 - 22, 2010]
Itinerary
day 1
Depart the U.S.; overnight flight.
day 2
Arrive in London. We’ll be met by our chauffeured mini-bus and begin our drive to Thomas Hardy’s home village of Lower Bockhampton, just outside of Dorchester. Highlights along the way will include a stop at the National Trust’s Montisfont Abbey House and Gardens (just south of Salisbury); and a drive through the ancient trading town of Blandford Forum en route to Lower Bockhampton. Optional visit (walk) to Thomas Hardy’s cottage; dinner at the Yalbury Cottage.
small group exploration
England – the West Country
day 3
After breakfast, we’ll enjoy a morning excursion to an array of beautiful sites in southeast Dorset: Corfe Castle, Lulworth Cove, and Dorchester, where we’ll enjoy lunch. After an early afternoon break, we’ll visit Loders – with its pretty Norman church, Abbotsbury, and the “Isle of Portland.” We’ll dine along the quay in old Weymouth.
day 4
This morning we’ll depart Dorset for points north: notably the smallest cathedral city in England – Wells; and its famous neighbor, Glastonbury. In the afternoon, we’ll drive along the picturesque north Devon coast to Lynton – home for the next three days.
Go where the large groups can’t go – to the real England of authentic villages and countryside. This trip has been planned to visit special places, avoid crowds and large cities, and allow lots of touring flexibility: guided, unguided, on foot, or not! There will be opportunities to visit local churches – both large and small, and to learn about the centuries-old Christian heritage of the West Country. But travelers can minimize their own involvement or immersion in the church history component of the trip as they choose. Opportunities will abound to practice and enjoy photography, visit National Trust heritage sites, visit lovely villages and hamlets, learn about the sea heritage of the West Country, ride an historic steam railroad, learn about very early Cornish and English prehistory and history, and hike or be physically active as much or as little as desired.
Trip highlights:
• multiple-night-stays in each of three beautiful “West Country hubs”
• stays in character-rich small hotels or family-owned inns
• a group size of 6 – 12 participants
• transportation by private vehicle or small, chauffeured mini-bus
• exploration along the lovely “B-roads” – smaller, less-traveled routes, often re-tracing historic regional roads (and even old Roman roads)
• visits to National Trust gardens and buildings, and World Heritage Sites
• exploration of lovely valleys, coastline, towns and villages, and the sometimes-wild highlands of Bodmin Moor and Exmoor
• daily options of guided outings and visits or free time
• some optional opportunities for walking or hiking in scenic or natural areas
fishing boats and lobster traps, Devon coast
old Norman church, village of Loders, Dorset
England – the West Country, page 2
scheduled trips / calendar: