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Authors of Britain and Ireland
Authors of Britain and Ireland
When you think of Britain and Ireland many things come to mind. Classic novels have to be at the top of most people's list of must see and experience in this corner of Europe. This tour travels through England, Scotland, Wales and finally to Ireland to explore the works of people like Dickens, Shakespeare, Burns, Dylan Thomas and WB Yeats.Other authors are missing from this tour and can easily be added, people like Roald Dahl, JM Barrie, Rudyard Kipling, Rosemunde Pilcher, Daphne du Maurier, Ian Fleming, JK Rowling, Catherine Cookson, MC Beaton, Agatha Christie, TE Lawrence and Jane Austen. When you stop to think about it the list is actually very impressive!
SAMPLE DAILY ITINERARY BELOW
SOME OF THE TOUR’S SIGHTS.
Day 1 — Arrival London
On arrival meet with your professional tour guide for the short journey to the attractive town of Windsor. The town is of dominated by Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, it has since been the home of 39 monarchs. Today The Queen spends most of her private weekends at the Castle. Following your guided tour, journey in to central London to experience an introductory tour of some famous landmarks such as Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. Overnight stay in London.
Day 2 — London
This morning we enjoy a half-day sightseeing tour of London's bustling West End. During our tour we will see the highlights including the Houses of Parliament, Covent Garden and Buckingham Palace. The highlight of the tour, however, is a visit to magnificent Westminster Abbey, the crowning place of British monarchs since 1066 and home to Poet's Corner, the burial place of an idiosyncratic collection of British writers. We then head off into Kent and to the town of Rochester where Dickens grew up. Victorian author Charles Dickens is famous for his dramatic novels which paint colourful pictures of life in Victorian England. The area greatly inspired his writings and Dickens enthusiasts may well recognize places described in his books. Overnight stay in Surrey.
Day 3 — Oxford
After breakfast journey around southern London and through the scenic Chiltern countryside to the university city of Oxford, known as the 'City of Dreaming Spires'. Oxford University has a list of former students that reads like a writers "Who's Who". R.D.Blackmore, Evelyn Waugh, C.S.Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Tolkien and Shelley amongst others, all studied here. Kenneth Graham is buried in the city and the manuscript of "Wind in the Willows" is part of the huge Bodleian Library. Overnight stay in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Day 4 — Stratford-upon-Avon
Begin the day with a morning tour of the hometown of England's most famous playwright William Shakespeare. We include a visit to his birthplace and visit the pre marital home of his wife Ann Hathaway in the nearby village of Shottery. Continue north to York, where upon arrival we enjoy a walking tour of the historic city centre. Romans, Vikings and then the Norman's stamped their mark on the city, a highlight being York Minster. Today, York is a bustling city, but its historical connections are always apparent as you wander through the narrow streets and tiny alleys, where rickety old buildings lean at acute angles and overhang the quaint cobbled streets. Overnight stay in York.
Day 5 — Yorkshire - Herriot and Bronte
Our full day excursion today traces the lives of two of Yorkshires literary institutions, James Herriot and the Bronte family. Our first stop this morning is in Thirsk. Those who are familiar with the amusing tales of James Herriot's life as a country vet, will recognise Thirsk as the "Darrowby" of the novels. We visit "Skeldale House" and see the surgery as it was in the days when Herriot trained here as a vet. The surgery is now the new "World of James Herriot Museum". Following our visit, we enjoy a scenic drive through Yorkshire Dales National Park to the hilltop village of Haworth. It was in the parsonage here that Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte spent most of their brief and unhappy lives. The Parsonage is now a museum tracing their lives and works and nearby maybe take a stroll over the windswept moor land which inspired Emily's classic "Wuthering Heights". Overnight stay in York.
Day 6 — Edinburgh
Early departure this morning to Edinburgh, the Scottish capital. Edinburgh, one of the world's most attractive and spectacular cities. Edinburgh offers many spectacular views, the best of which is from the ramparts of the castle that you will experience from your included visit. Stroll down the Royal Mile to visit the Scottish Writers Centre, dedicated to Stevenson, Scott and Burns. Overnight stay in Edinburgh.
Day 7 — Robert Burns in Ayrshire and Dumfries
Our first stop today is Alloway to visit the one-room thatched cottage where Burns was born in 1759. The original of "Auld Lang Syne" and many other Burns documents are on display in the adjacent museum. Also visit Auld Alloway church and the Burns Monument overlooking Brig o'Doon, the bridge mentioned by Burns in his narrative poem Tam o'Shanter. Next we head off through the heart of Galloway to Dumfries, where we visit the house where Scotland's most famous romantic poet spent the last few years of his life. The Robert Burns house (set in Burns Street) is a shrine and museum of manuscripts and mementoes where the poet wrote some of his best-known verses. The Burns Mausoleum in nearby St. Michael's churchyard contains his tomb. Overnight stay in The Lake District.
Day 8 — Wordsworth Ruskin and Peter Rabbit
Today we tour the beautiful Lake District National Park, a source of inspiration for many of the most creative of England's writers and artists. We drive to Hill Top, a tiny 17th century house that once belonged to the author Beatrix Potter. Next stop is Grasmere, where a visit is arranged to Dove Cottage, home of the poet William Wordsworth. The cottage houses a fascinating collection of Wordsworth memorabilia. A cruise on one of the lakes is by far the best way to experience the National Park as is a visit to Brantwood, on the shores of Coniston Water, the home of John Ruskin, one of the greatest figures of the Victorian age. Ruskin was a poet, an artist, a critic, a social revolutionary and a conservationist. Overnight stay in the Lake District.
Day 9 — Wales and Alice in Wonderland
We wave goodbye to the Lakes this morning and head south and in to The Principality of Wales and enjoy a wonderful tour of the Victorian seaside town of Llandudno, taking in the sites inspired by the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland. Explore the history of the town, find out about Alice Liddell (the real Alice in Wonderland) and enjoy an Alice-themed afternoon tea. There are plenty of opportunities for silly nonsense, some curious sights and some great places to daydream. Overnight stay in Llandudno.
Day 10 — Dublin
This morning we depart our hotel and cross over the Menai Straits to the Isle of Anglesey. Here we head for Holyhead and the ferry to Dublin, birthplace of such literary giants as Wilde, Shaw, Joyce and Beckett. There will be an afternoon city tour with a literary flavour, with particular emphasis on its Georgian architecture, saluting Oscar Wilde's modernistic sculpture facing his first home in Merion Square. Visit the Birthplace of George Bernard Shaw in the humble neighbourhood of Synge Street and then onto the Dublin Writers Museum in Parnell Square, which traces Ireland's rich heritage of writers and literary figures and Trinity College to see the illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells and enjoy the stunning Old Library. Overnight stay in Dublin.
Day 11 — Bloomsday and Sligo
This morning the emphasis is on Joyce's Dublin, beginning with a talk in the James Joyce Centre before we continue via Sandymount Strand, skirting Dublin Bay to Sandycove to visit Joyce's Tower, where "stately, plump Buck Mulligan" intoned the legendary novel's opening lines on June 16, 1904. We depart to Ireland's northwest to Sligo, birthplace of WB Yeats. Overnight stay in Sligo.
Day 12 — Yeats Country
Spend the day on a personal tour of Yeats Country accompanied by a member of the Sligo Yeats Society. Begin with a drive around Lough Gill by "Dooney Rock" and "Sleuth Wood" and then stop for a visit to Parke's Castle, a restored plantation castle of the early 17th century and enjoy some poetry readings overlooking the Lake Isle of Innisfree "and I shall have some peace there". Continue to Glencar Waterfall "where the wandering water gushes" and Hazelwood "To the waters and the wild". Leaving Lough Gill we head north to visit Drumcliffe, the site of an ancient monastic settlement founded by St. Colmcille in the 6th century. Enjoy a tour of the church, built in 1809 and recently restored, where WB Yeats, is buried in the adjoining churchyard and the headstone on his grave bears the epitaph he himself wrote just a year before his death "Cast a cold eye on life, on death - horseman, pass by". Overnight stay in Sligo.
Day 13 — Galway
After breakfast we commence our journey south to Galway, known as the "City of the Tribes" You will have time to stroll through Galway's narrow streets where you can visit Kenny's Bookstore, a treasure trove of antique books. Overnight stay in Galway
Day 14 — County Clare
Travel south towards Co Clare "Land of Castles". We visit Thoor Ballylee once the home of WB Yeats and then onto nearby Coole Park, the former estate of Lady Gregory who was co-founder of the Abbey Theatre and took an eminent part in the early 20th Century Irish literary revival. Lady Gregory's guests included Yeats, Shaw, and O'Casey and their initials can still be seen on the famous autograph tree in the grounds. Leaving the west of Ireland we will travel back to Dublin where there will be some free time this afternoon in the city. Overnight stay in Dublin.
Day 16 — Departure
An executive motor coach is provided for the transfer to Dublin Airport.