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DMC SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP TOURS TO THE UK AND tours-international.com Inveraray , © VisitScotland/Paul Tomkins ABOUT TOURS INTERNATIONAL

Tours International is a DMC for groups, specialising in group tours to , and Europe. Established in 1987, we are a family-run business based in Royal Tunbridge Wells in , . Our friendly team of talented multilinguists combines creativity and innovation with excellent customer service and great attention to detail. We pride ourselves on our professional yet very personal service and our unique range of special interest tours, which we are constantly reviewing and updating. GROUP TOURS

We offer a comprehensive ground service for group travel, with an exciting and ever evolving collection of special interest tours. Clients can expect well researched itineraries, quality accommodation and transportation, experienced guides, the best attractions and restaurants and excellent local and subject knowledge. Each tour is bespoke, designed specifically to meet a client’s brief – customised with one-off speakers, private visits and unique destinations – guaranteeing a truly memorable experience. As group travel specialists with over 40 years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry, we are confident that our team can deliver the unforgettable tours you are looking for. Included here are a collection of our most popular tours and themes, but we welcome the opportunity to discuss any themes you don’t see here. For a wider list of our tour suggestions, please visit www.tours-international.com. CONTACT US

WE GUARANTEE A RESPONSE WITHIN 24 HOURS. E: [email protected] T: +44 (0) 1892 515825 USA toll free: 888-505-1050 W: tours-international.com CONTENTS PAGE OUR SERVICES 3 TOURS 4-5 DAY TOURS FROM LONDON 6 CHRISTIANITY TOURS 7-9 FILM & TV LOCATION TOURS 10-11 HISTORY, HERITAGE & ROYALTY TOURS 12-13 GARDEN & CASTLE TOURS 14-15 LITERARY TOURS 16-17 MILITARY TOURS 18-19 GOURMET TOURS 20 TOURS OF SCOTLAND 21 TOURS OF 22 TOURS OF IRELAND 23

2 tours-international.com OUR SERVICES

Bailey’s , London. Bedroom @ ’s Hotel. OUR SERVICES INCLUDE:

PERSONAL CONTACT: a dedicated member of the Tours International team will be your central point of contact.

24 HOUR RESPONSE TIME: we guarantee an initial response within 24 hours of your enquiry.

24 HOUR CONTACT NUMBER: your clients will have a 24-hour contact number for the duration of their tour.

GUIDES: professional, trained and highly experienced in all our specialist subjects.

HEADSETS: we can provide headsets, guaranteeing a better experience for your clients.

TRANSPORT: including private car transfers, luxury coaches and mini coaches. We also arrange Eurostar and Eurotunnel tickets and ferry crossings connecting England, Ireland, and Scotland through a multitude of gateways.

ACCOMMODATION: ranging from 3/4 star city centre through to luxury 5 star or boutique hotels. Stay in a typical country inn, overnight in a castle or opt for a British safari experience in a lodge at a .

MEALS: choose from contemporary city venues, Michelin-starred restaurants, country , traditional English tea rooms or private dining in unique locations sourced especially for your tour.

ATTRACTIONS: entrances, private tours, VIP visits and exclusive experiences, tailored to fit your bespoke tour.

TICKETS: to a West End theatre, ballet or opera or one-off special events.

FIT SERVICES: contact us for information on our scheduled tours and bespoke FIT services.

Afternoon tea @ Fortnum & Mason. Lobby @ Copthorne Chelsea Hotel, London. YPIJ Coaches. Eurostar, @Eurostar.

e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 3 LONDON TOURS

MUST-SEE LONDON

Tower of London Warder tour © Historic Royal

Churchill War Rooms © IWM

CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS: Fortnum & Mason, See where Churchill led the war effort, OF LONDON AND his secret bunker and . JEWELS: AND FORTNUM & MASON The stunning , still regularly used by the Queen; the White Tower, one of the most famous castle in the world; and the Scaffold Site, scene of many noble executions.

Inside The Globe © Clive Sherlock

Royal Observatory, SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THEATRE: GREENWICH: Visit this world-famous theatre, on Home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the site of Shakespeare’s original the Prime Meridian of the world, Globe. Watch a play or take a London’s Planetarium, the backstage tour. and .

WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Dinner cruise with Bateaux London Steeped in over one thousand years of history, the Abbey has been the CRUISE WITH DINNER: coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of 17 monarchs. Spot iconic landmarks while dining in an elegant floating restaurant. Choose from lunch, dinner or afternoon tea.

4 tours-international.com LONDON TOURS

MUST-SEE LONDON

The , Hampton Court © VisitBritain /

Kew Gardens © RBG Kew/Jeff Eden

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW: Iconic glasshouses, historic buildings, HAMPTON COURT formal gardens, an arboretum, water PALACE: features and art galleries. Henry VIII’s magnificent waterside palace, with the Great Hall, Henry VIII’s Kitchens, , Privy Garden and . © VisitBritain/Kiyoshi Sakasal

THE VIEW FROM THE SHARD, INCLUDING A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE: London’s highest viewing platform. Bubbles taste particularly exquisite at the top of Western Europe’s tallest building.

London's West End © VisitBritain/Tristan Vince : , WEST Visit the State Rooms, the Queen’s AFTERNOON TEA AT END & CAMDEN TOWN: Gallery and the . LUXURY LOCATIONS Discover quirky boutiques, eclectic markets and the most popular West End shows.

ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL: The underground Crypt with its famous tombs, the Golden Gallery, High Altar, Whispering Gallery, Chapels THE : and American Memorial Chapel. Uncover two million years of human history and culture.

e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 5 DAY TOURS FROM LONDON

MAKE IT A LUXURY TOUR! & BATH: AND ENJOY A PRIVATE Prehistoric Stonehenge, followed by walking tour of the Georgian STRATFORD-UPON-AVON: HELICOPTER city of Bath, including a visit to the Roman Baths and Pump Rooms. Walking tour of the ‘City of Spires’ FLIGHT OVER including a visit to one of the University LONDON. colleges, followed by the Birthplace of . OXFORD AND BICESTER VILLAGE:

Walking tour of the ‘City of Spires’ and then luxury shopping at Bicester Village, offering designer fashion brands at discounted prices. Stonehenge © CAMBRIDGESHIRE:

KENT - CASTLE & : The famous university city and a tour of one of the colleges. Stunning and the beautiful cathedral city Duxford, a historic airfield and museum of Canterbury. and Madingley Cemetery, the only American WWII cemetery in the . Leeds Castle © Thomas Alexander Photography AND THE INCLUDING ‘THE VILLAGE OF DOWNTON’:

See the magnificent birthplace of Sir . Tour picturesque Cotswold villages and stop off at the village which features as Downton in .

KENT – & HEVER:

The family home of Winston Churchill and 14th Century , childhood home of , Henry VIII’s ill-fated second wife.

Castle Combe in the Cotswolds © VisitBritain/Adam Burton

Hever Castle Inner Hall Blenheim Palace

WINDSOR CASTLE: COTSWOLD VILLAGES AND The oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and an Official THE ROYAL GARDENS AT HIGHGROVE: Residence of Her Majesty the Queen. The exquisite Cotswolds, with villages full of traditional English features, followed by the lovely gardens created by HRH Prince of Wales at Highgrove. PARIS:

Hop over to Paris for a day on the Eurostar. Panoramic tour of the main sites including the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe. Cruise along the Seine and © Doug Harding enjoy shopping in the Parisian boutiques.

6 tours-international.com CHRISTIANITY TOURS

CELTIC CHRISTIANITY DAY 8: Isle of Iona, which became the of Celtic Christianity in Scotland when St Columba landed in AD563 and founded a DAY 1: new monastic community. Visit the Benedictine Abbey. DBB. . Panoramic tour including St Patrick’s twelfth-century Cathedral. Visit Trinity College and view the Book of Kells, DAY 9: a medieval illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels. DBB. . Orientation tour of the city, including and St Margaret’s Chapel – the oldest surviving building St Patricks Cathedral © Tourism Ireland in the city. DBB.

DAY 2:

Visit a fascinating 6th century monastery, founded by St Kevin. St Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh Guided tour around this unique site, including ruins of the original cathedral. DBB. DAY 10: The Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Trace the footsteps of St Aidan DAY 3: and St Cuthbert, explore the priory and Lindisfarne Centre and Newgrange with its burial chamber dated to around 3200BC, visit Bamburgh, home of St Oswald. DBB. rumoured to be the burial ground for the High Kings. The Hill of Tara, ancient seat of the pagan High Kings. DBB. DAY 11: Twin Anglo-Saxon monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow. Durham DAY 4: and the Cathedral to see St Cuthbert’s Shine and Tomb of the Visit to the monastic site founded by St. Ciaran, including a round Venerable Bede. DBB. tower and remains of nine churches. Knock Shrine, where the Virgin Mary appeared to 15 people in 1879. DBB.

DAY 5: Tour of Armagh with its two cathedrals. DBB.

DAY 6: Ferry to Scotland. Whithorn, Scotland’s earliest recorded Christian settlement and its priory with the Latinus Stone and collection of carved stone crosses. DBB.

DAY 7: and the Cathedral with the St Mungo Museum of World Religion. DBB.

St Cuthbert's Shrine, DAY 12: Whitby and the ruins of St Hilda’s Abbey where the conflict between the traditions of the Ionian church and the Roman church were brought to a head. Transfer to airport.

Speak to us about how you can explore the fascinating Celtic Christianity trail further, by extending the tour to include Wales Iona Abbey ©Historic Environment Scotland and South England.

e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 7 CHRISTIANITY TOURS

MAKE THIS A LUXURY TOUR! ENJOY PRIVATE ST AUGUSTINE & EARLY CHRISTIANITY DAY 5: DINING IN THE The Shrine of ‘Our Lady of Walsingham’ CLOISTERS OR commemorating the apparition of the CHAPTER HOUSE DAY 1: Blessed Virgin. DBB. OF Arrive London. , built on the site of St ABBEY. Augustine’s first Cathedral. St Augustine’s Abbey, a Benedictine DAY 6: monastery founded in 598. Evensong. DBB. Waltham Abbey, a major pilgrim site on the road between London and Walsingham. DBB. DAY 2: Visit the oldest church in England, site of the first meeting of St DAY 7: Augustine and Ethelbert, King of Kent. Follow the Kent coast and Glastonbury, legendarily visited by Joseph of Arimathea. visit a group of historic churches and Michelham Priory, founded Stonehenge and its prehistoric stone circle. DBB. by Augustinian Canons. DBB.

Glastonbury Tor © Canterbury Cathedral Michelham Priory Images/David Sellman

DAY 3: DAY 8: Full day tracing early Christianity in London, including Westminster , a place of Christian worship for nearly Abbey and , the Roman Catholic Cathedral 1400 years. Aylesford Priory, an ancient religious house of the which was completed in 1903. Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral. Order of Carmelites. DBB. DBB. LUTHER – GERMANY

Christian beliefs were fundamentally changed when Martin Luther launched the Reformation in Wittenburg. Visit Berlin and key sites such as the Reichstag, Berlin Gate, Topography of Terror and Potsdamer Platz. Luther’s home in Wittenburg, where he posted his ‘95 Theses’, his Birth House, Death House and church where he was baptised. Tour the 300 year-old Francke Foundations; see Erfurt, where Luther worked and the Castle where he lived in protective custody.

Rochester Cathedral © Visit Kent

DAY 4: Bury St Edmunds and the remains of one of the wealthiest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England and St Edmund’s Cathedral. Visit a pilgrim stop which claimed to Luther monuments, Wittenberg possess a piece of the Holy Cross. DBB.

8 tours-international.com CHRISTIANITY TOURS

JOHN WESLEY

Follow in John Wesley’s footsteps, the Anglican minister and 2020 marks 850 years since Thomas Becket was brutally theologian credited with the foundation of Methodism. As murdered by King Henry II’s in December 1170 in spiritual leader of the 18th Century ‘Methodist revival’, Wesley Canterbury Cathedral. Highlights of the tour include Canterbury touched the hearts and minds of the masses at the onset of the Cathedral to see the Life of Becket window, the . Explore his life, including his formative place of martyrdom and his shrine. The Canterbury Tales, where years with the Holy Club in Oxford; his evangelical conversion medieval England is recreated by Chaucer, as the pilgrims make on Street and house and Chapel in London and his their way to Becket's shrine. London, with the Becket memorial first experience of open-air preaching in . near ; Cathedral, where he appears on The Great Screen; the , where he was ; , where Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine were crowned in 1154 and , founded by the Knights Templar. Visit key locations on the famous London to Canterbury Pilgrim's Way, including Rochester Cathedral and Aylesford Priory. Alternatively, follow Henry II on the Southampton route. As penance for Becket's murder, Henry made his legendary barefoot pilgrimage to Canterbury, where he was whipped by the monks.

Aylesford Priory

PILGRIM FATHERS AND THE MAYFLOWER

The Mayflower Pilgrims sailed from England to the New World in 1620, hoping for new beginnings and religious tolerance. Explore the origins of their story, including the Mayflower Steps and Pilgrims Point in Plymouth, from where the Pilgrims set sail in The Mayflower on 16 September 1620. Visit East Anglia, where many of the Mayflower Pilgrims came from including Harwich, to see where the Mayflower was believed to have been built and the Captain’s home. Scrooby and Babworth, home to leading Separatists who became the first leaders of the Pilgrim Movement; Gainsborough Old Hall, home of ardent Puritans; and the cells in the Guildhall where Pilgrims were held. Important John Wesley statue London sites include Westminster Abbey and the stained-glass window depicting the Mayflower Pilgrims; the prison and Rotherhithe, where Pilgrims joined the Mayflower and the famous Mayflower .

Boston Guildhall, Lincolnshire, where Mayflower Steps, Plymouth the Mayflower Pilgrims were held and tried.

Mayflower Pub, Rotherhithe

e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 9 FILM & TV LOCATION TOURS

FILM LOCATIONS OF LONDON JAMES BOND

(Downton Abbey, Harry Potter, Sherlock, Victoria, The Crown and No Time to Die has unleashed a new wave of James Bond mania James Bond) so why not book a group tour to see some of the most iconic Bond locations? London highlights include the courtyard at Somerset DAY 1: House, which appeared in Golden Eye; The , which featured in Skyfall; The Reform Club which was used in Die Panoramic tour of key sites used for filming, or associated with, Another Day and , a key location for Skyfall, Spectre and Downton Abbey, The Crown or Victoria. Visit the location in The No Time to Die. Take a Thames Rocket speedboat ride along the Crown used for the King’s funeral scenes and his internment in Thames and recreate that pivotal scene in Spectre when Bond St George’s Chapel. Loseley Park, a historic manor house featured races past London landmarks. Locations from the new film in The Crown. DBB. include Pall Mall, and Ascot. Visit the London Film Museum to see the largest collection of Bond vehicles ever exhibited in London and dine in the James Bond room at Planet Hollywood London. Extend the tour to Scotland and visit locations used in No Time to Die, plus Glen Etive, used in Skyfall, Eilean Donan Castle which appeared in The World is Not Enough and Loch Craignish, scene of the final boat chase in From Russia with .

Loseley Park, featured in The Crown © Visit England/Visit Surrey

DAY 2: Follow in the footsteps of London’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes and visit locations used in Sherlock. Hatfield House, featured in The Crown. DBB.

DAY 3: Harry Potter walking tour to spot key locations used in the films including the ticket barriers where Mr Weasley struggles in Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, the footbridge destroyed by Death Eaters, The Leaky Cauldron, Platform 9¾ and the location Thames Rib speedboat for Diagon Alley. Finish with the authentic film sets at Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. DBB.

DAY 4:

Filming locations of Downton Abbey including Yew Tree farm, the village used as Downton and . DBB.

Highclere Castle, as seen in Downton Abbey

Aston Martin

MAKE THIS A LUXURY TOUR! ENJOY AFTERNOON TEA WITH A CAST MEMBER FROM DAY 5: DOWNTON ABBEY, Race along the Thames in a high-speed VICTORIA OR THE boat, in the style of James Bond in CROWN! Spectre, past 007’s famous haunts. Visit the official exhibition of James Bond vehicles. Glen Etive, Scotland

10 tours-international.com FILM & TV LOCATION TOURS

GAME OF THRONES – IRELAND THE CROWN

Winter is coming again! The Game of Thrones Studio Tour opens Visit the locations of this gripping mini-series based on the British in late 2020 and promises all the most breath-taking sets from Royal Family. London filming locations include stunning Lancaster the Seven Kingdoms, including King’s Landing, Winterfell, House where many scenes were filmed, Lyceum Theatre, Blythe Dragonstone and The Wall, plus realms across the Narrow Sea House and , scene of George VI’s funeral and such as Mereen and Braavos. internment in St. George’s Chapel.

Castle Ward (Winterfell) © Tourism Filming The Crown at

Extend your tour and visit Cushendun Caves where Melisandre gave birth to a dark sprit, Renly’s Camp in the Stormlands, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, the Iron Islands beach and the

Giant’s Causeway. See Castle Ward, which doubles as Winterfell, Tollymore Forest (the Haunted Forest), Dunluce Castle and the Dark Hedges. Spot the wilding pit and the bridge where the Starks found the direwolf pups. Glenariff, a plunging valley surrounded by stunning waterfalls, which features as the practice ground at Runestone and Mourne Mountains, which appears as the entrance to Vaes Dothrak and the lands north of Winterfell.

Southwark Cathedral

Visit Wilton House, which doubles as Buckingham Palace and Castle, used for Windsor Castle interior scenes. Ely Cathedral, where the wedding scene of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip was filmed; and Knebworth House. Loseley Park, the location for Broadlands and magnificent , which appeared in Series 2. New locations in Series 3 include Winchester Cathedral, used for Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral, Hylands House which doubled as the White House and De Vere Horsley Estate. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge © National Trust Images/Rod Edwards

The Dark Hedges (The Kingsroad) © Waddesdon Manor © National Trust Images/Hugh Palmer

e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 11 HISTORY, HERITAGE & ROYALTY TOURS

MAKE THIS A LUXURY TOUR! ROYAL LONDON BOOK AN EXCLUSIVE DAY 1: CHAMPAGNE Panoramic tour of royal sites of London. Westminster Abbey, BREAKFAST AT wedding venue of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and KENSINGTON venue for the coronation. Changing of the Guard ceremony. PALACE. Buckingham Palace, of the Queen, to see the State rooms and gardens. DBB.

DAY 2: , home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. St Paul’s Cathedral, where the Prince of Wales married Princess Diana. Lunch in a restaurant popular with the royals. ’ famous waxworks of the royal family. DBB. Windsor Castle © Dennis Gilbert/ Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II DAY 3: Windsor castle, the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. Eton, where William and Harry studied. Hatfield House, which features in the series The Crown. DBB.

DAY 4: , Henry VIII’s stunning waterside palace. East Anglia and the villages where Kate has been seen shopping, with William’s favourite pub and local bakery. DBB.

DAY 5: Sandringham, the Queen’s country estate, where the royal family spend Christmas. See their church, where Princess Charlotte Kensington Palace © Historic Royal Palaces was christened. Return to London.

KING ARTHUR – WALES & ENGLAND

The legends of King Arthur have long been shrouded in mystery and tales of the Knights of the Round Table, the wizard Merlin and tragic lovers Guinevere and Lancelot have charmed people for centuries. Did Camelot really exist, who was the Lady in the Lake and did Arthur really pull Excalibur from the stone? Follow in the footsteps of Arthur and his Knights, visiting Chester, reputedly Arthur’s chief city; Wales, home to many Arthurian legends including the lake where Arthur reportedly threw Excalibur; Cornwall, to see Tintagel Castle, Merlin’s Cave and St Michael’s Mount; Glastonbury Abbey, believed to be Avalon, where Arthur and Guinevere were buried; Winchester, home to the famous Round Table and Stonehenge, still the focus of Druidic activity today.

Tintagel Castle © English Heritage

12 tours-international.com HISTORY, HERITAGE & ROYALTY TOURS

KING HENRY VIII TOUR MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS – SCOTLAND & ENGLAND DAY 1: A romantic yet tragic figure, famed for her beauty and related to Westminster Abbey, where Henry was crowned King in 1509. several European royal dynasties, Mary seemed destined for glory. His father Henry VII and his three children are all buried here. Crowned Queen of Scotland at only 5 days old, she became Queen Banqueting House and the remains of Whitehall Palace, which of France as a teenager and was hailed by many Catholics as Henry acquired from Wolsey and Palace, his childhood England’s true Queen, yet she died a lonely figure, exiled from her home. DBB. country and the son she last saw as a baby. Implication in a series DAY 2: of ill-fated plots resulted in life imprisonment and execution by her cousin . Visit the Scottish royal palaces of her childhood Transfer to Kent and Hever Castle, the home of the Boleyn family. and the English where she was incarcerated for over half Visit the remains of the palace where Henry VIII was born and her life. spent much of his early life. The National Maritime museum to explore Henry’s love of the navy. DBB.

Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh © VisitScotland/P.Tomkins

Staircase Gallery at Hever Castle AMERICAN WOMEN IN THE UK Celebrate some of the famous American women who made the DAY 3: UK their home, including Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, with her home on the Windsor estate. Visit the London haunts Morning visit to Windsor Castle, an official residence of the of , Duchess of Windsor and enjoy a private tour current Queen. Henry is buried in St George’s Chapel, together of Highclere Castle, once home to Catherine Wendell, Countess with his third and favourite wife Jane Seymour. Tower of London, of Carnarvon. Magnificent , home to Nancy Astor and where Anne Boleyn, and were lovely Leeds Castle, restored by Lady Baillie. Winston Churchill's all executed. DBB. mother, Lady Jennie Randolph Churchill, was an American-born British socialite; visit Winston’s birthplace, Blenheim Palace and DAY 4: the churchyard where Jennie is buried. JFK's sister, Kathleen Experience a ‘Tudor Cambridge’ walking tour, covering religion, Cavendish (Kick Kennedy) lived in the UK when her father was medieval fairs, books and printing and architecture. See the the US Ambassador and married the heir to Chatsworth, where university college Henry founded. DBB. she is buried.

DAY 5: Hampton Court Palace, the lavish royal residence given to Henry in 1525, rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of Henry’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard. See the State Apartments of Henry VIII, Chapel Royal, Kitchens and Great Hall. Return to .

Hampton Court Palace © Historic Royal Palaces Cliveden House

e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 13 GARDEN & CASTLE TOURS MAKE THIS A LUXURY TOUR! ENJOY A GARDEN OF ENGLAND ITINERARY PRIVATE TOUR BY A HEAD WITH CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW GARDENER.

DAY 1: Kent, the ‘Garden of England’. Visit stunning Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Great Dixter and the vineyard which reportedly supplied the wine for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. DBB.

The Rose Garden in May at Sissinghurst Castle Garden ©National Trust Images / Andrew Butler

Chapel Down Vineyard, Kent © VisitEngland

DAY 5: Attendance at the world’s most famous garden show, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. DBB.

DAY 6: Visit RHS Wisley, home to some of the largest plant collections in the world.

Talk to us about extending this tour to the South West, East Anglia DAY 2: or Scotland. Visit Pashley Manor, an immaculate garden around a Tudor house, Wakehurst Place and a private cottage garden once owned by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Finish with tea and cakes on the lawn. DBB.

DAY 3: Quirky Great Comp Garden, followed by Hever Castle and Gardens with its Pompeiian Wall, Italian Garden and English Rose Garden. Visit a beautiful private 10-acre garden with water garden and formal herbaceous borders and lawns. DBB.

DAY 4: Visit two other well-known gardens before a guided tour of Chartwell – the family home of Sir Winston Churchill, whose passion for landscape and nature is evident in the gardens. DBB.

RHS Garden Wisley © RHS / Joanna Kossak

HIGHGROVE AND THE GARDENS OF THE COTSWOLDS

Visit Highgrove, home of HRH The Prince of Wales. Since 1980 when Prince Charles first arrived at Highgrove, His Royal Highness has transformed the gardens around the house into one of the most creatively inspired gardens of today. A series of interlinked areas, each with their own character, weave magically around the garden. The tour also passes through several pretty Cotswold villages and includes other famous Gardens. Choose from Abbey House Garden, Hidcote Manor Garden, Bourton House, Stone House Garden or , a beautiful castle once Visitors at Chartwell ©National Trust Images / Chris Lacey home to Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth wife.

14 tours-international.com GARDEN & CASTLE TOURS

GARDEN & FLOWER SHOWS

RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW – MAY: Arguably the world’s greatest Flower Show, this iconic event is the highlight of the UK gardening calendar and a truly unforgettable social occasion, attended by royals and celebrities alike. Enjoy show-stopping garden designs and an explosion of art and colour in the most fashionable part of London.

RHS HAMPTON COURT PALACE GARDEN FESTIVAL – JULY: The world’s largest flower show and a high point in both the social and gardening year, held at Henry VIII’s stunning watersidepalace. This Show offers a mix of glorious show gardens, planting and country crafts, fine dining with dazzling floral displays, live music with fabulous shopping, fashion and food. A unique day out in a truly majestic setting.

RHS CHATSWORTH FLOWER SHOW - JUNE: Launched in 2017, the new RHS Chatsworth Flower Show takes place in the beautiful surroundings of the Chatsworth Estate, family home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Visitors can expect all their favourite RHS Show features, including a fantastic range of specialist nurseries, outdoor lifestyle shopping and garden inspiration.

RHS WISLEY FLOWER SHOW – SEPTEMBER: A floral extravaganza featuring over 60 plant nurseries and trade stands, the National Dahlia Society Show, floral displays, expert advice and the chance to enjoy stunning late summer colour throughout the breath-taking Wisley garden.

RHS Chatsworth Flower Show © RHS / Georgi Mabee

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 © RHS / Sarah Cuttle RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival © RHS / Georgi Mabee RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 © RHS / Sarah Cuttle

e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 15 LITERARY TOURS

LITERARY TOUR OF THE UK

DAY 1: Panoramic tour of London with visits to the and Shakespeare’s Globe. Evening ‘Literary Pub Crawl’, with stops at places frequented by famous novelists. DBB.

DAY 2: Rochester, childhood home town of . The Canterbury Tales to experience the sights and sounds of Chaucer’s medieval England. DBB.

The Canterbury Tales © Visit Kent

Dove Cottage, William Wordsworth's home

DAY 6: Panoramic tour of and Story. DBB.

DAY 7: Brontë country and the parsonage where the sisters lived and church where their father preached. See Top Withens, the DAY 3: farmhouse model for Emily’s Wuthering Heights. DBB. Monk’s House, Woolf’s 17th century country retreat. Hampshire and key sites relating to the life and works of Jane DAY 8: Austen. DBB. Follow in the footsteps of Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth through the picturesque . DBB.

DAY 9: Cross the border to Scotland. Follow a Harry Potter trail of locations that inspired JK Rowling and see where she wrote the books. DBB.

DAY 10: The home of Sir Walter Scott. Afternoon visit to the historical city of Durham and the Cathedral, used in the filming of Harry Potter. DBB.

DAY 11: Morning visit to before breath-taking , which appeared as Pemberley in a production of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. DBB. Peter Rabbit at The World of Beatrix Potter DAY 12: DAY 4: Tour of stately homes which featured in productions of Jane Walking tours of Bath and Lacock, both with strong Jane Austen Austen’s novels including , which appeared as links. DBB. Rosings, Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s home. DBB.

DAY 5: DAY 13: The village of ‘Downton’, in the television series Downton Abbey. Walking literary tour of Cambridge highlighting places relating University city of Oxford and Shakespeare’s home town of to Chaucer, Darwin, Byron, Fletcher, Dickens and Virginia Woolf. Stratford-upon-Avon. DBB. Transfer to London.

16 tours-international.com LITERARY TOURS

AUSTEN AND HARDY TOUR WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Generally thought of as the greatest English writer of all time, DAY 1: Shakespeare brought theatre to the masses. Visit picturesque Hampshire and a famous posting-house. Walking tour of Stratford-upon-Avon to see Shakespeare’s birthplace and the Winchester, including the city museum, house where Austen Shakespeare Centre, his schoolroom and the church where he died and Cathedral where she is buried. DBB. was baptised and is buried. See Anne Hathaway’s pretty cottage and gardens; Hall’s Croft, his daughter’s house and New Place, his DAY 2: final home. In London, visit The Globe, on the site of Shakespeare’s first Globe theatre and reconstructed to resemble the original. Bath, to see the locations and houses where Jane Austen lived and visited. 18th Century Lacock, a popular setting for period dramas. DBB.

DAY 3: See where Jane Austen was born and lived until she was 25 and where Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice were written. The Vyne, where Jane attended dances and her home in Chawton with its fine range of Austen memorabilia. DBB.

DAY 4: Visit places that inspired Hardy’s fictional county of Wessex and drive through villages featured in his novels. Visit the cottage Shakespeare's Birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon where he was born, the home he designed and a museum featuring Hardy memorabilia. DBB. THE BRONTËS OF HAWORTH DAY 5: The villa where Hardy lived with his wife and the location believed In a small Yorkshire village surrounded by windswept moors, to be the model for the Durbeyfields’ home. , which three sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë produced some features in Jude the Obscure. DBB. of the most widely read novels in the world. Visit Thornton, where they were born and the Brontë Parsonage, where they DAY 6: lived and their father was Vicar. Nearby St Michael and All Angels Church and the family . Picturesque Haworth with its Oxford, a city with links to both Austen and Hardy. Return to cobbled streets and quirky shops and The Black Bull pub, London and the British Library. frequented by Bramwell Brontë. See the moorland farm believed to be the site of Emily’s Wuthering Heights. Follow in the sisters’ footsteps and walk on the moors, then explore the houses which inspired the grand homes in their novels. AGATHA CHRISTIE

Discover one of the most famous crime writers of all time and her popular detectives, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Visit her homes, including Greenway, her holiday retreat. See the places which inspired her, including Brown’s Hotel in London, where she was a regular guest and the locations used for her films and TV series. Watch an Agatha Christie play at the theatre, possibly The Mousetrap, the longest running play in the world.

Jane Austen Festival, Bath © VisitEngland

CHARLES DICKENS

Take through Charles Dickens’ England – London, where so many of his great novels take place; the Dickens House Museum; the Kent countryside which inspired him and historic Rochester, his home town, where Dickensian characters give us a guided tour. Along the way we stop at hotels and pubs frequented by Dickens himself.

The English Tea Room at Brown's Hotel

Shakespeare's Birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 17 MILITARY TOURS

NORMANDY LANDINGS - D-DAY US TROOPS DRIVE INTO GERMANY 1945

The Normandy Landings in June 1944 signified a major turning Follow the route to Germany taken by the American Army, point in World War II and in those dark days gave hope to millions during World War II. Highlights include the remains of the that Europe would eventually be liberated. D-Day – or 'Operation Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen; strategic points along the Rhine; Overlord' – was an extremely large and complex undertaking. Berchtesgaden, home to Hitler’s famous mountain retreat and The successful coordination of American, British, Canadian and one of the key Allied targets; , Nuremberg and Prague. Free French Airborne troops, as well as the landing of infantry See where German Army Group B was surrounded in the Ruhr and armoured divisions, remains one of the greatest victories in pocket and where Eisenhower switched his main thrust to U.S. history and the largest invasion of troops by sea. Visit the beaches 12th Army Group, who advanced to the Elbe. We see where the where the troops landed, as well as the cemeteries, memorials U.S. First Army makes initial contact with the advancing Soviets and in the surrounding countryside and towns. and where the 6th Army Group headed into Austria. Finally, the location where the US forces linked up in Germany and Italy.

Utah Beach memorial Pointe du Hoc © Munich © GNTB / Saskia Wehler © Shutterstock.com Shutterstock.com

American War Cemetery © Shutterstock.com

Blocks 1 & 12 at Auschwitz © Auschwitz.org

Berchtesgaden © DZT/Gunter Standl

CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND Roll Call Square at Auschwitz © Auschwitz.org THE JEWISH QUESTION

Undoubtedly one of the most appalling periods in history – the Nazi persecution of the Jews. Visit the House of the Wannsee Conference, where the ‘Final Solution’ was coordinated and Berlin, with the Jewish Museum, Holocaust Memorial and Sunken Library, commemorating the horrific burning of Jewish books. Witness the horror of the Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. Warsaw, with the tragic remains of the Jewish Ghetto and the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising. On to Prague and the Jewish Quarter, with its Ghetto, Cemetery and Museum.

House of the Wannsee Conference © Shutterstock.com

18 tours-international.com MILITARY TOURS

WINSTON CHURCHILL AND ENGLAND IN WW2

Visit the important sites in London from where Churchill rallied a nation in its darkest hour – the Churchill War Rooms and his underground bunker, the Houses of Parliament, , HMS and the Imperial War Museum with its various WW2 exhibitions. Visit Bletchley Park, where specialist Codebreakers worked night and day cracking the Nazi codes and ciphers; Beaulieu, a secret training establishment for agents of the Special Operations Executive (SOE); and Operation Dynamo, conducted from secret underground tunnels and the D-Day Museum , showcasing all aspects of the D-Day landings in Normandy. We explore Churchill’s private life, including stunning Blenheim Palace, where he was born, his weekend retreat at and Chartwell, his beloved home deep in the Kent countryside.

Winston Churchill Churchill War Rooms © IWM

BATTLE OF THE BULGE (BELGIUM) USAAF AND ‘THE MIGHTY EIGHTH’

In 1944 Hitler was facing defeat and made a desperate attempt 70 airfields across East Anglia became home to nearly 250,000 to regain the offensive, announcing a counter-attack to take American airmen and crew during World War II, as they joined in place in the Ardennes forests of Belgium. In the early hours of the desperate battle in the skies above Europe. Take a trip back 16th December 1944, the Battle of the Bulge began. The Nazi to the old USAAF airfields and the nearby villages with their plan to split the Allied line in half and capture Antwerp failed, memorials, control towers and private museums commemorating but the Battle (described by Winston Churchill as ‘an ever-famous the bomber groups who fought so heroically. Visit the Duxford American victory’) was the single bloodiest that US forces Air Museum with its amazing aviation collections, Airshow, experienced during WWII. Visit the key sites of the Battle, the American Air Museum, Normandy Experience, headquarters used by Generals Patton and Bradley, military Exhibition and Operations Room. Also, RAF Hendon with its cemeteries and monuments commemorating all US units who impressive collection of German aircraft and the US Military served in the Battle. Cemetery at Madingley.

Mardasson Bastogne Duxford © IWM

MAKE THIS A LUXURY TOUR! BOOK A PRIVATE AIRPLANE TRIP OVER THE KEY SITES. e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 19 GOURMET TOURS

SCOTTISH WHISKY TRAIL

Discover the five principal whisky distillery regions. Tour Speyside Whisky distilleries, Scotland's most famous whisky region, home to 50 distilleries including Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Glen Moray. The Highland Whisky area offers the widest range of whisky styles and features some of Scotland’s oldest distilleries such as Glenturret, while Islay, dubbed 'whisky island', boasts distilleries dating back to 1779.

Glen Moray Distillery

Glen Moray Distillery The Glenturret Distillery

CULINARY JOURNEY AROUND THE UK

A unique opportunity to explore the provenance of some of the UK’s most famous specialities. Learn about the history, take part in the process and enjoy the results! Highlights include honey-making, mushroom-foraging, a sausage workshop, ice-cream production, the art of chocolate, pie-making, the history of the Cornish pasty, baking Irish soda bread, traditional cheese-making and a pig-rearing crash course complete with tasty hog roast.

GOURMET GARDEN TRAILS

Vineyards, oyster foraging, breweries and gin distilleries…it’s all in this mouth-watering tour, with exclusive visits and one-off experiences. Explore Kent, for wine tastings, tours and experiences. Visit the first Champagne house to produce premium English sparkling wine, lunch in a traditional pub or smokehouse and experiment with flavour profiling at a gin distillery. Take a guided tour of ritain'sB oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame. Relax over dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant or enjoy scones with cream and jam in a tearoom. Follow an Edible Woodland Trail, hunt for seaweed and plants on a beach or try fruit-picking at a fruit farm.

Oast houses © Visit Kent Oyster man in Whitstable Shepherd Neame pub © Visit Kent (Top) Hush Heath vineyard. (Bottom) Kent farm shop

20 tours-international.com TOURS OF SCOTLAND

MUST-SEE SCOTLAND

Jacobite Steam Train, Glenfinnan Viaduct EDINBURGH CASTLE: © the National Trust for Scotland ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA: The Great Hall, Royal Palace, Crown The Queen’s beloved former floating Jewels, Stone of Destiny where residence. See the Bridge, State Scottish monarchs were enthroned Apartments, Crew’s Quarters and and Mons Meg, one of the greatest Engine Room. guns in Medieval Europe.

DUMFRIES HOUSE: A beautiful stately home with an outstanding collection of 18th Century JACOBITE STEAM TRAIN: furniture, owned by His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. Travel Hogwarts Express style past Ben The Glenturret Distillery Nevis and Loch Ness, over the Glenfinnan viaduct, through Fort William and on to THE GLENTURRET the fishing port of Mallaig. DISTILLERY: GOLF AT ST ANDREW’S: Scotland’s oldest whisky distillery. The home of golf. MELROSE ABBEY: Final resting place of Robert the INVEREWE GARDEN: Bruce’s heart, on the site of Scotland’s Lush botanical gardens in the Highlands, first Cistercian monastery. framed by mountains and two lochs.

ESSENTIAL SCOTLAND TOUR MAKE THIS A LUXURY TOUR! Eilean Donan Castle © VisitScotland / Kenny Lam ENJOY PRIVATE DAY 1: EILEAN DONAN CASTLE: DINING ON Arrive Edinburgh airport. Panoramic city tour with visit of ROYAL YACHT Explore a 13th Century Castle in the Edinburgh Castle. DBB. Highlands. Situated on an island at BRITANNIA. the point where three great lochs DAY 2: meet, the Castle is surrounded by Royal Yacht Britannia, former royal yacht of the British monarch. majestic scenery. Walking tour including Princes Street, the Royal Mile and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Scottish evening with banquet and traditional music and dancing. DBB. DAY 3: Dunfermline Abbey and St Andrews Cathedral and Castle. DBB. DAY 4: Scone Palace and a working whisky distillery. Culloden Battlefield and . DBB. DAY 5: Loch Ness exhibition and cruise and the ruins of Urquhart Castle. The breath-taking Highlands. DBB. DAY 6: Full day on the Isle of Skye, including Dunvegan Castle, home of the Clan Macleod and Loch Ness© VisitBritain/Peter Beavis the Skye Museum of Island Life. DBB. LOCH NESS AND DAY 7: LOCH LOMOND: Take the Jacobite Steam train from Mallaig to Fort William. See Ben Nevis, Loch Lomond Two of Scotland’s most famous lochs. and Trossachs National Park on the way to Glasgow. DBB. Search for the notorious Loch Ness DAY 8: Monster while you’re there! Panoramic tour of Glasgow and visit to Cathedral. Transfer to Glasgow or Edinburgh airport.

e: [email protected]/t: +44 (0) 1892 515825 21 TOURS OF WALES

MUST-SEE WALES

Bodnant Garden, Wales © National Trust Images/John Millar

BODNANT GARDEN: HORSE-DRAWN CANAL A spectacular garden boasting its RIDE ALONG LLANGOLLEN famous Laburnum Arch and the Dell, WHARF: a deep valley with numerous streams, towering trees and rhododendrons. © Crown copyright (2012) Take in the sights and sounds of the beautiful Llangollen Canal, now part CAERNARFON CASTLE: of a UNESCO World Heritage site, on a horse-drawn boat trip. A huge fortress built by Edward I and one of Wales’ most impressive castles.

CARDIFF CASTLE: Take the house tour and see the Castle Apartments, Wartime Shelters, Norman and Roman Wall. St David's Cathedral © Crown copyright (2014) Visit Wales

ST DAVID’S CATHEDRAL: AND On the site of an earlier sixth-century GARDENS: monastery built by St David, the Valle Crucis Abbey © Visit Wales Medieval castle rising dramatically Cathedral has been a site of pilgrimage VALLE CRUCIS ABBEY: over stunning gardens. and worship for more than 800 years. A majestic abbey, founded in 1201, legendary in medieval times for its feasts and lavish hospitality. CLASSIC TOUR OF WALES MAKE THIS DAY 1: A LUXURY TOUR! Transfer from London to Wales. Forest of Dean and Tintern BOOK A WELSH Abbey. DBB. BANQUET AT DAY 2: Panoramic tour of Cardiff and visit to Castle. Carmarthen, CASTLE. Tenby and St David’s Cathedral. DBB.

Ffestiniog steam railway DAY 3: Brecon Beacons National Park and the town of Llandrindod Wells. Powis Castle SNOWDONIA AND THE and Gardens. DBB. FFESTINIOG RAILWAY: DAY 4: Take a historic steam engine ride Stunning Snowdonia National Park along the world’s oldest narrow gauge railway. through the mountains and glacial Medieval Caernarfon Castle and colourful Bodnant Gardens. DBB. landforms of Snowdonia National Park. DAY 5: The Roman walled city of Chester with its amphitheatre, Cathedral and famous Eastgate Clock. A ride on a horse drawn canal boat on Llangollen Wharf, followed by stops at the HOLYWELL SHRINE: medieval towns of Shrewsbury and Ludlow. DBB. A place of continuous pilgrimage for DAY 6: over 13 centuries. Big Pit National Coal Museum and Tredegar House. Return to London.

22 tours-international.com TOURS OF IRELAND

MUST-SEE IRELAND

RING OF KERRY: A stunning scenic drive along the southern coast, through deep forests, by the crashing Atlantic and via picturesque seaside villages.

Bunratty Castle ©Tourism Ireland / Chris Hill : An iconic 15th Century Castle, standing Giant's Causeway on a site which has been occupied for © VisitBritain/Discover Northern Ireland over 1000 years. GIANT’S CAUSEWAY: An incredible World Heritage Site. Thousands of basalt columns tumble down into the Atlantic Ocean, dating TRINITY COLLEGE, back to a volcanic age almost 60 DUBLIN, AND THE BOOK million years ago. OF KELLS: Ireland’s greatest cultural treasure and Glendalough ©Tourism Ireland / Chris Hill the world’s most famous medieval manuscript. The 9th century book is GLENDALOUGH: BELFAST: a copy of the four Gospels of the life Known for its spectacular scenery Immerse yourself in the tragic story of Jesus Christ. and ancient monastic sites. and see where Titanic was built.

HIGHLIGHTS OF IRELAND TOUR

DAY 1: Arrive Dublin airport. Panoramic city tour including St Patrick’s Cathedral, Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Guided tour of . DBB. DAY 2: , and the famous ‘Stone of Eloquence’. County Kerry and GUINNESS STOREHOUSE: picturesque lakes and mountains. DBB. Brewery experience telling the tale of DAY 3: Ireland’s famous beer, with tastings. The famous Ring of Kerry and the Skellig Experience to learn about the rocky islands where monks lived in early Christian times. DBB. DAY 4: A Jaunting Cart Ride to . The Cliffs of Moher, rising to almost 700 feet over the Atlantic then city for a tour. DBB. DAY 5: Connemara and Knock Shrine, the site of an apparition of Our Lady, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist and the coastal town of Sligo. DBB. DAY 6: Armagh for a walking tour and breath-taking Giant’s Causeway. DBB. The waterfall at Glenoe, Northern Ireland ©National Trust Images / Joe Cornish DAY 7: Panoramic tour of Belfast and the award-winning attraction. Return to GLENOE WATERFALL: Dublin and the Guinness Storehouse. Traditional Irish banquet and entertainment. DBB. A beautiful waterfall nestling in the DAY 8: glens of Antrim. Morning visit to County Wicklow, known as the Garden of Ireland. Transfer to Dublin airport.

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Tours International The Warehouse, Draper Street, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 0PG, UK. E: [email protected] T: +44 (0) 1892 515825 USA toll free: 888-505-1050 tours-international.com

Front cover images: Parade ©VisitBritain / Martin Ritchie. RHS Chatsworth Flower Show © RHS / Payley Photography. Beckets' tomb, Canterbury Cathedral Back cover images: Glencoe Lochan © VisitScotland / Kenny Lam. . Jane Austen Centre, Bath © VisitEngland / Luke Rogers. St Paul's Cathedral reflected in London bus © VisitEngland / Diana Jarvis.