The very best in uk dramas and more! Poldark – Downton Abbey – Doc Martin – Wolf Hall

This unique itinerary has been specifically designed for people who are fascinated by history and the period dramas that depict Britain’s colourful heritage Over the course of this exclusive and private journey you will visit a variety of stately homes, towns and villages, churches and cathedrals. Have lunches and dinners in locations featured in the dramas and stay in some of the most sumptuous hotels, whilst in the capable hands of our expert driver guide. So whether on your own, as a couple, family or small group of friends you will experience a vacation that is educational, inspiring and most of all, lots of fun!

Day 1) London We welcome you to London, and you will be met in the arrivals hall by your driver, who will greet you like an old friend and put you at ease straight away as now your vacation has started. You will be transferred into central London where you can settle in to your hotel, relax and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 2) Downton Abbey Themed Your first day carries a Downton Abbey theme. Today you will visit Bampton, Burford, the Swan Inn Swinbrook and Highclere Castle. Should Highclere be closed then a visit to Basildon Park which features as Grantham House makes a fine alternative. Bampton sits close to the edge of the Cotswolds and is one of the oldest and prettiest villages in the area and retains much of the character of the traditional Cotswold village. Bampton was used as the fictitious village of Downton, and you will instantly recognise many of the buildings and landmarks used in the episodes. The Crawleys’ house is in Bampton as is the Bampton Library which doubles as the Downton Hospital and St Mary’s Church where Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary were married. From Bampton you can then head into the heart of the Cotswolds and visit its most famous village, Burford which is only twenty minutes away. Morning coffee at Huffkins is a must! Your journey will follow the River Windrush through an area in which nestle lovely villages of soft yellow stone and thatched roofs surrounded by a landscape of woodland and high open plateaux known as ‘wolds’. Depart Burford and drive through some spectacular countryside to the Swan Inn Swinbrook for lunch. Previously owned by the late Dowager Duchess of Devonshire (the last of the Mitford Sisters) this quaint English inn has an award- winning restaurant and was chosen as the overnight resting place for the most controversial story line in Series 2 of Downton Abbey, when Lady Sybil eloped with the chauffeur, Branson! After lunch your destination is Highclere Castle which has achieved global recognition for its alter-ego Downton Abbey which is the fictitious home of Lord and Lady Grantham. Longstanding friend of the Carnarvon family, Julian Fellowes had Highclere Castle in mind when he wrote Downton Abbey. He often commented he wanted a house which spectacularly testified to the confidence and soaring optimism of the Edwardian period. From that point in time, he could then develop the characters through the First World War and into the changes of the 1920’s. At the end of your first full and fascinating day you will finish at a stunning hotel in the Cotswolds. The order of locations visited may vary on the day.

Day 3) Avebury, Lacock, Corsham and Bath Today’s travels will cover several great British dramas and films as well as a special visit to one of the world’s most historic and mystical places The Avebury complex is one of the principal ceremonial sites of Neolithic Britain that we can visit today. It was built and altered over many centuries from about 2850 BC until around 2200 BC and is one of the largest, and undoubtedly the most complex, of Britain's surviving Neolithic henge monuments. It has been named the second best World Heritage Site. More importantly you are able to walk amongst the stones and touch them. Some people say they can feel the stones vibrating! While absorbing the history you have just seen your chauffeur guide will take you to a magical village that has been frozen in time and is a firm favourite for film and TV producers, most notably for its picturesque streets and historic cottages, untouched by modern alterations. Lacock’s most famous appearances include the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice and Cranford, and the films Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Wolf Man starring Benicio Del Toro and more recently Wolf Hall which in real-life is Lacock Abbey. William Henry Fox Talbot created the first ever photographic negative in 1835, taken of a small window at his home, Lacock Abbey, and this negative can be viewed at the museum. Lunch can be taken at The Sign of The Angel which doubled as the Babberton Arms in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Nestling in the heart of the ancient village of Lacock, the Angel dates from the 15th Century when it was probably purpose built as an Inn. With major alterations in the 16th and 17th centuries the Angel is thought to have become a wool merchant's house. The Angel kitchen selects only the best home grown and local produce with a few specialities from further afield – fish arrives from Cornwall daily. Food is prepared in a style befitting an old country inn and is accompanied by a wide selection of New and Old World wines.

Corsham is an historic market town which is ten minutes from Lacock. It is at the south- western edge of the Cotswolds. Corsham was historically a centre for agriculture and later, the wool industry, and remains a focus for quarrying Bath Stone. It contains several notable historic buildings, such as the stately home of Corsham Court. The early 21st century saw some growth in Corsham's role in the film industry more notably the remake of the great classic series Poldark. Corsham doubles as the Cornish town of Truro. At the end of today you will finish in the beautiful and historic city of Bath which will be your base for the next two days. This city of soft mellow stone encompasses not only the famous Roman Baths but also the beautiful Bath Abbey, Robert Adams's Pulteney Bridge, and the most majestic street in Britain, the Royal Crescent. Its streets are lined with boutiques, antique shops and fine restaurants and it makes a fascinating place to just stroll around and soak up the atmosphere while losing yourself in a daydream of Georgian high society. A city of perfectly preserved beauty. If there is time you could visit The Jane Austen Centre which really is the perfect starting point for an exploration of Jane Austen’s Bath.The Centre at 40 Gay Street in Bath houses a permanent exhibition which tells the story of Jane’s experience in the city between 1801 and 1806 and the effect that living here had on her and her writing. Gay Street is the ideal location for the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, set between two of Bath’s architectural masterpieces, Queen Square and the Circus. The houses where she lived and the settings for the novels ‘Northanger Abbey’ and ‘Persuasion’ can all still be seen within a mile radius of the Jane Austen Centre. Your stay will be in one of the cities fantastic central hotels, giving you very easy access into the city centre.

Day 4) Great Chalfield Manor (Wolf Hall), Lunch at The Manor Castle Combe (War Horse/Wolfman/Stardust), Chavenage (Poldark) This morning you will be taken to Great Chalfield Manor and Garden which is a moated house in Wiltshire used as the setting for Austin Friars in Wolf Hall, the home of Thomas Cromwell. It would be difficult to find a more beautiful medieval manor house in England than Great Chalfield. Set in tranquil Wiltshire countryside and with seven acres of gardens, this ancient house has survived the five centuries since its building and appears much as it did in the 1470′s when it was commissioned for the Wiltshire landowner, Thomas Tropnell. This beautiful medieval manor sits in peaceful countryside. Lunch can be taken at The Manor House in Castle Combe considered the prettiest village in England which has played host to many filming activities, the most famous of these being Doctor Doolittle filmed in and around the village in 1966. More recently the village has had a major role in War Horse, Stardust and The Wolf Man.

After lunch you will be taken to Chavenage House which was used in Poldark as Trenwith the family seat. Chavenage was chosen by the production company as they wanted Trenwith to have a lived-in feel about it and this Gloucestershire stately home has been owned by only two families since it was built in 1570. Overnight in Bath

Day 5) Barrington Court (Wolf Hall), Montacute House (Wolf Hall), poss. Stourhead overnight Bovey Castle, North Devon Just a short drive from Bath are another two stunning properties that featured in Wolf Hall. Discover the haunting echoes of the past at Barrington Court, a Tudor manor house free from collections and furniture. Explore using your imagination and your senses to discover a house full of memories, where light fills the rooms and you feel you can almost touch the past. The property was saved from ruin and restored by the Lyle family in the 1920s, when the court house resembled a barn rather than the proud manor house that it is. Close your eyes and you’ll almost be able to hear the sounds and see the sights of the glamorous parties held in the great hall during Barrington’s hey-day. On the first floor listen out for the voices resonating from the past, of the young evacuees who called Barrington home during the Second World War. Stroll through the Gertrude Jekyll inspired gardens, which with their focus on plant varieties and colours are a delight for all the senses. Montacute House is a masterpiece of Elizabethan Renaissance architecture and design. With its towering walls of glass, glow of ham stone, and its surrounding gardens it is a place of beauty and wonder and features as the setting for Greenwich Palace, Henry VIII’s main London seat and the site of Anne Boleyn’s arrest in Wolf Hall. This National Trust property has been used for filming in the past – for The Libertine and Sense and Sensibility – and was also used for outdoor jousting scenes in Wolf Hall. Sir Edward Phelips was the visionary force and money behind the creation of this masterpiece, which was completed in 1601. Built by skilled craftsman using local ham stone under the instruction of William Arnold, master mason, the house was a statement of wealth, ambition and showmanship. Come face to face with the past in the Long Gallery, which is the longest of its kind in England. The gallery houses over 60 Tudor and Elizabethan portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery. Beautiful gardens surround Montacute, constantly changing, filling the house with scent in summer and providing an atmospheric backdrop for a winter walk. Time permitting a stop at Stourhead will be scheduled on your way to your accommodation for the evening. When Stourhead first opened in the 1740s, a magazine described it as ‘a living work of art’. The world-famous landscape garden has at its centrepiece a magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, and rare and exotic trees, and offers a day of fresh air and discovery. Uncover the fascinating history of Stourhead house with an Italian ‘Grand Tour’ adventure and enjoy the unique Regency library, Chippendale furniture and inspirational paintings. The Palladian mansion is set amid ‘picnic perfect’ lawns and extensive parkland. Hotel: Bovey Castle. Dinner and Breakfast is included at this magnificent example of an English Country House Hotel which has a very colourful history of its own.

Days 6 & 7) 99% Poldark, 1% Doc Martin. The remake of the classic series of Poldark has surpassed the BBC’s expectations. It has become one of the most popular period dramas in modern times. Filming locations include the north Cornwall coast at St Agnes Head which represents the 'Nampara Valley' and Botallack Mine near St Just in Penwith which features as 'Wheal Leisure,' the mine that Ross Poldark attempts to resurrect. The beach of Church Cove, Gunwalloe on the Lizard Peninsula was used as a location for a shipwreck scene. Doc Martin is a British television medical comedy drama series starring Martin Clunes in the title role. It was created by Dominic Minghella after the character of Dr Martin Bamford in the 2000 comedy film Saving Grace. The main character's surname, Ellingham, is an anagram of Minghella. The show is set in the fictional seaside village of Portwenn and filmed on location in the village of Port Isaac, Cornwall, England. Hotel: The Nare Hotel. (Subject to availability at time of booking)

Day 8) Jane Austen Experience and Wolf Hall Film Location Today you will explore locations largely associated with Jane Austen. You will visit Winchester Cathedral, the final resting place of Jane Austen the villages of Chawton and Steventon where she lived and grew up and finally Salisbury Cathedral, not only used as a film location for Wolf Hall but home to Magna Carta. After another full and wonderful day exploring the south of England you will be returned to London.

Day 9) Final Free Day Today is your final full day in England and after a memorable road trip to so many fantastic places you now have a day to do some London sightseeing and some last minute souvenir and gift shopping. (Private London Tour is Optional as are Theatre Tickets)

Day 10) Departure Day Sadly today is departure day. Your driver will transfer you to the airport for your flight home during which you will have time for reflection about the wonderful places you have visited which hopefully brought your favourite drama series to life.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK THIS TRIP, CONTACT TRAVELSTORE.