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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Glasgow.
DAY
2 ARRIVE GLASGOW - EDINBURGH (2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your Casterbridge tour manager/guide
board your own private coach and be transferred to your hotel
in Edinburgh. Upon arrival you will take a Walking
Tour that will start at Holyrood Palace and
continue along the Royal Mile to St. Giles Cathedral
and Edinburgh Castle. The "Royal Mile"
runs from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and is
lined with buildings such as the cathedral, where John Knox
preached, with its distinctive crown spire, Parliament Hall
with a superb hammerbeam roof and stained glass windows, and
the Museum of Childhood.
DAY
3 DAY TRIP TO THE TROSSACHS
Today we travel from Edinburgh through Stirling,
where Mary was crowned Queen of Scots, to the Trossachs
where we will view some spectacular Scottish Glen
and Loch scenery. The energetic who climb Ben A'n will be
rewarded with a dramatic and outstanding view of Lochs Achray
and Katrine, a panorama that was the setting for Sir Walter
Scott's "The Lady of the Lake". Upon returning to Edinburgh
the guide can suggest various options for the evening.
· Your First Concert Performance will
be today
DAY
4 EDINBURGH - HADRIAN'S WALL - DURHAM
-
MIDDLESBROUGH AREA (1 NIGHT)
Leaving Edinburgh this morning we travel through the wild
moorland of Northumbria to visit the remains of the centuries
old Hadrian's Wall, a fortified wall built by the
Romans across the north of England to mark the boundary of
their ancient empire. Our day continues in historic Durham, a
medieval treasure and one of the loveliest cities in England.
The proximity of the castle, cathedral and university
surrounded by a loop of the River Wear, makes Durham a
fascinating place to visit. We will visit Durham
Cathedral, completed in 1133. The cathedral is one of
Britain’s most architecturally innovative buildings, as it is
the first English building with ribbed vault construction, and
the first stone-roofed cathedral in Europe. Later we continue
on to
Middlesbrough and arrive at your hotel in time to explore the
town, and its excellent shopping facilities, and to relax
before dinner.
DAY
5 YARM - GUISBOROUGH - WHITBY - PICKERING
- THIRSK -
YORK (3
NIGHTS)
Leaving the hotel we travel to Yarm. Here is the oldest
octagonal Methodist Chapel in the world, referred to by
Mr. Wesley himself as "By far the most elegant in England". In
the High Street is a house where John Wesley stayed. Later as
we leave Yarm we continue to follow in the footsteps of John
Wesley with a stop in Guisborough. Here he preached on
four occasions, making reference to the receptions he received
in his diary. We will see the market place where "the people
roared like the waves of the sea". Visit the ruined Priory or
just enjoy this picturesque market town. Continuing to
Whitby not on "miserable roads" as John Wesley had to, but
in comfort across the moor and beside the seashore to reach
the ancient port of Whitby where we explore the fascinating
streets, visit the famous abbey and church on the cliff top,
see the place where Wesley preached or visit the museums with
relics of the 18th century. Leaving Whitby we travel inland to
Pickering, here the steam trains leave for Grosmont.
DAY
6 YORK
In the morning we will take a Walking Tour of medieval
York along the 13th century city walls to Stonegate and the
Shambles. We will see many historic buildings including St.
William's College and the Guildhall before arriving at the
Castle Museum. With its splendid presentation of period
rooms and the excellent reconstruction of Victorian cobbled
streets and shops, this is one of the world's most famous folk
museums. Our day will end with a tour
York Minster,
which traces its origins from the early 7th century, and
features stunning stained glass from the Middle Ages. Those
who choose can ascend the Central Tower, for panoramic views
of York.
· Your Second Concert Performance
will be today
DAY
7 DAY TRIP TO HAWORTH AND HALIFAX
We will drive to Haworth, the home of the Bronte
sisters. We will visit the lonely parsonage where Emily and
Charlotte lived (now preserved as the Bronte Parsonage
Museum) and St. Michael's Church where they are buried.
We will walk on the Yorkshire Moors in the midst of
"Wuthering Heights" country before continuing to Halifax
and its Piece Hall, scene of the 19th century services
of over 29,000 chapel goers. The roots of early Methodism are
firmly planted in Pennine Hills in the surrounding districts:
Heptonstall with the world's oldest octagonal chapel still in
use today, the Red House at Gomersal, central Halifax and
Birstall, birthplace of John Nelson, the pioneer of Methodism
in Yorkshire were all visited by Wesley.
DAY
8 YORK - EPWORTH - SCROOBY - GAINSBOROUGH
-
LINCOLN AREA (2 NIGHTS)
En route to the city of Lincoln, we visit two of the most
important sites of Methodist heritage: at Epworth, John
Wesley's Birthplace, the Old Rectory and the parish
and memorial churches. Also, Tudor Gainsborough Old Hall and
Separatist Church linked by the Old Pilgrims Way to Scrooby,
birthplace of William Brewster.
DAY
9 DAY TRIP TO BOSTON (THE PILGRIM
FATHERS)
Today we visit Boston where the Pilgrim Fathers were jailed
after their first attempt to escape to Holland in 1607. We
will also visit Tattershall Castle, an important rallying
point for the second wave of Pilgrims. We return to Lincoln
to see the Cathedral with its stained glass window
commemorating Captain John Smyth, founder of the Colony of
Virginia.
DAY
10 LINCOLN - COVENTRY - WARWICK CASTLE -
STRATFORD- UPON-AVON
(1 NIGHT)
Our first visit today is
Warwick Castle,
the finest medieval fortress in England. Collections of
paintings, furniture, arms and armor are housed in the State
Rooms, Great Hall and Armory. The castle also boasts dungeons,
a torture chamber, rampart walk and a ghost tower.
We will continue on to Stratford upon-Avon, a town forever
associated with the playwright William Shakespeare This
morning we visit the modern Shakespeare Centre which
was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Bard's
birth. Our next stop will be Shakespeare’s Birthplace
and to Holy Trinity Church, the parish church where
Shakespeare is buried all located in an attractive setting
near the River.
DAY
11 STRATFORD - OXFORD - LONDON (3 NIGHTS)
We journey to London via Oxford, England's oldest
University City, which is associated with many notable literary
alumni including such diverse characters as Geoffrey Chaucer,
Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis and Evelyn Waugh and
where Wesley studied himself. We will take a Walking Tour
to view many of the colleges that make up Oxford, as well
as the Sheldonian Theater and the Bodleian
Library. We will visit Christ Church College, Oxford's
biggest and grandest Renaissance College, which was founded
in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey. The college's Christ Church Cathedral
is the smallest in England. Later we travel to London for
the night. After dinner, your guide will take you on a leisurely
Walking Tour to introduce you to some of London's most
famous sights. We will begin at Trafalgar Square and
continue down Whitehall, past Horseguards Parade and Downing
Street. Your walk can continue through St. James
Park to view Buckingham Palace.
DAY
12 LONDON
Our tour today will include particular sites of
interest to Methodists: Wesley's Chapel city road,
John Wesley's House, John Wesley's grave, Bunhill
Fields Cemetery with the graves of Susanne Wesley, John
Bunyan, Daniel Defoe and other famous personages. We will
also drive by Aldersgate Street the place of the warming
heart experienced by John Wesley on May 24, 1738 and Little
Britain site of Charles Wesley's experience three days earlier.
DAY
13 LONDON
Our morning begins with a visit to the British
Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art
and artifacts in the world. Highlights of our visit will include:
the Rosetta Stone, whose discovery led to the deciphering
of hieroglyphs; the Elgin Marbles, from the Parthenon in Athens;
and the Sutton Hoo Treasure. After lunch we continue with
a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren's
Renaissance-style masterpiece. Our visit will include an ascent
to the Whispering Gallery, an acoustic marvel
in which the faintest whisper can be heard clearly on the
opposite side, as well as the American Memorial Chapel,
honoring the 28,000 U.S. service personnel who lost
their lives while stationed in Britain during World War II.
· Your Third Concert Performance will
be today
DAY
14 DEPARTURE FROM LONDON
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to
an end as your tour manager/guide accompanies you to the airport
for the return flight home.
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