Family London Tours B From London Main Historic Towns

HISTORIC ENGLISH TOWNS PRIVATE  TOURS BY CAR – PRACTICAL INFO

Available March to November, Monday to Friday, subject to attraction schedules and and guide availability.

● Private day tour from London by car.
Usually Monday to Friday, 8am-4:30pm.
● 
Personal officially accredited driver-guide.
 Pick-up/drop-off: any central London residence.
 Price (based on number of passengers: max 7):
 1-2 = £730.00;  3-5 = £755.00; 6-7 = £780.00.
(includes tour vehicle, fuel costs, parking, taxes, tolls & local charges).

Tour price does not include:

● Tickets to attractions: usually pre-booked by us at the attraction’s standard rate including any transaction fees.
● Meals or refreshments.
● Gratuities or tips to guide (at client’s discretion).

 

What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare? (William H. Davies).

Our Tours of Historic Towns of England are perfect for those wanting a more singular tour experience. We take a fast-route out from London and focus on your chosen destination. It means less time spent in the vehicle, and more time to enjoy a place in hi-definition. You might prefer detailed tours of local attractions, or to relax over a leisurely lunch, or to have some time alone for a spot of shopping. Perhaps a combination of all three! The schedule is flexible so you can discuss your options with your driver-guide on the day. It’s your tour and your choice.

We have 10 historic towns to choose from. Each town is within a fairly comfortable driving distance of London (about 2 hours max), reached after an initial fast-route. Your driver-guide will also suggest appropriate lunch options on the day.

A DAY IN BATH

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in Bath Tour takes us to the ‘West Country’ city of Bath, a World Heritage site with a fair share of history, and includes a visit to the stunning Roman Baths unearthed at the end of the 19th century.

Bath is renowned for its naturally occurring mineral waters, the only hot water springs in the country (we will try some). The Romans took advantage of the springs and made their sandal-print on history here, and we take a guided tour of the stunning bath house unearthed at the end of the 19th century. In medieval times a magnificent cathedral was built nearby, it’s walls adorned with carvings including the famous ‘stairway to heaven’. With so much history, it’s not surprising that the whole city has been designated a World Heritage site.

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a village tea-room, riverside restaurant or traditional pub. Or, you could finish your day with an elegant afternoon English tea experience in the Victorian Pump Room, and try a glass of the famous water there. Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in Bath Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

The local university and college lend Bath a youthful chilled-out feel. There is a vibrant shopping centre, with all the British favourites on the main street plus alleyways of independents. There is also a great variety of places to eat. Take a drive along the Georgian streets: the whole city, entirely carved out of a local honey-coloured stone, reflects architectural achievements past and present. The Assembly Rooms is worth a visit. It now houses a fashion-through-the -years exhibition. Bath was at the heart of the Georgian social scene too, and fans of writer Jane Austen will discover much of her writing was inspired by the city. She wrote part of ‘Northanger Abbey’ here. Indeed, there is delightful museum dedicated to her.

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A DAY IN BRIGHTON

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in Brighton Tour takes us to one of the most famous English seaside resorts, very popular with holiday-makers and day-trippers.

Visit the Royal Pavilion, the magnificent pleasure house built by the Regent Prince George, and future King George IV. The wayward prince installed his mistress and secret wife Mrs Fitzherbert in a house here in 1785. The house was converted into a villa, then in 1815, into a palace by the architect Nash. Mixing Hindoo, Gothic, Chinese, Rococo and Regency styles, it is a monument to frivolity. Finished in 1823, it was barely used, and sold to the local council by Queen Victoria. Quite bizarre!

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a  tea-room, seaside restaurant or traditional pub. Forget the diet for the afternoon, and indulge yourself with ice cream, candy floss, and of course, Brighton rock! Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in Brighton Tour Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

Brighton contains a vibrant shopping centre which includes the quaint ‘Lanes’ district, full of odd little shops. On the shore, we find the famous Brighton Beach, an original Victorian penny arcade, and a fun-filled amusement pier.

Then we can go for a stroll along the old prom-prom, and hear the brass band play, tiddly-om-pom-pom! There are lots of things besides, that you might like to be beside, beside the seaside, beside the sea!

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A DAY IN CAMBRIDGE

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in Cambridge Private Tour takes us to the famous university town, centre of academic excellence.

Centre of academic excellence, this famous university town is referred to by arch-rivals Oxford as the ‘Other Place’! Unlike Oxford, however, the academic communities sit comfortably with the locals, and there is a more symbiotic relationship between ‘Town and Gown’, so the whole atmosphere is much more relaxed. Visit one of the colleges, in all their gothic glory: among the most famous, King’s, Queens’, Jesus, Corpus Christi, Trinity, Magdalen, and Gonville & Caius. Students earn pocket-money punting boats along the River Cam, known as the ‘Backs’, so as alternative to all that walking, turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream…

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a village tea-room, riverside restaurant or one of its famous pubs, such as the Eagle, a former coaching inn much used during WWII by air force pilots who burned their names onto the ceiling with cigarette lighters. A decade later, leading lights from the science community, Francis Crick and James Watson came and celebrated their discovery of DNA. Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in Cambridge Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

Cambridge is a market town and the main square often bustles with traders’ stalls and carts.  Other highlights include the Fitzwilliam Museum, famous for 18th & 19th century art and classical antiquities, and the puzzling Mathematical Bridge… how on earth was it put together?

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A DAY IN DOVER

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in Dover Tour takes us to the historic town on the Kent coast.

Since time immemorial, Dover has been recognised as the country’s front line facing across the English Channel. An invasion attempt by Julius Caesar was thwarted here, and later it became the main Roman fortification in the Saxon shore defences. Centuries on, both Napoleon and Hitler tried unsuccessfully to attack, but the famous white cliffs, made legendary in song, remained defiant.

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a tea-room, restaurant or traditional pub. Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in Dover Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

Perched above the white cliffs is the remarkable Dover Castle. Simply packed with history, it is one of the best historical attractions in England. The Normans built the original castle, and current custodians, English Heritage, recently commissioned 150 master craftsmen to restore it to its former glory. It is now recognized as the most authentic medieval castle in the world.

Strangely, Dover became the only castle in England built not to repel foreigners but to welcome them. King Henry II commissioned it as a residence for foreign dignitaries. It took 10 years to complete and was the most expensive secular building in Europe. In the 19th and 20th centuries, a warren of tunnels was built underneath and packed with defensive mechanisms to repel enemy forces A tour of these tunnels completes a fascinating historic experience.

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A DAY IN OXFORD

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in Oxford Tour take us to a city famous throughout the world as an ancient seat of learning.

A city renowned  as a university centre. With over 40 colleges, and numerous university buildings spanning the medieval to Georgian architectural spectrum, the city is stunningly picturesque. The poet Matthew Arnold famously described it as ‘That sweet city with her dreaming spires’. For a place to relax, there are many watering holes, including the famous Eagle & Child pub, where J. R. R. Tolkein, creator of the Lord of the Rings series, and C. S. Lewis, author of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe would often meet for inspiration.

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a village tea-room, riverside restaurant or traditional pub, perhaps the hidden pub where Bill Clinton allegedly ‘didn’t inhale’! Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in Oxford Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

You can usually choose from a number of colleges to visit. Your guide will explain the mysterious traditions of the college system, which sets it apart from other centres of academia, and the real world! Fans of Harry Potter or Alice in Wonderland will recognize a number of references at the great hall at the famous Christchurch College. There is a variety of museums to visit in Oxford, including the renowned Bodleian Library and the famous Ashmolean Museum.

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A DAY IN PORTSMOUTH

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in Portsmouth Tour takes us to the world’s oldest dry dock and is where many of the Royal Navy’s most famous fighting ships can be visited.

Your ticket into the dockyard entitles your entrance to all museums and displays within the precincts, as well as a boat trip round the historic harbour, which features the very latest high-tech additions to the British Navy. Skip-the-line tickets will be booked and added to your tour price.

See Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, which sank in neighbouring waters during a battle in 1545 and was not seen again until it was famously raised from the seabed in 1982.

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a  tea-room, restaurant or traditional pub. Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in Portsmouth Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

Moving onto a couple of centuries, we can visit Admiral Nelson’s remarkably preserved flagship HMS Victory. Get below-deck to see how this elegant wooden dame morphed into a fearsome she-devil when the order came to ‘Beat to Quarters.’

We can also hop on board the awesome HMS Warrior, which, when completed in 1861, was the largest, fastest, most heavily-armoured warship the world had ever seen. A natural deterrent to all-comers which ensured Britain’s mastery of the ocean waves for the rest of the 19th century.  This tour really is an amazing experience and is especially recommended for ‘the chaps’ or those with a nautical twist.

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A DAY IN ST ALBANS

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in St Albans Tour takes us to the ancient town that the Romans named Verulamium.

There are some extensive Roman remains that can be visited: a theatre, dated to around 130AD, a hypocaust (underfloor heating system), city walls and city gate. Nearby, the Verulamium museum features some of the finest Roman mosaics and wall plasters outside the Mediterranean.

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a tea-room, restaurant or traditional pub. The medieval inn, The Fighting Cocks, is one of the oldest in England, and can still be visited. Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in St Albans Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

The town was renamed after the first British Christian martyr. Saint Alban was a local Roman soldier beheaded on the orders of the anti-Christian Roman authorities. He is said to have sheltered an injured priest and helped him to elude capture. St Alban was beheaded as a traitor. His severed head is said to have rolled down the hill from the execution site and into a sacred well.

A Benedictine abbey was founded on the execution site. and the present building dates back to 1077. It was once the most important abbey in England and the first draft of Magna Carta was written here. A mediaeval market grew up around the abbey, and history continued to have an impact on the town.

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A DAY IN SALISBURY

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in Salisbury Tour takes us to the ancient town that was once a Roman garrison. Now it’s a thriving market town.

In its centre is the stunning Salisbury Cathedral, the tallest medieval building in the world. It contains an original copy of the Magna Carta, the world’s earliest surviving written constitution. The cathedral’s environs were described by the writer Bill Bryson as the most beautiful place in England. Certainly, both Turner and Constable found it an inspiration for their paintings.

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a tea-room, restaurant or traditional pub. Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in Salisbury Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

Close-by is the former site of Salisbury: the deserted iron-age hill-fort of Old Sarum.  Well worth a visit with spectacular views of the ‘new’ town that replaced it.

Also nearby is Wilton House. It was once a nunnery, which was dissolved in Henry VIII’s reformation and given to the king’s brother-in-law, the Earl of Pembroke, via his last marriage to Catherine Parr in 1544. The second Earl of Pembroke was William Shakespeare’s sponsor and married the poet Philip Sidney’s sister Mary. The family later started the Wilton carpet empire. The house has been constantly remodelled. Highlights include Inigo Jones’s single and double cube room (with paintings by Van Dyck and furnishing by Kent and Chippendale), and the renowned gardens.

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A DAY IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in Stratford Tour takes us to William Shakespeare’s home town on the very northern edge of the Cotswolds.

The wonderful thing about Stratford, is that over 400 years on, many of the places associated with his life are still standing and can be visited, such as his birthplace, school, and residences. The birthplace, right in the heart of the town, features a tour, exhibition and museum. It is close to the market square and there are a number of traditional shops nearby.

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a tea-room, restaurant or traditional pub. Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in Stratford Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

Also recommended is a viewing of Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Traditionally built of ‘wattle, daub and thatch’, this was where Shakespeare, in his mid-teens, acted out his own Romeo role to woo Anne. The guides here tell an engrossing story: find out the fascinating origins of the phrases, ‘rule of thumb’, ‘gone to pot’, and ‘sleep tight’.

A visit to the altar of the 14th century Holy Trinity Church where the Great Bard is buried is a must. The bust overlooking his tomb was an artistic portrayal of the playwright, and has become the definitive likeness. Then, follow in Shakespeare’s footsteps along the banks of the River Avon, with your guide pointing out the theatres and memorials now erected in his honour.

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A DAY IN WINCHESTER

Your personal driver-guide will pick-you up from your central London hotel or place of residence at 8am. After a fast-route from London, our Day in Winchester Tour takes us to the capital of England during the Middle Ages.

Once an ancient Roman town, there are strong royal connections, harking back to the days of the legendary King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Some say Winchester was Camelot. It was the 9th century king Alfred the Great who made it the first capital of Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex.

Your driver-guide will suggest appropriate lunch options on the day. Perhaps a tea-room, restaurant or traditional pub. Alternatively, you may want to bring a pre-packed lunch or just grab a sandwich. It’s your tour, it’s your choice. (Note: Day in Winchester Tour price does not include food or refreshments).

Winchester is home to one of the UK’s oldest cathedrals, built in 1097. Jane Austen is buried here. Nearby, Winchester College is the oldest public school in England founded in 1382 by William Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester.

The Hospital of St Cross is the oldest charitable organisation in England. It still hands out the ‘Wayfarer’s Dole’ to travellers if claimed – a drink and a slice of bread. Because of the historic nature and architecture of the city, it has appeared as a movie location many times, including the films, ‘The Da Vinci Code’, ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’, and ‘Pride and Prejudice’!

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