English Cathedrals and Abbeys

8 DAY TOUR OF ENGLISH CATHEDRALS AND ABBEYS

DAY 1 Arrive at hotel, unpack and relax. Meet the rest of your group for an informal reception between 5-6 p.m. at the hotel. The rest of the evening is yours to do what you will.

DAY 2 Tour: St. Pauls Cathedral The present St. Pauls is the Fifth Cathedral to have stood on this site since 604 AD and was built between 1675-1710. After taking in the beauty of St. Pauls, you are free to explore the rest of the city. Perhaps move on to the Tower of London or take a Red Bus Tour of London’s many famous sites.

DAY 3 Tour: Canterbury Cathedral St. Augustine, the First Archbishop of Canterbury, came to Kent as a missionary from Rome in 597 AD. After being awed by the Majesty of the Cathedral, you can roam Canterbury with its many quaint streets or maybe visit the Norman Castle begun by William the Conqueror around 1070 AD.

DAY 4 Tour: Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. The first monks were brought to Westminster in about 960 AD by St. Dustan, then The Bishop of London. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the resting place of seventeen monarchs. After your tour, you are free to stroll through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace or move up Whitehall with all its Government Buildings toward Trafalgar Square and the West End with its theatres and shops.

DAY 5 Tour: Bath Abbey Begun in 1499 AD, Bath Abbey is the last of the great Medieval Churches of England. Over the past twelve and a half centuries, three different churches have occupied the site of today’s’ Abbey. The first church on this site was an Anglo-Saxon Abbey in 757 AD. Having completed your tour of the Abbey, you may wish to see The Famous Roman Baths or take tea at the Regency Tea Rooms. For those with a literary bent, a visit to the Jane Austen Centre is a must.

DAY 6 Tour: Winchester Cathedral Fifteen centuries of English history lie behind the massive cathedral you see today. Today’s cathedral has its roots in the seventh century. Jane Austen, one of England’s Greatest Novelists, was buried in the cathedral in 1817 at the age of 41. Winchester is packed with historic buildings, museums and tranquil green spaces just waiting to be explored. See the Great Hall and King Arthur’s Round Table, or The West Gate, a Fortified Medieval Gateway, which served as a Debtors’ Prison for a 150 years.

DAY 7 Tour: Westminster Cathedral The Cathedral site was originally known as Bulinga Fen and formed part of the marsh around Westminster. The site was acquired by the Catholic Church in 1884. The design is in Early Christian Byzantine Style and was completed in 1903. Spectacular views over London can be seen from The Viewing Gallery 210 feet above street level. After seeing a display of rare ecclesiastical objects, vestments, chalices and sacred relics, the time is yours to do some last minute shopping, perhaps at Harrods. You may even want to visit the Home of Sherlock Holmes on Baker Street.

DAY 8 Fly home with memories of a great trip!!

NB Venues could be liable to change.

Created and compiled by Eric Woronecki July 11, 2012