February
KEW GARDENS
FRIDAY 21ST
A day trip to Kew Gardens for the Orchid Festival. Join this trip for a Peruvian orchid spectacular!
Transport yourself from the cold British winter to Peru, with a vibrant floral celebration in our Princess of Wales glasshouse. Celebrate Peru, one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, with its landscapes ranging from beaches and deserts to mountains, valleys and rainforests.
This February, explore the beauty of Peru, with stunning horticultural displays of Peruvian plants and animals, and discover some iconic landmarks of Peru like the Nazca Lines and Machu Picchu. You might even spot some alpacas, flamingos or spectacled bears amongst the blooms!
Home to 3,000 species of orchids, many of them found growing wild nowhere else on Earth, Peru is a cornucopia teeming with life and colour. The glasshouse will transform into a microcosm of this vibrant country and provide a feast for all the senses.
Cost: Entry fee £16.70 + coach fare £18.00 (incl. gratuity) making a total of £34.70 per person.
Please note members of Kew Gardens get in free.
BOOK BY: 13TH FEBRUARY
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
March
BURGHLEY HOUSE
MONDAY 24TH
A day visit to Burghley House near Peterborough.
A magnificent House, built by William Cecil as home to the dynasty that he founded.
Burghley is one of the largest and grandest surviving houses of the sixteenth century and a wonderful example of the great Elizabethan ‘prodigy’ houses, built to honour the Queen.
Conceived by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I and built between 1555 and 1587, Burghley is a testament to the ambition and vision of the most powerful courtier of the first Elizabethan age.
COST: Entry Fee £16.00 + Coach fare £24.70 (incl. gratuity) per person making a total of £40.70 per person.
BOOK BY: 12TH MARCH
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
April
OXBURGH ESTATE
THURSDAY 24TH
A day visit to the National Trust property of the Oxburgh Estate near Kings Lynn, Norfolk.
It’s hard not to fall in love with Oxburgh Estate, when you catch your first glimpse of the imposing brick manor house reflected in the tranquil moat.
Built by the Bedingfeld family in 1482 as a statement of power, Oxburgh and the family have endured turbulent times. Through religious persecution, Civil War devastation, near dereliction and threatened demolition, Oxburgh’s story is one of survival.
Step inside to discover the legacy of the 6th Baronet who created much of what you see today, from the Victorian Gothic interiors to the ornate architectural additions that reflect a romantic view of Oxburgh's medieval past.
Outside, the gardens are a mixture of formal and wilderness, with the kitchen garden, orchard and herbaceous border adding colour and seasonal interest. And for those wanting to explore further, you can follow one of the estate walks through woodland, along the River Gadder, and out into open meadows.
COST: Entry Fee for Non NT members £12.35 + Coach fare £27.00 (incl. gratuity) making a total of £39.35 per person. Note
National Trust members the entry is free, only coach fare to pay for.
BOOK BY: 9TH APRIL
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
May
LEONARDSLEE LAKES & GARDENS
TUESDAY 20TH
A day visit to Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens. Spring is one of the best times to visit. From March to June this garden comes alive with a riot of colour. Some of the marvels groups can expect to see include Magnolias towering 40 feet high, Camellias in groves, footpaths winding through hills carpeted in bluebells, many hundreds of Rhododendrons and later the show of Azaleas. All these plants produce an amazing symphony of scents.
At every turn, groups will find flowers in so many different colours and shapes - all against the backdrop of new leaves beginning to bud among the trees. It is astonishing to see these colours (the Rhododendrons and Azaleas especially) reflected in the lakes.
Naturally, spring time also comes with new life, in abundance. Leonardslee is home to an extraordinary range of wildlife including foxes, rabbits, grey squirrels, badgers, weasels, stoats, shrews, voles, and our now famous wallabies. The estate is home to over 100 free roaming deer, there are three varieties: Sika, Axis and Fallow.
COST: Entry fee £12.50 + coach fare £27.00 (incl. gratuity) making a total of £39.50 per person.
BOOK BY: 9TH MAY
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
June
KELMARSH HALL
TUESDAY 17TH
A day trip to Kelmarsh Hall, Northampton. The Kelmarsh Estate is a typical midland agricultural landscape covering over 3,500 acres, made up of a mix of arable cropland with pasture, woodlands and parkland. Farmland is the largest land use type and is managed by tenant farmers. Across the farmland and the wider estate, a mixture of ponds, hedgerows, mature trees, small watercourses and rough grasslands provide a habitat to the majority of the wildlife settled on the estate. All of this land is managed as part of the Trust, to preserve the agricultural landscape around the hall.
Built in 1732, successive owners and influences have left their imprint on this elegant Palladian style manor. Kelmarsh Hall evokes the warmth of a family home, with the stories of past owners and residents for visitors to discover today. The Hall can be visited by the public on a ‘free flow’ basis on set days of the week during our open season. Visitors can access the ground floor fine rooms, including the Library, Chinese Room, Yellow Drawing Room, Great Hall, Dining Room, Saloon and Ballroom. The newly opened bedrooms and exhibitions allow visitors to explore the upstairs areas of the Hall, and the ‘Below Stairs’ servants’ Quarters give visitors a chance to experience Victorian working life.
COST : Entry fee £12.00 + coach fare £29.10 (incl. gratuity) making a total of £41.10 per person.
BOOK BY: 31st MAY
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
July
SOUTHWOLD
MONDAY 21ST
A day visit to the seaside town of Southwold. There are few seaside towns quite so quintessentially British as Southwold. With its sandy beach and beach hut-lined promenade, Southwold offers a wonderful environment for holidays and weekends away, as well as a thriving market town atmosphere.The prominent lighthouse in the town stands at 31 metres tall and is a grade II listed building, it is still a working lighthouse and guides vessels as they navigate the East Coast.
Southwold Pier stretches 190 metres into the sea and is a thriving tourist destination, it hosts an arcade with a collection of weird and wonderful automata designed by Tim Hunkin.
COST: Coach fare £31.00 (incl. gratuity) per person
BOOK BY: 11th JULY
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
August
LAMPORT HALL
MONDAY 11TH
A day visit to Lamport Hall Northamptonshire. Developed from a Tudor manor house, architecturally the hall has been worked on by Smith of Warwick and William Burn but is best known for its John Webb classical frontage. The Hall’s fine rooms, including the High Room of 1655 and 18th century library, are filled with a wealth of outstanding furniture, books, china and paintings collected by the Isham family. Most were bought during the 3rd Baronet’s Grand Tour of Europe, in the 1670s. The first floor has undergone lengthy restoration, allowing further paintings and furniture to be displayed.
The Isham family lived at Lamport for over 400 years, until Sir Gyles Isham, the 12th Baronet, died in 1976. In his will he bequeathed the Hall, with its contents and Estate, to the Lamport Hall Preservation Trust which he set up to carry on the lengthy restoration programme of the hall, environs and estate, ensuring Lamport’s survival for the enjoyment of visitors and as a centre of culture and education.
Although the size and location of the gardens has remained the same since they were first laid out, the design has changed significantly over the generations. In the 17th century, Sir Thomas Isham entrusted the development of the gardens to his land agent, Gilbert Clerke, while he was away in Europe. The surrounding banks and large wrought iron gates survive from this time. One of the main changes in the 18th century was in 1750, when Sir Edmund planted box edgings to seven groups of shrubs. All but one of these ‘rooms’ would later be removed in the twentieth century.
Today the gardens include extensive herbaceous borders and shrubbery walks containing some rare and interesting plants, providing year round interest. The Walled Garden was replanted in 2010 and is full of unusual tall perennial plants, many sourced from Piet Oudolf’s nursery in the Netherlands. A vibrant array of colour and variety of plants are intersected by gravelled pathways with hidden doors and relaxing benches to be found.
COST: Entry fee £16.00 + coach fare £26.30 (incl.gratuity) making a total of £42.30 per person
BOOK BY: 1st AUGUST
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
September
SOUTHEND ON SEA
WEDNESDAY 10TH
A day visit to the seaside town of Southend on Sea to take in some sea air. Southend-on-Sea is a resort town on the Thames Estuary in Essex, southeast England. The long Southend Pier is serviced by a small train and has a museum at its shore end. Nearby, Adventure Island is an amusement park with fairground rides and water slides. The Cliff Lift, a century-old funicular, clings to the hillside and offers coastal views. Sea Life Adventure aquarium is home to otters, clownfish and turtles.
Southend Pier is the town’s historical icon as well as being the longest pleasure pier in the world! It stretches for 1.33 miles, putting Southend on the map as well as into the record books. Visitors have the option to take the train or take a wander down the walkway. There’s plenty to see and do once you arrive at the pier head.
COST: £24.00 per person (incl. gratuity).
BOOK BY 29TH AUGUST
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
October
WEDGEWOOD FACTORY
MONDAY 6TH
A day trip to the Wedgewood Factory for a tour and afternoon tea. Join us on a tour of the Wedgwood Factory for a behind-the-scenes experience where we reveal how Wedgwood is designed, created and crafted.
This is the place to discover the craftsmanship of our famous jasperware, a unique invention by Josiah Wedgwood I. Marvel at the extraordinary skills of our talented workers who cast, glaze, decorate and gild in our original 1940s working factory. Also after the tour there will afternoon served.
COST: Tour & Afternoon tea £37.50 + coach fare £27.50 (incl gratuity) making a total of £65.00 per person
BOOK BY: 11TH SEPTEMBER
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
November
WADDESDON AT CHRISTMAS
DATE: TBA
A day visit to Waddesdon at Christmas . Escape to the countryside and spend a perfect day out at Waddesdon, once the country home of the Rothschilds.
Waddesdon is a French Renaissance-style château in the heart of Buckinghamshire. Set in a 6,000 acres estate, it was built in the 1870s by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to house his art treasures and entertain the fashionable world. His collection of English and Dutch paintings and French decorative arts is amongst the finest in the world and can be seen today within the Manor’s richly decorated interiors.
Decorations in the House.
Enjoy richly decorated interiors on your visit to Christmas at Waddesdon.
COST: Entry fee TBA + coach fare £21.30 (incl.gratuity) making a total of £tba per person.
BOOK BY: 5TH NOVEMBER
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
December
LONDON CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
MONDAY 15TH
An evening trip into London to see the Christmas lights with a Fish & Chip meal at Kenney’s Goswell Road London.
Their friendly and cost effective fish and chips restaurants in central London is inspired by the Kennedy’s brand established 150 years ago as a traditional delicatessen butcher’s originally renowned for their sausages, they have maintained their tradition whilst expanding their menu with British food. They serve fresh fish from British waters and as such their seafood is of the utmost quality.
The meal is a 2 course Fish & Chips with a dessert plus tea/coffee afterwards.
COST: Fish & Chips £21.00 + coach fare £18.60 (incl.gratuity) making a total of £39.60 per person
BOOK BY 28TH NOVEMBER
If you are interested in this visit please contact: TREVOR
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Please note that all timings and dates are subject to change – Always contact the trip organiser if in doubt.