Literary Tour to Britain and Scotland – The Romantic Era

Your 24-hour Tour Director will meet you at the airport and remain with your group until your final airport departure. You’ll have a private coach and driver while touring for the next 15 days.

Edinburgh is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most attractive cities, due primarily to its impressive medieval and Georgian districts and surrounding Lothian Hills. It is as famous for the arts as it is for its long and turbulent history—both the Old and New towns are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Visit the Writers’ Museum, featuring treasured portraits, relics, and manuscripts relating to three of Scotland's greatest men of letters: Robert Burns (1759-96), Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), and Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894).

Enjoy a walking tour of Edinburgh. Begin at Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland, and continue along one of the most fascinating and historic walks in Europe, from the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle.

View the Scott Monument, which looks more like a church spire than a monument to a writer. The Gothic-inspired Scott Monument is Edinburgh's most famous landmark, completed in the mid-19th century. In the center of the 200-plus-foot spire is a large seated statue of Sir Walter Scott and his dog, Maida, with Scott's heroes carved as small figures in the monument. Those that choose can climb 287 steps to the top for a spectacular view.

Tonight, you’ll enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.

"We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience." - John Dewey On every evening of the program, we’ll set time aside to update your Reflection Journal and share thoughts and impressions that have come up during the day.

This morning, you’ll begin touring a bit earlier than normal.

During your tour, you’ll gain the knowledge and insights of five half-day local guides in the United Kingdom.

Today, your group will travel from Edinburgh to Melrose. En route, make stops along Sir Walter Scott Way.

Stop first at Smailholm. Sited high on a rocky outcrop, Smailholm is a small rectangular tower set within a stone barmkin wall. This 65-foot tower-house was built by a well-known Scottish Borders family in the first half of the 15th century. Inside is a model of the Clan Pringle residence and a charming collection of costume figures and tapestries relating to Sir Walter Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Borders. It was the sight of Smailholm that fired Walter Scott's imagination when, as a young boy, he was brought up by his grandparents at the nearby farm of Sandyknowe.

Your group will drive through Galashiels, a burgh in Selkirkshire on the Gala Water River. Robert Burns wrote two poems about Galashiels, "Sae Fair Her Hair" and "Braw Lads." The latter is sung by some of the townsfolk each year at the Braw Lads Gathering. Sir Walter Scott also built his home, Abbotsford, just across the River Tweed from Galashiels.

St. Mary's Abbey, Melrose, is a partly ruined monastery of the Cistercian order, founded in 1136 on the request of King David I of Scotland. Alexander II and other Scottish kings and nobles are buried at the abbey. Sir Walter Scott described Melrose Abbey in one of his poems, The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Canto Second.

Discover Abbotsford House in Melrose, the home of Sir Walter Scott and one of Scotland's most fascinating places. Created almost 200 years ago on the banks of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, Abbotsford was the culmination of Scott's creative ambitions as a writer and the fount of his inspiration.

The hotel in the Melrose area will be your base for tonight. While here, you’ll enjoy breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

Today, your group will travel from Melrose area to Ayrshire making further stops along Scott Way.

Visit the Sir Walter Scott Courtroom at the Royal Burgh's Courthouse in the Selkirk town square. Sir Walter Scott was appointed Sheriff-Deputy of the County of Selkirk in 1799.

The hotel in Ayrshire will be your base for the next two nights. Tonight, you’ll enjoy dinner at the hotel as well as breakfast both mornings.

Explore Burns National Heritage Park, where you’ll experience the pride, passion, and power of Robert Burns throughout the delightful scenery of historic Alloway. Robert Burns' birthplace is brought to life through a mixture of modern technology and unique authentic locations and artifacts. During your visit, you’ll travel back in time at the Burns Cottage, which is fully restored to its original state.

View the Statue of Robert Burns, which was commissioned and paid for by the local Burns club. The statue was designed by London sculptor George Anderson Lawson and was unveiled on July 8, 1891.

Enjoy a brief visit to Rabbie’s Bar, opposite where the walls are highlighted with Robert Burns’ pithy verses and where his portrait is painted.

This evening, you’ll be free to explore and dine where you choose.

Today, you’ll travel from Ayrshire to the Lake District, visit Dumfries and Keswick en route. Your base for the next three nights will be in the Lake District area, where breakfast and dinner will be provided at the hotel.

Ride through Moffat, where the poet Robert Burns frequented the waters and local bars. Rumor has it that Ellen or Helen Hyslop of Moffat had a daughter, Helen or Ellen Armstrong, fathered by Burns. The gravestones of both mother and daughter can be found in the old cemetery.

isit Dumfries, where Robert Burns lived from 1791 until he died in 1796. The poet is buried in St. Michael's Churchyard in the Burns Mausoleum.

Lying on the edge of the Lake District, Cockermouth gets its name from the merging of the Rivers Cocker and Derwent. The architecture and layout of the town are undoubtedly medieval; however, much has been rebuilt in Georgian and Victorian fashion. This town is where William Wordsworth was born.

Visit Wordsworth House and Gardens, the birthplace and childhood home of the romantic poet William and his sister Dorothy. It is presented as it would have been when they lived there with their parents, three brothers, and servants in the 1770s.

Keswick is a small market town; however, it has been made remarkable thanks to the number of influential writers who have called its surrounding area home. Samuel Coleridge used his house in Keswick as his base of operations whilst collaborating with William Wordsworth.

Visit the former home of Samuel Coleridge in Keswick. This house has played host to numerable poets and writers.

The Lake District is an incredibly scenic region of Northern England, filled with waterfalls, lakes, and mountain peaks. Although beauty and outdoor activities are the main draws to this area, it is also full of historical interest. This was once a turbulent region: Celtic, Roman, and monastic remains testify to the number of people who have passed through. It was also home to some of England’s most brilliant writers and inspired many of the country’s great artists.

Visit Dove Cottage, the 17th-century home where William Wordsworth lived for nine years of his life. This was one of his most productive periods, in which he wrote many of his most famous poems. You’ll also make a stop at nearby St. Oswald’s Church, where Wordsworth is buried.

Visit Rydal Mount, the larger home purchased by the Wordsworth family in 1813 and where William lived until 1850. The grounds feature beautiful waterfalls and a summerhouse where the great poet often wrote.

On a walking tour of the Lake District, take in some of the most beautiful and inspiring scenery in all of England.

This evening, you’ll have free time to explore and dine where you choose.

Visit the village of Near Sawrey, famous for its association with Beatrix Potter. She lived at Hill Top Farm, first arriving at age 30 in 1896. Several local sites were used in her books, such as The Tale of Tom Kitten, The Fairy Caravan, and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.

Hawkshead Grammar School was founded in 1585 by Archbishop Edwin Sandys of York, who petitioned a charter from Queen Elizabeth I. The early school taught Latin, Greek, and the sciences, including arithmetic and geometry. One of the schools' most famous scholars was the poet William Wordsworth.

Visit the home of the famous Victorian art critic, John Ruskin, who lived at the Brantwood House on the shore of Coniston Waters.

Coniston Water is the third-largest lake in the Lake District. The Victorian philosopher John Ruskin bought Brantwood house to the east of the lake in 1871, declaring the view over the lake from The Old Man of Coniston (a nearby mountain) to be “the best in all of England.” Arthur Ransome based his book Swallows and Amazons on Coniston Water.

This evening, you’ll be free to explore and dine where you choose.

Today, your group will travel from the Lake District to Haworth. En route, you’ll stop in the town of Hebden Bridge. Your base for the night will be in the Haworth area, where breakfast and dinner will be provided at the hotel.

Take a driving tour of Hebden Bridge, a market town in West Yorkshire. Sylvia Plath is buried in the graveyard extension at St. Thomas' church in Heptonstall, Hebden Bridge.

Visit Haworth Village. Situated at the edge of the Pennine moors in West Yorkshire, the area known as Bronte country, the village is internationally famous for its connections with the Bronte sisters. The majority of their works were written during the time they lived in the village parsonage.

Tour the Bronte Parsonage, home of the Bronte family during the mid-1800s. The home now houses the Bronte Parsonage Museum, decorated as it was during the 1850s and containing letters, manuscripts, books, furniture, and personal treasures of the famous literary family.

Explore the village of Haworth at your leisure.

Today, the group will travel from Haworth to Oxford, which will be your base for the next three nights. Breakfast and dinner will be provided at the hotel.

Oxford has long been an important stopping point on central routes from the north of England to London, but it is more well-known as the home of England’s first university. With its spectacular architecture and famous scholars, including some of the world’s most important writers, the university is a uniquely integral part of Oxford and England as a whole.

Take a walking tour to view many of the colleges that make up Oxford as well as the Sheldonian Theater and the Bodleian Library. Each of the buildings you’ll pass has a long history and is associated with notable literary alumni, including Geoffrey Chaucer, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis, and Evelyn Waugh. View the Memorial to the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley at University College, the college he briefly attended and from which he was expelled for writing a pamphlet on The Necessity of Atheism.

View the Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford and one of the oldest libraries in Europe. The Bodleian is one of six libraries where a copy of each book copyrighted in the United Kingdom must be deposited.

Spend the day researching at the Bodleian and tour the special collections housed there.

Cambridge was an important Roman town because of its location at the first navigable point on the River Cam. Today, the river is more popular for punting than for trade, usually by the students at the city’s famed university.

Tour St. John’s College, founded in 1511 by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII. It is currently the University of Cambridge’s second-largest college. Highlights of your tour will include the Chapel and the Bridge of Sighs.

Take a walking tour and view King’s College, Trinity College, and Magdalene College, made famous by E.M. Forrester, A.A Milne, and C.S. Lewis respectively.

Visit the John Clare Cottage, tucked away between Stamford and Peterborough in the village of Helpston. Widely regarded as one of the greatest English poets, John Clare lived in the village for his first forty years, from 1793 until 1832.

This morning, you’ll begin touring a bit early, continuing your journey from Oxford to Wessex. En route, your group will visit Bath. For the next three nights, your base will be in the Wessex area, where breakfast and dinner will be included at the hotel.

Bath is a unique and beautiful city. The Romans turned it into England’s first spa resort and brilliant architects created the Neo-Classical facades that fill the city and recall its Georgian and Victorian golden age. Jane Austen lived here and the peaceful beauty of the city inspired several of her works.

Enjoy a walking tour of Jane Austen’s Bath, beginning with a brief visit to the Jane Austen Centre, dedicated to the novelist and her time in Bath. Your walk will provide insight into the Bath of Jane Austen’s time and will include a visit to the Assembly Rooms and Costume Museum, Pulteney Bridge, the house where Austen lived with her parents for five years, and the Georgian splendors of the Royal Crescent and the Circus.

Explore the extremely well-preserved Roman Baths, first associated with the Celtic King Bladud and later established by the Romans in the 1st century. Step into the Pump Room, a set of elegant chambers built above the old Roman Baths. The core of the Pump Room is the Grand Chamber, which looks down onto the old Roman Baths, and you may have the opportunity to sample some of the spa’s natural spring water.

Bristol is one of the most important cities in England. It served as a major port in the slave trade and was home to several influential British citizens. There are deep connections to many Romantic poets in Bristol.

Take a walking tour to see some of the literature-related sites.

Visit Blaise Castle Estate and its Folly, mentioned in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. The folly is a small Gothic castle built on the top of Blaise Hill in 1766—it was once used as a kitchen and drawing room and is now a romantic ruin.

See Tintern Abbey, founded by the Cistercians in 1131 it was the first Cistercian abbey in Wales. The abbey church is well preserved other than missing its roof and windows—the most outstanding feature of the Abbey is the seven-light west window. Other remains of the dining hall, kitchen, and warming house are still visible as well.

Visit Nether Stowey, a large village in Somerset. Coleridge Cottage was, between 1797 and 1799, the home of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, one of the founders of the Romantic Movement in poetry (along with William Wordsworth, who lived only three miles away). It was here he wrote the poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan. The Coleridge Way celebrates his walks in the area.

Tour Alfoxden Park House, one of the most important poetry landmarks in the U.K. The house was rented by William and Dorothy Wordsworth and frequented by Coleridge, who lived in nearby Nether Stowey. It was here they produced the Lyrical Ballads, the clarion call of the Romantic Movement and one of the most important poetry books in history.

This morning, you’ll have a bit of an early start.

Visit Jane Austen’s home at Chawton. Here, she penned some of her most beloved works, including Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion. The home is preserved as it would have been in Austen’s day with memorabilia, first editions, and even the writer’s donkey cart helping to recreate her life.

Visit the home of Charlotte Smith, novelist and poet. Separated from her bankrupt husband, she supported herself and her family with her writing while they lived in Woolbeding House, near Midhurst.

Tour the gardens of Bignor Park, a privately owned estate within the new South Downs National Park featuring beautiful, unspoiled surroundings at the foot of the magnificent South Downs. Tucked far away from traffic noise and civilization down an impressive half-mile-long drive, it looks majestic but with an understated style and quirky, rugged charm.

Chichester is a beautiful city located in West Sussex with a history dating back to the Romans. By the Middle Ages, it was the seat of a bishopric and had a beautiful, grand cathedral. Some of the oldest buildings and churches in all of the U.K. are located in this lovely city.

For the night, your base will be in the Beachy Head area. Breakfast and dinner will be included at the hotel.

Beachy Head in Eastbourne has some of the most dramatic views of Britain's coastline. Stand in awe of the 530-foot-tall white chalk cliffs as you overlook the English Channel.

Spend some time at Beachy Head this morning. The British Romantic poet Charlotte Turner Smith published a poem entitled Beachy Head. This prospect poem places the reader at Beachy Head and uses the landscape’s expansive view to discuss nature, political power, and cultural dominance.

Today, your group will travel from Beachy Head to London. For the next three evenings, you’ll enjoy the convenience of a centrally located London hotel, where daily breakfast will be included.

London is the largest city in Europe—quite a feat, considering its location on a relatively small island. This location is perfect for an administrative, communications, and trade center, as the Romans realized when they founded their city in AD 43. London is filled with countless historic and cultural treasures that meld seamlessly into this exciting, contemporary city. In London, the cost of public transport is included in all group sightseeing. Escorted by your Tour Director, your group will be able to experience the city in the same manner as the local people.

Explore the British Library, containing 12 million books, manuscripts, and other items. The library’s fascinating collection includes such pieces of historic and literary interest as two of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible, Nelson’s last letter to Lady Hamilton, the journals of Captain Cook, a copy of The Canterbury Tales from 1410, and the manuscripts of Beowulf. Almost every major author, including Hardy, Dickens, Austen, Bronte, and Keats, is represented in the English literature section. You can also view the Diamond Sutra, dating from 868 and said to be the oldest surviving printed book.

Enjoy an evening meal together in a local restaurant.

Visit Westminster Abbey, where English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066. Our Blue-Badge Guided Tour will include the Royal Chapels, containing the tombs of the English monarchs, as well as Poets’ Corner, featuring memorials to many famous British literary figures.

Discover the Tate Britain, which houses a magnificent collection of British paintings dating from 1500 to the present. A highlight of the gallery is its incredible collection of works by Joseph William Mallord Turner, whose abstract achievements predate, by almost a century, American Abstract Expressionism.

Spend time exploring a London street market to find some bargains and experience a real taste of London life.

Explore Keats House, dedicated not only to the poetry of John Keats but to poetry in general. Keats lived in the Regency-style home and gardens from 1818 to 1820, and it was here that he wrote his most beloved works, such as Ode to a Nightingale, and fell in love with Fanny Brawne.

Spend some free time around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, two of London’s most vibrant and lively areas. Piccadilly Circus is known for its lighted advertisements, while Leicester Square is where stage and screen unite, having provided entertainment to the city since the Victorian era.

Explore the area around Covent Garden, a lively area filled with shops, restaurants, and street performers.

This evening, you’ll make the final entries in your Reflection Journal and share some of the most significant observations and perspectives that have taken shape throughout your Romantic literary tour. We’ll also discuss how these experiences may be most relevant for us all as we return home.

Your rewarding and enjoyable Romantic Era Scotland and England tour comes to an end as your Tour Director accompanies your group to the airport on your final day.