Literary Tour to Britain – British Women Authors

Your 24-hour Tour Director will meet you at the airport and remain with your group until your final airport departure. Your group will also have a private coach and driver while touring for the next six days. You’ll begin your journey traveling from Manchester Airport to the Lake District. Your base for the next two nights will be in the Lake District area, where breakfast and dinner will be provided at the hotel.

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

"We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience." - John Dewey 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.

Visit Haworth Village, situated at the edge of the Pennine moors in West Yorkshire. The village is internationally famous for its connection with the Bronte sisters, known as “Bronte Country.” The majority of their works were written when they lived in the village parsonage.

Tour the Bronte Parsonage, the Bronte’s home during the mid-1800s. The house is now 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.

Visit St. Michael and All Angels' Church, where the Rev. Patrick Bronte served as minister. The crypt under the church was rebuilt to house most of the Bronte family, including Emily and Charlotte.

Today, your group will travel from Haworth to Tintern Abbey.

You’ll visit Tintern Abbey, founded by the Cistercians in 1131 and the first Cistercian abbey in Wales. The abbey church, missing its roof and windows, is otherwise well preserved, with the most outstanding feature being the seven-light west window. Remains of the dining hall, kitchen, and warming house are also still visible.

Continue your journey from Tintern Abbey to Bath.

Bath is a special, beautiful city. The Romans turned it into England’s first spa resort, and brilliant architects created the Neo-Classical facades that decorate 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. Bath will be your base for the night, and both dinner and breakfast will be included at the hotel.

Enjoy some free time for shopping and exploration.

Enjoy a walking tour of Jane Austen’s Bath, beginning with a brief visit to the Jane Austen Center, a museum 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.

Visit 1 Royal Crescent, a magnificently restored Georgian townhouse that provides a picture of life in Georgian Bath. Visit the Assembly Rooms and Costume Museum, featuring a world-class collection of contemporary and historical dress including 150 dressed figures illustrating the changing styles from the late 16th century to the present.

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 baths. The core of the Pump Room is the Grand Chamber, which looks down onto the Roman Baths. You may also have the opportunity to sample some of the spa’s natural spring water.

Travel from Bath to Winchester. The Winchester area will be your base for the night. While here, you’ll enjoy both dinner and breakfast at the hotel.

Winchester was once the capital of ancient Wessex as well as the administrative center for the Anglo-Saxon kings until the Norman Conquest. The city is connected with Arthurian legend and is the resting place of one of Britain’s most beloved authors, Jane Austen.

Visit the remains of Winchester Castle, where a round oak table, King Arthur's Round Table, is attached to the wall.

Visit Winchester Cathedral, a historic medieval cathedral possessing the longest nave in Britain. This incredible structure is the resting place of many important British figures, including Jane Austen.

Continue on your journey from Winchester to Brighton. En route, you’ll stop in Chawton to visit Jane Austen’s home. It was here that 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, and memorabilia, first editions, and even the writer’s donkey cart help recreate her life here.

Take some time to shop and explore the area.

Continue to the Brighton area, your base for the night. Both dinner and breakfast will be included at the hotel.

Visit Brighton Pavilion, one of the most unique structures in England. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle involved the Pavilion and his character Prinny in the novel Rodney Stone, a story about 'The Fancy,' the prize-fighting world of the Regency period.

Continue on your journey from Brighton to the Lewes area.

Visit Charleston House in the Lewes area, once owned by Virginia Woolf's sister. Today it’s a colorful, creative museum dedicated to the Bloomsbury Group.

Continue on your journey from Lewes to London. London is the largest city in Europe: quite a feat, considering it’s on a relatively small island. Its location is perfect for an administrative, communications, and trade center, as the Romans realized when they founded their city in the AD first century. London is filled with countless historic and cultural treasures that meld seamlessly into an exciting, contemporary city.

For the next three evenings, your group will enjoy the convenience of a centrally located London hotel, where daily breakfast will be included. In London, the cost of public transport is included for all group sightseeing. Escorted by your Tour Director, you’ll be able to experience the city in the same manner as the locals.

Enjoy an evening meal together in a local restaurant.

During your time in London, you’ll explore the areas of Westminster and Whitehall, including Trafalgar Square, Horseguards Parade, Parliament Square, Downing Street, St. James’s Park, and Buckingham Palace.

Visit and take a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Museum, housed in a reconstruction of the original theater that closed in 1642 and dedicated to the experience and international understanding of Shakespearean performance. The museum explores the costumes, special effects, music, printing, and publishing process during Shakespeare’s era.

Explore the British Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. Highlights of your visit will include the Rosetta Stone, the discovery of which led to the deciphering of hieroglyphs; the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens; and the Sutton Hoo Treasure.

Enjoy dinner this evening in Covent Garden, home to some of the city’s liveliest restaurants, pubs, and cafés.

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.

Enjoy a Thames River Cruise, a relaxing way to view many of London’s most magnificent sights. Your trip will travel past the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and under the famous Tower Bridge.

Visit the Tower of London, one of Britain’s most fascinating and important historical structures. Begun as a fortress by William the Conqueror, the Tower is now primarily associated with the legendary figures imprisoned and executed here over the centuries. Your visit will include the armories, a display of instruments of torture and execution, and the breathtaking Crown Jewels Exhibit.

This evening, dine in a local restaurant near Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, two of London’s most vibrant and lively areas.

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 British Literary Tour. We’ll also discuss how these experiences may be most relevant for us all as we return home.

Your rewarding and enjoyable British Women Authors Tour comes to an end as your Tour Director accompanies your group to the airport on your final day.