Suffolk Villages & Coast Tour

5 Days - Sun 17th September 2023

+£140 Single Supplement

Includes full day with local guide, Lavenham Guildhall, Flatford Mill and two-hour river cruise!

On this tour we explore the countryside that inspired two of the nation’s finest painters, John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough. We have a local guide for the whole day whilst we explore the Suffolk Villages and we have included entry to Lavenham Guildhall plus a 2-hour river cruise on the River Deben.

Sunday We travel towards Suffolk with a stop in St Albans, a jewel of a city with history, culture plus great food and shopping. Monday We enjoy a guided tour of Suffolk’s pastel-coloured villages, whose timber-framed houses and thatched roofs make this area so unique, typified by the Guildhall at Lavenham. We include entrance to this historic building, now containing exhibitions of local history, farming and the woollen trade. The tour also takes in Sudbury, home to Gainsborough’s attractive townhouse, which is now the birthplace museum and gallery of Gainsborough.

Tuesday We venture into the heart of Constable Country and visit Flatford Mill. Here we will find a 16th Century thatched cottage that the artist regularly painted and an exhibition on his life and work. There is also free time in Colchester, Britain’s oldest recorded town.

Wednesday To the pretty coastal town of Aldeburgh, with its unspoilt beach dotted with fishermen’s huts and charming, historic high street. In the afternoon, enjoy a relaxing cruise along the River Deben which is a Special Protected Area within the Suffolk Coasts & Heaths area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The on-board commentary will tell of its rich wildlife and history. PLEASE NOTE: The boat tour may be in the AM in which case we visit Aldeburgh in the PM.

Thursday We pass through the much-photographed village of Finchingfield before we stop at Saffron Walden, an unspoilt town full of superb buildings. Following time for lunch (not included) we return home.

Codebreakers & Cambridge

4 Days - Thu 12th October 2023

+£66 Single Supplement

Includes Bletchley Park and guided tour of Cambridge plus Ely, Downham Market and St Albans!

On this tour we visit the home of the famous World War II code-breakers and discover a land of lazy waterways and majestic cathedrals. This tour was a huge success when it operated for the first time in 2021 and our 4-star hotel has full leisure facilities.

Thursday Our first stop was once Britain’s best kept secret, Bletchley Park is today a unique heritage site and tourist attraction set within an atmospheric Victorian estate nestled in parkland. Learn about the top-secret world of codebreaking which saved countless lives. Then onto our hotel.

Friday To Downham Market on the banks of the River Great Ouse and dating back to Saxon times and one of Norfolk’s oldest market towns. The attractive marketplace is immediately identifiable by the splendidly unusual and majestic black and white clock. The town retains an intimate feel, characterised by many fine historic buildings, craft and collectibles markets, with a bustling market on many Fridays and Saturdays. There you can buy a variety of goods from clothes to carpets, to fresh produce. There’s a host of local independent shops too. Then to Norfolk and we make a lunch time stop in Ely, the second smallest city in England and compact enough to explore on foot with its cathedral known as the ‘Ship of the Fens’.

Saturday To Cambridge for a ninety-minute guided tour by coach taking in this famous city. You are then free to explore for yourself the wonderful architecture, majestic college buildings and quaint passageways.

Sunday We return with a stop in St Albans where there is history in every footstep, a pub at every turn, and beautiful places to simply stop and soak up the magical atmosphere.

Holiday Inclusions

• Return coach travel

• Tours as indicated (including Lavenham Guildhall, Flatford Mill, boat cruise & full day guided tour)

• Hotel accomodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal

Holiday Inclusions

• Return coach travel

• Tours as indicated (including Bletchley Park & Cambridge guided tour)