History & Heritage of the East Midlands & Lincolnshire

Group organisers price £169.00pp(*) Twin / double share
One group organiser's price is available per booking & this promotional price represents a discount of approximately 40% for a similar group package
Partner’s price £189.00pp Twin/double share
Single supplement £49.00pp (3 nights - limited availability)
Deposit £50.00pp (non-refundable)
Balance due in full by the 19.01.09
Insurance if required is available at £14.00pp
(no upper age limit but subject to medical screening)
(*) Limited to one organiser price per booking

PROVISIONAL ITINERARY
Day 1 This morning we depart from our selected pick up points and travel north to our base in Kegworth via the vibrant county town of Northampton. We will stop for lunch before a tour of the fascinating and unique 78 Derngate, a unique house which was remodelled in 1916-17 by renowned Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Northampton businessman Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke. After eighteen months of careful restoration, the house has been returned to its 1917 appearance. The adjoining property, number 80, has been transformed from a small Georgian terrace into a modern gallery. It houses an exhibition about the 1917 design of number 78 and about Bassett-Lowke and his business. It includes a display of many fine model ships and trains. The entrance is through number 82, which houses The Dining Room Restaurant, Gallery, shop and where one can see a short video about how the restoration was undertaken. We then continue on to Canons Ashby, (subject to confirmation), a late 16th century Elizabethan manor house, largely unaltered since 1710, which is now in the care of the National Trust. This was the home of the Dryden family since its construction and the intimate and atmospheric interior contains wall paintings and Jacobean plasterwork of the highest quality. There is also a formal garden, an orchard featuring varieties of fruit trees from the 16th century, and a surprisingly grand church - all that remains of the Augustinian priory from which the house takes its name. Departing here later this afternoon we make our way to the hotel where there will be time for relaxation before dinner in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 2 Departing the hotel after breakfast our first point of call today is  Wollaton Hall. Designed by Robert Smythson and built by Sir Francis Willoughby between 1580 and 1588 , Wollaton is now home to a natural history museum. The building is in the English Renaissance style and its central lower tower and flanking turrets are considered to be masterpiece.The original beehive ovens and charcoal stove have been fully restored and the kitchens furnished according to the 1601 inventory. Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of an authentic working Tudor kitchen on event days. Standing on a natural hill three miles west of Nottingham City Centre, Wollaton Hall is set in five hundred acres of spectacular gardens and parkland. The park contains a wide range of important wildlife habitats- including wetlands, grasslands, woodlands and avenues of mature trees. See herds of red and fallow deer roaming free, stroll around the historic lake, relax in the formal flower gardens or visit The Camellia House, the oldest cast iron glasshouse in Europe, which has been recently restored. From here we continue on to , now managed by the National Trust which is a classical Palladian mansion built for the Curzon family between 1759 and 1765. It has one of the best examples of Robert Adam's interiors in England which has seen very little alteration since its completion. The state rooms are on a grand scale and have particularly good collections of paintings and original furniture. A museum of remarkable furniture and artefacts collected by Lord Curzon when he was Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905 is housed in the Eastern Museum. The gardens were landscaped in the 1760's as a fashionable 'Pleasure Ground' of the period and a 'ha ha' allows untinterrupted views of the parkland and grazing areas beyond. There are also numerous sculptures and architectural features as well as a summer house and an orangerie. We will pop into Derby for a visit to Royal Crown Derby where we can watch the skilled workers in action during a factory tour. A light lunch is included at Crown Derby before we end our day with a visit to Bolsover Castle. This unexpected treasure in the heart of the Derbyshire market town of Bolsover is a real treat. Dating back to the 12th Century, Bolsover was redesigned as an elegant "party house" by Charles Cavendish where nowadays you can be transported back to the Golden Age of Chivalry and Romance. Set on a hilltop overlooking the Vale of Scarsdale, Bolsover Castle enjoys panoramic views over the beautiful Derbyshire countryside. Here you can enjoy the fairytale Little Castle, designed as a fantasy entertainment house with magnificent wall paintings, visit the indoor Riding House where William, Duke of Newcastle, indulged his passion for training horses in balletic movement or wander around the beautiful Venus Garden, with its secluded love seats, 23 statues and fountain, which plays again for the first time in centuries. We return to Kegworth where dinner will be at either the hotel or a local venue this evening.
Day 3 Today we travel east to the beautiful county of Lincolnshire with its 'big skies'. En route we will stop at the fascinating located on part of the former World War Two airfield of Winthorpe. The museum has a diverse collection of aircraft and cockpit sections which covers the history of aviation. The aircraft on display include 10 National Benchmark aircraft; 29 Significant aircraft and 18 Noteworthy aircraft as listed in the National Aviation Heritage Register. We then travel on to a much loved family home which has never been sold, since it was built in 1595 by Robert Smythson, one of England’s foremost Elizabethan architects. The mellow brick exterior with its walled courtyards has barely changed while the interior was redecorated in Georgian times in a light and elegant style. The original walled courtyards now enclose fabulous formal gardens whilst beyond the walls you will discover romantic wild gardens and nature walks. Over 400 years of unbroken family occupation has resulted in fascinating collections of furniture, paintings, ceramics, textiles, porcelain, household objects along with a wealth of amusing stories. A visit to Doddington offers a unique insight into family life through the ages and the challenges of looking after such a house in the 21st Century. The impressive gardens have been featured on the BBC’s Gardeners World and it also has its own farm shop and restaurant where a light lunch is included. From here it’s a short drive to Lincoln City where you may choose to visit the stunning Cathedral, which featured in the film ' the Da Vinci Code'. We will then make our way down "Steep Hill" for a tour of the Guildhall, where we will be greeted by the town cyrer and our guide Joe Cook MBE who has worked with the Mayor of Lincoln for many years. We will see the mayor’s collections of treasure and will hear some fascinating stories of when royals and dignitaries visited the city. Tonight we will dine at the fabulous Belvoir Castle and also have a candlelit tour before we return to Kegworth for a well deserved rest after a long day.
Day 4 Checking out of the hotel after breakfast we retrace our steps. We will stop on the way at Melton Mowbray for a visit and pork pie demonstration at Dickinson & Morris’s "Olde Pork Pie Shoppe" who have been making traditional pork pies since 1851. A perfect opportunity to buy for you to buy some lunch before we continue on to Bosworth Battlefield, where we’ll see the new interactive exhibition and Ambion Parva Medieval village. Re-live this famous turning point in British history, the death of a King and the birth of the all powerful Tudor dynasty. Travel through history, arriving in England in 1455 and journey through time to a modern day research science laboratory. During your journey you will witness the horror of Medieval warfare, and its effect on the country and its people. The Ambion Parva village is a collection of reproduction buildings combined to create the sense of medieval village life, bringing history alive. Departing here mid afternoon, we return to our original departure points, having experienced and learnt a lot about our 'Heritage & History' in just 4 days.

Simply Groups reserve the right to make minor changes to this itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control.

 HOW TO BOOK

Contact Simply Groups on 01943 605999
Or by email info@simplygroups.co.uk

and ask us to send you tour details and a booking form.