Avon

WHAT'S INCLUDED
From 4 days 3 nights duration Departures throughout 2008 & 2009
Return Executive Coach Travel
FREE Local pick up points
From 3 nights half board accommodation at the Redwood Country Club hotel or similar 
All rooms with private en suite facilities
Entrances are included to NT properties marked by an * with a valid membership card Any non NT members will pay locally for entrances to NT properties. All other visits / attractions are included for all participants - see itinerary. A contriution to your branch 1 FREE place with every 20 paying passengers based on half twin share accommodation (ie. 21st / 42nd free)
FREE Comprehensive Travel Insurance on selected dates

SAMPLE 6 DAY ITINERARY
Day 1 - Departing your pick up point this morning we travel westwards, stopping en route at Basildon Park* (NT). This beautiful Palladian mansion featured in the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was built in 1776-83 by John Carr for Francis Sykes, who had made his fortune in India. The interior is notable for its original delicate plasterwork and elegant staircase, as well as for the unusual Octagon Room. The house fell on hard times early in the last century, but was rescued by Lord and Lady Iliffe, who restored it and filled it with fine pictures and furniture. The early 19th-century pleasure grounds are currently being restored, and there are waymarked trails through the parkland. You will have a couple of hours at your leisure here and can purchase lunch before we continue onto Chipping Sodbury which lies at the foot of the southern Cotswold escarpment below Dodington Park in southern Gloucestershire 8 miles north-west of Bristol. As the Chipping in its name implies, it was once an important market centre in medieval times and stands at the crossroads on the main route between Bristol, Oxford and London. Chipping Sodbury is very similar to Chipping Norton in that it has a long market square, or Chepynge, as it was called in the medieval times and hence 'Chipping'. Known as Broad Street, this is bordered with a wonderful assortment of houses from every period, but largely 17th-century Cotswold stone buildings or Georgian of mellow brick. Most of these are now occupied by bright and cheerful shops which still retain a lively country atmosphere. From here it is just a short journey onto the hotel where you will arrive later this afternoon in good time to freshen up before dinner this evening.

Day 2 - Today we travel to Cheddar where you have an included Open Tour Bus Gorge Tour followed by a Somerset Cream Tea. You may choose to visit one oif the famous caves (extra cost). We also visit the Cheddar Gorge cheese company who are the only cheesemakers left in Cheddar, and you can watch as they transform the rich, local milk into authentic Cheddar Cheese. The viewing gallery allows you to watch the cheesemakers practice their skills, and information is displayed to help you follow the process. After seeing cheese being made you can treat yourself to a free taste at the taster bar and then visit the shop where their Cheddars plus local pickles, biscuits, hand crafted cheese dishes, cheese knives etc are on sale. You will have several hours in Cheddar before we continue onto Wells which nestles at the foot of the Mendip hills and is said to be England's smallest City. We include a visit to the Bishops Palace & Gardens which are more than simply an historic house and garden as this splendid medieval Palace has been the home of the Bishops of Bath and Wells for 800 years. There are 14 acres of gardens including the springs from which the city takes its name. Visitors can also see the Bishop's private Chapel, ruined Great Hall and the Gatehouse with portcullis and drawbridge beside which the famous mute swans ring a bell for food. We return to the hotel later in the day where you will have your dinner this evening.

Day 3 - This morning we travel the short distance nto the city of Bristol where we include a visit to SS Brunel which was built and launched in Bristol in 1843, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s maritime masterpiece was the world’s first ocean-going, propeller driven iron ship.After a life as a luxury liner, troop ship, cargo vessel and floating warehouse, she was abandoned in the Falklands Islands in 1937. She was salvaged in 1970, towed back to Bristol and has now been restored to her former glory. The historic vessel is being conserved for future generations under a ‘glass sea’ in the very dockyard where she was built. Visitors are encouraged to experience what life was like for her Victorian passengers and crew, including a visit to the recently installed three-storey tall moving engine. Your ticket to Brunel’s SS Great Britain also allow entry to the dry dock, museum, Maritime Heritage Centre, and the replica of John Cabot's ship The Matthew, when she is in Bristol. You will have time to purchase lunch here before we continue onto Tyntesfield *(NT) which is one of the last great Victorian country estates. Remarkably the house has survived with much of its original interior and art collection intact - an exceptional treasury of Victorian life and culture. Every room harbours wonders - from the early ‘douche’ showers, to a wonderful carriage rug covered with duck feathers. Outside, the estate buildings are a rare and complete ensemble, from the home farm, to the stables, sawmill and kitchen garden. Tyntesfield is not a time capsule. The Gibbs family has lived in the house for four generations, during which time it has seen many changes. Since Lord Wraxall’s death in 2001, the auctioneers’ photographers and cataloguers have moved many of the house contents around. The National Trust’s aim at Tyntesfield is to give access to the conservation; rather than closing the property until work is completed, and it is hoped that visitors will enjoy the opportunity to see conservation in action. You return to the hotel later in the day for your included evening meal.

Day 4 - Today is a leisurely day as we visit Longleat (entrance included with a passport ticket). Longleat is set within 900 acres of Capability Brown landscaped parkland. Longleat House is widely regarded as one of the best examples of high Elizabethan architecture in Britain and one of the most beautiful stately homes open to the public. It was the present Marquess of Bath’s father, the 6th Marquess, who first perceived that a house of this magnitude and splendour could become a major tourist attraction and, in 1949, opened Longleat House to the public on a fully commercial basis - it was the first stately home to do so! 1966 then saw the next “first” when Longleat opened the first Safari Park outside of Africa. Today it is difficult to imagine the furore aroused when Longleat’s plans for a 100-acre lion reserve were made public. There were dire warnings of big cats running amok in the Wiltshire countryside, local clergymen were up in arms and there were even questions asked in the Houses of Parliament. In spite of the fears however the concept of a drive through safari park proved hugely popular and forty years on, Longleat Safari Park remains one of the country’s leading wildlife attractions. But that’s not all… Longleat now encompasses a wide range of attractions to suit visitors of all ages… find yourself going round in circles in the Longleat Hedge Maze, journey on the Safari Boats for a sea-lion escorted cruise, enjoy a fun-packed ride on the Longleat Railway and much more… your day at Longleat will never be long enough!

Day 5 -This morning we travel into the historic & unique city of Bath with its hot springs, Roman Baths, splendid Abbey and Georgian stone crescents which have attracted visitors for centuries.You will have free time here to explore at your leisure, maybe take advantage of your NT card and include a visit to the Bath Assembly rooms* (NT) or just enjoy your surroundings before we comtinue onto Dyrham Park *(NT) after lunch. This fine William and Mary house, set in 265 acres of ancient deerpark, was built between 1691 and 1702 for William Blathwayt, William III's Secretary at State and at War. Rooms changed little since they were furnished by Blathwayt in the Dutch style, Delft China, Dutch Paintings, and fine 17th Century textiles and the1840's domestic rooms are also open to the public. We return to the hotel later today where dinner is included.

Day 6 - Departing the hotel after breakfast this morning we travel to Lacock Abbey, Fox Talbot Museum & Village (NT). The Grounds and Gardens provide the perfect foil to the house and are managed in the style of a Wiltshire squire who governs his surroundings in partnership with nature. The woodland garden is of the 19th-century style and contains an historic collection of formal and native trees. Early plans show the form of an elaborate 18th-century water garden hidden beneath the surface, intermingled with the remnants of the working medieval landscape. A restoration programme is currently underway to reinstate the botanic garden of William Henry Fox Talbot. Although best known for his scientific achievements Talbot also showed interest in botany which resulted in many plants of note being introduced to the Abbey grounds. You will have the opportunity of purchasing lunch in Chippenham before we retrace our steps towards your original departure point, arriving back later in the day.

REDWOOD HOTEL & COUNTRY CLUB : This 4* hotel, part of the Folio group of hotels, is a modern, stylish hotel with a relaxed atmosphere, set in leafy wooded countryside only minutes from the spectacular Clifton Suspension Bridge over the Avon Gorge. There are many attractions within easy reach including Clifton Village, the SS Great Britain, Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole. The Ashton Court Estate, with its extensive grounds and mansion, borders the hotel. There are two excellent restaurants, two bars and a host of leisure facilities at your disposal, including state-of-the-art gym, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, sauna, solarium, steam room, squash, badminton and tennis courts and an aerobics studio. There are 112 en-suite bedrooms all with tea and coffee making facilities, trouser press, colour TV with satellite channels.

PRICE & SUPPLEMENTS

Price on application
No single room supplement to a maximum of 10 rooms.

HOW TO BOOK

Choose your departure date
For your instant quote / more information:
Call Simply Groups on 01943 605999 or
click here to use our online enquiry form.

WE WILL DO THE REST