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Welcome to the ‘The Historic Houses, Gardens & Heritage of the Cotswolds’ tour. You can view full details of this tour, share this tour with others, pay your final balance before departure and, once you have departed on your holiday, share your group photos and write reviews.

Itinerary

Day 1

We depart by executive coach from our designated pick up points. En route to our hotel we visit the National Trust’s Snowshill Manor and Garden, home to a huge and diverse collection of extraordinary craftsmanship. Charles Paget Wade spent his life and inherited wealth collecting objects from all corners of the globe, with items varying from lowly fire buckets to exquisite ivory carvings, ancient musical instruments, Victorian toys, penny farthing bicycles and complete suits of Japanese armour. We continue to the 4* Mercure Bowden Hall Hotel at Upton St Leonards for a three night stay on a half board basis.

Day 2

This morning we visit Chavenage at Tetbury, a wonderful Elizabethan house of mellow grey Cotswold stone that dates back to 1576. Our guided tour of Chavenage introduces us to a fine collection of tapestries, furniture, pictures and many relics of the Cromwellian period. With our Blue Badge guide this afternoon we visit the National Trust’s Newark Park. With splendid views from the Cotswold escarpment, Newark Park is a secluded estate with a historic country home at its heart. From Tudor beginnings, to a dramatic rescue by a 20th Century Texan, the house has many stories to tell.

Day 3

With our Blue Badge guide this morning we visit the National Trust’s Hidcote Manor Garden, an ‘Arts & Crafts’ masterpiece, consisting of a series of outdoor rooms and famous for its rare shrubs, trees and unusual plant species from all over the world. This afternoon we enjoy a guided tour at Sezincote House and Gardens. The south front, complete with a curving orangery unfurls above a Repton landscape that has remained unchanged since the mid 19th century. The house was the whim of Colonel John Cockerell, grandson of the diarist Samuel Pepys, who returned to England having amassed a fortune in the East India Company.

Day 4

After checking out of our hotel we enjoy a guided tour at Gloucester Cathedral. The cathedral has been a place of Christian worship continuously for over 1,300 years, since Osric, an Anglo-Saxon prince founded a religious house here in 678 AD. We then visit the National Trust’s Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire. Completed in 1701, this homely William and Mary style house is famed for its fine painted ceilings and staircase by master painter Sir James Thornhill. Taking carefully selected comfort stops en route, we return back to our original pick up points.

NB: Please note we reserve the right to alter the above itinerary if required for operational reasons. Given the historic nature of the places visited, a certain degree of walking will be involved, and this holiday may not be suitable for those with mobility problems. Price based on twin share. Minimum numbers required. Normal booking conditions apply.

Featuring

4* hotel

Half board accommodation

All excursion travel & guided tours included

Entrance fees to non-National Trust properties included

Blue Badge guide on Days 2 & 3

Executive coach throughout

Snowshill Manor & Garden

Chavenage – guided house tour

Tetbury

Newark Park

Hidcote Manor Garden

Sezincote House & Gardens – guided house tour

Gloucester Cathedral – guided tour

Hanbury Hall

Hotel

We stay three nights at the 4* Mercure Bowden Hall Hotel (www.mercuregloucester.co.uk) at Upton St Leonards. Set in 12 acres of its own parkland, facilities at the hotel include a restaurant, bar and a fitness suite. All of our allocated Classic Rooms are en suite and feature television, hair dryer and tea & coffee making facilities. A set 3 course dinner without drinks is included in our hotel on the first night. A choice 3 course dinner without drinks is included in our hotel on the remaining two nights of our tour. NB: the hotel does not have a lift, or any ground floor rooms so guests will either need to walk up or take a chairlift for the first 15 steps up to the first floor bedrooms.

Extras

Insurance (including Covid cover) £36

Single room supplement £90

Entrance fee to National Trust properties (free to NT members)

Gratuities

Lunches

Optional Excursions

All excursion travel & guided tours included

Pay Final Balance

To pay your final balance please provide the following details and you will be taken to the secure payment gateway:

The 5 digit number on the bottom left hand corner of the tear off Remittance Advice at the foot of your Confirmation & Invoice
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Enter the balance due as shown in the bottom right hand corner of the tear off Remittance Advice at the foot of your Confirmation & Invoice
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Please note we only accept Debit Cards.

Click Here to download the Brochure and Booking Form and then post the completed Booking Form with your deposit payment as instructed on the Booking Form. Please note that you cannot book this holiday online. Once you receive a Confirmation & Invoice from us as confirmation of your booking, you can pay the final balance as quoted on your Confirmation & Invoice using the Pay Final Balance tab above.

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