Travel season is fast-approaching, and Royal Oak’s Sam McCann is reflecting on his trip with Royal Oak supporters last year. Join Royal Oak staff and supporters on a trip to the UK and explore all the National Trust has to offer this year. Learn More
Ham House, Surrey, part of the Society Stories tour
In less than a week, our first travel program of the year, Just Go! Holidays’ Society Stories trip, departs. Last year I had the privilege to join the Society Stories itinerary departing in the late summer and I’m envious of the Royal Oak supporters who get to kick off their spring in such spectacular fashion.
The Society Stories tour touches on all manner of country house throughout southern England, with sightseeing beginning in earnest at Highclere Castle, the real-life Downton Abbey. The whirlwind week that follows brings guests to innumerable treasures, from the brilliantly kaleidoscopic Strawberry Hill House (covered in a post last week) to my personal favorite stop, Ham House, on the bank of the Thames. Other highlights include The Vyne, a Tudor red-brick mansion, and National Trust properties with ties to authors like Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen.
A Royal Oak membership grants unlimited access to the vast majority of the properties covered on the tour, and indeed a self-guided excursion can be extremely gratifying. However, as I wrote in my reflection on the Just Go! Holidays trip this past fall, Royal Oak’s travel offerings give a sense of camaraderie to the exploration that is impossible to find elsewhere. Traveling with a group of Americans, all of whom share your interest in discovering the treasures of the National Trust, proved to be an unmatched experience, one I continue to relish months later.
That’s why I highly encourage you to look into our offerings for the rest of the year. If you’d like to make 2015 the year you take full advantage of all the UK has to offer, Royal Oak’s custom tour packages are the place to start. Curated by our travel partners Academic Arrangements Abroad or Just Go! Holidays, these tours make an excellent choice for those who want to dive deeper into the National Trust and explore with other anglophiles.
Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland, part of our “Legendary Landmarks and Landscapes of Ireland” Tour
There’s a choice for every interest. Take in glorious Castle Howard and the sprawling Dunham Massey with our Brideshead Visited tour. Soak in the British coastline, preserved in all its glory by the National Trust for a half-century, with Celebrating Neptune at 50. Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Winston Churchill’s death with either of our two Churchill-themed tours, visiting historically rich properties like Chartwell, Bletchley Park, Polesden Lacey, and Blenheim Palace. And don’t miss out on a chance to explore gorgeous Ireland, either this May with our Garden Tour, or late this summer on the Legendary Landscapes & Landmarks of Ireland, visiting the recently re-opened Mount Stewart, Giants Causeway and Belfast’s Titanic Experience.
As the mercury slowly creeps up here on the east coast, so too does the urge to hop on a plane and explore all of the National Trust’s immense offerings. I hope you consider joining we other anglophiles on a trip with Royal Oak this year. Learn More
