Itinerary

DAY 1

Sunday: Arrival

On arrival at Heathrow Airport, a private transfer will take you to the Audleys Wood Hotel, our base for the next two nights. In the evening join the group for a welcome drink, followed by dinner.

Meals: Dinner

DAY 2

Monday: Beaulieu

After breakfast, we make our way to the Beaulieu Estate, set in the heart of the New Forest National Park. Here we enjoy a guided tour of Palace House, once the gatehouse of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey, and the ancestral home of the Montagu family since 1538. Remodeled and extended in the 1800s, it is now a fine example of a Victorian Gothic style country house adorned with family treasures, portraits and memorabilia, including Lord Montagu’s library. Palace House was also one of the first historic houses to open to the public in 1952, thanks to the innovative character of Edward, Lord Montagu.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 3

Tuesday: RHS Garden Wisley and Leeds Castle

Today we travel to RHS Garden Wisley, the Royal Horticultural Society’s flagship garden, gifted to the Society in 1903. Extending over 240 peaceful acres – from beautiful rose and demonstration gardens to tranquil tracts of woodland – Wisley offers a wealth of inspirational ideas on design, innovation and cultivation techniques. The state-of-the-art Glasshouse is divided into three main planting zones representing desert, tropical and temperate climates.

Our next stop is Leeds Castle, a quintessential moated castle set in 500 acres of glorious parkland. Dating back to the 12th century, it was once home to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The castle’s last private owner was Lady Baillie, an Anglo-American heiress who lovingly restored the castle to its former glory. We discover more about the castle’s fascinating history with its wealth of furnishings, paintings, tapestries and antiques during our audio-guided tour.

From here, we travel the short distance to the Chilston Park Hotel, where we stay overnight. After dinner at the hotel we are treated to a fascinating talk by a guest speaker.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 4

Wednesday: Hatfield House

We travel northwards to Hatfield House, home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury and their family. The house was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, one of Elizabeth I’s most important advisors. There are superb examples of Elizabethan craftsmanship such as the Grand Staircase with its elaborate carving and the rare stained glass window in the private chapel, while the State Rooms are rich in paintings, fine furniture and tapestries and we learn more on our exclusive, out-of-hours Champagne guided tour. Hatfield is a sought-after filming location and has featured in many films and TV shows, including The Crown, Bridgerton, Rebecca, Anna Karenina and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

Later we check in to the stunning Ickworth Hotel on the Ickworth Estate – a magnificent National Trust property, where we stay for the next two nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 5

Thursday: Holkham Hall and Ickworth House

This morning we enjoy a private guided tour led by one of the most experienced Hall Stewards followed by refreshments at Holkham Hall, an elegant 18th-century country mansion constructed in the Palladian style for Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester. Set in a vast landscaped park, the hall is currently home to the 8th Earl of Leicester and his family. The spectacular Marble Hall, with its splendid colonnade and breathtaking 50ft domed ceiling, was inspired by the Temple of Fortuna Virilis and the Pantheon in Rome, while the magnificent State Rooms boast superb collections of ancient statuary, original furniture and tapestries plus works of art from the likes of Rubens, Van Dyck and Gainsborough.

On returning to the Ickworth Estate we explore Ickworth House itself. This Neo-classical mansion is most notable for its enormous central Rotunda commissioned by the 4th Earl of Bristol to house his priceless treasures. The impressive Italianate garden mirrors the house architecture, with box hedges and Mediterranean planting plus a Victorian stumpery planted with shade-loving ferns.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 6

Friday: Doddington Hall

Begun in 1595 by the great Elizabethan architect Robert Smythson, Doddington Hall was completed in 1600 and has never been sold or cleared out since. Still a much loved and lived-in family home, this fine Elizabethan mansion’s unfussy, symmetrical looking exterior contrasts with an elegant Georgian interior, full of captivating collections of weaponry, textiles, ceramics and family portraits that reflect 400 years of unbroken family occupation. We learn more on our guided tour of the hall and gardens.

From here, we make our way to Middlethorpe Hall & Spa near York, where we stay for the next three nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 7

Saturday: Chatsworth House

Today we travel to Derbyshire where we enjoy a visit to Chatsworth House before a light lunch. This magnificent treasure is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and has witnessed 16 generations of the powerful Cavendish family who acquired the estate in 1549. The house has evolved through the centuries to reflect the tastes, passions and interests of succeeding generations and boasts grandiose interiors and a superlative art collection while outside, the 1,000-acre park was chiefly designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8

Sunday: Castle Howard and York

Our first visit of the day is to Castle Howard, home to the Howard family for over 300 years, where we enjoy a private guided tour with refreshments and a complimentary guidebook. Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, Castle Howard has twice appeared as Brideshead in film and television adaptations of Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel, as well as providing the backdrop for various scenes in the hit Netflix series, Bridgerton. This magnificent 18th-century residence, surmounted with its iconic gilded dome, offers world-renowned collections and stunning architecture, all set within 1,000 acres of breathtaking scenery.

We then return to York. The city is steeped in history, from its founding by the Romans in 71AD to its wealth as a medieval wool trading center, and there is plenty of evidence of this fascinating past left to admire, including the Roman city walls and the surviving medieval streets known as the Shambles. A must-see is York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe and home to some of the most stunning stained glass windows that have led to the Minster being described as ‘the Sistine Chapel of England’.

There is then free time to find somewhere for dinner in York.

Meals: Breakfast

DAY 9

Monday: Harewood House

When Edwin Lascelles started building Harewood House in 1759, he employed the finest craftsmen of the time: York-born architect John Carr, interior designer Robert Adam, England’s greatest furniture maker Thomas Chippendale and visionary landscape gardener Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. The house is also filled with an outstanding art collection ranging from Renaissance masterpieces to 20th-century art including paintings by JMW Turner, Reynolds, Titian and El Greco. Harewood is still home to the Lascelles family and reflects the changing tastes and styles of the past 250 years and we learn more on our tour, followed by lunch.

Later we check in to the Stapleford Park Country House Hotel in Leicestershire, where we stay overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10

Tuesday: Burghley House

This morning we start our journey south, stopping to enjoy a guided tour of Burghley House, cited as England’s greatest Elizabethan house, surrounded by magnificent parkland. Home to William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, Burghley offers a unique glimpse into the way great houses have been lived in from the time of Elizabeth I to the present day. Here we have time to explore the breathtaking State Rooms and the house’s historic collection of paintings, ceramics and works of art, many of which still stand where they were first recorded in 1688.

We continue on to Hartwell House & Spa, one of the National Trust’s Historic House Hotels, where we stay overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 11

Wednesday: Blenheim Palace

Our last visit is to Blenheim Palace, designed on an awe-inspiring scale by Vanbrugh and set in beautiful parkland landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. As the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough, the palace is synonymous with the Churchill family and is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. A permanent exhibition commemorates the life of this famous wartime Prime Minister, whilst the magnificent State Rooms reveal a superb collection of tapestries, paintings, porcelain and furniture and we learn more on our audio-guided tour followed by a delicious afternoon tea.

We then check in to the Macdonald Windsor Hotel, where we enjoy a farewell dinner together.

Meals: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, Dinner

DAY 12

Thursday: Departure

A private transfer will take you back to Heathrow Airport for your return flight home.

Meals: Breakfast

Please note: the order of excursions is subject to change and guided tours are subject to restrictions.

 
Email us today to reserve at BKennedy@Royal-oak.org or call 212-480-2889 ext. 203