Christmas time in England 2022

Depart Toronto on Air Transat flight TS122 at 9:45pm.

Arrive London Gatwick Airport at 9:45am.

Transfer from Gatwick to Central London. We visit the  Borough Market with a team of food experts.  There is nowhere that better represents London as a truly cosmopolitan city, with traditional British produce sitting side by side with regional specialities from around the world.
Borough Market is a wholesale and retail food market in Southwark, Central London, England. It
is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London. In 2014, it celebrated its 1,000th
birthday.

We then continue to the Royal Garden Hotel by coach with some free time. Welcome dinner at 6:00pm. (D)

Accommodation: Royal Garden Hotel or similar

Your introductions to Charles Dickens London begins at his London home of Doughty Street where the very fine Dickens Museum is now established. This is where the author wrote Oliver Twist, Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickleby. It’s where he first achieved international fame as one of the world’s greatest storytellers.

Lunch will be at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub. Destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and rebuilt a year later, this was one of Dickens’s preferred drinking dens, especially when he was working as a young reporter on Fleet Street. So duck beneath its low beamed ceilings, bagsy the table to the right of the restaurant’s fireplace (his spot of preference, they say), and get stuck into ‘a good plain dinner and good wine’ like you’re Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities. Don’t forget to pay your respects to Polly the legendary stuffed parrot on the way out.

Tonight we will go to The Old Vic to watch A Christmas Carol production.  Charles Dickens wrote this famous 1843 Christmas Novella having been shocked by the desperation he saw around him in London’s streets and by the lack of motivation, from those with power and influence, to do anything to fix it. (B, L)

Accommodation: Royal Garden Hotel or similar

A day in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath.

A city that is a byword for eightweenth-century elegance, Bath has given us words – bathchiar, Bath bun – that are themselves part of its history. Much of the gentility and sophistication created in the Georgain era is still evident in a city that has long catered for the treatment of the sick. The Romans transformd a
sacfred Celtic site with gushing hot springs into an international attraction graced by temple and bathing complezes. Many vestiges of those buildings have been excavated; others still lie beneath the streets of the modern city. Although Bath retains the bones of its medieval prosperity, in the great Abbeu church and the surrounding street pattern, this is eclipsed by the novel urban planning that was begun in the 1720s and continued for a century.

The unique qualities of Bath have been recognised in the entire city being inscribed a World Heritage Site, humbles streets and buildings given their due portant alongside the great architectural set-pieces that have given it its fame.

Located in the heart of the city of Bath in southwest England are the Roman Baths.

The Roman Baths, a site for public bathing dating back to 60 – 70 AD, are among the best
preserved Roman ruins in the world. The Roman Baths, a site of great historical and architectural interest, have gone through periods of decline and reconstruction. 

Free time this evening to wander the Christmas Market, get some shopping done and perhaps sip on a mulled wine. This market has unique craft gifts from across the South West region.

We will regroup for dinner at the hotel (The Elder) to share our Christmas joy. (B, D)

Accommodation: Hotel Indigo Bath or similar

After breakfast we go to Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market. Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market is recognized as one of the best in Europe, renowned for its unique location, handpicked high quality exhibitors and bustling atmosphere. The Christmas Market is inspired by traditional German Christmas markets and attracts more than 400,000 visitors each year. The pretty
wooden chalets are situated in the Cathedral’s historic Inner Close surrounding a stunning real ice rink.

Winchester holds its own with any European destination for those in search of an authentic Christmas experience. The Cathedral is at the heart of the city’s celebration, with its many Christmas services, Christmas Market and Ice Rink. Christmas in Winchester offers a unique and magical experience throughout the festive period and has become known as England’s Christmas Capital.

This afternoon we go to Bombay Sapphire Distillery. Bombay Sapphire is a brand of gin owned by Bacardi that was first launched in 1987 by IDV. . Bombay Sapphire is marketed in a flat-sided, sapphire-coloured bottle that bears a picture of Queen Victoria on the label. (B, D)

Accommodation: The Master Builder’s, Bucklers Hard or similar

After breakfast we explore The New Forest with a Blue Badge Guide. We go to the Beaulieu Motor Museum. Free time here to discover. See over 250 vehicles – from F1 cars and speed record breakers to incredible examples of pioneering motoring.

Dinner will be at the hotel tonight. (B, D)

Accommodation: The Master Builder’s, Bucklers Hard or similar

Much of our day will be in Rochester Town. We will meet our local guide and we will tour around the area to see – Gads Hill Place and Forge Lane Pip’s forge (Great Expectations) external St James Church, Colling where pip was sitting on the wall contemplating the graves of his family when was surprised by the convictt Magwitch (Great Expectations). Rochester is a town and historic city in the unitary authority of Medway in Kent, England. 

We then make our way to Maidstone to check into the hotel and enjoy a group dinner. (B, D)

Accommodation: Tudor Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club or similar

After a leisurely breakfast we go to Shepherd Neame Breweary. Tour of the brewery followed by a tutored tasting of three ales with lunch and a pint! Shepherd Neame is an English independent regional brewery founded in 1698 in Faversham, Kent. Evidence has been uncovered showing brewing has taken place continuously on the current site since at least 1573. It is the oldest brewer in Great Britain and has been family-owned since 1864. The brewery produces a range of cask ales and filtered beers. Production is around 210,000 brewers’ barrels a year. It owns 328 pubs & hotels predominantly in Kent, London and South East England. The company exports to more than 35 countries including Sweden, Italy, Brazil and Canada.

In the afternoon we go to Copper Rivet Distillery. Tour one of the UK’s only multi-disciplinary farm to glass distilleries, a rare chance to experience the entire process of making vodka, gin and whisky from grain to glass. Tours include a tasting of our crafted spirits and end with a complimentary Gin or Vodka based drink. (B, L, D)

Accommodation: Tudor Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club or similar

This morning we go to the medieval Dover Castle.  It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the “Key to England” due to its defensive significance throughout history. It is the largest castle in England.

In the afternoon  we head to Canterbury for free time for the rest of day. (B)

Some fun restaurants to try on your free evenings:
Great Fish and Chips The Parrot
Modern Indian Restaurant The Ambrette
The Foundry Brew pub (brews its own)

Accommodation: Tudor Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club or similar

A full day at the Dickensian Christmas Festival.

The Seven Poor Travellers The Story of the Seven Poor travellers is enacted each morning of the
Dickensian Christmas. It celebrates the Dickens short story ‘The Seven Poor Travellers’, which was
based on an actual visit by Dickens to Rochester, in which he The story of the seven poor
travellersvisited the Six Poor Travellers’ House on Christmas Eve, and felt compelled to do
something to cheer up the life of the inmates.

A small parade starts at the Victoria and Bull Hotel (The Bull’) and proceeds to the Six Poor
Travellers House. The large crowds are partly explained by the fact that until recently, after a
short reading real Christmas food was distributed ‘to the poor’, leading to something of a scrum!

The Candelit Parade and Carols for Christmas. The last event of each day of the Dickensian
Christmas is a candlelit parade along the High Street to Boley Hill, ending outside Rochester
Cathedral for communal carol singing in the snow led by the BAE Systems’ Brass Band. The
atmosphere is fantastic, and the perfect way to get into the right mood for Christmas.

Enjoy a farewell dinner tonight as a group. Happy Christmas! (B, D)

Accommodation: Hilton London Gatwick Airport or similar 

Depart London Gatwick Airport on flight TS123 at 11:40am, arriving Toronto at 2:40pm. (B)