ON THE TRAIL OF
THE TUDORS
Tudor Monarchs
Itinerary
This tour brings alive the story of the scandals and intrigues surrounding the
Tudor Monarchs from Henry VII; his son Henry VIII (and his six wives):
Henry’s children the sickly Edward VI who died so young: the tyrannical
Mary I; Elizabeth I whose death in 1603 brought an end to the Tudor line;
and Lady Jane Grey who reigned for just nine days.
You will ‘walk in the footsteps’ of the Tudor monarchs, visit the places
associated with them and experience what life would have been like in their
times.
Day 1
Arrival at Heathrow
Day 2
Hampton Court Palace
Day 3
Hever Castle
Day 4
Sudeley Castle
Day 5
Ludlow & Ludlow Castle
Day 6
Kenilworth Castle
Day 7
Hatfield House & depart
Day 1
Arrival into Heathrow Airport
On your arrival you w ill be met by your Ambient Tours
tour leader and then transferred, by coach, to
your country estate hotel near Windsor.
Check in on arrival and enjoy time to
orientate yourself w ith your hotel
and relax after your flight.
In the evening you w ill receive a
welcome drink and a chance to meet
your fellow travellers, receive a tour
briefing from our tour leader and
collect your itinerary, before dinner at
the hotel.
Day 2
Visit to Hampton Court Palace, Surrey
After breakfast at leisure in the hotel, enjoy some free time to use the
facilities at the hotel, explore its beautiful surroundings or even
venture into historic Windsor before lunch at leisure.
In the afternoon you w ill be picked up by your coach for the
short journey to Hampton Court Palace. During a private tour
you visit the King’s State Apartments, the Chapel Royal
and the Great Hall and hear about some of the
important events that took place here in Tudor times.
After the Tour, there w ill be time to visit the magnificent
gardens including the famous maze before returning by
coach to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 3
Visit to Hever Castle,
Kent
After breakfast at the hotel, you w ill be picked up by your coach for the
journey to Hever Castle.
In the early 1500s the Bullen family bought the castle and added a Tudor
dw elling w ithin the w alls. This became the childhood home of its most
famous inhabitant, Anne Boleyn. It later passed into the ow nership of
Henry’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. You will enjoy a private tour of the
castle and view the historic 16th century Tudor portraits, furniture and
tapestries. Other artefacts include tw o magnificent Books of Hours
(prayer books), both signed and inscribed by Anne Boleyn.
The tour w ill be follow ed by a light lunch at the Castle w ith some free
time to enjoy the grounds before returning by your coach to Windsor.
Dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day 4
Visit to Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire
Pack your suitcases before breakfast at the hotel. You w ill be picked up
by your coach for the journey to Shrew sbury by w ay of Sudeley Castle in
the Cotsw olds.
Sudeley Castle is steeped in history and was once home of the pow erful
Seymour family and to Queen Katherine Parr, the last and only surviving
wif e of Henry VIII. Henry, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey and Queen
Elizabeth I have all lived at, or visited Sudeley. Our guide w ill explain the
history of this famous building and w e w ill enjoy a Connoisseur Tour of
the private apartments.
The tour w ill be follow ed by a light lunch and then w e w ill board your
coach for the onw ard journey to your hotel near Shrewsbury. Check in,
dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 5
Visit to historic Ludlow and
Ludlow Castle, Shropshire
After breakfast at your hotel w e w ill leave by coach for our visit to Ludlow
Castle.
Prince Arthur eldest son of the first Tudor King, Henry VII, and elder
brother of Henry VIII, died at Ludlow Castle on April 2nd 1502 w hilst on
honeymoon w ith Catherine of Aragon.
Prince Arthur's heart was buried at Ludlow . His w if e returned to London
where she later became the first of Henry VIII's six w ives. Mary Tudor,
Daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, and later Queen Mary I,
spent three w inters at Ludlow Castle as a young girl.
Our guide w ill take us on a trip through time and explain how history
might have changed if Prince Arthur had not died.
We w ill lunch at a heritage inn in Ludlow and you w ill have time to enjoy
some free time to explore and shop before returning by coach to your
hotel for dinner and overnight
Day 6
Visit to Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire
Pack your suitcases before breakfast at the hotel. You w ill be picked up by
your coach for the journey to Hertfordshire by way of Kenilw orth Castle.
Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire is of England’s most spectacular castle ruins. It
is most famously associated with Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth I. Our private
tour will include an opportunity to explore Leicester’s gatehouse where Dudley
courted his Queen. Our Guide will bring Kenilworth’s eventful past to life and the
explain the work that has taken place to recreate of the original Elizabethan garden,
built by Dudley to impress Elizabeth.
We will take lunch in an historic coaching inn near the Castle before continuing our
journey to our hotel near Hatfield in Hertfordshire. Check in and familiarise
yourselves with your surroundings before boarding the coach for the short journey
to Hatfield House. Here you will be transported back in time and experience the
delights of an authentic Tudor Banquet after which you will return to the hotel for
your overnight stay.
Day 7
Visit to Hatfield House,
Hertfordshire
Pack your suitcases before breakfast at the hotel. You w ill be picked up
by your coach for the Journey to Hatfield House.
Hatfield House w as completed in 1611 by Robert Cecil, first Earl of
Salisbury and son of Lord Burghley, the chief minister of Elizabeth I. The
deer park surrounding the house and the older building of the Old Palace
had been ow ned by Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, w ho used it as a home
for his children, Edw ard, Elizabeth and Mary.
It w as while she w as living in the Old Palace, in 1558, that Elizabeth
learned of her accession to the throne. After your private guided tour of
the house you w ill take lunch and follow ing this w ill have an opportunity
to visit the grounds and gardens before your coach transfers you to the
airport for your journey home.
E:
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W:
www.ambienttours.co.uk
T:
+44 (0)1636 816989
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