animated Union Jack flag The 25 Day Tour
England & Edinburgh  I
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Introduction - 2 Day Tour - 3 Day Tour - 9.Day.Tour - 20.Day.Tour - 25.Day.Tour - 29.Day.Tour - 31.Day.Tour -  34.Day.Tour

The 25 Day England & Edinburgh Tour began in Birmingham and included a day trip to Liverpool & Merseyside.  Three days in the Cotswolds were followed by four days in Kent and East Sussex from a base in Royal Tunbridge Wells.  A day in Canterbury preceded the first of two stops in London.  A swing through Cheshire, Derbyshire and Norfolk ended back in London to coincide with that season's public opening of Buckingham Palace.  The tour ended with two days in York and an extremely packed day in Edinburgh.

At first glance, this 'great way around and doubling-back' itinerary seems inefficient and a bit daft.  This creative solution was, however, the only way to fit our 'givens and druthers' list of places to visit with the opening days of the various venues.  We minimised our time (and mileage) in self-drive, hired cars by using our Brit Rail Pass to the maximum.  

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tube  =  Travel by Tube

BHP =

  British Heritage Pass (alternate link)

train  = ...by Train

NT =

  National Trust    

tour bus = Bus Tour  taxi = Taxi

EH =

  English Heritage (alternate link)

car  = Self-drive Car

NTS =   National Trust for Scotland

   =  Overnight in (city or town)

    Hudson's 2000+ Linksa Wow website

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DAY  1      taxi        Birmingham
    Arrive Birmingham International Airport.
  Birmingham Railway Museum
  Museum of Science and Industry  ...now closed.
  Cadbury World (another link) (and anotherLink opens in a new window.)
  Ian Allen Bookstore

 

DAY  2      bus tour        Birmingham
Great Western Arcade (another link)
The Cathedral Church of St Philip (another link)
Guide Friday Birmingham Tour (another link)

BHP

 Selley Manor
Birmingham Botanical Gardens (another link)
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (another link)
Canal Walk - Farmer's Bridge Steps (another link) (and another)

 

DAY  3      train        Longford nr Gloucester
  Train from Birmingham New Street Station (alternate link) to Liverpool Lime Street Station (another link)
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King
 

The Cathedral Church of Christ (another link) See our 'Best of the Best'.
Western Approaches Underground War Rooms

BHP

 Speke Hall & Garden (another link) (NT)
 

Virgin Trains from Liverpool Lime Street Station to Birmingham New Street Station (alternate link)

 

DAY  4      train      car        Longford nr Gloucester
    Virgin Trains from Birmingham New Street Station (alternate link) to Cheltenham Spa.
    Collect ['pick-up'] hired car.

BHP

 Sudeley Castle & Gardens
  Bourton-on-the-Water (another link)  See our 'Best of the Best'.
  Model Village at The Old New Inn

 

DAY  5      car        Longford nr Gloucester

 

 Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway
BHP Hidcote Manor Garden (NT) (another link) (and great snaps)

 

DAY  6      car        Longford nr Gloucester
The Church of St Peter, Gloucester
Eastnor Castle (another link)

 

DAY  7      train      car        Royal Tunbridge Wells
    Drop-off hired car.
    First Great Western from Cheltenham Spa to Reading.
    Thames Trains from Reading to Gatwick Airport (alternate link) (another link) (and another)
    Collect hired car.
  Bluebell Railway (snaps)

 

DAY  8      car        Royal Tunbridge Wells

BHP

 Chartwell (NT) (another link)   The home of Sir Winston Churchill

BHP

 Penhurst Place & Gardens

 

DAY  9      car        Royal Tunbridge Wells
BHP Sheffield Park Garden (NT) (another link) See our 'Best of the Best'.
  Great Dixter House & Gardens (another link)

 

DAY  10    car        Royal Tunbridge Wells

BHP

 Sissinghurst Castle Garden (NT) (another link) (and Dave Parker's great snaps)  See our 'Best of the Best'.
The Pantiles (another link) (and another) (and one more)
'A Day at the Wells'

 

DAY  11    car      train        Canterbury
BHP

Leeds CastleLink opens in a new window.  See the 'Best of the Best' for the Culpeper Garden.
    Drop-off hired car.
    Connex from Ashford International Station (another link) to Canterbury West Station. (Peter Collinson's 500 web page tour of the City of Canterbury)
 

Westgate Gardens
 

Weavers House & Inn

 

DAY  12    train        London

Canterbury Cathedral

 Canterbury Tales

 Dane John Gardens

 

 Connex from Canterbury East Station to Victoria Station (alternate link) (another link) (and another) (and one more).

 

DAY  13      London
 

Oratory of St Philip Neri - Brompton Oratory (another link)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
 

Spencer House (another link)
BHP

The Tower of Londona Wow website (alternate link) (another linka Wow website)
 

St James's Park

 

DAY  14    train        Chester
 

London Transport Museum
 

Imperial War Museum

 

 Virgin Trains from London Euston Station (alternate link) to Chester (another link) (and another).

 

DAY  15    car        Chester

 

 Collect hired car.

 Railway Age - Crewe Heritage Centre

 

Bridgemere Garden World (another link) See our 'Best of the Best'.

 Chester City Centre - The Rows

 

DAY  16    car        Chester
  Arley Hall & Gardens (another link)
BHP Tatton Hall & Park (another link)  (NT)  See our 'Best of the Best'.

 

DAY  17    car        Chesterfield, Derbyshire

BHP

 Chatsworth  See our 'Best of the Best'.

 

DAY  18    car        Northampton
  Midland Railway Centre (snaps) (more snaps)

BHP

 Haddon Hall

 

DAY  19    car      train        London
Kentwell Hall & Gardens  See our 'Best of the Best'.

BHP

 Melford Hall (NT)
    Drop off hired Car.
  Stansted Express from Stansted Airport (another link) to London Liverpool Street Station (alternate link) (another link).

 

DAY  20    train        London
The Metropolitan Cathedral of WestminsterLink opens in a new window.

 

   First Great EasternLink opens in a new window. from London Liverpool Street Station (alternate link) (another link) to Hatfield.

BHP

 Hatfield House & Gardens (alternate link) (another link) (and another)
    First Great EasternLink opens in a new window. from Hatfield to London Liverpool Street Station (alternate link) (another link).

 

DAY  21      London

Dr Samuel Johnson's House

 Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

 

DAY  22    bus tour      train        York
  London Bus Tour
  Buckingham Palace
  Sir John Soane's Museum
    Great North Eastern Railway from London King's Cross Station (alternate link) to York.
  The Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St Peter in Yorka Wow website (another link)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.

 

DAY  23    train        Edinburgh
Puffers Hobby Shop (now closed)
  The World of the Minster Museum

BHP

 Treasurer's House (NT)
    National Railway Museum (snaps) (more snaps)  See the 'Best of the Best'.
    Great North Eastern Railway from York to Edinburgh Waverly Station (alternate link).

 

DAY  24    taxi      bus tour        Edinburgh

BHP

 Georgian House (NTS)
Harburn Hobbies
Bagpipes of Caledonia Shop

BHP

 Gladstone's Land (NTS)

 

 South Queensferry to see the Forth Railway Bridge (another link) (and another)  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.
  Princes Street (another link) (and another)
  Princes Street Gardens
Guide Friday Edinburgh Tour (alternate link)
The Edinburgh Military Tattooa Wow website  See our entry in 'Best of the Best'.

 

DAY  25    taxi      train        Home
    ScotRail from Edinburgh Waverly Station (alternate link) to Glasgow Queen Street Station (another link)
    Glasgow International Airport and Home!

 

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Last modified:  Thursday, 27 October 2005.

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