London Uncovered & the Heart of England

Welcome to London! A smooth private transfer from the airport will whisk you straight to the heart of Westminster, one of the most storied neighbourhoods in the city. Even Buckingham Palace is closer than you might expect...

Tonight is for settling in. A two-course dinner and welcome drink is yours to enjoy at whichever of the hotel's three on-site restaurants takes your fancy – from something light and easy after a long flight, to a proper sit-down meal to mark the start of the journey ahead. Order at your own pace and prepare to uncover London's maritime secrets in the morning!

The Thames has carried everything through this city – trade, empire, royalty, rebellion – and this morning it carries you. Your local guide will meet you at the hotel before we board a riverboat and head downriver to Greenwich, the city opening up on either side in ways that streets and tube maps simply can't prepare you for.

On foot through the borough, your expert guide will bring to life a place that once stood at the very centre of the world – the point from which all longitude was measured, and through which Britain's seafaring empire flowed.

Inside the Old Royal Naval College, the Painted Hall awaits – known as 'Britain's Sistine Chapel', its walls and ceiling alive with allegorical figures and naval scenes that artist Sir James Thornhill spent 19 years completing. To stand beneath it is to feel the full ambition of an age that believed no gesture was too grand.

This afternoon is yours to wander Greenwich Market, pull up a chair at the Trafalgar Tavern, or seek out Goddard's for a proper plate of pie, mash and liquor – jellied eels on the side if you're feeling adventurous! When you're ready, a public riverboat will take you back at your leisure.

The London of today's walking tour is one that has barely changed in centuries – and that's precisely what makes it so absorbing. A local guide will meet you at your hotel and lead you into Westminster's quieter layers: away from the ceremonial routes and into the passageways and backstreets where the city's royal history plays out without an audience.

You'll glimpse Buckingham Palace from a considered distance and pause at St James's Palace – still a working royal residence, as it has been since Henry VIII – before slipping into the atmospheric streets where gentlemen's clubs and private institutions have occupied the same buildings for generations, their brass plates worn smooth by time.

The tour continues to Jermyn Street, where the shopfronts have hardly changed since the 18th century. Floris has been blending fragrances here since 1730. Paxton & Whitfield has been cutting cheese since 1797. Berry Bros. & Rudd has been selling wine since 1698. These are places that feel as though they exist slightly outside of ordinary time.

The day concludes with a quintessentially elegant English afternoon tea – finger sandwiches, warm scones, clotted cream and indulgent cakes – a fittingly civilised final chapter before your next adventure begins. As evening settles over the Thames, we'll gather to meet the small group of travellers sharing the next leg of our journey – and our Tour Leader who knows every turn in the road ahead. Then, we'll sit down for our first meal together. Between the laughter and the local fare, the anticipation will be palpable... Let the discovery begin!

Oxford's ‘dreaming spires' are fully awake and calling this morning! Leaving the London skyline behind, we'll make our way towards the hallowed halls of the world's most famous university city. First up, stories of poets and professors await on a walking tour with our expert Tour Leader – including a visit to the hushed cloisters of a medieval university college.

Afterwards, we'll delve into the scholarly secrets of the Bodleian Library – one of Europe's oldest – where the weight of wisdom and scent of centuries-old parchment invites you to linger for a little while. You might even recognise the setting from a certain Harry Potter franchise.

This afternoon's yours to follow the aroma of artisan sourdough and local ales through the Covered Market, or perhaps explore the city's storied castle or esteemed Ashmolean Museum. Tonight, we're staying somewhere truly arresting... a converted Victorian prison! This plush hotel has traded iron bars for velvet cushions and comfy armchairs. Wander the converted wings where ‘doing time' has been replaced by fine wine and atmospheric dining, or head out into the honey-hued city as the sun sets over the steeples.

Finish off those last few bites of scrambled egg – this morning we'll let our luxury minicoach take the lead as we weave through quintessential English countryside towards the Cotswolds. A patchwork of sage hills and farmland peppered with old-world villages and caramel-coloured cottages, our Tour Leader will choose their personal favourite route through this charm-filled region.

We'll also pause to stroll the elegant, terraced high street of Chipping Campden, where the 17th-century Market Hall still stands proudly. Whether it's a hidden ford or a sun-dappled village green, today is about those lesser-known turns that only the back roads can uncover.

Later, we'll set our sights on the half-timbered heart of Stratford-upon-Avon. Here, the ghost of the Bard clings to every overhanging gable and cobblestone alley. As the evening shadows start to stretch, we'll dine together as a group. In the words of Shakespeare himself, ‘small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast'.

‘All the world's a stage', but today, the spotlight is firmly on Stratford! This morning we're stepping directly into the 16th century to trace the life and times of Shakespeare. From the creaking floorboards of his childhood home, his final resting place, and the romantic, thatched eaves of his wife Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Tudor life feels just that bit closer to us here. Be sure to meander through the blooming cottage gardens – a time capsule of English flora that looks as though it's been plucked straight from a sonnet.

Back in the present day, this afternoon's plot is up to you! Find a quiet corner for a hearty pub lunch, browse the boutiques, or follow the gentle curve of the River Avon at your own pace. For dinner, you could sample a piece of literary history with a dish featuring the famous Tewkesbury mustard. Whether it's glazing a tender joint of ham or a rich cut of beef, this pungent, historic condiment was famously noted by Shakespeare himself in Henry IV for its ‘thick' wit. It's the perfect, sharp-flavoured tribute to a day spent in the heart of England's most poetic town.

The kettle's boiled and the tablecloth's laid – we've an indulgent start to our day as we join a local family for a traditional afternoon tea. Dainty finger sandwiches, decadent cakes, and warm fruit scones slathered in jam and clotted cream... As you settle in with a steaming pot of tea or a fresh coffee, our hostess will share the history of the village and the surrounding 'wolds'. It's a delicious, slow-paced start to the day that feels more like visiting old friends than a scheduled stop.

After discussing the pros and cons of jam- or cream-first on scones, we'll move on to the showstopping village of Lacock. You might recognise its storybook streets from Downton Abbey or Pride and Prejudice. After imagining ourselves as the protagonists in a Jane Austen novel (without the corsets, thankfully), we'll step inside its magnificent 13th-century abbey. These peaceful, vaulted hallways took a starring turn as Hogwarts, and the movie magic here still feels alive.

Finally, the grandeur of Bath will appear on the horizon. After checking into our carefully selected hotel for the next two nights, the evening is yours to wander the lamp-lit crescents or find a cosy bistro to take in the sophisticated atmosphere.

Ready for a 2,000-year-old invitation to take a dip? This morning we'll dive into the sensory heart of ancient Britain at the Roman Baths, where natural hot springs still radiate from deep green waters. Next, we'll fast-forward into the elegant, ‘bonnet and breeches' world of Regency England at the Jane Austen Centre. One must always be au fait with the proper etiquette, you see...

Once we finally know which spoon to use with which course (or nodded anyway), the rest of the day is yet to be written. Follow the Roman example at the Thermae Bath Spa, where the very same thermal waters that fed the ancient baths now fill a spectacular rooftop pool. Sit back, relax, and soak up the golden-lit skyline as the steam curls into the Somerset air. Afterwards, seek out a legendary Sally Lunn Bun in the city's oldest eating house; its secret, brioche-like recipe is a local treasure that has survived since the 1680s.

Tonight, we'll gather for our farewell dinner and toast to a journey that has spanned centuries of culture, cuisine and charming revelations. It's been an English chapter for the ages – cheers to the roads discovered and yet-to-be discovered!

The grand finale is waiting! Our final morning begins at the gates of Longleat House, the high-Elizabethan seat of the Marquess of Bath. This isn't a stuffy museum of the past, but a place where classic architecture meets a riot of creative, eclectic interiors. We'll have plenty of time to amble through its gilded halls and storied galleries with our local guide, uncovering the layers of a family legacy that has shaped this corner of the West Country for centuries.

From stately splendour, next our minicoach will turn towards the ancient, enigmatic landscape of Avebury. While the world queues for a distant glimpse of Stonehenge, we're heading for a prehistoric stone circle where the history can literally be felt with our fingertips. Here, among the standing stones that have kept watch over this valley for five millennia, the modern world feels incredibly distant.

Back in the buzz of London, it's time for another moment of reflection as we say our ‘see-you-laters' to the fellow travellers by our side. Until the next adventure!