Heart of England 2012

Historic heroes, ancient sites and regal castles meet with picturesque villages and towns on this insightful introduction to southern England's most engaging people and places. This leisurely small group tour explores historical regions away from the crowds. We enjoy Shakespeare's Stratford, magnificent Oxford and the Georgian city of Bath as well as visiting some of Britain’s best known sites, including Stonehenge, the well preserved castle at Windsor and Churchill's Blenheim Palace. There is no better introduction to England for first time or returning travellers. Back-Roads offers a unique experience as we travel along the scenic route and stay in traditional accommodation so you can really enjoy the local English countryside and way of life.

Back-Roads Experiences:
Visit Harry Potter film locations in Oxford and Lacock, enjoy a cosy evening meal in the Cotswolds, see local thatched cottages and learn how they are made, taste local produce, visit an olde English pub.

Tour Inclusions

• 3 nights in charming accommodation
• Driver/guide companion
• Mercedes mini-coach transportation throughout
• Full English breakfast daily
• 2 x evening meals

Entrance Fees Included:

• Christ Church, Oxford
• Blenheim Palace
• Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Stratford-upon-Avon
• Roman Baths, Bath
• Lacock Abbey
• Stonehenge
• Windsor Castle

Countries Visited

• England

• Heart of England
  Robert & Patricia Ennever, Australia (Apr 2010)
  I have thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We have covered large distances and seen a lot on a few short days. David was a wonderful guide who allowed us to experience this trip the way we wanted to. It would be helpful to have known our hotels in advance. David Ambrose’s friendly, helpful and knowledgeable personality made our trip a wonderful experience. He was obliging and flexible, entertaining and courteous at all times. A delightful fellow, thank you.
• Heart of England
  Susan Engelbracht, Canada (Sept 2010)
  I have thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We have covered large distances and seen a lot on a few short days. David was a wonderful guide who allowed us to experience this trip the way we wanted to. It would be helpful to have known our hotels in advance. David Ambrose’s friendly, helpful and knowledgeable personality made our trip a wonderful experience. He was obliging and flexible, entertaining and courteous at all times. A delightful fellow, thank you.
• Heart of England
  Gail Browne, Canada (Aug 2010)
  Bev and I arrived home from Britain last night, and the trip was fabulous. I can't say enough good things about Backroads. There were 10 people on the first tour, on a 16-seat van, so no one was crowded. Hotels they used were excellent, and interesting. Some had no lifts, and some were made by joining several buildings together so that there were odd steps up and down, but I loved them, and would much rather stay at quaint, interesting old places than in a modern concrete and brick block. Breakfasts were huge, with lots of choices. The 3 dinners that were included were all great. Multiple choices for every course, and sometimes even a menu printed just for us. Our driver/guide, David Cawley, was amazing. Pleasant, friendly, knowledgeable, always there if people had questions, and if he couldn't answer them right away he always came back with the answer. The stops were well-researched and interesting. We had adequate time to sight-see, and stopped at lots of extra places, as time allowed and as people requested. We completed a detailed survey for Backroads, so I won't talk about hotels we used, meals, etc. except to say they were all excellent. As you can tell, the holiday was great, and I am already recommending Backroads and DH Tours to friends.
• Heart of England
  Dave and Nancy, USA ( Oct 2010)
  Just wanted to tell you we thoroughly enjoyed both our recent trips with Back-Roads. We recommend it highly! We especially want to thank Tom Begg again for getting us in contact with a friend made almost fifty years ago when he was an exchange student. We had a great visit thanks to Tom's bulldog efforts to find our friend. We truly appreciate it all! Many thanks,
• Heart of England
  Marsh Caveny, Douglas, AZ, letter
  'WOW! My sister & I came home two weeks ago from a Back-Roads tour of England, Wales and Scotland - though it may as well have been to worlds of another dimension. Thanks you so much fro providing us the opportunity to have our eyes and hearts opened and filled with such valuable things'.
• Heart of England
  Cate jones, Australia (Jan 2010)
  My daughter and I went on a tour of England and Scotland with Jeremy as our guide in JUNE 2009. The man truly deserves a saint hood at the very least. The tour was fascinating, everything we had hoped, and he was unfailingly polite, informative, cheerful and patient.
• Heart of England
  Sue Porsch, Johnstown, PA, letter
  "I've just returned from my first Back-Roads tour of England, Wales and Scotland and though I never write letters such as this, I had to let you know how much I thoroughly enjoyed the trip! Arrangements for this trip were well planned on your part from beginning to end... Our accommodations were a delight, from the beautiful settings to the friendly hosts and hostess... Best of all were the places we went and the people we met! Thank you for a very memorable vacation."
• Heart of England
  David Cohen, Sydney, Australia
  "Great tour in every way. We had 36 days on the road with you folks and every one was memorable. You have two great guys in John (Hamilton) and Jay (Cook). We'll be telling everyone in Australia that there's only one way to go - with Back-Roads!"
• Heart of England
  B. Newman, Australia (Apr 2010)
  I thoroughly enjoyed a delightful and well thought out tour. Very beautiful and relaxing!
• Heart of England
  P. Morano, Australia (June 2010)
  Thank you – I would certainly travel again with Back-Roads – the small group experience is very good.