I enjoyed every single stop on the tour, the hotels and inns were charming and full of personality, and the group meals were outstanding. Tour was fantastic. Loved Chagford. This time we're enjoying both historic and natural highlights — just hanging out on the southeast coast of England. This was my 3rd RS tour. This was my fourth - I find that the guides and bus drivers make all the difference in the conviviality of each group - Jamie and Jim were outstanding. Bakery visit to make Cornish pasties.". Every day was like being in a classroom, a fun classroom. Rick: Well, and their other rivers are pretty small. That was a major disappointment for me, but it turned out to be the only real disappointment of the tour. Other great times, Stonehenge, because I had wanted to go there since I was a little girl. For me, it was physically aggressive--lots of steps and climbing and only short bus interludes--but what a joy to see as much as we did. Hosting elaborate dinners. However, seeing and experiencing the mystery of Stonehenge for the first time was extremely powerful, as was traversing the sweeping English moors. So much fun! I also had a brief visit at the boat building shop which was especially interesting because I am an amateur boat builder. We enjoyed the extra experiences that he scheduled. Our accommodations and transportation were varied and excellent. Sleep in Salisbury. For a history buff like me, this trip was heaven. "Favorite moment was the Canterbury Cathedral. There was just one place that was a bit disappointing, but it helped that Jamie prepped us well for each place. Orangevale, California 1 contribution. "Getting to see some of the places that I read about in novels or if not "the" place at least one very similar. Posted by sanderskn (Seattle, WA) on 09/10/14 07:46 PM. With thousands of university students and a thriving pedestrian zone, Canterbury has a lively and youthful energy. "Stonehedge a very impressive monument to the past. No bus. I enjoyed this tour of the villages of south England tour very much. It was fabulous! We had an amazing guide and an expert bus driver, "It was astonishing to see Canterbury Cathedral, not just with the usual tour, but a specially arranged visit to the roof, hosted by the construction crew! In addition, to the regular sites available, we also saw the Queen Elizabeth leave the port on her way to the US to be outfitted with her planes. "Far and away the WOW moment was our tour to the roof top of Canterbury Cathedral. This is what made our trip worth sharing: I wish I could go again. Rick Steves’ Europe: South England – Dover to Land’s End. Read More . This was one of the best tours I've done with Rick Steves or other tour companies. Ms. Boardman was efficient, organized, attentive, knowledgeable and uncommonly personable. France is just 23 miles away. This was a totally unexpected experience.". The sheep we grazing in the meadow across the stream. Today, visitors enjoy a fascinating tour. Liz and Lorraine enhanced the entire tour with their knowledge and tour guide expertise. Our tour leader, Roy, was great. Any time between April and October is a good time to visit England. She made each person feel very comfortable from the moment we met until the very end of the trip. Scenery and learning - Dartmoor Moors.". The guide, Roy was a wealth of knowledge and there was not a question he could not answer in wonderful detail. More info on Rick's Europe tours: http://www.ricksteves.com/tours Take a "test drive" of Rick Steves' 2017 England tours! Rick Steves' Europe is an American travel documentary television series created and hosted by Rick Steves.In each episode, he travels to the continent of Europe, documenting his experiences along the way.. ", Loved the tour and the guide who made the history come alive, "There were many from Stonehedge, white cliffs of dover, under ground tunnels to the thatched roofs, the bronze age ruins", Great group wonderful guide Deb was very personable and informative. Our group was fantastic, smiles all around. I would sign up for a tour with Tom over and over again. Another wonderful, outstanding, awe-inspiring tour! Knowing about the 1000's of people who made the pilgrimage to this place to find a miracle, made it any more so. This morning we'll drive to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for a day devoted to Britain's rich nautical history. Here's what you'll see and do on our South England tour: Group sightseeing events subject to change. Dan wrote the section about the Holloways of Dorset, in southern England, in the prose-poem book "Ghostways." So you get this clear, clear water. It was a terrific tour seeing all the villages, cathedrals, castles and seaside port villages. We came back from our walk and had a 1/2 pint I the local pub. I also loved the Moor walk.". Very well done. Taste delicious seafood, comforting cream teas, and hearty ales. "No one "wow" moment. It was a thrill to hear the choir in such a beautiful place. Port Isaac surprise, again, in perfect spring weatherl, watching the filming of Doc Martin.". Thanks for joining us. George was enamored with Asian cultures, styling his vacation home with exotic decorations from the Far East. We’re happy to avoid the touristy areas in exchange for a more authentic experience. This tour started out with the "wow" experience of going up in the scaffolding with the restoration masons at Canterbury Cathedral. I was very impressed that they were able to cover so many sites and experiences, over a significant distance, without killing us. I watched it three times! Brighton, with a Coney Island air, has a pleasure pier and a pavilion fit for a king (specifically George IV). I had toured extensively around the world with my husband. The tour guide, Liz Boardman was excellent and always helpful as was the apprentice, Steven Black. English troops were garrisoned within the castle's medieval walls for almost 900 years, protecting the coast from European invaders. Then,learning to make and eat her Cornish pasties. This is an evaluation from both Barry and Lois Warner. I thoroughly enjoyed the choice of towns we visited and the sights we toured. There's fierce and bloody hand-to-hand fighting. May 28, 2020 - Join us on Rick Steves' Best of South England tour! 4. Exciting to boat out to the island and walk back. The grounds are a peaceful setting and the ruins are beautiful. Daily Dose of Europe: Westminster Abbey — The National Soul of England . To purchase Rick's ebooks, please visit your favorite digital bookseller and search for "Rick Steves." As a secondary "wow" experience, I enjoyed hearing about Brexit from our guide and locals that we met. Strong people.". Every day was a stimulating experience. You climb up tors and down mine shafts. The tour is just the right mix of sights, group time and individual time. Dartmoor.....I loved the walk on the moor and the ploughmans lunch, good memory Bus: 4 hours. "The varied landscape of the south of England from chalky cliffs, to green pastures, to the rugged moors, and finally to sand shores.". Very knowledgeable, friendly and hard working tour guides and bus driver. My list includes lodge on grounds of Canterbury Cathedral, visiting the caves which served as headquarters during Dunkirk, walking around Stonehenge again after a previous visit 50+ years ago, and taking 2+ hours to explore the Roman Baths in Bath.". Rick Steves’ Europe is public television’s most-watched, longest-running travel series. The ship and its doomed crew of 500 sank and settled into the mud, where it rested for about 450 years. ", Our Southern England Tour (12th with RS) was awesome. They each offer 40-minute trips up and down the sleepy creek (just a couple of feet deep) and leave almost constantly with demand from 10:00 to 17:00, and sometimes later. Today we'll explore the wild and remote Cornish coast, home to rugged, windblown scenery and dotted with quaint fishing harbors and 19th-century Industrial Age ruins. The bus driver was good and I was really he was doing the driving. We planned what we wanted to see on before looking at tours, and chose the tour because from the description seemed to fit our goals. Rick Steves' Europe. I loved the variety of places we went, the history we learned and the interesting and beautiful place we visited. By 1805, he had amassed a huge fleet and was preparing to invade England. "So many to choose from. The Warrior was the first ironclad warship, a huge technological advance. In an attempt to gain power over the Church, King Henry II appointed his friend Thomas Becket to be the new archbishop. The overall experience met our expectations. The accommodation was first class and the time spent in the Canterbury Cathedral Inn, within the Cathedral grounds was a blessing. The tour helped me to connect the places and events with the history I learned a long time ago in school in the Philippines. A great tour. This tour is filled with history; recent and ancient. Excellent presentations! I loved this tour even more than I thought. "There were so many "Wow" moments. Rick Steves points out four worthwhile destinations, all within an hour from the Eiffel Tower. "I particularly enjoyed the white cliffs at Beachy Head and climbing to the base of the steeple in the Salisbury Cathedral.". Our fellow tour members were wonderful! This morning we'll head north to our final destination, the elegant Georgian city of Bath (a wonderful place to extend your England vacation — or easily pop back to London). "For me it was seeing the actual Magna Carta in Salisbury.". Roy our guide is a gem. I liked the walking tours of every village we stayed in to give us the lay of the land. Traveling with a smaller group of like minded people was our goal and it sure met that goal. We had a great time. 6) 99% excellent hotel accommodations Video: Watch England's Cornwall, an episode of the Rick Steves' Europe TV show. "Loved the pasty making! The pier, opened in 1899 and long known as Palace Pier, has gone in and out of fashion; in recent years, it's come back to life, thanks to an expensive restoration. Our guide was fantastic. The pace was perfect. While you can walk along almost the entire southern coast, the best part for a day hike is the three-mile stretch out to Beachy Head from Birling Gap or from Eastbourne. Watching master craftsman restore ancient stained glass It's a bridleway, which means you can walk, bike, or ride a horse. Hiking among standing stones made me part of the landscape.". Stonehenge early in the morning, the white chalk cliffs at Birling Gap, the Mary Rose at Portsmouth, the Gregor tin mine in Pendeen. The tour surpassed every expectation I had prior to the trip. Mary and I are already planning our next adventure. His king-sized kitchen was one of the most innovative of its time. Let me start off with the Mary Rose Museum. I like it that tour members are capable and ready to do anything and not complainers. ", "There were several, but walking around the Battle of Hastings grounds and listening to the audio program imagining what took place there really brought it home for me. While the historic parts of the castle are unexceptional, the exhibits in the WWII-era Secret Wartime Tunnels are unique and engaging — particularly the powerful, well-presented tour that tells the story of Operation Dynamo, the harrowing WWII rescue operation that saved the British Army at Dunkirk. "So difficult to choose just one. We also went inside the roof for a closeup view of the roof timbers and the barrel vaults just below us. I would also list many other things such as the Scenic punting ride, the tour on top of Canterbury Cathedral (how unique), walking on top of the cliffs on the South Downs Way at Beachy Head and the view of the white cliffs from Burling Gap. Fabulous! Very knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide. Two centuries later, Nelson's England clearly enjoys its hard-won freedom. Each day there were many opportunities to experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of this part of the country. His humor was an asset that so improved our experience. We learned and experienced more than what one would think. Carry/roll your luggage over uneven pavement (possibly several blocks) and up stairways to reach your hotel, then up several flights of stairs to reach your room. 54:56 . The murder shocked the medieval world. Excellent and wonderful tour covering interesting and charming places and also enough free time. Far exceeded my expectations with regard to diversity of experiences, tour guide skill, other travel companions. We'll begin the day learning all about Cornwall's most famous culinary contribution — the pasty — with a demonstration (and sampling!) Another excellent tour from your company. We've seen that with its love of nature, with its knack for family fun, its appreciation of heritage, and at its convivial pubs. I travel to learn and to understand different cultures, so adding in 4,000 years of geologic, political, and historical information made this journey even more valuable. Patches of modern architecture are a reminder that much of Canterbury was bombed in World War II. Sleep in Dartmoor National Park. ©2021 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | Loved the whole experience!". 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