Alison Weir Tours

GLORIANA
In the footsteps of Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn

An escorted tour led by Alison Weir

Join Alison Weir as she retraces the steps of Gloriana, England’s great Queen Elizabeth I, on a historical tour that embraces many of the glories and splendours of Tudor England. Start your journey with three nights at Hever Castle, once the home of Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn, and enjoy a sumptuous banquet in the Castle Dining Hall. Another link with Anne is Blickling Hall, her probable birthplace, and the Tower of London, where Anne and Elizabeth were both imprisoned. Tour Hatfield House and see the remaining wing of the Old Palace, where Elizabeth spent much of her childhood and youth. Visit Hampton Court, the most magnificent of the Tudor Palaces, and learn about the life of Elizabeth’s court. Follow Elizabeth on progress at Norwich, and at Kenilworth Castle, where her favourite, Robert Dudley, laid on the famous ‘Princely Pleasures’ for her in 1575. Visit the great Elizabethan courtier houses: Burghley House, built by William Cecil, the Queen’s chief minister, and Penshurst Place, the beautiful home of the poet-soldier Sir Philip Sidney. See the embroideries of Elizabeth’s rival, Mary, Queen of Scots at Oxburgh Hall, and discover the perils of being a Catholic in the time a Protestant queen at Harvington Hall. Enjoy talks on the Virgin Queen and her world by Alison and other expert historians, including Sarah Gristwood, author of Elizabeth and Leicester, who received much praise on 2011’s Tudor Treasures Tour, and professional guided tours at the various sites, with a few surprises along the way! Stay in luxury hotels, be wined and dined by your hosts, and sit back and relax as your coach takes you back in time on a memorable tour of Elizabethan England – the Golden Age of Gloriana.


9 nights from 13th to 22nd September 2012:

3 nights Hever Castle, Kent
2 nights Sprowston Manor Hotel, Norwich
2 nights Coombe Abbey, near Coventry
2 nights The Bloomsbury Hotel, London


Visiting:

Penshurst Place
Hever Castle (staying 3 nights at the castle)
Hampton Court Palace
Blickling Hall and Salle Church
Norwich (free time)
Oxburgh Hall
Stamford (free time)
Burghley House
Kenilworth Castle
Harvington Hall
Hatfield House
The Tower of London
Farewell Dinner Cruise on the River Thames in London