Bletchley Park and Stratford pre Christmas Delight

Make your own way to the hotel, where you will meet our tour manager. Enjoy a relaxing evening with dinner and a drink, served in the hotel’s restaurant.

We start our day by heading to Stratford-upon-Avon with a local guide for a panoramic coach tour. This medieval market town is steeped in culture and history and is the birthplace of William Shakespeare, born here in 1564 in a half-timbered house on Henley Street.   Our panoramic tour will make a brief stop at key sights such as Anne Hathaway’s cottage, the home of Shakespeare’s wife-to-be and Mary Arden’s Farm. After the panoramic tour we proceed on foot into the heart of Stratford. This market town has over 800 years of history and is set on the banks of the river Avon. Once our walking tour comes to an end, there is free time to explore further before we board the coach and head to Warwick Castle for an afternoon visit. The castle was developed from a wooden fort, originally built by William the Conqueror in 1068, which went on to be transformed from a fortress to a stately home, it now has over 1000 years of history to immerse yourself in. Inside the castle you can explore the great hall and state rooms, whilst outside there are 64 acres of beautiful grounds and gardens to enjoy including the Peacock Garden, with its sculptured topiary and manicured hedges. Why not watch the winter birds of prey show or take time to visit one of the cafés on site? Our coach returns us back to the hotel where we enjoy dinner at the hotel this evening.

Today we head to Bletchley Park, once Britain’s best kept secret, it was the home of the World War Two codebreakers and is now a heritage attraction. This is a fascinating place, you will find out all about the people who worked here, and the amazing work they did. Breaking codes was a vital part of the war effort. It was the job of people like Alan Turing to decrypt the coded messages generated by Enigma, the German’s cipher machine. Bletchley Park tells the story of how codes were broken, and the methods used. The workforce here increased during the second half of World War Two to around 9,000 and approximately 75% were women.  You’ll have plenty of time to explore for yourselves, with so much to see and do make sure not to miss the exhibitions, the newest one being ‘The Intelligence Factory’.  Also included is a delicious afternoon tea in the Mansion. Later this afternoon we return to our hotel where dinner is served this evening.

After a leisurely breakfast, it's time for you to check-out and make your way home.