It’s been quite a while since I’ve mentioned the tours that we are running this year and it’s now only just over two weeks to our amazing Executed Queens tour! Our group are going to have a wonderful time visiting and seeing some amazing Tudor places.
Although it is too late for any more bookings on that tour, I thought it would be the perfect time to mention our September tour – The Anne Boleyn Experience 2012.
Running from 24th September until the 28th September, this will be the third time that we have run the Anne Boleyn Experience. The group stays at Hever castle, in Kent, each night on the tour, which honestly is the most beautiful place that I know. It’s an incredible feeling to wake up each morning with the sun coming in through the windows, looking out over the castle and gardens, and knowing that you are in the castle where Anne spent some of her childhood.
The Experience includes visits to the Tower of London and to Hampton Court Palace too. With our expert guides we get to see these places through the eyes of the Tudors. For example, although the Queen’s lodgings and Great Hall at the Tower no longer exist, it is possible to stand on the battlements and work out where they once stood. It is a truly humbling feeling to be able to see where Anne would have walked on that last day towards her death. Other highlights include the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, where Anne Boleyn, George Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey are all buried; the Beauchamp Tower with its Tudor graffiti (carvings in the stone work); the White Tower, which dates back to the reign of William the Conqueror; the Medieval Palace, the Tower ravens, the Crown Jewels and the Tower Hill scaffold memorial.
The opulence of Hampton Court Palace is a complete contrast to the stark functionality of the Tower. At Hampton Court we walk through the Tudor kitchens and hopefully we’ll even see the real fire they keep burning there. We see the Great Hall, with its “HA” motif, incredible hammer-beam roof and Abraham tapestries; the haunted gallery, the collection of Tudor portraits and the Chapel Royal, the chapel in which Archbishop Thomas Cranmer handed Henry VIII a letter regarding Catherine Howard’s alleged colourful past.
Then there are the amazing evening meals we have at Hever, including eating with author and tour leader Robert Parry and history expert Professor Eric Ives before he talks to the group about Anne. One of the highlights is eating in the main castle dining room, the room where the Boleyn family would have eaten, surrounded by tapestries, portraits, suits of armour and a door lock which once belonged to Henry VIII. The setting is fantastic, the food is fantastic, the atmosphere is fantastic and so is the company.
On one evening on the tour we have a Tudor clothing expert come in and explain to us how Tudor clothing really worked. She also gets one lucky guest dressed up in an authentic dress. It’s fascinating how the transformation works, and once everything is on and the transformation is complete it is as if we’ve been transported back in time.
If you’ve ever considered visiting England and seeing the historical sites, I can honestly recommend our Anne Boleyn Experience tour. You’ll stay in luxury, learn all about the Tudors and Anne Boleyn, be able to talk Tudor without people’s eyes glazing over, and you’ll have the holiday of a lifetime.
Please don’t miss out, reserve your place today and join those who have already booked (in fact we’ve got quite a number of guests who are coming for their third tour with us!). Click here to book your place with a deposit. Full itinerary can also be found on that site. There is also a testimonial page there to read comments from past participants.
“The Anne Boleyn Experience was one of the most exciting, beautiful times I have had in my life. It is comparable to my wedding, the birth of my daughter, and many other personal high points I have experienced in my life. It is a truly magical tour, not to mention the lovely people I have met. And England is a friendly, warm, wonderful country. Her people, landmarks and countryside are indescribable. I am so honored that I was one of the people included on the first tour. I would recommend the tour highly!” Carol, Massachusetts
“It was the historical experience of my lifetime. I have traveled to England at least 18 times over the last 40 years and visited as many historic places and museums as I could, but the Anne Boleyn experience was beyond a regular tour experience.” Sharyn, Washington
