London - Oxford - Stratford Upon - Avon - Coventry
Departed at 8 am for a memorable day of sightseeing. First stop was the 15th century Hampton Court Castle surrounded by 1000 acres of stunning parkland, pasture and woodlands with the river Lugg running alongside. We then passed through Runnymede, where King John sealed the Magna Carta. Then off to Oxford for a walking tour which takes in the colleges where Britain's elite receive their outstanding education. We also saw the Oxford Martyrs Memorial where 3 Bishops were tried for heresy in 1555 and subsequently burnt at the stake in Oxford, for their religious beliefs and teachings. We climbed up St Marys' tower (the site of the Oxford Martyrs trial) and had a wonderful view of Oxford and its surrounds. Then we travelled through the lovely Cotswold Hills to Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon. We visited Anne Hathaway's Cottage and explored the town at our own pace. We visited the Shakespeare Centre, Shakespeares' Guild Hall and Grammar School, his Favourite Pub, the Joker Monument, Nashs' House (named after Thomas Nash who married Shakespeares' granddaughter) and the site of William Shakespeare's New Place. New Place was bought by William Shakespeare in 1597,and where he died in 1616. The garden contains some foundations of New Place and an Elizabethan style knott Garden. Nash's House featured outstanding furniture and pictures of Shakepeare's time, displays on aspects of Stratford's history and from 2006 the Complete Works of William Shakespeare exhibition telling the story of the book. We also visited the Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare and Hathaway lay to rest. Our last destination today was Coventry, whose centre had to be rebuilt after the devastation of World War II bombings, and we heard the tale of Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom. Lady Godiva, was an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to a legend dating back at least to the 13th century, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants. The name "Peeping Tom" for a voyeur originates from later versions of this legend in which a man named Tom had watched her ride and was struck blind or dead. We also visited the old and new church. The entrance to the new church was spectacular with a huge tapestry behind the altar and beautiful floor to ceiling stained glass windows The ruins were a reminder of WW11 with a statue of reconciliation and a memorial plague. We stayed at the Ramada Conventry Hotel.