Home » Jane Austin

Category Archives: Jane Austin

Small groups leave fewer footprints. Explore England with our Best Value U.K Mini Coach Tour

May 8, 2014 8:31 am / Leave a comment

Our classic Stonehenge and Bath tour just got better. We now include Salisbury Cathedral and a champagne reception at the new fabulous visitor centre and an expert talk about the ancient landscape and most recent theories. (11 hours)’

On this tour you will be travelling with no more than 16 other people – guaranteed! Our purpose-built minibuses have large windows, good air circulation and clear PA systems so that your professional guide can escort you comfortably through our wonderful country. Our itineraries are carefully planned (with many years of experience) so that you discover as much as possible, without spending too much time on the road.

As we travel in smaller vehicles, we normally use the most scenic routes, where large coach are prohibited from travelling. Additionally, as our group sizes are smaller we are able to more time out of the vehicle. We also employ a the very best driver/guides

Explore the Heritage City of Bath
Our morning begins in picturesque city of Bath that boast beautiful Georgian neo classical architecture and is also the home to the Royal Crescent, unique Pulteney Bridge and the fabulous Abbey. Join us for a walking tour of this World Heritage city once home to Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Gainsborough, Lord Nelson and Beau Nash or alternatively why not visit the
Roman Baths?

Afterwards, we enjoy a scenic drive through the leafy lanes of the Cotwold’s to visit the national trust village of Lacock where we stop fo rlunch. (*Roman Baths and lunch not included in the price.)

Visit Lacock Village in the Cotswolds
Lacock is a little known, picturesque village dating back to the Saxon era. Many of the beautiful buildings originally formed part of an extensive monastic complex and are now owned by The National Trust. So pretty is the village that it has provided the setting for many movies and television dramas including Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and more recently Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. We will take a delightful walk before we enjoy lunch in The George Inn, a vintage English pub built in 1361.
(Please note on rare occasions we may need to eat at another pub if the chosen pub is closed for a special function.)

Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta
In the early afternoon we head to Salisbury to visit the vibrant Cathedral. Dating back to the thirteenth century, this magnificent building is also home to the tallest spire in Britain and the best preserved Magna Carta that is nearly 800 years old. This is the best preserved of the four remaining copies. The Cathedral also houses the world’s oldest working clock!

Champagne reception and private talk at Stonehenge with local expert
Finally we head to Stonehenge where we enjoy a private talk away from the crowds.Taking advantage of the fabulous new visitor centre, one of the local expert guides will give us an entertaining overview of life at the site. Hear stories of marriage proposals, druid re-enactments, famous visitors and more, while being served Champagne and homemade shortbread. A full visit to Stonehenge is also included.

We also visit the medieval village of Lacock which has hardly changed in the past 500 years. With its magnificent abbey, half timbered cottages and greystone houses it recently provided the perfect setting for the filming of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. Maybe enjoy lunch in the George Inn

Happy 200th birthday, Pride and Prejudice

January 25, 2013 5:46 am / Leave a comment

It’s 200 years this month since literary classic Pride and Prejudice was published. To celebrate, here’s a roundup of the top five most beautiful Jane Austen settings

Bath. Royal Crescent

A little about Austen

Jane Austen grew up in the beautiful village of Steventon, Hampshire, from 1775-1800. It was in this delightful chocolate box village that Jane Austen wrote three of her most famous novels: Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility.

In the summer of 1783, when Jane was 12 years old, she was sent to Oxford to be taught with her sister Cassandra; later they studied in Southampton before their schooling was curtailed due to constraints on the family finances. Jane returned to the family home at Steventon Rectory in 1787, where she remained for adolescence and discovered her passion for writing. Jane moved with her family to Bath at the age of 26, where they lived for five years (1801-1806) in a beautiful town house. It was through friends that she met Harris Bigg-Wither, an intellectual educated in Oxford, who proposed to her but whom she eventually turned down.

Austen Adventure

Bath

Bath is a beautiful and historical city holding a romantic and captivating charm. Bath is designated as one of only three ‘world heritage cities’ in England. Jane Austen is Bath’s most famous resident. The city plays host to a delightful museum in memory of Jane herself, with exhibitions and a delightful regency tearoom to enhance your Jane Austen experience! There is also the change to go on a walking tour of the city and explore them through the eyes of Jane Austen. Bath holds a yearly Jane Austen Festival spanning over 9 days. This year the festival lasts from 13th to 21st September 2013.

Stourhead Gardens

Stourhead is already renowned for its beautiful landscaped gardens, heightened when it featured as a setting for the recent film Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett. Elizabeth stands in the Apollo Temple, a romantic setting in Stourhead (where many people are married nowadays) rejects Mr. Darcy and she runs along the famous Palladian bridge across the lake. Taking a walk round Stourhead is just like stepping into a beautiful Jane Austen novel. The gardens were designed to look beautiful all year round, showing off the colours of spring, summer autumn and winter. This makes them a perfect visiting place anytime of year.

Lacock

Set in rural Wiltshire, Lacock is an untouched treasure dating back to the 12th century. The picturesque village is delightful to walk around, with surrounding countryside on the doorstep and plenty of regular events, there will always be something to do. The streets of Lacock were the background to a scene in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Lacock for a short while was turned into the village of Meryton, featured in Pride and Prejudice. Don’t miss the beautiful Abbey while you’re there, a filming location for the Harry Potter films, and also home to the late William Henry Fox Talbot – a contributor to the invention of photography.

Hampshire

The county of Austen’s birth and the place where she is buried, Hampshire gave Austen inspiration for some of her best novels. Hampshire offers museums, homes and the church Austen spent most of her time in. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral, where she has three memorials. She wrote many of her most famous novels here, gathering inspiration from many of the friends and places in the area she grew to love. After a visit to Hampshire you might start to notice how aspects of her books are based on this beautiful county.

London

Jane Austen visited London many times during her lifetime. The most important visits were during her late 30s. Austen was becoming a celebrated author and had to visit her publishers and correct proofs of her work

Conveniently she stayed with her brother Henry, who also helped her in the negotiations to sell her books. On a visit to London searching for Austen – stop by 10 Henrietta Street, only 100 yards from the market at Covent Garden. Jane Austen stayed here (her brothers house) twice between 1814-1815 and there is a clear plaque upon the wall so you can’t miss it.

Words by Lucy Blackall: http://www.countryfile.com

We operate daily ‘small group’ tours visiting Bath and Lacock Village.
Jane Austin Tours: http://www.welcome2britain.com/uk_day_tours.htm

Welcome2Britain: The Small Group Tour Experts