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We leave London and head south through Kent, the ‘Garden of England’, where orchards dot the landscape and hop farms with their historic oast houses abound. Our first stop will be the Cathedral City of Canterbury, one of the most beautiful and historic cities in England. Within its massive medieval walls, Canterbury is a bustling modern city, which never forgets its colourful and historic past. The Norman cathedral still dominates the skyline as you approach Canterbury; giving 21st century visitors the same sense of awe as their medieval counterparts.
Canterbury has been home to poets and playwrights and an inspiration to writers of English literature through the centuries. Christopher Marlowe was born and educated in Canterbury and the family home of Richard Lovelace, one of England’s most romantic poets stands on the banks of the Stour. Rupert Bear was conceived in Canterbury and one of James Bond’s adventures created nearby. Chaucer’s Canterbury pilgrims are known throughout the world and Dickens chose the city as a setting for one of his most popular books.
Canterbury was one of the busiest places of pilgrimage in the medieval world and after an orientation drive around the city walls we’ll set off to follow in the pilgrim’s footsteps (at least some of them). A small and compact city, the centre is closed to traffic during the daytime so that streets, shops and attractions may more easily and safely be accessed by walking.
The cathedral is a masterpiece of Norman and Gothic architecture and it is the Mother Church of Anglicans throughout the world. During our tour we’ll see stained glass windows dating from the 12th century and the medieval tombs of King Henry IV and Edward the Black Prince, as well as those of numerous archbishops. The cathedral is also the former site of the shrine to the Archbishop Thomas Becket, who was murdered in the northwest transept in 1170. After we have visited the site of the martyrdom we’ll conclude our tour with a visit to the Norman crypt, the oldest part of the building and the largest Norman crypt in Britain. Our walk through the city centre will take us past the 15th century Old Weavers’ House where you may like to have lunch overlooking the pretty River Stour.
The afternoon finds us at the “Gateway to England”, Dover castle. The nickname for the castle is due to its defensive significance, standing proud overlooking the English Channel. The history of Dover Castle actually begins as far back as the Iron Age, when the site itself was likely used as a fortress before the arrival of the Romans. Dover Castle, as we know it today was first built up during the reign of Henry II in the 12th century, although of course many additions and changes have taken place over the years. Deep underground lies an extensive network of tunnels - first dug during the Napoleonic Wars, but so strategically useful that they continued to be used right through the 20th century. You can visit these secret Second World War tunnels and WWII hospital and mission headquarters. We’ll take a drive to see the White Cliffs; on a good day you can see France, 21 miles across the Channel.
We leave the coast and head for magnificent Leeds Castle. Black swans glide serenely across the lake that mirrors Leeds Castle’s mellow stone walls, in a romantic setting of water, trees and gently rolling parkland. For more than 300 years the castle was the favourite country retreat of the medieval queens of England, escaping to its peaceful setting from the bustle of court. Leeds is widely regarded as one of England’s most idyllic castles. In the grounds are aviaries with exotic birds, a garden planted with flowers and herbs, a yew hedge maze, a grotto and a vineyard.
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