England

An era of enormous change, change which occurred in almost all areas of life. Developments in technology, science, medicine, politics, art and architecture. Enjoy talks and short lectures from a collection of knowledgeable guides on Victorian Britain in a small group.

Continental invaders brought with them many components that added to the mix of what makes Britain today, including their genetic characteristics, the roots of the English language, various spiritual and religious beliefs, models of land ownership, place names and technologies that began with the Stone Age Celts. We explore the places and events that created this mélange.

Our 21 night program explores the north-west corner of France before hopping across the English Channel to the tiny autonomous islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Sark as well as the historic Isle of Wight. The tour combines the dramatic scenery of Normandy and Brittany with the quirky history and natural beauty of the Channel Islands together with the natural and historic splendour of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel.

Reserve your tickets to Odyssey’s 9 day Discover Shakespeare tour. Be entertained by the Royal Shakespeare Company, viewing performances in Stratford-upon-Avon.

This tour allows us to explore the life and times of the royal families responsible for making England and Spain so significant in the 16th century. We spend 10 days in England visiting sites made famous by Henry VIII and his daughters Mary and his Elizabeth. From there we fly to Spain to spend the final 10 days looking at towns and palaces established by the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, and their Habsburg descendants.

From medieval Knot Gardens to the English landscapes of Capability Brown, to the modern incarnations of Sackville-West and the Duchess of Northumberland, our 22-night tour traces and explores garden styles through the ages. We explore the gardens of Kent, England’s South West, Oxfordshire, Wales, The Borders and Edinburgh, Northumbria and the Peak and Lake Districts.

This is an upgraded walking program with new paths including the Brecon-Monmouthshire canal walk and tracks on Arran in Scotland. The program is designed for participants who enjoy seeing the countryside on foot and is appropriate for active walkers. We stay at comfortable hotels with two days of walks followed by a day of travel to the next site.

Our 18 night program takes us on a journey through England’s timeless countryside and picturesque villages. A visitor to England’s villages is a time-traveller encircling the semi-tropical fishing villages of Cornwall, then across Dartmoor, now more desolate than ever. Then to the Cotswolds, the storybook villages now busier than ever. On the English-Welsh border the villages and towns have found new importance as repositories and exchanges for the artefacts of England’s past.

This small group tour allows the traveller to come to a greater appreciation of the long history of art and literature in England. We visit many of the places which inspired the great English writers and painters through the ages. With such an enormous field to choose from, our tour concentrates on the period before the Second World War and concentrates on just some of the many people significant in these fields. H

Learn about the history of Liverpool, Newcastle & Glasgow by studying the history, culture & people who created these incredible cities. Spend one week in each place with local  guides who share their knowledge with you.

This programs gives participants a chance more to learn about this fascinating operatic duo, experiencing live performances and hearing from Gilbert and Sullivan experts. The tour also includes visits to several important museums, including the Black Country Living Museum, the Haymarket Theatre, and the Royal Academy of Music. The tour promises to be an unforgettable introduction to the world of Gilbert and Sullivan.

This program examines human occupation in Britain some 500,000 years before the Romans arrived. It begins in Shetland, the northern extremity of Britain and works its way south to Stonehenge, exploring the landscapes that represent some of the most important prehistoric sites in Britain. Most of the focus of this program will be experiencing these megalithic and earthen structures constructed between the Stone Age and Iron Age.

On this tour explore the world of Roman Britain as we trace the visible remains of the Roman occupation. The Romans occupied Britain for some 400 years and left behind a lasting legacy. Many of their buildings were pulled down and reused but there is still a lot left for us to discover. Join us as we travel in the footsteps of the legions through England and Wales, exploring what remains of their cities, fortresses, villas, bath houses and roads.

A program that explores some of the visual stunning scenic landscapes of Northern Ireland and the Lake district of Britain that have inspired painters and writers over the centuries. The program spends 9 days in each country enjoying a daily walking program through these historic landscape accompanied by local guides all with stories to tell and share. The walks require a good level of fitness. We typically stay at comfortable small hotels of character in both locations in village or small towns.

This 20-day walking tour will take us through Britain’s ancient towns and walkways, steeped in over 5,000 years of human history. We will walk through the region surrounding Salisbury, Bath, and Stroud in the southwest of England and along the border with Wales.

The Industrial Revolution brought great change to Britain with the linking of major rivers with canals and the development of railways. During our program we learn how engineers overcame geographical obstacles through the use of viaducts, bridges, aqueducts, tunnels and locks. Fortunately for us many of these impressive structures have been restored and now carry recreational boating with branch railways through spectacular landscapes.

This is a round–the-world, 23 day program that visits two continents, staying in the major arts centres of Vienna, Paris, London and New York. For Odyssey Travellers, we have sought to assemble entry and show tickets to what many will consider the best arts experiences available in those cities during each program.