From St George’s Day to Halloween - and from the Royal wedding to Christmas - operators can mark special dates in 2011 with itineraries taking in English Heritage sites with a direct link:
Easter 22-25 April: Synod of Whitby, Yorkshire
High on a clifftop at Whitby Abbey is where the Synod of 664 agreed how to calculate the date of Easter. The site is also famous as the inspiration behind the story of Dracula.
(Whitby Abbey Tel: 01947 603568)
St George’s Day 23-25 April: England’s Biggest St George’s Day Festival
The best way to wave the flag is a day out at the St George’s Day Festival at Wrest Park, Bedfordshire on 23, 24 and 25 April, England’s biggest celebration of our patron saint.
(Wrest Park Tel: 01525 860000)
Royal Wedding 29 April: Osborne House, Isle of Wight
Step inside Queen Victoria & Prince Albert’s holiday-haven; Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. There is no doubting the passion they shared it is etched throughout the vibrant and intimate royal hideaway the young couple built to relax away from the glare of public life.
(Osborne House Tel: 01983 200022)
Spring Bank Holiday 30 May: Spring Bedding
12,000 bedding plants will be a riot of colour in the formal flower garden at Brodsworth Hall near Doncaster during May.
(Brodsworth Hall and Gardens Tel: 01302 722598)
Summer Holidays: New Product Launches
Operation Dynamo: Rescue from Dunkirk opens at Dover Castle in Kent in June.
Plus one of Britain’s most important and beautiful landscape gardens at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire will move into the spotlight in August, when it opens after a £1.14m Heritage Lottery Fund makeover.
(Dover Castle Tel: 01304 211067; Wrest Park Tel: 01525 860000)
Halloween: Bloody History Carlisle Castle, Cumbria
Carlisle Castle offers a wide selection of themed guided tours all year round but groups looking for a frightfully good time at Halloween will love the three creepiest tours: Horrid History, Dungeons and Murder Holes or Ghosts & Ghastly Stories
(Carlisle Castle Tel: 01228 591922)
November & December: ‘Turkey & Tinsel’ Tours:
Many of the top English Heritage group friendly sites up and down the country remain open year-round which means they are great to tie into ‘Turkey & Tinsel’ tours.
(Travel Trade Team Tel: 020 7973 3528)
Practical Information
Contact the properties directly to make a bokking - or order a copy of the free 2011/12 English Heritage Group Visits Guide now.
