| July 9, 2010 | to | July 22, 2010 |
BRITISH ISLES CHURCH HISTORY AND HERITAGE TOUR
July 9-July 23, 2010
Tour Director: John Williams
Day 1 (Friday July 9th) Depart from Salt Lake International Airport
Day 2 (Saturday July 10th) London Temple, London Eye
Fly to London Heathrow airport where we board our executive air-conditioned coach complete with on board restroom facilities. Then we traverse the narrow British streets into the heart of London for an early check in to our luxurious 4-star hotel where we spend our first three nights! After changing clothes and freshening up we depart for the London temple for a session and pictures by the reflecting pool. We then return to London’s center for dinner and a flight! There is no better way to start exploring London than with a breathtaking London Eye Flight. The mammoth Ferris Wheel stands 450 feet at the apex while London’s famous streets, churches, palaces and monuments spread out below in a panoramic scene – and, on a clear day – views that stretch 25 miles to Windsor Castle.
Day 3 (Sunday July 11th) Hyde Park Chapel, Dover, Canterbury Cathedral
Church service is a treat this morning in historic Hyde Park Chapel where many presidents of the church have spoken from the pulpit. Hyde Park is where President Hinckley as a young missionary used to go and preach despite the hecklers. From here we travel 80 miles to the white cliffs of Dover, explore the secret World War II underground tunnels and see Dover castle. Next we travel to Canterbury Cathedral, the seat of the Church of England. We attend a church service in the cathedral before making our way back to London.
Day 4 (Monday July 12) London Bus Tour, Broadway show
Double-decker bus tour of London! This tour aboard one of London’s famous open top buses has been carefully devised to enable you to see London’s most famous sights. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Marble Arch and the Tower of London are just some of the fabulous attractions you will see along the way. The hop-on-hop-off bus tour allows you to stop and visit the sites as well with a new bus coming every 15 minutes. After touring London, we will gather for dinner and a broad way show for our evening entertainment.
Day 5 (Tuesday July 13th) Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge, Bath
Departing London today we travel to the Salisbury Cathedral, one of the finest medieval cathedrals in all of Europe and home of one of the four and best preserved copies of the Magna Charta. The cathedral has the tallest spire in the United Kingdom and contains the world’s oldest working clock dating back to 1386 AD. Eight miles from Salisbury lies Stonehenge, a world heritage site. Archeologists believe this iconic stone monument was erected around 2500 BC. After exploring Stonehenge we travel on to the city of Bath, so named for the famous Roman bathhouse in the city’s center which we’ll explore. We also see the Bath Abby and the Royal Crescent before retiring for the night.
Day 6 (Wednesday July 14th) Church history!
Today we will see some wonderful church history sites as we visit Gadfield Elm Chapel, which was the only LDS chapel in the world when Brigham Young spoke from its pulpit in 1840. The chapel was given to the church by John Benbow after he and most of his 600 member congregation were baptized by Wilford Woodruff in a pond outside his farmhouse. After visiting this spot we travel through the Malvern Hills to Herefordshire Beacon described by Wilford Woodruff as a sacred place and where he, Brigham Young and Willard Richards made the decision to print the Book of Mormon in England. We then spend the night in Stratford.
Day 7 (Thursday July 15th) Stratford, Warwick Castle, Shakespearean play
Today we tour Stratford-Upon-Avon, Birthplace of William Shakespeare who is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. The river Avon winds its way through the town past Holy Trinity church, where Shakespeare is buried. There are half-wooden buildings which date back to Shakespeare’s time, including the cottage of Anne Hathaway, whom he married in 1582. We also visit Shakespeare’s birthplace before heading to nearby Warwick castle, the finest medieval castle in England. With a history dating back over 1,000 years, Warwick Castle will take you to an era of world of banquets, battles and royal splendor. Visit the waxwork displays of Madame Tussauds, to see and hear the Earl of Warwick’s preparations for battle and take a look at the ghostly dungeons where prisoners were tortured. Then we head back to Stratford for a play in the Royal Shakespearean theatre.
Day 8 (Friday July 16th) Wales, Snowdonia train ride, Caernarfon Castle
Leaving Stratford this morning we make our way into Wales, home of Dan Jones, the famous river-boat captain who was with Joseph in Cathage. Just for fun we’ll take a ride on the world’s most powerful steam locomotive for a journey through the fabulous scenery of Snowdonia National Park. At the north western edge of Snowdonia lies Caernarfon Castle which gained worldwide fame as the setting for the investiture of HRH Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales. After exploring the castle we will visit the town with the longest name in the world: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch! Then we’ll relax in our beautiful hotel by the beach for the evening.
Day 9 (Saturday July 17th) Mersey docks, Maritime museum, Preston Temple
Departing Wales, we head into Liverpool today to visit the Mersey Docks where so many Mormon immigrants left the shores of Britain to come to America. We’ll explore the national maritime museum and get a feel for what sea travel was like in the 1800’s. For those interested, the Beatles museum is close by and well worth a visit. Then we make our way on to Preston where we will do a session in the beautiful temple and spend the night in the guest house accommodations.
Day 10 (Sunday July 18th) Preston, River Ribble, Chatburn and Downham
Our Sunday meeting today in the Preston ward puts us in the longest continually operating unit of the church in the world. Then we begin our tour with seeing where President Hinckley stayed as a young missionary, visit the apartment where Heber C. Kimball and others stayed and see the River Ribble where the first British Saints were baptized. We will also visit the charming and stacked-stone villages of Chatburn and Downham where the early missionaries met with so much success and which have been maintained to appear as they would in the 1800’s. We again overnight in the Preston temple accommodations.
Day 11 (Monday July 19th) Lake District, Stirling Castle, Wallace Monument
We make our way to Scotland today via England’s beautiful Lake District National Park home to the “Lake poets” including William Wordsworth. Our first stop upon entering Scotland will be Stirling Castle, one of Scotland’s most important castles both historically and architecturally. Many Kings and Queens of Scotland were crowned here including Mary Queen of Scots. It was in Stirling where David O. McKay had a life-changing experience as a young missionary. After taking a guided tour of Stirling we visit the Wallace monument, tribute to Scotland’s greatest hero during the Scottish battles for independence. Not for the faint of heart, there are 246 stairs to reach the top with treasures along the way including Wallace’s massive broadsword. We’ll conclude our day with a visit to the field of Bannockburn where Scotland won their independence under Robert the Bruce.
Day 12 (Tuesday July 20th) Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Tattoo
Our final castle to explore is Edinburgh Castle, home to the crown jewels and the stone of destiny where England’s monarchy must kneel to be crowned. After exploring this castle we can walk the royal mile to Holyrood Palace where the Queen of England spends the first week of every summer. The royal mile is lined with shops and we’ll have a good amount of free time here. For those interested we will climb Arthur’s seat which in church history was known as “Pratt’s hill” after Orson Pratt climbed it and asked God to bless and dedicate Scotland for missionary work. Tonight we will enjoy a traditional Scottish meal and entertainment.
Day 13 (Wednesday July 21st) Ireland, Giant’s Causeway, Cliffs of Moher
Taking the Ferry from Scotland we enter the Emerald Isle near Belfast and begin a gorgeous scenic drive to the Giant’s Causeway. This wonder of the world is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient battle between two Irish giants (or a volcanic eruption). After some time to explore we head south to Galway Bay where we see the unforgettable Cliffs of Moher and the strange lunar landscape of the Burren. We overnight in Galway.
Day 14 (Thursday July 22nd) Dublin sight-seeing tour, Gala dinner
Today we head into Dublin where we begin a walking tour of Ireland’s capitol city. Here we will see Trinity College with its library housing some of the world’s oldest books including the famous book of Kells. We will have some free time in the afternoon and then spend the evening with a traditional Irish dinner and some wonderful musical entertainment. We will overnight in Dublin.
Day 15 (Friday July 23rd) Fly home from Dublin International Airport!
TOUR COST AND DETAILS
COST PER PERSON:
$3800 per person for Double Occupancy
DEPOSIT REQUIRED: $500 per person.
ROOMMATES: Single people may sign up for accommodations on a share basis and will be assigned roommates as circumstances permit. If a roommate is unavailable, the participant will be notified of the adjusted price prior to departure.
CANCELLATION FEES: A $25 fee will be charged by Anderson Tours, LLC for all cancellations until 60 days prior to departure, at which time the fee will be $100. In addition, all cancellation charges imposed by airlines, hotels, vendors, operators, etc., will be passed on to the participant.
TOUR INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
- First-class, top quality tour with experienced tour directors
All airline travel mentioned in the program (which is from SLC)
Private, deluxe air-conditioned motor coach
- Hotel Accommodations (5 and 4 star hotels)
- Cold bottled water will be available for purchase on board bus
- Two meals daily (breakfast and lunch or dinner) as indicated in the detailed itinerary.
- All admission fees to sites specified in the itinerary (group tours only)
- Airport and other departure taxes
- Opportunity to purchase a personalized DVD of our tour experience (not available for all tours).
OTHER ITEMS & DETAILS
Good Health is encouraged for our international tours!
REGISTRATION, DEPOSIT, PAYMENT, AND CANCELLATION:
Early reservations are strongly recommended, and a deposit of $500 per person is required at the time of booking, with the remaining balance due 60 days prior to departure. Applications received after this date should include full payment. Any payments made after this date should also include also include full payment. Any payments made 30 days prior to departure must be in the form of a money order. Checks should be made payable to Anderson Tours. All cancellation penalties are the responsibility of the participant.
Please send check payment and names of participants to:
Anderson Tours LLC
3155 S. Hidden Valley Dr #302
St. George, UT 84790
ITEMS NOT INCLUDED IN TOUR PRICE:
Items of a personal nature, such as souvenirs; excess baggage or portage charges; personal, trip, or baggage insurance; room service; laundry; phone charges; food or beverages not part of the group menu; tips; gratuities for special services; expenses incurred on personal activities not included where group participation is not specified in the itinerary; domestic flight to SLC.
