On arrival at Heathrow airport, a private transfer will take you to our overnight hotel, the Macdonald Windsor Hotel. In the evening you are invited to join the group for a welcome drink, followed by dinner.

We travel first to Chawton House, an Elizabethan manor house that once belonged to Jane Austen’s brother, Edward Austen Knight. It now accommodates a unique library of titles focusing on women’s writing in English from 1600 to 1830.

Continuing our Jane Austen theme, we visit Jane Austen’s House Museum, the charming house in Chawton where she spent the last eight years of her life. This is where she did the majority of her mature writing and now tells the story of the author and her family.

Our last stop of the day is Hinton Ampner, an elegant country house with particularly impressive gardens. The property was rebuilt in 1960 by the then owner, Ralph Dutton, after a devastating fire. Today we can wander through the house and take in the fine collection of ceramics and art. Make sure to admire the meticulous garden too.

This evening we check into our hotel for the next seven nights, the Bailbrook House Hotel. Tonight we enjoy dinner together at the hotel.

Rococo describes a period of art that was fashionable in the 1700s in Europe and today we begin by visiting the Painswick Rococo Garden. Initially designed in the 1740s as an English country gentleman’s venue for hosting intimate garden parties, this is now the only complete Rococo garden in England.

Next we visit Berkeley Castle where we enjoy a guided tour. Still home to the Berkeley family today, construction began in the early part of the 12th century. It is best known as the scene of the brutal murder of Edward ll in 1327. The castle has also been used for filming including for popular TV drama Poldark. The state apartments showcase beautiful collections of furniture and rare paintings.

Tonight is left free for you to make your own dinner arrangements. 

Today we head to Salisbury where we take a guided tour of the city’s fine medieval cathedral which boasts the tallest spire in Britain. Discover over 750 years of history here including the best preserved original 1215 Magna Carta document.

We then visit Wilton House, an excellent example of Palladian architecture. Here we enjoy lunch and a guided tour. This impressive property has foremost been a family home for over 450 years and is set in 21 acres of landscaped parkland. The house has regularly been used as a filming location too including for the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice starring Kiera Knightly.

Later we enjoy dinner together at our hotel. 

Once home to Jane Austen, Bath has remained faithful to its Regency roots. We begin at No.1 Royal Crescent, a Georgian town house that creates a wonderful picture of life for both the wealthy and their servants in Georgian Bath. Here we enjoy a fascinating talk upon arrival.

We continue to explore with our guided Jane Austen themed walking tour to view the highlights of the city that features so much in her writing as well as her former homes.

Afterwards, we head to the Assembly Rooms – once the hub of the Georgian social calendar and an important location for Jane Austen’s novels set here; Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Within the Assembly Rooms we visit the Fashion Museum Bath. Founded in 1963, it houses a world-class collection of contemporary and historic dress, from the 18th century through to modern day.

After dinner back at the hotel, we are treated to a fascinating themed talk by a guest speaker.