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HARRY POTTER
Mini-Tour
of England & Wales from London
Three days / Two nights
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 Whatever
your age, it's magic all the way
on this our activity-based tour
for film and book enthusiast
alike. We combine visits to film
locations with memorable
sightseeing of a range of
classic UK attractions. You see
mediaeval villages and historic
cities, fairy tale castles and
prehistoric temples, stunning
scenery and wonderful
architecture. But it's a 'doing
tour' too, designed for a family
to have holiday fun together
(and take lots of photographs!).
There're steam train ride,
castle exploring, woodland
walking and family competitions
to enter.
Our tour is also designed to
introduce youngsters to some
other famed children's writers.
All-in-all, it's a perfect
voyage of discovery and we hope
a great way to build on the
Harry Potter experience.
If
you want to make this a longer
holiday then why not combine
this tour with our 4-day
In Search of King Arthur & The
Round Table and some
freetime in London. Or, for
dates in June, July and August,
this tour may be combined with
our
Literary England Mini-Tour. |
DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES FOR YEAR
2005
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Tour Code
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Depart London |
Return London |
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SHP
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Friday |
Sunday
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SHP1
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01
Apr |
03
Apr |
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SHP2 |
24
Jun |
26
Jun |
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SHP3
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01 Jul
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03 Jul
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SHP4
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08 Jul
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10 Jul
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SHP5
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15 Jul
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17 Jul
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SHP6
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22 Jul
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24 Jul
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SHP7
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29 Jul
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31 Jul
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SHP8
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05 Aug
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07 Aug
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SHP9
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25 Nov
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27 Nov
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Prices: £349.00
adult / £299.00 child in twin
room / £269.00 child sharing
room with 2 adults
Single Supplement: £45.00
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If the
scheduled dates do not suit you then
please note that this itinerary can
also be run as a customised tour for
family group. In 2004 a total
twenty-one families, of 2 to 7 in
size, took this option. The cost is
available on application and depends
on the number travelling and time of
year you come.
info@backroadstouring.co.uk |
Quote from Larry
Greenstein & Family
Connecticut, USA, Aug 2003
"We went on a private Harry
Potter tour last week, and I
just wanted to tell you how much
we enjoyed it. The guide ... was
a wealth of information and on
more than just Harry Potter! It
was great to be able to get the
tour adjusted as need for the
kids schedules and wishes, and
Jay was very flexible in that
regard. I would definitely
recommend Back-Roads to my
friends. I hope that we can do
another of your tours in the
future."
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TENTATIVE ITINERARY |
NIGHTSTOP
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DAY ONE - FRIDAY
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We
depart London approximately
08.30 from your London hotel and
our first magical stop is where
the film adventure began, the
Dursley's House.
Next, we'll stop at a fantastic
site, the perfectly preserved
mediaeval village of Lacock,
used extensively as a location
in the Harry Potter films. We
can see where Harry's parents
were murdered by Voldermort, and
explore another recognisable
part of Hogwarts.
After lunch we cross the Severn
Bridge into Wales. This was an
area well-known to J K Rowling,
creator of our boy-wizard, and
places like the 12th century
Chepstow Castle and the Forest
of Dean must have been a source
of great inspiration when she
attended school in this area.
We'll see her old family home
and look for forest spirits (if
there's time, we may have some
fun in the maze of 'puzzle
wood'). Later, we explore the
battlements of the fairytale
Chepstow Castle (where you can
imagine defending the castle
against the forces of darkness
alongside Harry and gang, or
just playing quiddich).
http://www.castlewales.com/chepstow.html |
Forest of Dean
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DAY TWO - SATURDAY
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There are more adventures in
store for us today.
In
the lovely historic city of
Gloucester, there's the
Cathedral and the King's School,
both of which were used as
locations for Hogwarts in Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
We'll also introduce you to
another Potter - Beatrix Potter
- and her creation, Peter
Rabbit. And you'll learn why
Humpty Dumpty can claim his
origins here.
'All aboard!' Time now to board
a 'Hogwarts Express' style steam
train for an exciting ride
through magical countryside.
Shades of Thomas the Tank!
Another highlight of the day is
to visit some of Harry's
favourite friends - the owls and
birds of prey at the National
Bird of Prey Centre in
Gloucester. The question is,
will they tell us what they
see...
And while we're enjoying all of
these features we'll also be
touring through the magnificent
Cotswolds, hearing exciting and
mysterious tales of the area and
stopping off to find fairy rings
and villages where you'd not be
surprised to find Hobbits! We'll
be checking the locals to see if
they have hairy feet! |
Oxford |
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DAY THREE - SUNDAY
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The majestic Oxford, 'city of
the dreaming spires', is the
focus of our morning. Many of
the scenes in the film were shot
in various locations around
Christchurch and Divinity Hall
at the Bodlian Library. You'll
be able to have your own picture
taken at the inspiration for
'Hogwarts Hall' (subject to
college opening), or on the
great staircase where Professor
McGonnigal greeted the new
students and where Harry first
sees Tom Riddle. Or perhaps the
child in all of us will prefer
to be pictured in the cloisters
of Christchurch, the setting for
Hogwarts Trophy Room and where
Harry is shown the trophy his
father won as a seeker in
Quidditch.
Oxford was also the setting for
a magical book of another age
but still managing to thrill
today's generations. You'll see
where Alice wondered through the
small door into Wonderland, find
a dodo, and discover where Lewis
Carroll took his inspiration for
the White Rabbit, her elongated
neck and Mad Hatter tea parties
on our 'Alice in Wonderland'
walk. Other childrens' authors
found here are C S Lewis ('The
Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe') and J R Tolkein
('Lord of the Rings').
The child in everyone will also
enjoy our day's treasure hunt
for dinosaurs and the real
shrunken heads seen in 'The
Chamber of Secrets'!
For our last visit of the day,
we'll stop at one of the two
following options, subject to
weather and group interest. The
first option is the Thames
riverside village of Henley on
Thames where we can get
acquainted with those
inhabitants of the riverbank,
Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad of
Toad Hall. Author, Kenneth
Graham, set his classic tale
along this stretch of the river
and we'll be visiting a very
special 'Wind in the Willows'
exhibition.
The second option as we return
to London is to stop at a
miniature village where, like
Hagrid, we stride over houses
and tiny people! (not open on
our Thanksgiving departure when
a substitute attraction is
used). This is the world's
oldest model village and a
childhood favourite of Queen
Elizabeth. You'll also be
introduced to our final
fantastic author of the tour,
Enid Blyton creator of 'Noddy'
and 'The Famous Five'.
You're delivered to your central
London hotel for approximately
19.00 h. |
London (own account, not
included in tour price)
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NOTE:
Depending on time of year,
certain attractions (miniature
village and steam train rides)
are either unavailable or appear
on different days of your
itinerary. |
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