Hever Castle
Canterbury Cathedral
Brighton Royal Pavilion
Arundel Castle
Fishbourne Palace Mosaic
HMS Warrior 1860
Jurassic Coast
Crown Mine
Glastonbury Tor
Wells Cathedral

Day 1

Hever Castle, a thirteenth century romantic castle set in magnificent gardens. Once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.

Canterbury Cathedral, mother church of the world-wide Anglican Communion, contains a shrine to Thomas Becket who was murdered in the Cathedral on the orders of King Henry II in 1170.

Relive British military history from the Norman Invasion in 1066 right up to World War II. Visit the secret Command Centre under Dover Castle and explore the tunnels inside the White Cliffs. Overnight in Brighton.

Day 2

The Royal Pavilion's lavish interiors combine Chinese-style decorations with magnificent furniture and furnishings. Adorned with gilded dragons, carved palm trees and imitation bamboo staircases, the Palace's unique style mixes Asian exoticism with English eccentricity.

Experience nearly 1000 years of history at Arundel Castle, situated in magnificent grounds overlooking the River Arun.

The Roman Palace at Fishbourne was discovered and excavated in the early 1960s. The dig revealed a palatial residence with ornate gardens, a large bath suite, many mosaic floors and tesellated pavements, several guest suites arranged around their own courtyards, a spacious entrance-hall and even an audience chamber; truly a residence fit for a king! Overnight in Brighton.

Day 3

The home of the Royal Navy - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Visit the magnificent historic ships HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860 and the Mary Rose as well as the fascinating Mary Rose Museum, Royal Naval Museum and Action Stations, an interactive attraction on the modern-day Navy.

Few car museums in the world can match the unique collection of the world-renowned National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.

Dorchester, the historic county town of Dorset, where you can visit a Roman Town House and learn about the great novelist, Thomas Hardy who was born just outside the town at Beckhampton and who lived here most of his life. Overnight in Dorchester

Day 4

Time to slow the pace as we hug the coast around Lyme Bay, passing through the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and visiting Lyme Regis, Salcombe Regis, Sidmouth and Exmouth.

Built over 600 years ago, Powderham Castle is the historic home of the Earl of Devon. The Castle, still lived in by the Courtenay family, lies in a beautiful setting in an ancient deer park alongside the River Exe.

We now join the English Riviera coast where we meander through Dawlish, Paignton, Torquay, Brixham and Dartmouth where naval cadets have been trained since 1863. Overnight in Plymouth.

Day 5

Plymouth sent Drake to fight the Spanish Armada and the Pilgrim Fathers to found America. Its unique history is told at The Mayflower Centre and the huge fortifications on the famous Hoe. In the Barbican, you can enjoy centuries of maritime tradition along with the award winning National Maritime Museum and discover the secrets of Plymouth Gin in the original Black Friars Distillery where it has been produced for centuries.

Mounts Bay has been acclaimed as one of the 'Most Beautiful Bays in the World'. It is praise that is richly deserved by this vast stretch of glittering water and its spectacular coastline that runs in a great arc from Land's End to Lizard Point. At the heart of the inner bay lies the magnificent St. Michael's Mount, a rocky island crowned by a romantic castle with a vibrant history.

St. Just, the most westerly town in England, stands above the spectacular Cape Cornwall.

Between Pendeen and St. Just is the old mining hamlet of Botallack, famous for being featured in the popular Poldark television series and with its own inn, The Queen's Arms. The preserved engine houses of the 19th century Crown Mine at Botallack stand halfway down a rugged cliff. The mine workings ran out beneath the sea bed. Today, the area is a treasure house of mining remains. Overnight in Plymouth.

Day 6

Launceston, capital of Cornwall until 1836, is dominated by a 12th century Norman keep, The Castle Terrible".

Holsworthy is a country market town at the centre of a remarkably undeveloped and rural area with an ancient landscape of rolling hills and hamlets of cottages.

The Victorian novelist Charles Kingsley described Bideford as "The little white town which slopes upward from its broad river tide". Kingsley spent time here writing his famous novel Westward Ho!

Lynmouth, where Exmoor meets the sea, hugs the sides of the wooded River Lyn valley, surrounded on each side by high steeply sloping cliffs.

Experience Glastonbury and the various legends that surround it. An ancient place visited by Joseph of Arimathea and alleged home of the legendary King Arthur.

Wells, the smallest city in England, is home to one of the country's most beautiful cathedrals. The magnificent West Front has almost 300 statues and the cathedral houses the world's second-oldest mechanical working clock.

Return to London.