The Heritage Tour with Style

Your Adventure Heritage Tour starts here...

Venture out of London and discover the charm and life experiences to be found outside this great city. Take a journey discovering the natural beauty of the English countryside, quaint villages, historic stately homes and castles, giving you a true feeling of place and times gone by. Stay in the former homes of eminent figures for a blend of traditional British hospitality and history. These are your bases to explore heritage properties, woodlands, and countryside and much more while indulging in traditional accommodation, excellent food, and health and beauty Spas.

Begin your journey by staying at Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, a stately home once the residence of exiled King Louis XVIII of France, who held Court here from 1809 to 1814 and signed the accession papers in the Library before returning to France. While there, take a visit to Waddesdon Manor, a French Renaissance-style château housing Rothschild collections of French 18th century decorative arts and British portraiture. There are other National Trust properties nearby, such as the glorious Stowe Landscape Gardens designed by Capability Brown.

Fast motorway connections, a leisurely scenic drive, or train, will take your journey further to the City of York, where you will find very comfortable accommodation at Middlethorpe Hall. This handsome William III house, built in 1699, is set in beautiful gardens, with a manicured lawn leading to a ha-ha and meadows beyond, while to the side are a series of garden rooms, each boasting a theme of seasonal flowers, fruit trees and shrubs. After relaxing from your journey, York is close-by where you can explore the Shambles medieval street, walk along the ancient walls surrounding the City, visit Jorvik Museum to learn about the Viking invasion and marvel at York Minster. Return to Middlethorpe Hall, once home to prominent female figures: Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, a renowned 18^th century diarist, traveller and poet, who introduced smallpox inoculation to England; and ‘Fanny’ Rollo-Wilkinson, Britain’s first female professional Landscape Gardener, who took much of her early inspiration from the gardens at Middlethorpe Hall. Take a day trip to National Trust owned Fountains Abbey and the magnificent Georgian Studley Royal Water Gardens and medieval deer park.

Continue your journey into North Wales and discover where mountains meet the sea at Bodysgallen Hall, a Grade 1 listed 17th Century house with outstanding views across its award-winning gardens to Conwy Castle and the backdrop of the Eryri (Snowdonia) Mountain range. From here you can visit Bodnant Gardens, a historic horticultural gem boasting the largest collection of UK Champion Trees in Wales, and Penrhyn Castle, both owned by the National Trust, as well as World Heritage castles at Conwy, Beaumaris, Harlech and Caernarfon.

While staying at any of the three Historic House Hotels, you may enjoy complimentary access to all National Trust properties, and to add to the pleasures of your stay, you will receive £100 credit per stay per hotel, redeemable in the spa, bar or restaurant. This is a heritage tour that will leave fulfilling memories to take back to friends and family.