2014 UK Antique Tour

Departed Sydney early evening flight, Singapore Airlines with a quick stopover in Singapore so no time for shopping. Some of the travelers flew from Perth and Melbourne and met us on the Singapore leg of the flight to London. A couple were meeting us at Heathrow as they were already in England.

Landed at Heathrow, London at 6.30am… and we cleared customs and were on our Mercedes bus by 8.15am. We had Ian ‘skippy’ Jones who had been our driver on previous trips. First stop the beautiful Goring-on-Thames for morning tea and light breakfast by the river. Beautiful day. On to Windsor Castle for a couple of hours, saw changing of the guard. Left after lunch to Bath via Hungerford and our first visit to one of the country’s best antique centres with over 100 dealers exhibiting. Arrived Bath early evening and stayed in the Georgian terraces of Abbey Hotel right in the centre of Bath. www.abbeyhotelbath.co.uk A drink and meal at a great pub opposite the hotel.

Full English breakfast at the hotel (black pudding had mixed reactions) and on the bus by 8.30am to travel into Wales, over the maginificent Severn Bride to the Worcestershire Antiques Fair at Chateau Impney House – 80 dealers. 2 hours from Bath though beautiful English and Welsh countryside. After the Fair visited Anne Hathaway’s Cottage – Stratford-upon-Avon and on the way back called into the delightful Bidford-on-Avon steam fair… fantastic old steam powered tractors and machines, classic motorcyles and cars, fairground and a game of cricket – all terribly English on a superb May day. Quick tour of Bath on return in the early evening. One traveler went to a Dolls House expo in London by train.

We left the hotel just before 9am to an Antiques in Tents event –Herefordshire Traditional & Decorative Antiques Fair – in the grounds of Burton Court manor house  (original home built in 1402 www.burtoncourt.com)  50 dealers exhibiting. Drove through Ross-on-Wye (Wales) and stopped at Tintern Abbey on the way back. Note Antiques stores and centres are closed on a Sunday in many places in the UK, so we went to spectacular riverside cafe late afternoon before returning to Bath.

Delayed our departure to visit an antique centre in Bath which opened at 10am. Traveled to Worcestor on the way to Chester. Some visited the Worcestor Cathedral, others the Royal Worcester Pottery Museum and some just browsed a number of anitque stores in the town and grabbed lunch. Then onto the Colebrook Shire Horse Centre then visited country antiques dealers and found some real bargains. Arrived at the MacDonald New Blossoms Hotel, Chester (first opened in 1650) early evening.  Straight to the pub for old fashioned pub grub.

At leisure in the morning in the Roman City of Chester. The Red Bus tour a must. Our driver picked up the party at 2pm and traveled to Nantwich to visit a site with over 100 dealers, then toured the Cheshire countryside to visit smaller individual antique stores in the surrounding areas. I think another pub was visited later that night and some went to eat by the river and watch the rowers glide by.

Morning in Chester (red bus tour) | Blakemere antique centre | Nantwich antique shops | return to Chester early evening

depart 8am for Birmingham – St Martins Market – Antique fair | Ironbridge – sightseeing and antiques | Wrexham antique centre / return Chester early evening

Morning in Windermere – lake cruise | Kendal antiques | Carlisle antiques | Gretna Green Scotland | beautiful drive back to WInderemere via Grasmere William Wordsworth Cottage

Early start for Yorkshire Antiques & Art Fair drive across Yorkshire moors | Harrogate Royal Pump Room | Betty’s Tea Room | Harrogate ] majestic Hotel (1 night)

From Yarm to Doncaster Racecourse to browse for a few hours at a large Antiques & Collectables fair | afternoon in York back to Crathorne Hall early evening, beautiful gardens

Leave at 11am for Beamish Museum in County Durham stopping at Yarm antiques | 3 hours at Beamish and visited dealers on way back – local pub for an excellent beers and group dinner

Long drive to Cambridge via Gainsborough and a vist to Europe’s largest anitque centre | then lunch in Newark and a visit to a couple of antique centres, fish and chips at Oh my Cod” | arrive Cambridge early evening – University Arms Hotel , 3 star – 2 nights.

Morning in cambridge – excellent bus tour | afternoon traveling to antique center in Ely and a quick drink at the Slippery Otter | Even Song at Kings College Chapel

9am departure for Blenheim Palace (Woodstock near Oxford) | our own bus tour of London arriving at South Kensington Holiday Inn early evening and saying goodbye to Skippy our driver for last two weeks.

At leisure in London depart for Sydney late afternoon from Heathrow