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PRIVATE TOUR ITINERARY 

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Enjoy this wonderful tour of England & Wales with your very own chauffeur-guide, all the while staying in luxury country house hotels. You’ll visit the Peak District, home to Chatsworth House, setting of The Duchess, and Haddon Hall, one of Britain's greatest Elizabethan homes and setting of The Other Boleyn Girl . You'll cross into castle-topped North Wales for visits to Conwy Castle and Caernarfon Castle (as seen in The Crown). You'll enjoy a historic steam train ride through the Snowdonia National Park and meander through beautiful Wales to the Brecon Beacons and Wye Valley. From Wales you'll head to elegant Bath, made famous by the Romans and Jane Austen. Enjoy England & Wales!

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Day 1: Hardwick Hall & Peak District

Depart London for Derbyshire where you'll enjoy a visit to Hardwick Hall (setting of Mary Queen of Scots), one of Britain's greatest Elizabethan homes, built between 1590 and 1597 for the formidable Bess of Hardwick. Your journey will then continue into the beautiful Peak District for a two-night stay at the Cavendish Hotel, by the Chatsworth Estate, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

 

Day 2: Chatsworth House & Haddon Hall

This morning, you'll enjoy a visit to Chatsworth House (setting of The Duchess and The Secrets of Chatsworth House), peacefully situated in the valleys of the Peak District and home to the Duke of Devonshire. Set in expansive parkland and backed by wooded, rocky hills rising to heather moorland, the house is surrounded by fine gardens and contains an important collection of paintings and furniture. This afternoon, you'll visit nearby Haddon Hall (setting of The Other Boleyn Girl), an English country house in the form of a medieval manor house, with Elizabethan gardens and a walled topiary—it has been described as one of the most complete houses of its period and belongs to the Duke of Rutland.
 

Day 3: Conwy Castle
This morning, you'll be driven through the Peak District National Park to the castle-topped harbor town of Conwy in North Wales for a private-guided walking tour. Explore Conwy's historic town and castle, built by Edward I during his conquest of Wales between 1283 and 1289. You'll then arrive at Bodysgallen Hall for a two-night stay. With spectacular views of Snowdonia and Conwy Castle, Bodysgallen Hall provides all that is best in country house hospitality.  Beautiful gardens include a rare 17th-century parterre of box hedges filled with sweet-scented herbs, a walled rose garden and several follies.
 

Day 4: Snowdonia National Park & Caernarfon Castle
Today, enjoy a scenic-steam-train ride in first-class through the stunning scenery of Snowdonia National Park. You'll then continue your journey by road to Mount Snowden and through some of the most gorgeous scenery North Wales has to offer. This afternoon you'll visit the seaside town of Caernarfon and Caernarfon Castle (as seen with Prince Charles in The Crown), part of the system of English garrison castles that Edward I built to enforce English rule over North Wales 700 years ago. 

 

Day 5: Stokesay Castle & Welsh Borders
Depart for Stokesay Castle, just inside the English border, a fortified manor house built in the late 13th century by Laurence of Ludlow, a leading wool merchant at the time. Continue to Llangoed Hall (former home of the designer Laura Ashley) for a two-night stay—a wonderfully elegant and historic country house hotel situated in beautiful Welsh countryside. The hotel’s grounds are the epitome of peace and tranquility, and boast 17 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens and stunning views of the surrounding rolling hills and the Black Mountains. 

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Day 6: Black Mountains & Wye Valley
Today, you'll explore the wilds of the Black Mountains, home to canals, waterfalls, red kites, and natural beauty. Visit the small attractive market town of Hay-on-Wye, home to the Hay-on-Wye Book Festival, littered with book shops—secondhand and new—and return to Llangoed Hall in plenty of time for you to enjoy the hotel's surroundings.

 

Day 7: Tintern Abbey & Bath

This morning you'll visit Tintern Abbey. Built in 1131, the abbey fell into ruin after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. Its remains have been celebrated in poetry and painting from the 18th century onwards, including by Jane Austen and Thomas Gainsborough. This afternoon, you'll cross the Severn Estuary to Bath in England. You'll visit the incredibly preserved Roman Baths, and enjoy a private guided walking tour through Bath’s exquisite Palladian architecture, inspired by its Roman heritage - including visits to Bath Abbey, No.1 Royal Crescent and the Assembly Rooms, and places associated to Jane Austen's time and life in the city.

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Day 8: London & optional visit to Stonehenge

This morning depart for London Airport for your return flight. If your schedule allows, visit Stonehenge en route.