Stonehenge, Lacock & Bath: Day Trip from London

Two World Heritage sites—a preserved medieval town and traditional thatched villages—just two reasons why this tour is so popular with our guests.

Travelling in a traditional London Black Cab or luxury 16-seater Mercedes minicoach (depending on numbers), our tour starts in Central London and takes us through the leafy districts of West London, crossing bridges over the Thames on the way. After passing Twickenham Rugby Stadium (the home of rugby) we will soon find ourselves out in the countryside and surrounded by the Surrey Heath, said to be the best preserved in the world. The heath is a popular tourist destination, thanks to its beautiful scenery and its historical significance as the site of the Martian landing in 'The War of the Worlds'. We also find out where the opening scenes in the movie ‘Gladiator' were filmed.

Before Stonehenge's imposing stones come into view, we'll pause at Durrington Walls, a colossal earthen ring crowned with a grassy rampart, holding the secrets of a vibrant Neolithic community, and also Woodhenge, where ancient wood posts once stood in a circle.

On now to the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge. This remarkable and unique site remains a mystery; we still don't know why it was built and what it was intended for. The site was developed over two distinct periods from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, a time span of almost one and a half thousand years. It seems that Stonehenge was constructed to mark the passage of the solstices, and maybe the moon as well. We'll consider some of these ideas on our tour, bearing in mind that Stonehenge is just a small part of a massive landscape that was developed by early man.

In the Visitor Centre we can experience what it was like to stand in the middle of the stone circle as it developed over the centuries and during the passage of the seasons. On display is some of the artefacts that were unearthed in the area, including some tools used in the construction of Stonehenge. Video shorts will explain how the stones were erected and how bronze was smelted. Outside the Visitor Centre is some reconstructions of huts that were used in the Bronze Age, based upon excavations in the area.

A courtesy bus will take us up to the site itself, taking us through the sacred landscape of pre-historic man. We exit via the shop where souvenirs can be purchased. There's also a restaurant at the site, where hot and cold drinks and snacks can be purchased.

Joining the old coaching roads that head out west, we arrive at the preserved medieval village of Lacock, a place much used as a film set for movies such as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens adaptations, as well as Harry Potter. En route we will see a lovely collection of thatched cottages and hear about a gallant highwayman from the 1700s. We will also see a white horse carved in a hillside, beneath the remains of an old iron age fortress and a massive obelisk.

The village of Lacock flourished during the time of the wool trade in the Middle Ages. We'll see a tithe barn from the thirteen hundreds as well as weavers' cottages and an old church. The nearby tannery is a fascinating remnant from the times of local leather working, and an old inn nearby is said to be haunted. A tall horse passage leads to the backyard, a reminder of the times when horse theft was quite common.

Afterwards a drive through the Mendip hills takes us to the Georgian resort of Bath. Originally founded by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago, Bath was a place of rest and recreation for the Romans, and later the members of Georgian society, 250 years ago. The fine limestone built ‘Palladian’ buildings bare testament to the heavy Italian influence of the period. We shall drive around the city looking at many sites, including the Royal Crescent, Queen's Square, The Circus and the Assembly Rooms where patrons would dance and play cards. We shall also see Sally Lunn's, the oldest house in Bath and find out about the special bun she introduced to British cuisine.

Bath Abbey, once coined ‘the lantern of the west’ on account of its large windows, dominates the centre of Bath and it is here that we will explore the excavated Roman Baths. A drive up the escarpment that is the edge of Cotswolds affords us some fine views on a clear day across the valley to the city of Bristol and on occasion we can even see the principality of Wales as we head back to London.