Pictures from England

A Pilgrimage to England

Led by:

Ethan Chamberlain
St. Anne’s Episcopal Church
West Chester, OH

June 23 – July 1, 2009

Trip map

DAY 1, Tuesday, June 23, 2009, - Depart the United States on a wide-body jet for a trans-Atlantic flight to London Dinner on board the aircraft. D

DAY 2: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - Arrive London’s Gatwick Airport and meet our driver and guide.  We will travel into the city with our first stop at King’s Cross Station.  After lunch we will visit St. Paul’s Cathedral, rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the great fire in 1666.  Be sure to see the American Chapel, the Whispering Gallery, and the tombs of Nelson and Wellington.  We will top the afternoon off with a ride on the London Eye, the largest Ferris wheel in the world.  The view from the wheel is magnificent and you will see for miles in each direction.  We continue on to the British Library, were we will view the Magna Carta and Gutenberg Bible.  This evening we will enjoy our “welcome to England” dinner at an authentic English Pub in the West End of London.  Overnight London. D

DAY 3: Thursday, June 25, 2009 - After breakfast we will tour Westminster Abbey, the burial place of many of Britain’s famous personalities, as well as the coronation location of the monarchs.  We will see "Poet's Corner", the magnificent choir loft, and the tomb of Britain’s Unknown Soldier.  Pending confirmation, we visit Lambeth Palace, the residence and working office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the worldwide Anglican Church.  We will enjoy some prayer time in the Archbishop’s chapel where kings and queens have prayed for centuries.  If we are unable to visit Lambeth Palace, we will visit St. Martin-in-the-Fields, a church that has been innovative in the response to the changing needs of the people it serves.  St. Martin-in-the-Fields had the first free lending library, the first religious broadcast and has broken new ground in defining what it means to be a church.  Time permitting; we will visit Buckingham Palace, home of the Queen, for the 11 AM Changing of the Guard.  We continue on to the National Gallery, which houses one of the greatest collections of Western European paintings in the world.  These pictures belong to the public and entrance to see them is free.  Our final stop today will be Bracknell where we will stay at Newbold College. BD

DAY 4: Friday, June 26, 2009 - This morning we travel to Uffington where we will enjoy a 1/3 mile hike to Uffington White Horse, a mysterious White Horse carved into the chalk hillside above the village of Uffington.  We continue to Oxford with its combination of academia and the bustle of modern life.  All together there are 40 different colleges where undergraduates live and study.  We will enjoy lunch at the Eagle and Child Pub, once the haunt of J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis and other Anglican literary types.  We enjoy a walking tour of the colleges and visit Christ Church College within whose walls you will find the tiny Cathedral of Oxford.  We visit St. Mary’s Church, where Thomas Cramner was dragged from the pulpit and burned in the street.  We will enjoy Evensong at Oxford Cathedral at 6 PM prior to returning to Bracknell for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 5: Saturday, June 27, 2009 - Today we travel to Coventry.  We will see the medieval cathedral which was bombed and virtually destroyed by the German Luftwaffe in World War II and then the modern cathedral which was built inside the medieval shell as a monument to peace.  Time permitting; we visit Douai Abbey to participate in the 6 PM Sung Evensong.  This community of monks of the English Benedictine Congregation is situated between Reading and Newbury, in the Royal County of Berkshire.  We return to Bracknell for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 6: Sunday, June 28, 2009 - This morning we depart for Stonehenge, the puzzling circle of stones which was begun around 2800 BC.  No definitive explanation has ever been given for this monument, but it is widely believed to have been a religious site and may have had some astronomical purpose.  We now depart for Salisbury which only became an important city when the diocese of Old Sarum was moved to Salisbury in the 13th century.  In the same area as Stonehenge, we will explore Avebury Stone Circles, a monument erected around 2450 to 2200 BC.  Many scholars say Avebury surpasses Stonehenge.  This afternoon we enjoy an afternoon walking tour of Salisbury visiting the CathedralSalisbury Cathedral is famous for its Close, the largest in England, and its spire the tallest in England.  We visit the medieval layout of squares around the cathedral, enjoying the spacious lawns, trees and old houses.  The Cathedral was consecrated in 1258 and was begun by Bishop Poore in 1220.  We return to Bracknell for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 7: Monday, June 29, 2009 - We travel to the small village of Charing, where we will walk the traditional path of the Old Pilgrim’s WayCharing is a small historic village with a pretty parish church and a former Archbishop’s Palace where Henry VII stayed en route to Dover.  The Pilgrim’s Way runs adjacent to the village, partly over the Kent Downs, some gentle hills and pretty tree lined paths.  We will walk part of the way and then drive to Chilham, a small hilltop village where we can enjoy a pub lunch and then drive another short way toward Canterbury to Thannington where we will begin our final walk into Canterbury.  Our coach will travel with us so anyone needing to board may do so.  This evening we will enjoy dinner with our host families in Herne Bay. BD

DAY 8: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - Today we will visit Canterbury Cathedral where we will learn about the history and spirituality of the Cathedral and the concept and practice of pilgrimage.  We will also tour the Cathedral focusing on pilgrimage, including a short meditation on the theme "Journey Inward, Journey Outward".  We will then attend a candlelit short Taize style service at the nearby ancient parish church of St. Martins.  In the evening we will attend Evensong at the Cathedral before returning to our host families for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 9: Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - Depart for London Gatwick Airport and board our flight back to the United States. BL

Price: $2,579.00  Price is based on double occupancy without airline taxes and fuel surcharges.  Roundtrip air from Cincinnati, OH.  Air transportation available from other cities.  Single supplement $229.00. 

** The price is not guaranteed and may change due to the fluctuation of the British Pound and the US dollar.  We make every effort to avoid any increase and will only do so if the value of the dollar falls against the British Pound.  Your pricing was based on the exchange rate of $1.73617 to the British Pound. **

Final Payment due by March 24, 2009.

Cancellation Penalties
◊ October 9, 2008 – March 24, 2009 - $200.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ March 25, 2009 – May 22, 2009 - $300.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ After May 23, 2009: NO REFUND

Price includes Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance

Meals: B Breakfast, L Lunch, D Dinner

The itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions or at the discretion and direction of the leader or guide.

$200.00 per person deposit due with registration and copy of passport.