Paull's Inside Track |
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Think Britain, Think Paull Your Personal Travel Advisor
Issue 335 | 1st July 2020
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Welcome |
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With a pause in Oxford for a full English Breakfast at the 5-star Randolph Hotel and a leisurely guided leg stretch around the university colleges, the drive from London Heathrow to somewhere like Moreton in Marsh can take a pleasant and enjoyable 2.5 – 3 hours. Once checked in, it makes a very good base for a number of interesting visits. I’ve made a few suggestions which can be blended together to suit your client’s interests, time frame and budget. The Cotswolds is a great place to park jetlag before beginning the assault on London!
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A Treasure Trove Of Cotswolds Gardens |
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My favourite Cotswolds Sunday pastime is Morning Worship in a 15th century church, a pub lunch with a glass of Old Speckled Hen, a stroll around a village like Blockley (see video) where 6 or more private properties, both large an small open as part of the National Garden Scheme, rounded off with tea and homemade cakes. |
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Just ImaGINe This |
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I can arrange memorable Cotswolds tearoom and pub tours but here’s one with a very clear gin distillery theme. With the addition of some of our magnificent castles and treasure-filled stately homes it works really well as a 3-4-night pre/post cruise extension or as an English countryside programme prior to a few days in London.
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A Cotswolds Tour Of Your Bookshelf |
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This fiction into reality tour uses the Cotswolds as a 4-5 night hub for visits to Shakespeare’s England and reveals Bath as seen through the eyes of Jane Austen. It also looks at the England immortalised in Laurie Lee’s ‘Cider with Rosie’ and follows in the footsteps of Agatha Raisin, Father Brown, and the great detectives, Inspectors Morse, Lewis, and Barnaby.
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Festival of Eventing |
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I’m certain that several of you have contacts at riding schools/equestrian centres. For families, offer them the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park (3rd-5th August) at the home of the Princess Royal and her family. Topped and tailed with London, you have clients that will love this new idea. Notice too short? Consider the Badminton Horse Trials 6th-10th May 2020 also in the Cotswolds. |
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Tapestries, A Spa and Some Royal Connections |
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William Morris, the Woodstock Textile Trail and ecclesiastical vestments at Christ Church Cathedral Oxford come together with some self-improvement at the beautiful and privately-owned Herbs for Healing, a traditional English Afternoon Tea and a treatment at the Thermae Bath Spa. The return to London includes a look at the Duchess of Cambridge’s early childhood years in and around Bucklebury.
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The World’s Greatest Airshow |
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Few events can rival the intensity, drama and spectacle on offer at the RAF Fairford Air Tattoo with one of the world’s most diverse flying displays of military aircraft. Cancelled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic it will return to celebrate its 50th anniversary on 16th-18th July 2021. Watch this space for further updates.
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