Downton Abbey fans cruising in or out of Southampton will be interested in this week’s top story which features a driver guided tour to Highclere Castle and other locations featured in the popular TV series.  More Masterpiece heroes appear in Oxford where the literary landscape is enhanced with locations used in the filming of Endeavour, Inspector Morse and Lewis.

This year, we’re celebrating the 75^th anniversary of the WWII D Day Normandy landings which encourages a visit to eponymous museum in the great waterfront city Portsmouth.

The Trail of Three Cities links together the great heritage cities of Salisbury, Bath and Oxford while Profusions of Colour showcases stunning gardens that have won the prestigious Historic Houses Association/Christie’s Garden of the Year Award.

For clients cruising in or out of Harwich, you can offer fans of crime writer Dick Francis a source of inspiration tour of Newmarket, the UK headquarters of thoroughbred breeding, racing and training.

If you can spare another 5 minutes, check out my recent Britain Insider column on ‘A Tapestry of English Experiences’.

Downton Abbey Discovered

This hugely popular TV series may no longer be the main reason for staying on a Sunday evening but a deep affection for the show still lingers on.  For clients cruising in or out of Southampton when Highclere Castle opens between 7^th July and 3^rd September, why not offer fans this 3-night driver guided cruise extension?  It includes other important On Location sites.  Read more

Oxford's Literary Landscapes

In this tour of your bookshelf, Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavour in Oxford join forces with Sir Winston Churchill at Blenheim Palace and Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild’s superb collection of art treasures at Waddesdon Manor.  To increase the interest, I’ve also included Jane Austen’s home at Chawton and her burial place in the spectacular Winchester Cathedral. Read more

The Flagship of Maritime England

This year, we’re marking the 75^th anniversary of D Day and Portsmouth makes a great base for a tour which includes leisurely visits to HMS Victory and the Mary Rose in the Historic Dockyard and an hour or two at the D Day Museum.  Check out ‘A Study in Sherlock’ in the city Museum which explores the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read more

The Trail of Three Cities

Perfect for Southampton arrivals or departures this series of short hops brings together the iconic cities of Salisbury, Bath and Oxford.  It also introduces your clients to Arthurian legends, Jane Austen and Georgian England, Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavour, Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, some personally recommended traditional country pubs and quite a lot else besides. Read more

A Profusion of Colour

This fragrant and colour-filled tour blends 3-4 award winning gardens with several privately- owned properties that open as part of the National Garden Scheme. It makes a great pre or post addition to a day at Chelsea (end May) or the Hampton Court Flower Show (early July) and can be adjusted to suit a Dover or Southampton cruise sailing. Read more

The Sport of Queens

While recently developing a murder mystery writer’s tour, I thought of Dick Francis and his crime novels set in the world of horse racing.  It led me to a 2-night Newmarket-based programme with a side trip to Sandringham, Her Majesty The Queen’s country retreat, Choral Evensong at Kings College Cambridge and a Dick Francis themed tour of the famous Newmarket Racecourse. Read more