Telling the Stories Brochure

A Seafang Nation
Exploring England’s maritime heritage
Highlights
TOUR
• Discover an awe-inspiring
collection of ships and museums
at Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard and
visit the most complete dockyard of sail
at Chatham.
• Stand at the centre of time at Greenwich.
• Marvel at Henry VIII’s warship, the
Mary Rose, lost with all hands in 1545,
recovered from the seabed in 1982.
• Walk the decks of Nelson’s Victory
and see the coat he wore when fatally
wounded at the battle of Trafalgar.
• Discover stories hidden beneath the
streets of London, exploring the World
War II bunker where Churchill led Britain
to victory.
Tour Type: Immersion
Entry and Departure Point:
London Gatwick Airport
20
HMS Cavalier, Chatham Historic Dockyard. Photo: Visit Kent / HMS Victory, Portsmouth Dockyard. Photo: Visit England, Visit Hampshire
Maritime trade and naval power have always
been critical to England’s story, from early
pre-historic and Roman settlers to Drake’s
golden age of exploration, and the flowering
of the Royal Navy. England’s national
identity has been powerfully shaped by our
coastal and maritime history and heritage.
We will see historic ships, dockyards,
coastlines and uncover the real stories
of iconic maritime conflicts such as the
Battle of Trafalgar and the D-Day landings.
We visit world class maritime heritage sites,
including UNESCO World Heritage sites at
Greenwich Royal Observatory, the ’home
of time’, and London’s National Maritime
Museum; Portsmouth Historic Dockyard,
still situated within a working Naval Base;
and Kent’s impressively conserved Chatham
Historic Dockyard.
We will also explore the coastline and local
character of Southern England, delighting in
picturesque harbours, local food specialities
and the music of traditional sea shanties.
Tour Director: Helen Jackson
A professional curator and heritage advisor, previously held Chief
Executive positions at the Campaign for National Parks, and Museums,
Libraries and Archives South East. As a heritage specialist she has a
particular passion for England’s distinctive regional landscapes and their
unique associated cultural heritage. She is currently a Secretary of State
appointed member of the South Downs National Park, a member of
the Heritage Lottery Fund’s South East of England Committee, and is
a trustee of several museums, arts and wildlife charities.
Outline Itinerary
Explore Churchill’s War Rooms,
which remain as they were in 1945.
Cruise along the River Thames to
Greenwich for a unique perspective
on the city’s rich maritime history.
Spend a full day at the Royal
Museums Greenwich, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, and home to
the Royal Observatory Greenwich,
and the tea clipper Cutty Sark.
Vist Chatham Historic Dockyard,
the world’s most complete dockyard
of the age of sail. Discover the site’s
rich maritime heritage and enjoy a
private tour of the (famously haunted)
Commissioner’s House.
See Dover’s famous Bronze Age
Boat – discovered in 1992 and
thought to be some 3000 years old
and Dover’s famous white cliffs.
Visit Fort Nelson, one of the five
defensive forts built to protect the
Portsmouth naval base. We discover
the story of D-Day from planning and
build up to the landings in Normandy
in 1944.
Spend a full day in Portsmouth,
home to HMS Victory and the Tudor
Mary Rose, one of three operating
bases in the UK for the British Royal
Navy. Explore the historic Georgian
dockyard buildings, take a harbour
tour for a sea-view of the city.
Finally enjoy dinner aboard HMS
Warrior, Britain’s first iron-hulled,
armoured warship.
& To book, Call toll free: 1 844 221 3366 or visit www.ukcountrysidetours.com History and Heritage / 15