Festival Tours International's

SUMMER MUSIC TRIP 2002 TO ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND

London - Oxford - Perthshire, 
Scotland - Edinburgh International Festival - Private Castles - Classic Pubs - Musicians' Homes and Villages - plus 
Fairport Convention at their annual Cropredy Reunion Festival

England Only: August 4 - 11, 2002
 
All inclusive price includes all hotel accommodations * All breakfasts in England and Scotland * All land transportation * Musical dinner cruise down the Thames * Visit to the Cotswolds with Dave Pegg and Fairport * Tickets to the Fairport Festival * Fairport barbecue and cricket game * Fairport warmup night in Banbury * Dinner at Swinton Park Castle Hotel * Brewery tour in Masham, Yorkshire Countryside * Walk in the Northumbrian Hills with Alistair Anderson * Northumbrian Night Concert & Dance * Dinner in the Scottish Highlands * Strawberries & Cream reception at the pivately owned Towie Barclay Castle * Whisky Distillery Tour * Private tour of Glen Grant Gardens * Scottish Ceilidh * Afternoon tea in Edinburgh * Plenty of freetime and many extras!

See the Britain the tourists don't see!
"Nancy's trips have a real spirit of exploration and adventure. She takes you to amazing places tourists never go. We made contacts and new friends and did so many things that you just couldn't do on your own..."

     Musician HENRY KAISER

 
Festival Tours International
Nancy Covey * Joey Thompson * Carole Raye
15332 Antioch St., #17, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Fax/Tel (818) 346-5146    (310) 454-4080
E-mail: Festtours@aol.com

WWW: http://www.gumbopages.com/festivaltours/
BCM Festival Tours, London WC1N 3XX
Fax: 0207 435-7779


ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS -- England/Scotland Music Tour '02

2002's Fabulous Group!

Join us on our unique trip to England and Scotland. Visit the Britain the tourists don't see, with music as our focus and musicians as our personal guides. We will take long walks through the countryside and have fireside visits as friends open their homes and villages to us for special concerts arranged just for our trip. We'll meet and mix with the locals and discover Britain from a new and definitely non-tourist approach, while travelling to some of the most beautiful places in the British Isles. Unlike most tours, our schedule is always loosely structured and open to the spontaneity of friends, musicians and events which are often times not planned far in advance ...

Saturday - Sunday, August 3 - 4 - London
Optional arrival times in London. We can book additional nights for you at our hotel, The Vanderbilt, which is conveniently located near the Victoria & Albert Museum, The Natural History Museum, Hyde Park and just across the street from the Gloucester Road underground station. Enjoy these extras in London on your own until our tour begins on Sunday.

Sunday - Tuesday, August 4 - 5 - London
We begin our trip with a private moonlit dinner cruise down the Thames as we watch the sights and lights of Big Ben and the spectacular Houses of Parliament. Be serenaded by special guest musicians such as Loudon Wainwright III, Iain Matthews, Jerry Donohue or the Albion Band. There will be plenty of free time here in London to explore this fascinating city. Visit the Tower of London, wander the famous museums, enjoy a sumptuous afternoon tea or stroll through one of London's many beautiful green parks. In the evenings enjoy the spirits in a cozy pub, catch a gig in one of the clubs or see some of the best theatre productions in the world.

Tuesday, August 6 - Banbury
We leave London behind and travel to the Cotswolds, one of the most beautiful counties of England. We arrive at the ancient market town of Banbury which will be our base for the week. We'll stay in the wonderfully English hotel, The Whately Hall, which is located right in front of the famous Banbury Cross. Tonight we'll have tickets for Fairport's pre-festival warmup concert in the small town of Banbury. These warmup gigs are always sold out and are often times some of the best concerts you'll ever hear from the band!

Wednesday, August 7 Banbury
Travel to the beautiful Cotswold countryside. We'll stop at a picturesque village for lunch in a thatched village pub. Then spend the afternoon with FAIRPORT band members swapping stories and sipping ale over a pub lunch (optional tickets available).

Thursday - Saturday, August 8-10 - Cropredy
The weekend will be spent at the Fairport Convention Reunion Festival, which takes place on a grassy field overlooking the rolling hills outside the village of Cropredy. This will be the 35th anniversary of Fairport Convention, so it will be very special, and a real "reunion" of former Fairport members! Special guests will include Richard Thompson and Iain Matthews, among others yet to be announced.

Sunday, August 11 - Masham, Yorkshire
Drive north through the green English countryside to the Yorkshire town of Masham, home of the famous Theakston's and Black Sheep Breweries. Today enjoy our R&R at the magnificent Swinton Park Castle Hotel. Tonight we've invited the finest and most well known Yorkshire musicians, Martin Carthy and Norma and Mike Waterson, to come along to Swinton for a fireside concert just for us. Relax around in the drawing room here at the castle and listen to their songs and stories of this beautiful region. A rare and special treat!

Monday & Tuesday, August 12 - 13 - Alnwick
We begin the morning with a tour of Theakton's Brewery, then we drive on to the market town of Annwick, Northumberland. We'll do a walk on Tuesday with Alastair Anderson, the famous Northumbrian piper and "The King of the English Concertina". That night, Alastair has arranged for a concert and dance in the village hall, with the best Northumbrian traditional musicians around!

Wednesday, August 14 - Scotland!
Our trip takes us northwards crossing the border into Scotland. We'll be visiting Towie Barclay Castle for afternoon tea with Marc and Karen Ellington. (For those of you who know your Fairport trivia, guess the name of the album that Marc Ellington played on!) Marc is now the deputy lieutenant of Aberdeenshire and Karen is a world renowned gardener. Their privately owned castle is not open to the public. After a reception of locally grown Scottish strawberries and cream, Marc will invite us into the castle for a personal viewing of their home and treasures. Tonight we'll continue to the Craigellachie Hotel in Speyside, where we'll spend the night. Their bar features almost 400 kinds of whisky!

Thursday - Sunday, August 15 - 18 - Edinburgh
The capital of Scotland since the 12th Century, the magnificent city of Edinburgh is built around its world-famous castle. This time of year the city truly comes alive with the Edinburgh International Festival which is the biggest arts festival in the world. Throughout the city there are literally thousands of presentations of music, theatre, dance and art. You'll have plenty of free time to "do" the festival at your own pace. Spend Thursday morning at Glen Grant Distillery for a private tour of the distillery and the award-winning garden that Karen Ellington restored. Perhaps have a drink from the "whisky safe" hidden alongside the rushing river. We'll stumble back into the bus and head off to Edinburgh Saturday afternoon, where we'll all gather one last time to enjoy an afternoon high tea! The tour "officially" ends Sunday, but you can add extra days at the end (or beginning) of your trip.

 
Want to know more? Phone, fax or write to:

Nancy Covey or Joey Thompson
Festival Tours International
15332 Antioch St., #17, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Fax/Tel (818) 346-5146   (310) 454-4080
E-mail: Festtours@aol.com

Nancy Covey

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