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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.
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