Great British Telly: A Tour of England with Buffalo ● Toronto Public Media (2022)

October 17 - 23, 2022

During this special week, we’ll be touring the locations associated with Downton Abbey©, Midsomer Murders, Poldark, Victoria, The Vicar of Dibley, Agatha Raisin, The Bletchley Circle, Inspector Morse, Lewis, and Endeavor, as well as other heritage stops associated with Winston Churchill and Mr. Selfridge.

You will “step inside the screen” as you enjoy the towns and brilliant sites, making connections between our tour stops and the great British programs you have come to love on Buffalo Toronto Public Media. In between “scouting locations” with us, you’ll have time for exploring and shopping, and enjoying beautiful hotels along the way.

Our team will be with you every step of the way to help guide you through this unforgettable travel experience. Please join us for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create some very special memories.


Tour Highlights

  • A tour of Highclere Castle and gardens

  • Unique stops at Bletchley Park, Churchill’s War Rooms and Selfridges & Co.

  • The chance to see iconic villages from The Vicar of Dibley, Midsomer Murders, and Agatha Raisin

  • Special visits in London, The Cotswolds, Oxfordshire

  • A very special overnight experience at Luton Hoo

  • Luxurious accommodations and fine dining

  • And so much more

INCLUSIONS:

  • 13 superior meals
  • 6 nights of deluxe accommodations divided between London, Reading, and Luton
  • Superior motor coach transportation between tour destinations
  • Guides, tours and admission fees at tour venues

SPECIAL EXTRAS INCLUDED IN YOUR ITINERARY:

  • Curator/expert led tours at various times
  • Wine included with all group dinners
  • Snacks at various points throughout the tour
  • Welcome goodie bag with various gifts/niceties
You really hit the mark on hotels, restaurants, travel arrangements, and everything else!
Thank you for providing us with an experience we will never forget.
— Past Guest Quotes

Itinerary

Day 1 - Monday, October 17

  • Morning arrivals to London Heathrow
  • Journey into Central London | Arrive at The Clermont, Charing Cross
    OUR BEAUTIFUL HOTEL IS LOCATED NEXT TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE, AND NEAR ALL OF LONDON’S MAJOR ATTRACTIONS
  • 2:00pm | Walking tour of Historic Central London
    INCLUDING HORSE GUARDS PARADE, WESTMINSTER, AND WHITEHALL
  • Tour of the Churchill War Rooms
    THE ICONIC SITE OF SECRET AND STRATEGIC PLANNING DURING WORLD WAR II
  • Welcome to London reception and group dinner
  • Overnight accommodations at The Clermont, Charing Cross

Today as you arrive in London, you will be greeted by the Transcendent Travel team and we will begin our journey together.

In the afternoon, we’ll participate in a history-focused walking tour of central London and then an unforgettable visit to Churchill’s War Rooms — the secret site where Sir Winston Churchill and his generals did their strategic planning of WWII. These rooms are today, just as they were when the war ended.

In the evening, as you settle into the beautiful Clermont, Charing Cross, located in the heart of London, we will gather for a group welcome reception and delicious dinner to toast our week ahead exploring England.

Day 2 - Tuesday, October 18

  • Delicious full English or Continental breakfast at The Clermont, Charing Cross
  • Coach journey to Oxfordshire — THE HOME OF MIDSOMER MURDERS
  • Expert-led tour of the beautiful village of Dorchester-on-Thames — OFTEN CALLED THE STAR OF MIDSOMER MURDERS AS SO MANY EPISODES HAVE BEEN FILMED HERE
  • Group lunch at the White Hart in Dorchester-on-Thames
  • Journey to the village of Warborough and visit to the Six Bells Pub — FREQUENTLY SEEN IN MIDSOMER MURDERS
  • Free time to explore Reading, Berkshire including Reading Abbey
  • Group dinner at The Roseate Hotel, Reading
  • Overnight accommodations at the Roseate Hotel, Reading

Today we are off to Oxfordshire, to see many of the sites and villages associated with the classic series Midsomer Murders. Our tour of Dorchester-on-Thames will be led by Midsomer Murders experts, and we will see the sites used in filming, as well as beautiful Dorchester Abbey.

For lunch, we will gather at the White Hart Hotel for a delicious group meal, then head to nearby Warborough — a village filled with thatched-roof cottages as well as the Six Bells Pub, where we will enjoy a pint with the locals.

Later in the day, you’ll have some free time in Reading for shopping or seeing the ruins of Reading Abbey.

In the evening, we will dine in our beautiful hotel, The Roseate Hotel, one of the region’s most luxurious places to stay.

Day 3 - Wednesday, October 19

  • Sumptuous breakfast at The Roseate Hotel
  • Private morning visit to Highclere Castle, the home of Downton Abbey©. We will enjoy an arrival reception and private tour—a most exclusive experience!
  • Visit to Chavenage House — THE POLDARK HOUSE
  • Group dinner at The Roseate Hotel, Reading
  • Overnight accommodations at The Roseate Hotel, Reading

Today we’re off to Highclere Castle, the iconic home of Downton Abbey©, where you will enjoy a tour exploring the rooms and gardens that you know so well from this popular series.

After your tour, you’ll have time for lunch or tea onsite as well as a stop to the gift shop where you can pick up the perfect souvenir of your visit.

In the afternoon we’ll head to Chavenage House, known as the Poldark house, famous for its wonderful Elizabethan interiors long before the series premiered.

This evening, we will enjoy another group dinner together at The Roseate Hotel, looking back on what was a very special day.

Day 4 - Thursday, October 20

  • Breakfast at The Roseate Hotel
  • Journey to Oxford for a special Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavour Tour of Historic Oxford
  • Visit to the beautiful village of Biddestone, as seen in the series Agatha Raisin
  • Evening at leisure in the heart of Reading
  • Overnight stay at The Roseate Hotel, Reading

Today, we will start the day in Oxford for a very special Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavour tour of historic Oxford, given by an expert on these wonderful programs and the iconic settings where they are filmed.

In the afternoon, you will see the charming village of Biddestone in Oxfordshire — used as the backdrop of the series Agatha Raisin, based on the books by renowned author M.C. Beaton.

Tonight, you will have an evening at your leisure to explore and dine at one of the great restaurants in Reading, just steps from our hotel.

Day 5 - Friday, October 21

  • Delicious morning breakfast in Reading
  • Guided walking tour of Turville in Buckinghamshire
    THE VICAR OF DIBLEY VILLAGE
  • Visit to Bletchley Park
    HOME OF THE WWII CODEBREAKERS — AS SEEN IN THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE
  • Unforgettable group dinner at Luton Hoo
  • Luxurious overnight accommodations at Luton Hoo
    A TOP-RATED COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL, SPA AND RESTAURANT

Today, we will head to the county of Buckinghamshire to see the village used for the filming of the classic series, The Vicar of Dibley. Our guided tour will show you the sites used for filming, with a few stories along the way.

This afternoon, we will enjoy a tour of Bletchley Park, the secret home of the World War II codebreakers. During this fascinating visit, you will discover how thousands of people secretly worked to eventually break the code and interrupt enemy plans.

Following Bletchley Park, we will head to the glorious country house hotel, Luton Hoo — our home for the evening. Luton Hoo was where HRH The Princess Elizabeth (future Queen Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip spent part of their honeymoon in 1947, and was frequently visited by Queen Victoria. The elegant surroundings of this magnificent hotel will long stay in your memory!

Day 6 - Saturday, October 22

  • Breakfast in the gorgeous dining room at Luton Hoo
  • Journey into Central London
  • Visit to Selfridges — AS SEEN IN MR. SELFRIDGE
  • Visit to The Wallace Collection — ONE OF LONDON’S FINEST MUSEUMS
  • Farewell group dinner in London
  • Overnight accommodations at The Clermont, Charing Cross

Breakfast will be served in the gorgeous dining room at Luton Hoo, after which you’ll perhaps take a stroll around the beautiful gardens, before we are off to London. In London, we will enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of Selfridges & Co. as seen in the series Mr. Selfridge.

You’ll have time after our tour for a little shopping or perhaps a snack in the renowned food halls.

In the afternoon, we will journey to The Wallace Collection. This museum comprises an extensive collection of fine and decorative arts from the 15th through 19th centuries, with important holdings of French 18th-century paintings, furniture, arms and armor, porcelain, and Old Master paintings.

Tonight, we will share a farewell dinner in Central London as we look back over a wonderful journey.

Day 7 - Sunday, October 23

  • Breakfast at The Clermont, Charing Cross, London
  • AM Departures from London — OR PERHAPS YOU’LL WANT TO STAY A FEW EXTRA DAYS IN LONDON?

Tour ends this morning after breakfast.

Tour Price
This is a land-only package. Airfare to and from the United Kingdom is NOT included.

$4,395 per person, double occupancy

$5,395 per-person, single occupancy

  • Should you wish to add additional hotel nights prior to or at the conclusion of the tour, please specify when making your tour reservation.

  • Space is limited on this tour

  • Due to the exclusive nature of the hotel involved, including a hotel with a limited number of rooms, we are only able to offer a limited number of single occupancy rates. Those are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Note: Single rooms in the United Kingdom are often much smaller than double rooms. Paying a single supplement does not guarantee you a full-size double room.

  • All terms and conditions can be seen in the brochure which can be downloaded from this page.

Returning travelers with transcendent℠ receive a 5% discount on the published tour price*

*Discount is only eligible for travelers who have taken and paid for a seven-day tour in the past.

Call us at 1.866.654.7508 to speak to a Transcendent Travel representative.

 

Tom Calderone - BTPM

On behalf of BTPM, I would like to invite you to join us for the Great British Telly Tour, a special tour of England for our most passionate viewers and listeners.
— Tom Calderone - President & CEO - BTPM
Tom is very excited about joining the Great British Telly Tour with fellow supporters of Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
Michael Schutes