44421LON
Warwick Castle visit & lunch
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage visit
Shakespeare’s Birthplace visit
- All entrances are paid by voucher.
- Confirm visits in advance & ask about special events, closed areas of sites etc. Check times for the events at Warwick.
- Lunch at the castle; many options spread throughout grounds, see maps.
- If no theatre in Stratford, group will see a Shakespeare play in London.
- Dinner in Stratford.
- This is a long day. You will not return to London until past midnight.
Opening days/times, entrance fees, telephone numbers etc. listed on Yellow Pages.
8:00 Depart London. Take M40 to Warwick (junction 15). 2½ hrs.
10:30 Arrive at Warwick Castle. Allow up to 3 hours, including lunch.
Castle opens daily at 10:00am.
Warwick Castle
The castle has much to see and do and you should try to maximize your time here. Set down in coach park. Arrange time/place for departure. Assemble group in group-holding area outside the courtyard. Once through the turn-styles, walk group down the hill and into the main courtyard. Point out the various exhibitions and attractions.
Currently the attractions within the castle are:
1. The Time Tower
2.The Castle Dungeon (extra fee)
3.Tower and Ramparts
4.Grounds and Gardens
5.Secrets and Scandals of the Royal Weekend Party
6.The Princess Tower (timed ticket – aimed at 3-8 year olds)
7.The Grand Interiors
8.The Kingmaker
Add on tickets can be purchased, if so inclined, from Courtyard Ticket Desks. It is best to check all these details before the beginning of your tour so that the group leader can be informed. www.warwick-castle.com The dungeon ticket is timed admission. If purchasing on the day be aware there may not be slots available that suit times of your visit. Warwick website states Dungeon visit takes 50 minutes.
Restaurants are opposite the ticket desk and in the undercroft.
Sandwich and BBQ stalls (burgers etc) in castle grounds during summer.
13:30 Depart for Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Journey time – ½ hour.
Allow 45 minutes for this visit.
Stratford
Ensure group is aware that having left the sites, they cannot re-enter.
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (Shottery)
Set down in Cottage coach park. Arrange time for departure. Re-group at the coach. Walk group to entrance (Now via shop in brick building by coach park) & into gardens. Keep group together (they often disperse into toilets or to take photos of the beautiful gardens). Shop at the Birthplace stocks virtually the same merchandise as at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.
14:45 Depart Cottage for Birthplace. After visit the group has free time.
Shakespeare Centre and Birthplace Set down in the Birthplace coach park (Windsor St.). Walk group to Centre and Birthplace (Henley St.).Warn group to take care when crossing Windsor Street. Entrance via voucher in the centre. You have a choice between brief audio visual or small exhibition, then into gardens, the house and shop. Remind the group that if they exit the gift shop, they won’t be allowed to re-enter. At height of season can become crowded. Ensure group is aware of meeting points/times before they disperse for free time. A good place to meet after the visit is the Jester statue (top of Henley St).
17:3O Dinner will be in a restaurant in Stratford, within a short walking distance of the theatre. Check voucher for location and exact time. After dinner, walk group to the theatre.
Theatre
Ensure group is aware of meeting point after the play. There are several pull in spots for the coach to collect you on Waterside. Journey time back to London is two hours. Take the motorway all the way. Check that you have the correct mobile number for your driver as Frequently, you will have a different driver for your return journey to London and you will need to liaise about your pickup point after the play.
Holy Trinity Church Trinity Street. Sanctuary doorknocker, lovely stained glass, Shakespeare buried in chancel (entrance fee to chancel). Weeping willows in graveyard, picturesque location by river.
Halls Croft Old Town Street. Home of Susanna Shakespeare (eldest daughter) and her doctor husband, John Hall. Fine exhibition of Elizabethan Medicine. (entrance fee)
New Place Chapel Street. Paid admission. New Place was Shakespeare’s last residence (closed during winter)
Grammar School Exhibit on Elizabethan School life. Admission Charge.
Royal Shakespeare Theatre & Swan Theatre Stratford home of the RSC. Waterside. Backstage tours, excellent theatre bookshop and souvenirs. www.rsc.org.uk/theatretours.
Gower Memorial Bancroft Basin by Bridgefoot. Statue (1888) of Shakespeare surrounded by 4 figures from his plays.
Shopping Good mix of High Street and Shakespeare souvenirs.
Bureau de Change – Post Office Henley Street
