It's official – overnight stays allowed in England from July 4th! Let's get inspired!

23 June 2020

Anyone keeping on top of the news will know that today it was announced that in England, from July 4th, hotels, bed & breakfasts, holiday homes, campsites, caravan parks and boarding houses will all be able to reopen. Overnight stays are back! This will come as a welcome relief to those of us waiting patiently to get back out there and travel, after what feels like a very long time spent in isolation!

So, if you're already thinking about where you'd like to visit in England, let us help get you on your way with some inspiration.

Oh, and don't forget, we have just announced an industry-leading COVID-19 response initiative, which features 11 actions – all of which will help to minimise exposure to the virus where possible and enable you to return to your holidays safely, and with confidence.

Highlights of Hadrian's Wall - 20th September, 2020

Perfect for first-time visitors to this magnificent sprawling site or for anyone wishing to return and discover more, our Highlights of Hadrian's Wall tour is due to depart next on 20th September. Explore this Roman frontier, but with less walking involved than our Walking Hadrian's Wall tour, in the company of guide lecturer Tony Wilmott, one of the leading experts in Roman archaeology.

Click here for the full itinerary.

Archaeology & Ghosts in East Anglia - 14th December, 2020

This unique tour focuses on author M. R. James and the supernatural, taking you to an array of sites in and around East Anglia. Despite it's short length at just four days, this tour showcases world-class archaeological sites that are to be seen, together with a peep behind the curtain into pandemonium as we follow James’ fiction between monuments. See Neolithic flint mines at Grime’s Graves, tour Sutton Hoo (the burial place of kings and Britain’s richest archaeological find) and visit the reconstructed Saxon village at West Stow – a chance to sit in a Saxon Hall!

Click here for the full itinerary.

Christmas in Wessex - 22nd December, 2020

Looking to get away for the holidays and delve into rich history and archaeology? How about our Christmas in Wessex short break. The chalk downs of this ancient kingdom have been a focus for monumental building and funerary ritual for more than five millennia. Henges, burial mounds of all shapes and sizes, causewayed camps, early field systems and ‘cursus’ monuments are scattered everywhere, forming a landscape full of clues and interest, but unintelligible to the untrained eye. Excursions include a day among the stone circle in Avebury as well as visits to Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow, and – on the morning of Christmas Eve – we visit the world-famous monument of Stonehenge. We also explore medieval Salisbury, visiting Salisbury Cathedral and the historic Christmas markets in both Salisbury and Winchester.

Click here for the full itinerary.

Wartime Britain: Dogfights & Double Agents - 1st March & 7th June, 2021

This tour, led by Colonel Paul Beaver, explores nerve centres of the Battle of Britain, from the headquarters of RAF Fighter Command to Bentley Priory and even the Uxbridge Bunker from where Air Vice-Marshal Park controlled the fight to protect London and the south-east of England. However, it starts with the ultra-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, where we can learn how German agents were turned to double-cross their paymasters in Berlin.

Click here for the full itinerary.

York - from Roman to Viking - 19th March, 2021

In this tour of York, led by former York City Archaeologist John Oxley, we will explore the city, looking in detail at the impact and legacy of the Viking settlers. We will consider what the city was like before the Vikings arrived and how it was transformed by the influx of triumphant Scandinavians into a city of culture and learning, epitomised by the work of Alcuin. Visit the world-class Jorvik Centre and enjoy behind the scenes access there, tour the Yorkshire Museum (again, on a special access visit) and pay a visit to the magnificent York Minster.

Click here for the full itinerary.

Great Cathedrals of the South West - 25th March, 2021

This tour in the heart of south-western England offers you an architectural journey of a collection of some of our most glorious cathedrals. From the Norman Conquest to the 16th century Reformation, you will tour the breadth of the Middle Ages, with access behind the scenes of these magnificent edifices. Immersed in the minds and lives of past masons and monarchs, this tour unravels the extraordinary construction of the cathedrals so intricately laced with the political, social, economic and cultural history of England. Visit Salisbury Cathedral, Wells Cathedral and Winchester Cathedral.

Click here for the full itinerary.

Study Days

We can't mention our archaeological and historic England-based short breaks without talking about our selection of fantastic Study Days! These unique, expert-led days out in and around the country offer hands-on, privileged insights into the working world of archaeology. Join a Study Day and you’ll be part of a small group of like-minded, curious individuals with a maximum group size of 25 and a minimum of just 12 – ideal for hands-on learning! You'll enjoy a fusion of practical demonstrations, handling sessions, guided tours and walks, and lectures as part of your experience, and we'll treat you to special access to museums, galleries and archaeological sites that are otherwise closed to the general public.

Click here for the full collection.