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Archive for May, 2011

Upcoming Executed Queens Tour

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Last year's Anne Boleyn Experience group

I can’t quite believe how quickly the time has flown by since our May 2010 Anne Boleyn Experience and now I am packing for the Executed Queens Tour 2011 which starts on Sunday.

I am so excited about this tour, which is a brand new one this year. We have 24 attendees from lots of different countries –  the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada and the Netherlands – but we all have one thing in common, our love of Tudor history! It’s going to be so wonderful to discuss Tudor history all week, to get to know other Tudor history fans, to visit magical Tudor attractions, to stay at Hever Castle and to listen to our guest speakers and learn more about our favourite subject.

I will be doing a daily blog diary, but here us what we will be getting up to:-

  • Visiting the ruins of Bradgate House, Lady Jane Grey’s family home
  • Staying at the 17th century Bosworth Hall Hotel for three nights
  • Visiting Sheffield Manor Lodge, once the prison of Mary Queen of Scots
  • Visiting the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre
  • Staying at Hever Castle for three nights
  • Exploring Hever Castle and its gardens
  • Visiting the Tower of London on the anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s execution
  • Visiting Hampton Court Palace
  • Dining with and listening to Eric Ives, John Guy and Leanda de Lisle

Now can you understand why I am so excited!

I’m also happy that we have a few repeat attendees from last year’s tour, it’s so good to know that they enjoyed themselves.

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Don’t Just Visit Castles, Stay in Them!

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

The table where we sat and had coffee! What a view!

What history lover hasn’t dreamed of staying overnight in a castle? Well, now you can!

When I started planning my very first history tour, I spoke to Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and asked them if it was possible to stay there. I was blown away when they said that if I was willing to book the whole Astor Wing then I could – wow!

So, Tim and I and 19 other Tudor history lovers spent four nights last May at Hever Castle in their private Astor Wing. We had the whole wing to ourselves, we got to eat in the main castle dining room and we had access to the castle and grounds when the general public weren’t around.  Tim and I made a habit of walking down to the lake every morning before breakfast and chatting to the gardeners as they went about their daily sprucing of the exquisite gardens. Did we pretend that we were the Lord and Lady of the estate? You bet we did, in our heads anyway! It was pure magic!

But Hever Castle isn’t the only castle you can stay at on our tours. We have just added the Discover the Tudors tour to our programme and that includes a stay at Leeds Castle, a castle which dates back to the 12th century and which received a visit from Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon in 1520 as they made their way to the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

What about our other accommodation venues, are they castles?

Well, here’s a brief rundown…

  • Alveston Manor Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon – This hotel in the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare, has parts which date back to the 16th century. Features include Tudor panelling, leaded lights and an Elizabethan staircase. It also has a vaulted cellar leading to an underground passage which was once used by monks from Worcester. This hotel is used on the Discover the Tudors Tour.
  • Bosworth Hall Hotel and Spa – This a Grade II listed mansion, set in 11 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, which dates back to the 17th century. It features individually designed rooms with a period style. This hotel is used on the Executed Queens Tour.
  • The Tower Hotel – Not a historic building but we chose this luxury 4 star Guoman Hotel because of its location, just a stone’s thrown from Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, and with views over the River Thames. Close to the action of Tudor London! This hotel is used on the Tudor London Tour.

Last Year's Anne Boleyn Experience group dining in Hever Castle's dining room

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Our Mission – Providing Dream Vacations for History Lovers

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Our very first tour, the May 2010 Anne Boleyn Experience, came about because of emails that Anne Boleyn Files visitors sent me regarding Tudor themed tours. They wanted luxury tours with accommodation in historic places which were focused on Anne Boleyn and Tudor history. So, I got planning and I pretty much planned MY dream vacation, a tour that would be for me, a Tudor history lover, a life-time experience and a dream come true. That was The Anne Boleyn Experience.

The Astor Wing - Our private accommodation at Hever Castle

In May 2010 my dream came true and so did the dreams of the 19 people who came on the tour. We stayed at Hever Castle, we chatted Tudor history, we walked in Anne Boleyn’s footsteps, we ate in the main castle dining room surrounded by historic portraits and tapestries, we visited Anne Boleyn’s memorial tile and laid flowers there on the 19th May, we listened to guest speakers, experts in their field, we celebrated our passion for Tudor history and had a whale of a time. It was amazing!

I am counting the days until our May Executed Queens Tour, I am so excited, and what’s wonderful is that many people who I met at The Anne Boleyn Experience last year are coming back for more. That is heartwarming and I can’t wait to see them again and I also can’t wait to meet some new Tudor history lovers. It’s so nice to talk history and not have people’s eyes glaze over!

Why am I telling you this? Well, I just wanted to show my sincere passion for these tours and the mission that Tim and I have in setting up this new tour company and expanding our programme. We truly want to provide dream vacations for history lovers. We want people to enjoy the experience of a lifetime and to go back home with memories they will always treasure, with that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with having had a really good time. If we can combine that with expanding their historical knowledge then Tim and I will be very happy and fulfilled people!

Dinner in the main castle dining room

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What our guests said

The Anne Boleyn Experience 2010 was the trip of a lifetime. Staying in Anne Boleyn’s childhood home was exciting, the food was excellent, and it was great to get together with other Anne Boleyn fans. I would highly recommend it to any Anne Boleyn or Tudor history buffs.        

Nancy, New Jersey
Anne Boleyn Experience

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