wars of the roses - JULY 10-13, 2026

We meet early (at 7 am) in central London where our driver will take us west to the Cotswolds.
Our first stop is Sudeley Castle, a 15th century castle once owned by Richard III and later on by Katherine Parr - Henry VIII's last wife who survived! We will tour the magnificent castle and grounds.
Next we take a short drive to the beautiful town of Winchcombe and stop for a lunch at the Lion Inn Pub.
After lunch we head to the Norman church at Stoke Orchard to wonder at its awesome late 12th century medieval wall paintings and to learn about the importance of the Church in medieval times and in the management of the Kingdom of England in the Middle Ages. This experience reveals the experience of celebrating events inside a true medieval church at the time of Richard the Lionheart and King John.
Just a further short drive away and we will be at Tewkesbury Abbey. We will get a close look at this Norman abbey and see the final resting place of so many Lancastrians some of whom lost their lives inside the church and where so many perished on the battlefield a few hundred yards away head on 4 May 1471.
We stay the night in for the night at The Tudor House Hotel in town where we will have dinner at 7 pm.

After breakfast we will experience the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival which is the greatest medieval fair anywhere.
Come and witness the recreation of the Battle of Tewkesbury 1471 as well as the many medieval reenactors who make the experience so memorable.
Come along and talk to the medieval barber, merchants, armourers, arrow makers and so many more. Visit Edward IV's Camp and that of his rival Queen Margaret along with Bloody Meadow.
We will be treated to a Falconry display and you can try your luck at archery.
We will return to the Abbey for a medieval church procession with all of its pomp and pageantry - please leave your sword and mace at the door please - this is a place of worship after all.
Once the day's events are done we head to Warwick for dinner and a night at the Globe Inn.

After breakfast we head to Warwick Castle, the seat of the Earls of Warwick and especially Neville - The Kingmaker!
There we will follow a guided tour of this very large medieval castle.
Activities galore at Warwick Castle including: displays of archery, jousting, falconry, and perhaps a medieval trebuchet (catapult). There is also a tour of the Medieval Dungeon brought to you by Merlin Entertainment.
Visit the late Victorian rooms 'upstairs' where the elite of England's society carried on including Daisy Warwick and Edward VII.
Later in the afternoon we walk over for an English Afternoon Tea at the Thomas Oken Tea Rooms.
We also stop at the nearby 12th century St Mary's Church, the burial site of the Earl of Warwick, Richard Beauchamp as well as Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester - the favourite of Queen Elizabeth I.
After our time in Warwick he head to Leicester the location from which King Richard III set off to face his rival Henry Tudor in 1485.
We check in to the Novotel Hotel and then head to The Globe, Leicester's oldest pub since 1720, just a short walk away.

After breakfast we walk to the Richard III Museum and Visitor's Centre made famous following his discovery in the parking lot after five centuries,
We then visit his final resting place in Leicester Cathedral,
Lunch is once again the The Globe just around the corner,
We then drive to Bosworth Field, the battle site where, according to Shakespeare, King Richard III cried out 'my Kingdom for a horse'
We spend the afternoon at Bosworth's museum followed by walking Ambion Hill, where Richard III camped before the final battle,
From Bosworth Field we stop by at Dadlington Church where the Stanleys were waiting before joining the battle.
After the church we drive a few minutes to witness the true location of the battlefield and glance at where historians believe Richard III fell in battle.
We then head back to central London where our tour concludes.