wars of the roses - JUNE 4-7, 2026
Itinerary
Day 1
- 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 at The Globe Pub Hotel in Warwick for the night where we will have dinner at 7 pm.
Day 2
- After breakfast we head to Warwick Castle, the seat of the Earls of Warwick and especially Neville - The Kingmaker!
- There we explore this very large medieval castle and climb to the top of the towers in the cramped circular staircases.
- Activities galore at Warwick Castle including: displays of archery, jousting, falconry, and perhaps a medieval trebuchet (catapult). There is also an option for us to see the Medieval Dungeon Experience brought to you by Merlin Entertainment, the same group that host the London Dungeon Experience.
- 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 we head to Leicester, about 1 hour away, 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.
Day 3
- After breakfast we take a 6 minute 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 and get a sense of where the Battle was fought and how it unfolded from a the vantage point of Lord Stanley.
- 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 south to St Albans, Hertfordshire where we will stay at The White Hart Hotel with dinner at Cote Brasserie at 7 pm.
Day 4
- After breakfast we will take a stroll a short stroll to see the magnificent Norman Abbey Church of St Albans (now Cathedral) where many wounded and dying were taken as a refuge in the Battles of St Albans 1455 and 1461.
- We then drive 20 minutes to the Barnet Medieval Medieval Festival which is one of the greatest medieval fairs anywhere.
- Come and witness the recreation of the Battle of Barnet 1471 which was a decisive victory for Edward IV and the end of the Kingmaker - the Earl of Warwick. We will see 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.
- There will be many opportunities to hear talks on many medieval topics like the nobility and the role of prominent women in these Wars of the Roses.
- The day concludes at 5:30 when we will return to the hotel in St Albans to collect our cases and then journey back to Central London where our tour ends.
