One Week From Today!

Here is our rough itinerary... I think I will be a little tired if we really do all of this but is certainly sounds like fun!

Day 1 Tuesday 7/24:

Ely Town/Cathedral “AKA” Oliver Cromwells Castle/Cambridge College Town
0800 Leave for Cambridge Park and ride.
1030 – 1230 Walking Tour of Cambridge
1230 – 1400 Lunch, shop markets, Sports Store (Lonsdale Attire) any other sites you’d like to see there. Jump on bus back to car and head out to Ely.
http://www.visitcambridge.org/visitors/guidedtours.php
1530 Ely Walk about, see Cathedral, river boat cruise Oliver Cromwells birth place(?)
http://www.ely.org.uk/
Nice walking tour, river boat cruise tour, Cathedral is amazing too.
Whenever you’ve had enough we’ll head back to Brandon!

OR (whichever of these you don’t choose, we can incorporate into Heidi’s stay if she’d like)

Lavenham and Bury St Edmonds
http://www.lavenhameatshopstay.co.uk/
0900 head out to See the town that the poem “There was a crooked man, who walked a crooked mile…” came from! The buildings are crooked! It’s a quant little place with tea rooms, gardens and shops. 2 hours long enough – leave at about 1200 to Bury St Edmonds
http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/
1230 – 1530 Great town to walk around and see the beautiful buildings, shops, gardens and cathedral. Lunch in the Abby Gardens—great for a picnic lunch…awesome picture spots.

Day 2 Wednesday 7/25:

London
0600 Leave for Epping train station @
0800 Arrive in London @ Westminster station
Major picture spots: Big Ben, Red Phone Booth, Westminster Abby, walk down to Trafalger Square, http://www.london.gov.uk/trafalgarsquare/visit/index.jsp Princess Diana memorial park/walk end at Buckingham Palace http://www.travellady.com/articles/article-diana.html
1100ish Arrive at Buckingham Palace for changing of the guard and pictures http://www.changing-the-guard.com/bphistory.htm
1200 Hop on Hop off bus tour (at Green Park @ you’ll stop and switch buses, I’ll meet you here with lunch from Marks and Spensors to eat on your second half of your tour.
1330 (approx) Hop off at London Tower—1 ½ hour -2 hour tour http://www.toweroflondontour.com/
1500 Tower Bridge Tour ¾ - 1 hour tour—or just walk over the bridge to the next place of interest http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TowerBridge/English
1600 Tour Belfast British Navy Ship 1 ½ hour tour http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/
1730 train or Bus to London Eye http://www.londoneye.com/ the amount of time will be determined by the lines..could be short, could be a bit longer. Also here is a great picture spot of Parliament/Big Ben from a different angle
1830 @ Westminster Station head back to Epping for the drive home. We should arrive home by 9 pm depending on when we leave London.

Day 3, 4 and 5: Ireland (Proposed Itinerary to follow later this week!)

Day 6 Sunday, 29 July
Wells-Next-to-the-Sea – Steam Train ride, tour the town
http://www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/norfolk/norfolk-attrac-popup.aspx?i=3696&intType=24

Day 7 Monday, 30 July

* Stone Henge and Leeds Castle – (We have tickets for Leeds and Stonehendge is EH Site)
0700 hit the road for Stonehendge
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.876
1100 - 1300 get back on the road and travel to Leeds Castle
http://www.leeds-castle.com/goto.php
Head back to Brandon about 1600. Weather permitting will be able to take a Hot Air Balloon ride above the castle.


Day 8. 9. 10 Germany (you got the itinerary planning for that trip!)

Day 11 Friday, Aug 3

Norfolk Day Out – 1 ½ hour drive from home, note approx time you’ll want at each site.
10:00 Arrival: Lavendar Fields – 2 hours stay
http://www.norfolk-lavender.co.uk/Content/Visiting.asp?target=1
12:15 Arrival: Old Hunstanton Beach 1 – 1 ½ hours (Could picnic lunch there)
http://www.tournorfolk.co.uk/hunstanton.html
2:00 Arrival: *Castle Acre Priory 1 – 1 ½ hours
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.13
4:30 Arrival: (on the way home, very close to us) *Grimes Grave ½ hour – 45 minutes
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConProperty.24/chosenImageId/4

Day 12 and 13 Sat/Sun York/Hadrians Wall overnight Trip Need to plan this one out…more details to follow

Day 14 Monday, Aug 7th –
Dover Castle and war time tunnels/Canterbury Cathedral and Town http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/dover%20castle.htm http://www.canterbury.co.uk/thedms.asp?dms=13&venue=3030160
0730 arrive Canterbury 0930-1000 stay for 2-3 hours—1300 head down to Dover Castle/wartime tunnels stay for 2 -3 hours. Drive by the White Cliffs of Dover. Head back to Brandon.