We begin our day travelling across the Chiltern Hills to Oxford, the 'City of Dreaming Spires', whose hushed courtyards and elegant, dignified and time-worn buildings have inspired generations of scholars. Find your own inspiration in the sense of tradition and intellectual curiosity that pervades this lovely City. On your walking tour you will see Christ Church College, where Harry Potter scenes were filmed, and where Albert Einstein studied. You will also see the Bodleian Library and the picture-perfect College courtyards for which Oxford is justifiably famous.

Steeped in history and heritage, the area of England known as the Cotswolds is a charming blend of cottages with honey-coloured walls and thatched roofs, market towns with crooked half-timbered houses lining the High Street, and ancient stone crosses, all set in the gently rolling hills ('wolds') so typically English in character. We then travel through the rolling Warwickshire hills to Stratfordupon- Avon, a market town at the edge of the Forest of Arden made famous for being the birthplace of the world-famous playwright William Shakespeare. Visit his Tudor-style birthplace of William Shakespeare and gain an insight into his childhood, with its typical parlour, bedrooms, kitchen, buttery and of course the glove-maker's workshop used by John, Shakespeare's father.

Then it's a short drive over to the medieval Warwick Castle, most of whose magnificent towers and ramparts are still intact. Warwick Castle will take you back through its 1,000 year history as you enter over the footbridge to a bygone world of banquets, battles and ceremony. Visit the Tussaud's waxworks, or if you're feeling brave visit the spine-chilling dungeons where prisoners were tortured. You might wish to stroll through the Castle's delightful and lovingly tended gardens set in the peaceful surroundings of England's finest medieval Castle. During the summer months, archery, falconry and jousting take place. After Warwick Castle we head back through the Warwickshire countryside to London.