2025 Spring Tour Itinerary

 
"Jane Austen at 250" Celebration Spring Tour

May 4-15, 2025

A Pathfinders Tour Sponsored by JASNA

Pre- and post-tour accommodations can also be arranged as add-ons to tour reservations. 

• Day 1—Sunday, May 4: Arrive at London's Heathrow Airport.  A small group taxi transfer to your hotel in Windsor is included.  (Pre-tour overnights can be also arranged at the Windsor hotel.) Join fellow tour members for dinner in the hotel restaurant. (A full welcome dinner will be held the next evening.) (Dinner included; overnight in Windsor.)  
• Day 2—Monday, May 5:  Depart for Kent, traveling via Surrey. Visit St Nicolas Church in Great Bookham, where Jane Austen’s godfather, Samuel Cooke, was vicar for 52 years. Stop for lunch at the Burford Bridge Hotel at the foot of Box Hill, where Jane Austen stayed and possibly had inspiration for the infamous picnic scene in Emma. Continue to Horsmonden, where you will meet some members of the JAS Kent branch to learn about Jane’s Austen ancestors, then travel on to Lenham, near Maidstone, to check in to your hotel for a 3-night stay. Enjoy a welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant this evening. (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included; overnight in Lenham.) 

Knole, near Sevenoaks, Kent

• Day 3—Tuesday, May 6:  Meet members of the Jane Austen Society's Kent branch for a day of touring Austen-related sites. Your first stop will be Sevenoaks, with a walk down High Street. View the Red House, where George Austen’s uncle Francis lived, and Sevenoaks School, where his father was a pupil and where a plaque commemorates his grandmother Elizabeth Weller. Continue to Knole for a visit, with free time here for an independent lunch. In the afternoon, visit Tonbridge to discover further Austen links, then enjoy dinner in your hotel restaurant with some of the JAS Kent members. (Breakfast and dinner included; overnight in Lenham.)
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  Goodnestone Park

  Day 4—Wednesday, May 7:  In the morning, visit the gardens and church of Goodnestone Park, an 18^th-century stately home belonging to Edward Austen Knight’s wife’s family. There will be time for lunch at the tearoom on site before continuing to Edward's home, Godmersham Park, where Jane was also a regular visitor. Here you will visit the Heritage Centre and church and have a tour of the gardens. Refreshments will be included here. Stop in Canterbury in the late afternoon, with an opportunity to attend Evensong at the Cathedral or have an early dinner in the city center before returning to the hotel. (Breakfast included; overnight in Lenham.)

• Day 5—Thursday, May 8:  Travel to Winchester via Worthing, with a stop to view Stanford’s Cottage, the house where Jane Austen stayed for several weeks in 1805, and have lunch inside. (It is now a Pizza Express). Enjoy a short walking tour with a talk about Austen’s journey to the town and her time spent there. Upon arrival in Winchester, check in to your hotel for a 4-night stay and have dinner with the group in the hotel restaurant. (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included; overnight in Winchester.)

The seaside town of Worthing, possibly the inspiration for Jane Austen's Sanditon

• Day 6—Friday, May 9:  In the morning, travel to Steventon, Jane Austen’s birthplace. Meet village residents and visit St. Nicholas Church, where Austen's father was rector and she was baptized. Return to Winchester for an independent lunch in the city center, then visit the Hampshire Cultural Trust for a talk by Louise West, Hampshire Cultural Trust trustee and former curator of Jane Austen’s House, and the opportunity to view the the Trust's costume collection. (Breakfast included; overnight in Winchester.)
• Day 7—Saturday, May 10:  Visit Winchester College and view the exterior of 8 College Street, the house where Jane Austen spent her final weeks, then walk to Winchester Cathedral for a service of dedication for Jane Austen, with a flower ceremony. Have an afternoon at leisure in Winchester. (Breakfast included; overnight in Winchester.)
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  8 College Street, Winchester
  © Allan Soedring

  Day 8—Sunday, May 11:  Depart in the morning for Chawton village. Your first stop will be Chawton House, home of Chawton House Library, for a self-guided tour of the house and grounds, with lunch included. There will be time to visit St. Nicholas Church as well before continuing to Jane Austen’s House for a private visit in the afternoon to experience "putting the house to bed"; refreshments are included. Return to Winchester in the late afternoon. (Breakfast and lunch included; overnight in Winchester.)  
• Day 9—Monday, May 12:  Leave Winchester in the morning to visit the small town of Lyme Regis in Dorset. Stroll on the Cobb and listen to a reading of the famous passage from Persuasion recounting Louisa’s dramatic fall from the harbor wall. If time permits, there may be an opportunity for those who would like to visit the Philpot Museum, famous for the fossil discoveries by Mary Anning. Continue to Bath to check in to your hotel for a 3-night stay, with dinner in the hotel restaurant this evening. (Breakfast and dinner included; overnight in Bath.)   
• Day 10—Tuesday, May 13:  Meet your guide in the morning for a tour of Bath city, including entrance to St. Swithins Church, where George Austen is buried, and views of the Assembly Rooms, the Royal Crescent, and the Pump Room and Baths. The afternoon is at leisure for independent sightseeing—perhaps visit the Abbey or the Roman Baths. (Breakfast included; overnight in Bath.)

Holburne Museum in Sydney Gardens, Bath
© David A. Russo (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License)

• Day 11—Wednesday, May 14:  The morning includes a guided tour of Bath’s first public art gallery, the Holburne Museum in Sydney Place, followed by additional free time in Bath for independent sightseeing and shopping. Meet again in the late afternoon for a transfer to Farleigh House, where you will enjoy Regency entertainment and a farewell buffet dinner. (Breakfast and dinner included; overnight in Bath.)

• Day 12—Thursday, May 15:  Transfer to Heathrow Airport for return flights. (Please book an afternoon flight that departs no earlier than 1:00 pm.) Arrangements for a post-tour extension in London can be made. (Breakfast included.) 

To register, email tour@jasna.org. Please include your name and email address in the body of your message.

NOTES

• Itinerary tentative as of November 2024

• Included in Tour:

• 11 nights' accommodation in first-class hotels; all breakfasts, 6 dinners, 3 lunch
• All sightseeing and literary inclusions as mentioned, guided by Marian Bacon.
• Transportation by deluxe air-conditioned coach
• Tips and taxes for included services at rates in application at date of preparation.
• Porterage of one suitcase per person.

• Not Included in Tour:  Air fare; meals and visits not listed.
   

Photos Credits:
•  Photos © Jane Austen Society of North America or Pathfinders unless otherwise specified.