No single person supplement
We take a leisurely trip up the coast of East Anglia to visit Southwold. We then enjoy a full day at Royal Sandringham to explore the gardens and house. On our final day, we stop off at lovely Aldeburgh before returning home. We will stay two nights at the 4 star Knights Hill Hotel & Spa, King’s Lynn, with pool and spa facilities, so don’t forget your swimming costume.
Sandringham was the much-loved country retreat of our late Queen Elizabeth II and four generations of British monarchs since 1862. The house, set in 24 hectares of stunning gardens, is perhaps the most famous stately home in Norfolk.
In order to make this a relaxing and unhurried visit, we have planned a two-night stay. To break up our journey to and from the area, we will be visiting some of the lovely seaside towns that East Anglia has to offer.
Garden Centres in Kent & Sussex between 7:00 and 8:00am
Garden Centres in Surrey & Hants between 6:00 and 7:00am
Sunday 24th September 2023
Our aim at Pennywood Tours is to give you a relaxing and carefree time where we do all the work so you can sit back and enjoy the trip.
To this end, all tours are escorted by a group leader who will check you on board and make sure you can find your allocated seat. We’ll seat you with the person/people you are booked with but if you know of anyone else on the trip who has booked separately please let us know in advance and we’ll try to seat you all together. The coach will be a super deluxe vehicle with a toilet and is incredibly comfortable.
Our Group Leader will advise you of all the details of travel times, stops, when to return to the coach etc. so you will be in no doubt about what and when. He or she will be available for any additional questions you may have.
We will do our best to stick to our itinerary but you will understand that when there are traffic jams or adverse weather conditions, we may struggle to do everything as planned but we will let you know what information we have in these situations when we have it.
We look forward to seeing you and welcome any questions you may have by contacting us at info@pennywoodtours.com or on 01622 434 981.
We travel to the delightful seaside resort of Southwold. This town, at the mouth of the river Blythe, is set within the Suffolk Heath and Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is a pleasure to visit at any time of the year. The town was mentioned in the Doomsday Book, and its rich heritage makes it a charming place to explore and have lunch.
Being such an ancient town there is a huge amount of history. The place was home to a number of Puritans who emigrated to the new colonies in America. The town has a number of open spaces and greens, which you would think was the result of very early, progressive town planning, but is actually the result of a fire in 1659, which destroyed a substantial part of the town and from which a number of areas were never rebuilt.
Just offshore, the battle of Sole Bay was fought in 1682 when the English were, curiously, allied with the French against the Dutch. It was a violent and indecisive clash and the beaches bore witness to the many dead who were washed up there.
We will wind our way onwards to our hotel for the night, the Best Western Knights Hill Hotel and Spa, just on the outskirts of King’s Lynn. Here we will enjoy the best of this hotel on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis. It has a pool, too, so don’t forget your swimming costume!
We visit the highlight of our excursion: Sandringham itself!
As we are staying relatively close to the house, and it opens mid-morning, we will have a leisurely start before our coach drops us just on opening time, so we have the maximum time to explore.
This Grade II-listed building is owned by His Majesty The King and was originally purchased by Queen Victoria in 1862 for the Prince of Wales and his new bride Princess Alexandria, who found the countryside reminiscent of her Danish homeland.
Along with Balmoral, it is not part of The Crown Estate, and is – in fact – the personal property of The King.
An interesting fact is that on the death of Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather, George V, the property passed to his direct heir, and new monarch, Edward VIII. The property was subsequently bought privately by his brother, George VI, after Edward’s abdication.
After another pleasant night in the hotel, we begin our leisurely journey home, hopefully passing through Thorpeness, and travelling down the coast to stop at Aldeburgh to explore.
Aldeburgh was once a Tudor port and was granted Borough status by none other than Henry VIII in 1529. It was also home to the composer Benjamin Britten.
We will be here around lunchtime, and a point of note is that there are two family-run fish and chip shops, which are reputed to be amongst the best in the country. One is The Aldeburgh Fish and Chip Shop, but we are aware that the queue here can be quite long, with people buying drinks from the pub next door while they wait!
With regular stops and interesting ‘flat’ countryside to view, we hope that the journey between our world class destinations will pass with speed and pleasure.
With regular stops and interesting ‘flat’ countryside to view, we hope that the journey between our world class destinations will pass with speed and pleasure.
The holiday includes coach transport, hotel accommodation on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis, entry to all named venues, and services of a group leader.
Please note that all destinations will require walking, with steps and slopes, which may be slippery. Sensible shoes are a requirement, and you should dress for the weather.