Malvern Medley
Quilt Tour15th – 22nd May 2013
Prices to be released soon
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• Private Quilting Workshop with Ineke Berlyn
• Admission to Quilts UK in Malvern
• American Museum, Bath
• Hereford Cathedral – home of the Mappa Mundi
• Private tour of the Reserve Collection, Hereford City Museum
• Stratford upon Avon and Warwick
• Visit to Burford Needlecraft Centre
• Private tour of Elgar’s birthplace
• 15 meals – 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 6 dinnersDay 1
Arrive at our hotel situated in the centre of the beautiful city of Worcester and spend some time getting to know the City – visit the wonderful Cathedral, wander up and down the streets filled with antique shops or just walk alongside the river. If relaxation is what you are looking for – why not use the swimming pool and leisure facilities at our hotel – the Worcester Whitehouse Hotel. We will then meet up for our Welcome Dinner in the hotel where we will get to know each other and our itinerary for the week.
Day 2
Today after our first breakfast together, we will leave the surroundings of the City of Worcester and head south to the town of Hereford where we will visit the City Museum. We are going to be privileged to have a private view of the reserve collection of quilts and other textiles, housed in this purpose built part of the Museum. After some time on our own in Hereford, where we can explore the Cathedral, home to two of the world’s most important treasures – the Mappa Mundi and the Chained Library Exhibition. There is plenty more to explore in Hereford – the centre of the cider industry – a delightful place to relax and unwind. Leaving Hereford, we will head further into the Worcestershire countryside and visit Elgar’s Birthplace in Lower Broadheath. The music of Elgar evokes all that is English and music with which we are all familiar. We will enjoy a private tour of his home and have our dinner in this lovely Worcestershire village, before returning to our hotel.
Day 3
A tour to this part of England would not be complete without a visit to the Cotswolds – villages that are built in local stone, many of them with thatched roofs and the springtime gardens full of tulips, primroses and cherry blossom. We will also visit Stratford-upon-Avon and see where Shakespeare was inspired to write all his plays. There will be time here to wander around this piece of Olde England - see the recently refurbished Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre or sit in the gardens beside the river and enjoy the experience of this famous town. Only a few miles away is Warwick and here amongst the ancient buildings, we will visit Quilters Den – a shop brimming with everything a quilter could need and other things that we just have to have!! Warwick is dominated by the mediavel Castle and there are some wonderful little streets to explore. We will stop en route back to the hotel for a delicious local dinner in a restaurant that is very special and not known to everyone.
Day 4
Nestled against the hills that inspired Elgar – whose music we are now very familiar with – we find the Three Counties Showground where Quilts UK is held every year. Marquees and the exhibition hall are filled with a colourful display of hundreds of quilts from all over the world, along with dozens of stalls and demonstrations. After a fascinating day here – where we can wander at our own pace and see whatever it is that inspires us, we will return through the beautiful countryside on a lovely spring evening to our hotel in Worcester, where we will all have dinner together and share our stories of what we saw at the quilt show.
Day 5
A real treat awaits us today – Ineke Berlyn, the world renowned quilter will join us for a day workshop. A chance to perhaps experience a new technique or just share in the joy of spending a day with such an accomplished quilter and your fellow travellers. Our hotel will be the venue for this workshop and in the evening, after dinner, we will welcome a local group of quilters who will come to the hotel and we will enjoy an evening of ‘Show and Tell’ This is always a very popular part of the tour and you are invited to bring something along to show our host quilt group.
Day 6
Our last full day together and we are going to visit Bath – home of Jane Austen and also the American Musuem, situated high above the city at Claverton Manor. Following a private tour of the Musuem and the opportunity to see some of the 240 quilts not normally on show, we will return to the City of Bath and experience what inspired Jane Austen to write her novels – a beautiful Georgian city, Bath has so much history to experience and the Roman Baths and Spa are well worth a visit.
Our final dinner will take place in our hotel and we will all spend time with our new friends and enjoy our stories and experiences in this beautiful part of the English countryside.
Day 7
After our final breakfast together we will leave Worcester and head home with lots of inspiration, memories and shopping of ‘must have quilting accessories’ and of course a lot of new friends.
Included:
· First class hotel accommodation
· 15 meals – 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 6 dinners
· Transport in coach with all facilities
· Tutor for quilting workshop – including all materials
· Local guides
· Admission charges to all venues
· All tips for hotel staff and restaurants (where part of the tour)
· Services of a Tour Director throughout
· Information folder for all participants – including brochures and timed itinerary
Not included:
All items of a personal nature, ie bar bills, telephone calls, laundry, insurance, meals other than those included in the itinerary (drinks at mealtimes are not included) and any gratuities other than those stated above, are not included.
