Northern Treasures
Quilt Tour3rd – 9th October 2012
£1,125.00 per person
based on two people sharing room
£140.00 per person
single room supplement
£100 discount if booking William Morris Tour 2012 and Northern Treasures 2012Booking Code Q/12/01
-
• Private tour of Quilt Museum in York
• Levens Hall – home of England’s earliest patchwork quilt
• Beamish Museum
• RHS Harlow Carr Gardens
• Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top
• Ripley Castle
• 11 meals – 5 breakfasts, 1 lunch & 5 dinnersDay 1
Arriving in the Yorkshire village of Ripley is like arriving on a film set. The Boar’s Head Hotel – set in this picturesque village in the shadow of Ripley Castle is our home for the week. Named after the wild boar who knocked King Edward 111 from his horse in the 14th century, Thomas Ingilby of Ripley saved the day and was honoured with a knighthood and a family crest by the King. The Ingilby family still live in the castle and own the Hotel, which is furnished in a typical English country style and with many pieces of furniture from the Castle.
After settling into your room and perhaps wandering through the little lanes of Ripley, we will meet for our first dinner together in the Hotel where we will get to know each other and our itinerary for the tour.
Day 2
Today, the Lake District beckons us and we head west to Kendal and Levens Hall, the home of the earliest English Patchwork, housed in a magnificent Elizabethan mansion where we can also enjoy the collection of Jacobean furniture, fine paintings and the award winning topiary gardens.
Following lunch on our own in the restaurant at Levens Hall, we will drive the short distance to Windermere and the land of Beatrix Potter. We will visit Hill Top, the first farm that Beatrix Potter bought in the Lake District and where she found the inspiration for Peter Rabbit, Jeremy Fisher, Mrs Tiggy Winkle and all her famous characters. We will visit her 17th century home at Hill Top where she wrote many of her books and spend time in the area where she also became famous as a sheep farmer, artist and wife of the local Solicitor. This whole area brings to life the characters of her books and we will be part of it for the day – the magnificence of the mountains and the views of the lakes will be a memory that will stay with us forever. We will stop for dinner in Bolton Abbey – at the Devonshire Arms – nestled into the Yorkshire Dales with it’s truly outstanding sceneryDay 3
Today is a real treat – a private workshop with Helen Keenan – a well known quilter and exhibitor who has designed a project especially for us based on part of the tour and this area of the country. We will spend the day in the magnificent surroundings of Ripley where the inspiration and tranquillity of the area will make this a very special day.
We will dine in our hotel and during the evening welcome a local quilt group for an evening of ‘Show and Tell’ – so do bring something with you that you would like to share with your fellow travellers and the local quilters.
Day 4
Today we will have a little spare time and relax and wander through the streets of Ripley – exploring the shops and the gardens of Ripley Castle. After lunch in the village, we will travel the short distance to the Royal Horticultural Gardens at Harlow Carr and be inspired by the wonderful planting and displays in this 27.5 hectare garden, dominated by water, stone and woodland and very much part of the Yorkshire landscape. There is also the opportunity to sample the delights of Betty’s – the famous tea shop originated in nearby Harrogate and now they have a branch here at Harlow Carr. We will return to the hotel and have dinner in the Bistro.
Day 5
A short journey will take us to the county town of Yorkshire – York – the city where the Romans came in AD71 and set up a fortress. The Quilt Museum & Gallery is now housed in York and this is our first stop for the day. Home to the Quilters Guild of the British Isles, the Museum and Gallery is housed in the magnificent setting of St Anthony’s Hall – a 15th century guildhall. We will be extremely fortunate to have a private tour ‘Behind the Scenes’ with the Curator and see quilts not normally on show to the general public. After seeing their magnificent collection, we will have some time on our own and then after lunch we will meet our local guide who will familiarise us with the history and development of York and then we will have the rest of the time on our own to see what interests us – Roman remains at the Yorkshire Museum, sampling the Viking way of life at the Jorvik Viking Museum, window shopping in a typical Victorian street in the Castle Museum, the York Dungeon, the National Railway Museum or the Regimental Museum. Maybe stained glass is for you – York Minster – a magnificent cathedral towering over the City – a fine example of English architecture. When we have had our fill of ancient York, we will return to the hotel for dinner.
Day 6
Heading north to Durham, will take us to one of Britain’s favourite open air museums – Beamish. Like no ordinary museum, it is a living experience – meet people from the past, travel on trams and vintage buses, venture underground to a draft mine, sample the treats at the confectionery shop, down a pint at the Sun Inn or escape from the discipline of the school into traditional playground games. As well as all this, we will a private guide of some of the quilts here – beautiful examples of the fine work carried out in the North East of England. The collection includes whole cloth quilts, strip quilts as well as patchwork and appliqué. Our whole day here will be a journey into the past and we will have felt it, seen it, touched it, smelt it and tasted it – an experience not to be forgotten.
On our way back to our hotel tonight, we will stop for a special dinner – our last night together in the north of England and so many memories to share with our new friends.
Day 7
After our last breakfast together, we depart for our homes full of inspiration, happy memories, experiences and new quilting friends.
Included:
· First class hotel accommodation
· 13 meals – 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 6 dinners
· Transportation 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 and any gratuities other than those stated above, are not included.
