• Canterbury - Guests will be greeted by their guide, Dr. Anthony Medhurst, at the Hampton by Hilton hotel on St Margaret’s Street at 8:30 am, 12 noon, or 4 pm, depending on their chosen departure time, and will be escorted to the nearby minibus.

• Canterbury - Upon departing Canterbury city center, there will be a brief stop at St Augustine’s Abbey, the second of the city’s significant UNESCO World Heritage sites. Established shortly after St Augustine’s arrival in Kent in AD 597 to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, the abbey served as a residence for Augustine and his fellow monks and operated as a monastery. It also functioned as a ‘missionary school’ where classical knowledge and English learning thrived. Of its library of illuminated manuscripts, only 150 survived the English Reformation and the dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. One of these, the ‘Canterbury Gospels,’ has survived since AD 597 and was used in the recent Coronation of King Charles III.

• Canterbury - After leaving the Abbey, the tour will pass two statues of King Ethelbert and Queen Bertha on Lady Wootton’s Green. As the King and Queen of Kent, they played a crucial role in welcoming Augustine to Canterbury and laying the foundation for Christianity throughout the country.

• Canterbury - As the tour exits the city, there will be a chance to see the country’s oldest surviving church, St Martin’s, dating back to around AD 597. Initially a chapel used by Queen Bertha, it later became a base for Augustine. The church has Roman origins with Anglo-Saxon and Medieval additions.

• Wickhambreaux - The route will head east towards the coast through several charming villages. The first stop is Wickhambreaux, with its picturesque medieval village green surrounded by the church, manor house, rectory, inn, and mill. There will be a brief photo stop at the 13th-century church of St Andrews, where WWII Dambuster Squadron Leader David Maltby was married and later buried after his death in 1943. Another notable resident of Wickhambreaux was Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac.

• Ickham - The tour will then proceed to the neighboring village of Ickham, known for its charming white weatherboard cottages, listed buildings, and 13th-century church.

• Wingham - The tour will pass through the ancient village of Wingham, featuring many buildings from the 1200s, including the Grade II listed ‘The Dog Inn,’ offering a picture-perfect part of the tour.

• The White Cliffs of Dover - Upon reaching the coast, guests will be driven to a special vantage point on the White Cliffs, largely unknown to most visitors. This iconic location offers views of Dover Castle, the harbor, the English Channel, and, if the weather is clear, the nearby French coastline. After a brief stop for a history of Dover from Roman times to WWII, the tour will return to Canterbury through delightful country lanes and rolling hills to view several breathtaking villages.

• Barham - The tour will visit the charming village of Barham, with its rolling hills, newly planted vineyards, and quaint narrow street. Guests will pass the 13th-century church of St John the Baptist, with its green copper spire, quaint Kent peg-tiled cottages, and impressive views over the valley below.

• Bishopsbourne - After Barham, the tour will head towards Bishopsbourne, located within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Guests will pass the elegant stately home of Bourne Park, which composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visited in 1865.

• Patrixbourne - The guide will then lead guests through the historic village of Patrixbourne, featuring a particularly fine Norman church. Built of flint and stone from Caen in France, this pretty church is heavily influenced by French decorative practices. The guide will highlight a glorious south doorway in the Norman style and a wheel window in the east end dating from the late 12th century.

• Canterbury - The guide will return guests to the popular historic city of Canterbury for a one-hour walking tour of the city’s highlights. This will provide a historical overview from Roman times to the present day. After the tour, guests can choose to visit landmarks such as the Cathedral and castle, explore the enchanting medieval streets and houses, or simply enjoy a refreshing drink by the River Stour – the choice is theirs! These specially selected locations will create lasting memories of everything quintessentially and authentically Kent.

• Canterbury - The guide will walk guests to The Hampton by Hilton hotel on St Margaret’s Street. Here, they will learn about Canterbury’s Iron Age origins, two preliminary raids in 55BC and 54BC by Julius Caesar, and the significant impact of the Roman invasion and settlement from AD 43-410. Guests will have the opportunity to view the remains of the Roman theatre built in AD 80, which was further developed into a venue for over 3,000 people and is located right beneath their feet! They will also see the adjacent Roman road, Watling Street, which runs next to the theatre and straight through Canterbury between London and Dover, as well as the location of a nearby temple complex and public bathhouses.

• Canterbury - The tour will then proceed to the corner of St Margaret’s St and High Street, at the crossroads of the Roman city. Here, guests will learn about the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, by four knights acting for King Henry II. The subsequent declaration of miracles attributed to those who came into contact with Thomas’s spilled blood within the Cathedral led to his sainthood and Canterbury becoming a pilgrimage focus for many to his tomb. Guests will discover what it was like to be a pilgrim coming to Canterbury between 1170-1538 and see the remains of shops, inns, and accommodations they used.

• Canterbury - As the tour leaves St Margaret’s Street and crosses the road to Butchery Lane, there will be a fantastic photo opportunity of the Cathedral, its quaint cobbled streets, and medieval buildings. At this point, guests will also learn about the origins of the Cathedral, most notably the arrival of Augustine in Canterbury in AD 597, and the subsequent spread of Christianity throughout the country. The construction of the Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s church from this period are why all are now listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

• Canterbury Cathedral - From here, the tour will walk to the Cathedral Gate, the main entrance to the historic home of the Anglican church. Guests will gain insight into the gate’s connection with Henry VIII and the Tudor family, as well as a broader understanding of the impact of the Reformation on Canterbury and the Cathedral. While there, guests will learn more about the Buttermarket - the cobbled square that is the focal point of the medieval city and the location of several pilgrim hotels and taverns.

• Canterbury - The next stop is the idyllic setting of the River Stour. This historic crossing point was the location of the Dominican friars, known as the Blackfriars. Here, guests can learn more about the influence of friars and monks on Canterbury and see two buildings that survive from this period: a refectory used by Dominicans as a dining hall and separate quarters for guest accommodation. This beautiful location is excellent for photo opportunities. While here, guests will hear about one of Canterbury’s most famous sons and a contemporary of William Shakespeare, the dramatist Christopher Marlowe. They will be told stories about the importance of Canterbury in his short but colorful life, which ended in his untimely death in a Deptford tavern.

• Canterbury - The tour will move on to the largest surviving medieval fortified tower in existence – the Westgate Tower. The Romans originally protected Canterbury with defensive walls between 270-290 AD and seven gateways. During the Hundred Years War with France, the walls were further strengthened, and two massive fortified gateways were constructed. Guests will discover the innovative features of the Westgate and its role in protecting Canterbury in ensuing centuries. The tour will then take a short stroll into the neighboring Westgate Gardens, which, with its medieval houses, ancient archway, and idyllic riverside setting, is an ideal spot for photos. Guests will also get the chance to see the submerged female figure in the river – ‘Alluvia’ – based on the character ‘Ophelia’ in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. ‘Alluvia’ is a striking sculpture produced by a prominent local artist, which is not only a dramatic work of art but also serves the dual purpose of measuring the temperature and cleanliness of the River Stour!

• Canterbury - The tour will head down the High Street towards the Old Weavers’ House, located at another delightful riverside location on the King’s Bridge. Here, guests will see a beautiful timbered Tudor building that housed workers in the textile trade. They will hear about the importance of Protestant weavers who fled the Low Countries and later France in the 1500s and 1600s, contributing significantly to the re-emerging wealth of Canterbury following King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. Furthermore, guests will also be able to view slightly further downstream a grim reminder of how difficult life could be centuries ago - a ‘witches dunking stool’. Women accused of witchcraft faced the prospect of five seemingly impossible tests, including being held underwater in the chair for several minutes. If the accused survived this test, she was proven to be a witch; if she drowned, she was deemed innocent and considered cleansed and forgiven by the water.

• Canterbury - Just a few steps away from the King’s Bridge is a statue commemorating the significance of Geoffrey Chaucer and his ‘Canterbury Tales,’ written in the late 1300s. Guests will gain an understanding of the significance of the ‘Canterbury Tales’ to the city and country as a whole. They will also hear something about Canterbury’s even more famous son – Orlando Bloom – who is featured on the statue. This will be the last stop before returning to St Margaret’s Street, where the tour began.

• Canterbury - The tour concludes at the Hampton by Hilton.

• In-vehicle air conditioning
• Entertaining local guide with a Cambridge PhD in History

• Gratuities

Are you eager to explore beyond the typical tourist paths and uncover the finest experiences Canterbury and the Kent countryside have to offer? Would you like to join a small, exclusive group led by a local guide with a History PhD from Cambridge? Do you have limited time, with just a morning or afternoon to spare?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, this meticulously designed minibus and walking tour is perfect for you!

Guided by local Canterbury resident, Dr. Anthony Medhurst, you will explore the most intriguing, historic, and picturesque locations, many of which are not accessible to large tour groups. This relaxed and informative tour allows you to experience the genuine and authentic Kent. It offers high levels of interaction with your guide and the flexibility to spend more time at locations that hold the most significance for you. Avoid the crowds and join a small group for a fun and inspiring adventure!

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.