Three Rivers Tour

 

Three Rivers Tour

 

£76pp

 

 

Thursday 6th May*

 

 

Fast Track

 

Leighton Buzzard - West Street

Tring - Brook Street

Hemel Hempstead - Gadebridge Park

 

 

With a Blue Badge Tour Guide we will be exploring The Three Rivers in Suffolk.

From the sleepy River Stour at Flatford Mill made famous by Constable to the short but mighty River Orwell that runs from Ipswich to the UK’s biggest container dock at Felixstowe & finally the sleepy River Deben where our afternoon cruise includes tea and cake.

 

 

We begin with time Flatford Mill, famous as the inspiration for some of John Constable's most well-known pictures, including the Hay Wain and Boatbuilding near Flatford Mill.

 

Back on the coach our explorations begin with Manningteee and the mysterious Mistley Towers. They look like two ends of an invisible church and that's exactly what they are part of, a Robert Adams model village and spa which never saw the light of day.

 

We follow the River Stour along into Manningtree an attractive little port famous for its swans, maltings and sailing barges. This is England’s smallest town – 22acres at low tide!

 

The high street is charming and olde worlde but it hides a dark history as the HQ of Mathew Hopkins, the notorious Witchfinder General.

 

Before you know it we are off the beaten track wending our way to the tip of a peninsula sequestered between two rivers. We pass the stately Royal Hospital School which was founded at Greenwich 300 years ago for the sons of seafarers and we'll follow the River Orwell to the Orwell Bridge. From high up in a coach there are magnificent views which are denied to car drivers. The Orwell has known a number of literary figures, Eric Blair took his pen name from the river and Arthur Ransome of Swallows and Amazons fame was inspired by adventures on these waters.

 

For lunch today we have some free time in Woodbridge. Woodbridge is an elegant town set on slopes above the Deben near the Sutton Hoo burial site.

Woodbridge is one of the gems in Suffolk's crown with a history of ropemaking, sail-making, and boatbuilding.

 

For the afternoon we are heading to Waldringfield and a well-equipped all-weather cruiser for a 90-minute cruise on the River Deben.

Nine times out of ten we head down river towards Felixstowe but once in a blue moon we head upriver past Sutton Hoo towards Woodbridge.

It depends on the tide on the day you come. Both trips are interesting and attractive.

Tea & cake will be served and there is also a bar if you’d like to round your day off with a glass of something stronger.

 

 

 

Requests for particular seats on the coach can be made when booking and we will do our best to accommodate these requests, but allocations are made on a first come first served basis, dependent upon customer mobility. We reserve the right to change your seat and allocate you a different one for operational reasons.

On single bookings, we reserve the right to alter your seating to maximize the seating available. We accept no liability in the event of any such change.

Manageable for anyone with walking difficulties, shuttle available at Flatford Mill.

 

 

Terms and Conditions