Day 1: Overnight Flight to London, England

Our journey back in time begins with an overnight flight from your USA gateway to London, England

Day 2: London, Cambridge

On arrival in London, our Tour Director will meet us and escort us to our waiting motorcoach. Leaving London, we will drive north to the magnificent University city of Oxford and enjoy a welcome dinner and orientation. Our first overnight will be in Cambridge.

Day 3: Cambridge, Scrooby, York

What better way to begin our first full day than a devotional at the 500-year old King’s College Chapel with its famous stained glass windows. On our walking tour through Cambridge University with its 31 colleges, we'll learn how Cambridge became the origin of Reformation thought in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Heading north to Scrooby, we visit the Pilgrim Separatist Church founded in 1604 by Pastor John Robinson and Elder William Brewster. We will have Sabbath worship here and pay tribute to the first secret gathering that met by candlelight and first suffered imprisonment before fleeing to America by way of Holland.

Our final stop will be the historic walled city of York, where we’ll have dinner and overnight.

Day 4: York.

Today we visit the world-famous Jorvik exhibition of the time of the Vikings and see, hear and smell how life was 1000 years ago. We can walk the Roman walls and explore the walled city of York, built between 1220 and 1470. For centuries York was one of England’s grandest fortifications for the Romans, Vikings and Normans. York Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps and has been a place of worship for over 1000 years. It is here where Constantine was made Roman emperor and his statue outside the cathedral marks the spot. Tonight we will have an opportunity to enjoy one of the many local restaurants, before a second Yorkshire overnights stay.

Day 5: York, Edinburgh.

Leaving the Yorkshire Dales, we'll head north though some of the most beautiful landscapes in the British Isles before arriving at our final destination of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in Edinburgh, the “Prince of Cities” that the Reformation unfolds in the preaching of John Knox.

Upon arrival our host Bill Federer and Marshall Foster will escort us as we see Knox’s church, St. Giles Cathedral, where he preached with such spirit-led passion that the Scottish people banished Mary, Queen of Scots and established principles of Christian self and civil liberty in the hearts of people. We will visit the Greyfriars Kirk and Churchyard and hear the story of the Scottish Covenanters, the Protestant martyrs who were imprisoned but stood for the truth of the gospel against the most powerful kings of Europe and bequeathed the legacy of Christian liberty to America. We'll enjoy a group dinner this evening at a local restaurant. We'll be staying in Edinburgh for 3 nights - a chance to unpack and relax.

Day 6: Edinburgh, Stirling.

This morning after breakfast a city guide will take us to the historic sites of the Edinburgh Castle, the Queen’s Holyrood Palace and point out the Royal Mile.

Today's excursion will take us to the walled city of Stirling and the William Wallace Monument. It was here that Wallace fought for the freedom of Scotland. The pastor and leader of the Covenanters, William Guthrie, was captured here and taken out of the Church of the Holy Rude and martyred by the English King. We'll return to Edinburgh for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: St. Andrews, Golf, Free Day

Today we'll have the option of either a free day exploring Edinburgh, or a day trip to St. Andrews. For all the golf fans, there's the opportunity to enjoy a round of golf (please notify us, so we can arrange tee times). St. Andrews is the spiritual capital of Scotland and the place where Scotland’s Reformation began. During the time of the Reformation, St. Andrews University was third in significance, after Oxford and Cambridge. St. Andrews Castle, once the premier residence of bishops and archbishops is the site of battles and peace treaties. In the Bottle Dungeon Reformer George Wishart was imprisoned before being burned at the stake. We will note the marker identifying the place where he was martyred as well as the spot of Patrick Hamilton’s martyrdom. St. Andrews Cathedral dates back to 1160 and now comprises the ruins of Scotland’s largest cathedrals. The monument to Robert the Bruce, the first king to unite the Scottish people is here in this city. We'll return to Edinburgh for our final Scottish overnight stay.

Day 8: Edinburgh, Lake District

Leaving Edinburgh we head southwest back into England. There will be a stop with time to shop for Scottish woolens before continuing on our journey to the Lake District of England. The landscape is virtually unchanged since William Wordsworth explored these rolling hills with fellow writers, Sir Walter Scott and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. A stop in the charming village of Grasmere for a relaxing overnight on the Lake. We'll have a group dinner and stay overnight in the Lake District of England.

Day 9: Lutterworth, Stratford-Upon-Avon

After breakfast we travel south and turn back the clock to the 14th century and salute John Wycliffe, the “morning star of the Reformation.” He lived in Lutterworth where the city has erected a monument to their most famous son. He was first to translate the Bible into English, which put the Scriptures into the hands of the laity for the first time.

We'll then travel on to Stratford-Upon-Avon, where we’ll have free time for lunch before a visit to the birthplace of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. The Holy Trinity Church is where we find his tomb. There will be time this evening to enjoy the local restaurants and opt for an optional Shakespeare performance (Either "The Comedy of Errors" or "Sejanis - His Fall") or a stroll along the river Avon. We'll stay in Stratford this evening.

Day 10: Oxford, Windsor, London

Today we will visit Oxford, one of England’s famous University cities. Both John and Charles Wesley were students at Christ Church College at Oxford. The early English reformer, John Wycliffe, was a professor at the university as was the famous Christian writer C.S. Lewis. Other well- known students included Bible translator William Tyndale and the great revivalist preacher George Whitefield who was a student at Pembroke College. Our walking orientation tour of Oxford will include Christ Church College Cathedral, the Martyr Memorial commemorating the ultimate sacrifice, paid by protestant reformation martyrs Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, killed as “heretics”.

On the way to London, we’ll visit the majestic Royal Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world. History will unfold in royal style as you step from one fabulous room to another. After settling into our London hotel, we have the option of attending a performance at one of the famous West End theaters or seeing Shakespeare performed in the Globe Theater.

Day 11: London

This morning after breakfast, our tour guide will take us to Westminster Abbey where all English Sovereigns have had coronations since that of William the Conqueror in 1066. We will note the empty part of the Coronation Seat, which once held the Stone of Destiny, which we will have seen in Scotland. We continue to the Tower of London with its Crown Jewels and where Henry VIII had his second wife, Anne Boleyn, beheaded as well as several other persons of royalty. Then it’s off to Buckingham Palace, being the principle home of the reigning Sovereign beginning with Queen Victoria, and of course, a stop at Big Ben which may contain a surprise or two! Tonight we’ll meet for our farewell dinner at one of London’s local restaurants. Our final overnight is in London.

Day 12: Return to USA

This morning we begin our trip home with new inspiration from our Reformation Journey, more ready to meet the challenge of inspiring others with God’s providential story.

ReformationTours reserves the rights to alter itineraries without notice should it become necessary. While on tour, if conditions necessitate changes, or if certain features are unavailable or limited, we reserve the right to vary or substitute alternatives. All prices are calculated at the exchange rate in effect at the time of this quotation. Should currency fluctuations necessitate an adjustment in tour price the adjusted price will be reflected in the final invoice.