Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle Banquet Hall
Raglan Castle
Tintern Abbey
Caerleon Museum
Chepstow
Tintern Abbey
Cardiff Castle
Chepstow
Caerleon Museum
Tintern Abbey
Caerwent
Spectacular Chepstow Castle
Caerwent – for some of Europe’s best-preserved Roman walls
Caerleon to see the newly re-opened Roman Legion Museum
Raglan Castle and Tintern Abbey
Monmouthshire and the Wye Valley contains many historical gems which reflect the Roman occupation right through to the creation of the county Monmouthshire in 1535. Explore with your hosts Mike Stone, archaeologist, author and Blue Badge guide and medieval historian and author, Dr Marc Morris, best known for his Channel 4 series Castle and bestselling biography of Edward I.
Available Departures |
From |
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| 09 - September - 2024 | £ 479.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings |
Day 1: Arrive independently at the Holiday Inn Cardiff from 15.00. This evening there will be a welcome reception, private dinner with wine and an introductory talk by Mike Stone 'Celts & Romans in South Wales'.
Day 2: Caerwent, Caerleon and Cardiff Castle.
Our first visit is to the Roman town of Caerwent to see some of the best preserved Roman walls in Europe. In the town itself you will visit the remains of the Romano-Celtic temple, courtyard house, shops and the impressive remains of the forum and basilica. We then visit the Roman fortress of Isca Augusta at Caerleon to see the remains of its amphitheatre, arena and baths and visit the fascinating, newly reopened Roman Legion Museum. Afternoon return to Cardiff to visit the Castle, a Victorian Gothic fantasy built on the remains of Norman and Roman ruins, with a colourful interior. Evening talk by Dr Marc Morris: ‘An Introduction to Castles' followed by dinner at the hotel.
Day 3: Raglan Castle, Tintern Abbey and Chepstow Castle.
Travel to Raglan Castle, one of the finest late medieval castles in Britain, for a guided tour. Established in the 15th century, Raglan was one of the grandest stately homes in the kingdom. We then head south-east to the Cistercian abbey of Tintern, one of the greatest monastic ruins in Wales. Finally travel to Chepstow, a historic market town surrounded by medieval walls, and dominated by its giant castle. Begun immediately after the Norman Conquest, Chepstow is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain and spans every era of castle-building – its multiple baileys showing its construction history. Return to the hotel for approximately 17.00.
NB: Exact order of excursions may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion
Please note: Post tour extra nights are available at a supplement.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 48 passengers.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Holiday Inn Cardiff City Centre
Located centrally in the Welsh capital, the Holiday Inn Cardiff City Centre is situated next to the Millennium Stadium, and a convenient 10 minute walk from Cardiff train station. Bedrooms are comfortable with en-suite bathrooms, TV, telephone, hairdryer and tea/coffee making facilities.
Car parking is available at the hotel costing £15 per night, payable directly to the hotel.
Please note that all our UK tours start and finish at the relevant hotel.
You can normally check in from 3pm onwards but hotels will always be happy to store your luggage if you arrive earlier in the day.
For full details of how to get to the hotel, directions and the nearest train station, please click on the hotel website or call our office for details. These will also be sent automatically with your confirmation.
The welcome reception and first evening dinner / talk will commence at about 6pm - full details will be sent with your joining instructions about 10 days prior to the arrival date.
Mike and Mark were both excellent.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 03-July-2023
Review by Anonymous who travelled 03-July-2023
Both experts were excellant , talks & guidance around places visited were very informative.
Review by Howarth who travelled 03-July-2023
A very nice trip with excellent guides. I shall be going on other trips with your company next year. Frances Dakers
Review by Anonymous who travelled 03-July-2023
An excellent tour. Manager/ archaeologists brilliant. Itinerary well organised and timed. Hotel was a good choice; close to railway station. As a single traveller, I choose tours that include all evening meals. It avoids awkwardness. Coach driver knew the best routes. One minor point was that he had his radio playing on a commercial station constantly, despite requests from the TM. It was annoying.
Review by Hedges who travelled 03-July-2023
Review by Anonymous who travelled 03-July-2023
This short tour was excellent, with both experts very knowledgeable in their fields. We are particularly lucky to have Castles expert Marc Morris sharing his mastery of the subject on these tours. When booking I was also very impressed that Andrew was able to book me in at the hotel for an extra few nights when I explained why I needed to be there for longer - I thought I would have to do that for myself!
Review by Phillips who travelled 03-July-2023
Review by Anonymous who travelled 03-July-2023
I enjoyed it. It met my expectations. Mind you, I was exhausted !! Good company.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 04-July-2022
Review by Anonymous who travelled 04-July-2022
This exceeded our expectations. The tour guides were knowledgeable and friendly. The visits to the sites were better than anything we hoped for. The coach driver was helpful and his local knowledge saved time on the roads. We are looking forward to our next trip with Travel Editions.
Review by Murrish who travelled 04-July-2022
Really enjoyed this brief tour and hope to retain at least some of the enormous amount of information given.
Review by Davidson who travelled 04-July-2022
A fascinating few days with expert guides. Hotel was adequate but food was indifferent.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 04-July-2022
I was disappointed that the two tour managers left the group at the station before we returned to the hotel. I think that they should not be allowed to leave before the tour is finished, just in case there are any problems. As a result they lost out on their gratuities as we didn’t see them as we got off the coach. Otherwise the tour was excellent.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 04-July-2022
I had requested a walk-in shower at the hotel and was given an accessible room. The shower was in fact over the bath, but fortunately the side of the bath was quite low and there were good handrails. The hotel seemed a bit unloved: I had to have someone come to see to the shower as I couldn't turn it off and then the same with the TV. The unavailability of tea breaks was a bit difficult, especially in such hot weather. Obviously if there are no facilities on site, one can't have anything, but it would have been useful to know beforehand if this was the case. One could have been prepared. On day 3 I would have left out Tintern Abbey so as to have more time at Raglan and Chepstow, particularly Raglan.
Review by Sampson who travelled 04-July-2022
Roman tour and visits excellent. Castles heavy going; Marc seemed most interested in recommending his book. Holiday Inn Cardiff OK but dinners poor and house-keeping careless. Generous deal on car parking. Is Cardiff with its heavy traffic really the best base?
Review by Beale who travelled 01-July-2019
Review by Siggers who travelled 01-July-2019
It was good to be on tour with Mike Stone again, it has been a while since I was last in his company, his knowledge on Roman history is amazing. - Also good to see Marc Morris again, when it comes to castles, he is "The Man". Will Warburton
Review by Wallburton who travelled 01-July-2019
This was an excellent tour, one of the best that we've been on. Both Guides were friendly, knowledgeable and informative. The only thing amiss was the hotel food on the first night, it was cold and poor. Please let us know when the Castles of North Wales Tour is on in 2020
Review by Anonymous who travelled 01-July-2019
The hotel was in an ideal location. Mike and Marc were very nice and knowledgeable guides. A good experience.
Review by Martin who travelled 01-July-2019
My sixth trip with Travel Editions, my fourth with Mike Stone and my second with Marc Morris. Both Mike and Marc are first rate and work excellently together - not sure which has the short, fat, hairy legs! Saw some wonderful sites excellently explained by Mike and Marc and would recommend the tour to anyone, even if Roman and medieval history isn’t a particular passion.
Review by Wall who travelled 01-July-2019
An excellent itinerary.
Review by who travelled 29-June-2018
Review by who travelled 29-June-2018
Another lovely trip with Mike Stone and Marc Morris.
Review by Armstrong who travelled 29-June-2018
