Austen Adventure 2023 Itinerary
Below, please find our full itinerary for the week. If we become separated, feel free to text me at (410) 807-5321. You may also use this number on WhatsApp, which is a common free texting app.
Sunday, August 13
Arrive in Alton and check into the hotel beginning at 2:00 p.m.
6:30 p.m. - Meet in the restaurant for a Sunday roast, courtesy of Nerds Tour.
Your evening is your own to rest and recover from the travel. (Try to stay up until 9:00 p.m. local time in order to more quickly acclimate to the time difference. When you wake up, you’ll be set to British Summer Time.)
Monday, August 14
8:00 a.m. - Breakfast in the hotel dining room. Let the servers know your room number so they can confirm you’re on the Bed & Breakfast option. You may choose hot breakfast, continental, or a combination of the two.
9:00 a.m. - The coach will pick us up to go to London.
11:30 a.m. - Westminster Abbey - This ancient abbey has been around for 1,000 years. We will have a self-guided tour of the abbey and spend some time in the poet’s corner to see the burial places (or memorials) of some of England’s greatest writers and artists.
1:00 p.m. - We can find some nosh near the Abbey or you’re set free to explore London on your own. There are so many sites near the Abbey. I’m happy to give you recommendations, such as the Tate Britain or Tate Modern museum, walking along Bankside, St. Paul’s Cathedral. You are welcome to join me to walk to the flagship shop of Twinings Tea (approximately 1 mile from the Abbey) to pick up some of Jane’s favorite teas. Then, I’ll head to the waterside and visit the Tate Britain Museum (FREE).
7:00 p.m. - Meet the coach behind the London Eye (the big ferris wheel) across the river from Westminster Abbey.
Tuesday, August 15
8:00 a.m. - Breakfast in the Hotel
9:00 a.m. - Walk through Alton to Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. This walk is approximately 25 minutes long (1.3 miles). The handout in your Welcome Packet will help you identify Jane Austen sites in Alton and Chawton.
10:00 a.m. - Self-guided tour through Jane Austen’s House. The Austen House has done a brilliant job over the years of gathering personal items of Jane’s and the Austen family. Be sure to see the table where Jane worked everyday. They believe it is placed exactly where it was when she lived there.
11:00 a.m. - Creative Writing Workshop at Jane Austen’s House. Staff at the House will guide us through a creative writing workshop using Jane’s career as inspiration.
12:15 p.m. - We will go across the street to the Greyfriar’s Pub for lunch.
Your afternoon and evening are free to explore Chawton and Alton. Dinner on your own.
Wednesday, August 16
8:00 a.m. - Breakfast in the Hotel
9:30 a.m. - Walk through Alton to Chawton House, the home of Jane Austen’s brother Edward Knight. Knight was adopted by the Knight family and then inherited all of their properties. After the death of Austen’s father (and failed attempts to stay in Bath due to finances), Knight renovated the Austen House in Chawton for his mother and sisters to live. Jane often visited Chawton House.
10:30 a.m. - Guided tour of Chawton House and free time in the gardens.
1:00 p.m. - Sandwich buffet luncheon in the library of Chawton House.
Your afternoon and evening are free to explore Chawton and Alton. Dinner on your own.
Thursday, August 17
8:00 a.m. - Breakfast in the Hotel
9:00 a.m. - Board the coach at the Swan and drive approximately 90 minutes to Lacock Village, a National Heritage Town, where some of the Jane Austen movies and TV series were filmed. The whole town is on the Heritage Trust, the nation’s historic preservation organization.
11:00 a.m. - Board the coach and drive approximately 30 minutes to Bath. You will have free time in Bath to explore one of Jane’s favorite towns from her youth. It becomes a more complicated relationship after the death of her father when they no longer had the funds to support a life there.
The Jane Austen Center in Bath has a wonderful gift shop. Its exhibits are great fun, as well. It is not a posh museum, but rather a site for Austen fans to play dress-up in regency costumes and to imagine life in late 18th century Bath.
You may also want to visit the Roman Baths, which were built more than 2,000 years ago. These Baths are what brought people back to the town in the 18th century, which is the dominant architecture in the city.
4:00 p.m. - Meet at the Pump Room for afternoon tea. Here, we will a traditional afternoon tea in a room that Jane often frequented. If you are familiar with Northanger Abbey, you will recognize the name as the place that all stylish people in Bath were to be found. Be sure to sample the water from the Roman Springs.
7:00 p.m. - Board the coach to return to Alton.
Friday, August 18
8 :00 a.m. - Breakfast in the Hotel
9:00 a.m. - Board the coach for an approximately 30-minute drive to Winchester
10:00 a.m. - Guided tour of Winchester Cathedral with a Jane Austen focus. We will learn of Jane’s relationship with Winchester, which she often frequented, and we will visit her final resting place. Jane died in Winchester on July 18, 1817 after a long illness.
There will be time after the tour to explore the cathedral more on your own. I recommend the King Alfred/Anglo-Saxon exhibit which reflects Winchester’s history as the capital of Anglo Saxon England under King Alfred the Great.
11:30 a.m. (approximately) - Cream Tea in the Cathedral Tea House. A cream tea consists of a scone with jam and clotted cream, as well as tea of your choice. Gluten-free options available. Feel free to order lunch off the menu on your own.
After tea, you will have time to explore Winchester, which is a lovley market town.
4:00 p.m. - Board the coach to return to Alton.
6:30 p.m. - Farewell dinner at the Hotel, courtesy of Nerds Tour.
Saturday, August 19th
8:00 a.m. - Breakfast in the Hotel
10:00 a.m. - Check out and Goodbyes.
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns (joan@nerdstour.com)
