The Best of Kent: White Cliffs, Canterbury and Cathedral Evensong

You will be met by your guide, Dr Anthony Medhurst, at Canterbury West railway station (or the Hampton by Hilton if already in Canterbury). We will meet at 08.30 for the one day tour and is timed to meet the high speed, direct train from London St Pancras (54 minutes). The 3.5 hour autumn to spring tour between Nov-March will start at either 8.30am or 13.00. Please note that you can also start your tour from Dover cruise ship terminal, Folkestone Central railway station (55 minutes) or nearby hotels and cover the same locations. You will then be escorted to the nearby minibus.

As you leave the Canterbury city centre, you will stop briefly by the second of the city's most important UNESCO World Heritage landmarks - St Augustine's Abbey. Founded shortly after St Augustine arrived in Kent in AD597 to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, the abbey was a residence for Augustine and his brother monks and functioned as a monastery. It was also a ‘missionary school’ where classical knowledge and English learning flourished. Among 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’ – survived from AD597 and was used in the recent Coronation of King Charles III.

As you leave the Abbey, you will pass two statues depicting King Ethelbert and Queen Bertha on Lady Wootton’s Green. As King and Queen of Kent, these two people were most responsible for welcoming Augustine into Canterbury and enabling him to build the foundation for Christianity throughout the country.

As the tour leaves the outskirts of the city, there will be the opportunity to observe the country’s oldest surviving church, St Martin’s, which also dates from cAD597. The church was originally a chapel used by Queen Bertha but became used as a base by Augustine. The church has Roman origins with Anglo-Saxon and Medieval additions.

Our route will head east towards the coast via a number of pretty villages. You will first be driven to Wickhambreaux with its delightful medieval village green around which are located the church, the manor house, rectory, inn and mill. You can stop briefly for photos at the 13th century church of St Andrews where one of the WWII Dambusters, Squadron Leader David Maltby, was both married and later buried after his death in 1943. Another famous resident of Wickhambreaux was the singer and musician, Christine MacVie of Fleetwood Mac.

We will then depart for the neighbouring village of Ickham with its attractive white weatherboard cottages, attractive listed buildings and 13th century church.

We will pass through the ancient village of Wingham which, with many buildings dating back to the 1200s including the Grade II listed ‘The Dog Inn’, provides a picture perfect part of the tour.

As we reach the coast, you will be driven to a special vantage point on the White Cliffs largely unknown to most visitors. This is a series of WWII gun emplacements which were created to protect this critical stretch of water from German shipping. At this most iconic of locations you will get views of Dover Castle, the harbour, the English Channel and, if the weather is clear, the nearby coastline of France. After a brief stop here for a history of Dover from Roman times to the Second World War, we will head back towards Canterbury through delightful country lanes and rolling hills in order to view a number of breath-taking villages.

Stroll along the iconic White Cliffs and enjoy spectacular close up views of the harbour, Dover Castle and, on a clear day, France

View the grounds of former Battle of Britain fighter station in 1940 and hear what it was like to be a pilot defending this country from invasion.

You will take in the delightful village of Barham with its rolling hills, newly planted vineyards and quaint narrow street. You 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.

After Barham you will head towards Bishopsbourne which is located within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. You will pass the elegant stately home of Bourne Park which the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visited in 1865.

Experience the charm of an English country house from 1638 and its delightful walled garden. You have the option to stop here and enjoy a 'farm to table' lunch with everything on the menu coming from its own gardens or nearby farms. Alternatively you may prefer lunch in a traditional English pub from 1370 - the oldest in Canterbury. Guests often feedback that the country house is one of the many highlights of their tour experience.

Your guide will then take you through the historic village of Patrixbourne with its particularly fine Norman church. Built of flint and stone from Caen in France, this pretty church is heavily influenced by French decorative practices. Your guide will point out a glorious south doorway in the Norman style and a wheel window in the east end which date from the late 12th century. We head to Canterbury from here.

Your guide will then drive you back to the popular historic city of Canterbury for a walking tour of the very best aspects of the city centre. This will give you an historic overview from Roman times to modern day. Guests choosing one day 'Best of Kent' tours will have the opportunity to lunch at an historic English country house offering a 'farm to plate' menu or an ancient city pub from 1370. The day can also conclude with the unforgettable experience of Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral at 17.30pm (except Thursdays). These specially selected locations will create lasting memories of everything that is quintessentially and authentically Kent.

From here we will walk to the Cathedral Gate, the main entrance to the historic home of the Anglican church. You will gain an insight into the gate’s connection with Henry VIII and the Tudor family, as well as a wider understanding of the impact of the Reformation on Canterbury and the Cathedral. Whilst there, you will learn more about the Buttermarket - the cobbled square which is the focal of the medieval city and the location of a number of pilgrim hotels and taverns.

Our 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 you can hear more about the influence of friars and monks to Canterbury and see for yourself two buildings which survive from this period: a refectory which was used by Dominicans as a dining hall and separate quarters for guest accommodation. This beautiful location is excellent for photo opportunities. Whilst here, you will hear about of one of Canterbury's most famous sons and contemporary of William Shakespeare, the dramatist Christopher Marlowe. You will be told stories about the importance of Canterbury in his short, but colourful life, and which ended in his untimely death in a Deptford tavern.

We will move on to the largest surviving medieval fortified tower in existence – the Westgate Tower. The Romans originally protected Canterbury with defensive walls between 270-290AD and seven gateways. During the Hundred Years War with France, the walls were strengthened further and two massive fortified gateways constructed. You will discover the innovative features of the Westgate and its role in protecting Canterbury in ensuing centuries. We will then take a short stroll into the neighbouring Westgate Gardens which, with its medieval houses, ancient archway and idyllic riverside setting, is an ideal spot for photos. You will also get the chance to see the submerged female figure in the river – ‘Alluvia’ – which was 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 has the dual purpose of measuring the temperature and cleanliness of the River Stour!

We head down the High Street towards the Old Weavers’ House which is located at another delightful riverside location on the King’s Bridge. Here you will see a beautiful timbered Tudor building which housed workers in the textile trade. You will hear about the importance of Protestant weavers who fled the Low Countries and later France in the 1500s and 1600s but who contributed significantly to the re-emerging wealth of Canterbury following King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. Furthermore you 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.

Just a few steps away from the King’s Bridge is a statue commemorating the significance of Geoffrey Chaucer and his ‘Canterbury Tales’ which was written in the late 1300s. You will gain an understanding of the significance of the ‘Canterbury Tales’ to the city and country as a whole. You 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 from where the tour began.

Your guide will walk you into the historic city centre and stop at St Margaret's Street. Here you will hear about the Iron Age origins of Canterbury; two preliminary raids in 55BC and 54BC by Julius Caesar; and the significant impact of the Roman invasion and settlement in AD43-410. You will have the opportunity to view the remains of the Roman theatre built in AD 80 which was further developed into a venue for 3000+ people and is located right under your feet! You will also view the adjacent Roman road, Watling Street, which passes next to the theatre and runs straight through Canterbury between London and Dover, as well as the location of a nearby temple complex and public bath houses.

As we leave St Margaret’s Street and cross the road to Butchery Lane, we will stop for a fantastic photo opportunity of the Cathedral and its quaint cobbled streets and medieval buildings. At this point you will also learn about the origins of the Cathedral, most notably the arrival of Augustine in Canterbury in AD597, 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.

We will then walk to the corner of St Margaret's St and High Street which is at the crossroads of the Roman city. Here you will learn about the murder of Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, at the hands of four knights acting for King Henry II. The subsequent declaration of miracles attributed to those who came into contact with the spilt blood of Thomas within the Cathedral, lead to his sainthood and Canterbury becoming the focus for pilgrimage for many to his tomb. You will discover what it was like to be a pilgrim coming to Canterbury between 1170-1538 and see the remains of shops, inns and accommodation they used.

Visit a highly acclaimed venue with views over Canterbury Cathedral from where you can sample a range of high quality products from local and international vineyards as chosen by a Master of Wine. Under the guidance of sommelier trained staff, you will be able to sample a number of up to 16 wines.

Enjoy the beauty of Choral Evensong in the Cathedral's historic Quire from 1175-1184. This 40 minute sung service is an opportunity to hear the incredible voices of the boys or girls choir sing alongside the Cathedral's lay clerks. This takes places every day at 17.30-18.10 except Thursdays (and with visiting choirs in the School holiday season).