Guide: Jamie Blair Gould
Hello there! 'Y’ alright?
I thought it might be helpful to start a post for those that are going to be on this tour to share previous experiences, tips, tricks, ask questions etc.
I am SUPER excited for our tour! Less than 3 weeks to go!
See you all in Bath! Cheerio!
~Lizzy in Illinois
Good luck!
Hope you find people.
Unfortunately, it's been my experience that very few people who take the tours participate in the forum.
Lizzy....you will have a wonderful time! I agree with Liz that most tour members don't even realize there is a travel forum, however you might be lucky!
Hope you have a waterproof rain jacket with a hood!
This is an excellent tour. I went a number of years ago and it remains one of my favorites!
Fabulous tour!! We had a great time!!
Would do it again in a heartbeat!
Favorite places......Bath was wonderful. We arrived a couple of days early and found Bath to be full of great restaurants. We went to see the interior of Bath Abbey and sit for some choir and organ rehearsals. The interior of Bath Abbey you will not visit while on the walking tour your RS guide gives, but you will see the exterior, while the guide gives a history.
Wales was our favorite place of the tour. Both Conwy and Caernarfon Castles were amazing.
York was great. My advice is to research and plan what you will do with your free afternoon here, after your RS guide takes you to York Minster in the morning.
You're going to have a wonderful time! I am envious!
We will be on this tour in April-May 2024, and are thinking of going to Oxford before the tour. It is easier to get from Heathrow to Oxford (bus every 20 minutes) compared to going to Bath from Heathrow. Also, we have spent time in Bath already after the South England RS tour. Our plan is to stay on in London for a few days after the tour, perhaps moving to a different hotel.
Hope you have a great time!
Like Bob I went to Oxford before this tour last year and also took the airline bus which was a really easy connection from Heathrow's Central Bus Station. I stayed at Christ Church College in the annex and loved eating breakfast each morning in Harry Potter's dining hall. 3 days in Oxford were not enough and I plan to do this again when next I visit my favorite country, England. When the tour ended in London I took various trains and buses to visit other areas I wanted to see more of like the Cotswolds. You will have SUCH a wonderful time. My sister took this took in 2019 and also loved it. It was her 1st Rick tour. I had been to most of the places the tour goes, but really enjoyed seeing them again.
Lizzy, make sure you book a theatre night in London. I always do because the prices are more moderate. Last year I attended "Six" a raucous modern musical about Henry VIIl's wives. It was 90 minutes with no intermission, went by quickly and I loved the costumes and the music.
Have a great time! We are on the same tour beginning 9/3. Have you figured out how you will travel to Bath? We’re arriving 9/2 and as of now are planning to use the train.
I just returned from “Best of England” tour and thought it was marvelous! Excellent, personable guide with a fountain of knowledge about British history! My only qualms about this tour is there’s a lot of time on the bus( unavoidable as you will be covering almost the entire country!). You will particularly like this trip if you enjoy exploring ancient castles, abbeys, and ruins. Have fun- your tour will be here before you know it!
Thank you all for your responses! I am super excited!!! I leave in in 8 days...but who's counting lol.
@adamsli I am taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station. I plan on taking that train to Bath.
I have yet to buy my London --> Bath ticket as you can never quite count on flights landing on time and transport time. I will probably just purchase the ticket at the station. I can't believe the train would be 100% booked...hopefully.
Jamie Blair Gould led our VFR tour 5 years ago. He's got an interesting style and is definitely not the "hovering" type. He will have great insight for you as he was I believe raised in Bath. He's one of the earliest of RS employees and best friends with Mark Seymour among other startup employees. He moved his family years ago to Lucca I suppose for obvious reasons. He won't be much help with desserts as he doesn't like sweets! I really appreciated how he stayed on top of a roaming museum employee strike in Florence - he managed to get me into the Bargello when they were opening for a couple of hours.
I just wanted to say that I am on this same tour but right after you - Sept 12 to 25. I will be following your posts closely. Have a great time!
Karen
I enjoyed a great RS tour of Rome with Jamie. Have fun!
Does anyone know why the reviews for RS tours haven’t been published for three months? Also, I never received my trip evaluation form, despite several requests. I was on the 7/23 tour, and I must say the customer service after you finish the tour is severely lacking.
Some tour have been just not all. Maybe a labor issue like with a lot of other companies?
Broekerd, that very thing happened to me. As it turned out, it was because both my husband and myself used the same email address when registering for the tour and they only send one review request to each email address.
Next time I will register for the tour using a separate email address from my husband’s.
