Britain

on location: europe ❖

BRITAIN

Rolls Out the Red Carpet for 2012

Resplendent in their bearskin hats, guards at Buckingham Palace epitomize Britain’s penchant for royal pageantry.

20 October 2011

Olympics buzz and royal pageantry will spark a dash

Photos courtesy of VisitBritain

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ith blockbuster events like last April’s Royal Wedding and the 2012 Summer Olympics, tour planners are taking advantage of Britain’s elevated presence on the world stage. Perennially the most popular long-haul destination for Americans, the UK abounds with people and places that hold a special fascination for those of us living across the Atlantic. It’s the home, of course, of Shakespeare, the Loch Ness Monster, Wimbledon, the Beatles, Prince William, James Bond and Harry Potter.

In preparation for its third Olympic Games, London (london2012.com) is seeing a development boom that

to London and beyond

A glass coach lends a fairy-tale aura to royal pomp in London.

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includes an increase of some 13,000 hotel rooms. The Olympic Park complex is centered in East London, but events will be taking place throughout the city and country.

Aside from luring sports fans, Britain next year will offer a special enticement to Americans smitten by lore surrounding British royalty. In June 2012 Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will celebrate 60 years on the throne with events across the country displaying the pageantry and personality for which the kingdom is renowned.

Indeed, London, though ever-changing, bows to time-honored traditions, offering a bounty of royal sights and other attractions that could easily fill a week’s worth of touring—or a lifetime.

As Samuel Johnson wrote, “When one is tired of London, he is tired of life.”

The Tower of London, home to the Crown Jewels, is one of the most famous symbols of the British capital. The well-preserved medieval fortress, built

by William the Conqueror in 1066, was used as a prison and saw several executions, including that of Anne Boleyn. Groups enjoy the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace and can tour its State Rooms when they’re open to the public for a few weeks in August and September. Private evening tours are available for groups, with extra dates in January, March and April while the Queen is away.

Tours of the Houses of Parliament also can be booked. These are available on Saturdays and Sundays year round and every day during the summer recess (usually between August and September). Nearby is Westminster Abbey, the site of almost all royal burials over the last 500 years. TV viewers around the world know it as the scene of William and Kate’s wedding.

A likeness of Prince William is on display at Madame Tussauds, a London institution featuring the wax figures LeisureGroupTravel.com

of celebrities and world leaders.

Other commercial attractions include the London Dungeon, with exhibits on torture and live actors who jump out from the shadows, and the London Bridge Experience, where actors bring to life the Black Death, Great Fire and other historical events. Also along the River Thames is the London Eye, the giant, 32-capsule Ferris wheel that provides spectacular views of London.

Groups can book their own private capsule, with or without a guide. Each capsule holds a maximum of 25.

London’s West End theater district has all the hottest musicals, or groups may attend a concert by the London Symphony Orchestra with a free talk and tea or coffee before the performance.

Backstage tours are available at the Royal Opera House, home of the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet.

The rest of England abounds with itinerary pleasers as well. Yorkshire is England’s largest county and should be considered as a group base in 2012, which will be a super-busy time for the capital. Yorkshire boasts a superb heritage coastline, three national parks (including the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors), the city of York and the cultural cities of Leeds, Sheffield, Hull and Bradford. In the small town of Haworth you can visit the Brontë Parsonage, where Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre, and take in the atmospheric scenery that influenced the novel and also Wuthering Heights by her sister Emily.

An excellent value for the money, Yorkshire is 200 miles north of London and offers top-notch attractions and events, including the York Mystery Plays 2012. The world-famous Passion Plays, some of the oldest pieces of English literature, have roots in the 14th century, when they were performed in midsummer on the streets of Britain’s medieval cities on the church Feast Day

Some of London’s top sights can be found along the River Thames.

Westminster Abbey has served as the site of many royal occasions.

The minute hands of Big Ben, a symbol of London, are 14 feet long.

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BRITAIN on location: europe ❖

York Minster, a Gothic treasure, is a chief attraction in York.

of Corpus Christi. Large-scale productions began in 1951 in York’s Museum Gardens. Staged every four years, the York Theatre Royal production returns to this original setting next summer.

Other attractions in the city of York include the National Railway Museum, Jorvik Viking Centre and York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe.

Cambridge, make their first home there.

Scotland provides yet more options for a tour of Britain. From the capital of Edinburgh to tranquil islands off the coast, a variety of historical treasures and scenic landscapes awaits. Boat tours on Loch Ness, home to the mythical creature “Nessie” since its first sighting in the sixth century, afford beautiful mountain panoramas. Other highlights

Tours of the Houses of Parliament shed light on the law-making process.

Britain on View

The Norman keep of Cardiff Castle in Wales dates from the 1100s.

Edinburgh, Scotland abounds with historical and cultural attractions.

22 October 2011

Groups in Britain also should consider a side trip to Wales, a land of 641 castles, 687 miles of coastline, three million people and 11 million sheep. With a rich Celtic heritage and dramatic countryside, Wales is only two hours by train from London. Wales Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the capital, will host the Olympic football (soccer) competition, which begins two days before the July 27 Opening Ceremony. All eyes in recent months have turned to the picturesque isle of Anglesey at the northern tip of Wales as the newly married royal couple, the Duke and Duchess of

include a ride on the Jacobite Steam Train in Glenfinnan (used in the Harry Potter movies) and distillery tours that offer samplings of Scotland’s world-class malt whiskies. The birthplace of golf, Scotland offers more than 550 courses.

With Britain shaping up as one of Europe’s hot destinations for 2012, now is the time to start planning dream tours for your clients. The possibilities are endless in England, Scotland and Wales.

For more information, contact VisitBritain, traveltradeinfo@visitbritain.org; visitbritain.com. LGT LeisureGroupTravel.com