Christ Church England Itinerary

Sep. 22-23, Days 1 & 2 – Travel from USA, Arrive in Oxford, UK
Depart USA, arrive LHR

After arriving early we transfer to Oxford, home of the oldest university in the English-speaking world. The overwhelming majority of Christian leaders within England have been trained for ministry between Oxford and its collegiate sister city of Cambridge. After lunch and hotel check-in we will rest after our long journey until our opening dinner together. (L / D)

Sep. 24, Day 3 – Oxford

In the morning we will tour Christ Church College with its magnificent Great Dining Hall, and shop at the famous Blackwells bookstore. After lunch we will pass by the Eagle & Child Pub (made famous by C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and the Inklings) on our way to Magdalen College where Lewis taught for 29 years. Along the way we will visit the Martyr’s memorial and hear about three of Anglicanism’s key founding leaders: Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer.  After dinner we will attend a beautiful Evensong service at New College. (B / L / D)

Sep. 25, Day 4 – Cotswolds & Stratford Upon Avon

After a morning touring the Cotswolds — the quintessentially English villages of honey-colored stone, markets, and breath-taking landscapes — we will make our way to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace and burial site of William Shakespeare. We will explore the importance of Elizabethan-English that fills the pages of the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer and continues to capture our imaginations today. After an early dinner we will take in a play the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, before returning to Oxford to pack up for our trip north. (B / D)

Sep. 26, Day 5 – Durham

After a morning-long journey into Northern England and a brief stop for lunch, we will arrive in Durham. A UNESCO World Heritage site, this 11th century cathedral is considered the finest Norman building in Europe. Here we hear the stories of Cuthbert, Oswald and Bede. After some free time, evensong, and dinner, we lodge in Durham tonight. (B / L / D)

Sep. 27, Day 6 – Lindisfarne & York

This morning we journey north to Lindisfarne where we visit Holy Island, a tidal island off the Northumbrian coast (our schedule to cross the causeway is determined by tide schedule). St Aidan was sent here as a missionary from Iona and established a monastery here in 630 AD that is now a series of breathtaking ruins. This is considered by religious and non-religious as the most sacred place in all England. After lunch we make our way back south to York where we will visit York Minster, the largest medieval church in England and possibly the oldest Christian community in Britain, and stay the night there. (B / L / D)

Sep. 28, Day 7 – London

Today we make our long morning trek to London, stopping for a brief lunch on the road. After dropping our bags at our hotel, we will experience Trafalgar Square, with afternoon tea in the Crypt of St Martin in the Fields, and have some free time in the Square. (B / L / D)

 Sep. 29, Day 8 – London

On the Lord’s Day we join in Sunday worship at All Souls Langham Place, where John Stott — perhaps England’s greatest preacher and evangelist — served from 1945 until his death in 2011.  After lunch we will tour Westminster Abbey, including a discussion on the Houses of Parliament and the long-standing question of the division of Church and State. After some free time in the afternoon we will meet up at Rules, London’s oldest restaurant for dinner. (B / L / D)

Sep. 30, Day 9 - Canterbury

Our journey takes us to Canterbury and to tour the Cathedral which is the historic center of the Church of England. Here we will visit St Augustine’s Abbey and the historic St Martin’s Church. After lunch we will travel to the iconic White Cliffs of Dover before heading back to London for dinner and an evening on your own. (B / L)

Oct. 1, Day 10 - London

For our last full day in London we will start with a visit to the Tower of London, with a tour by a Beefeater guard including a viewing of the Crown Jewels. We will tour St Paul’s Cathedral, and then following lunch will visit several unique London shops including afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason, the official royal suppliers. After an early celebration dinner we will close our day with a comedy in London’s Westend. (B / L / D)

Oct. 2, Day 11 - Departure to USA

Return to the United States with our faith deepened and our hearts full of the stories of the English saints who have gone before us. (B)