UK Quilts On Show 2010 Tour
Victoria and Albert Museum, Jane Austen's Quilt, Portobello Road markets, Winchester Cathedral, UK Embroiderers' Guild Museum, The American Museum in Bath, Quilters' Guild Quilt Museum & meet local quilters.

Detailed Tour Itinerary

Tuesday, March 30th  

Welcome to London. Check-in is after 3pm. Earlier Check-in may be possible if rooms are ready. Baggage storage is available for early arrivals. After settling into our centrally located London hotel - our home for 6 nights - the remainder of the day is free to rest from the flight or to explore a little on your own. Oxford St is a stroll away and you might like to check out the Liberty of London store in Regent St, open until 8pm. Welcome Drinks and Dinner tonight [D] to meet your fellow travellers.

Wednesday, March 31st  

Every day begins on the UK Quilts on Show Tour with a full English breakfast [B]. A tour highlight today. We begin our day at the Victoria and Albert Museum with a lecture on the quilts in the collection. Then we can view the magnificent quilt collection which is on display for the first time since 1937!

This special exhibition showcases patchwork and quilted coverlets from the past 300 years of British quilting history. The exhibition will celebrate the astonishing vision involved in the design and making of each quilt, and attempt to unravel some of the complex and individual narratives embedded in its history. The iconic Tristan Quilt will be on display as part of the new and exciting display in the Mediaeval and Renaissance Galleries which will include other rare and wonderful early textiles.

This afternoon a tour round the sights of London from the top of a double-decker bus. [Non quilting spouses program - the Tower of London and the Maritime Museum at Greenwich]

Thursday, April 1st:  

Today we visit the Embroiderers' Guild at Hampton Court Palace. The Embroiderers' Guild has a collection of over 11,000 embroidered objects which have been gathered from around the world and take many forms including costume, furnishings and decorative and non-functional textiles. A particular strength of this collection is the holding of embroidery worked in Britain from the 16th century to the present day. We will be given a guided tour of the highlights of this collection. [Non quilting spouses program - the Imperial War Museum and Churchill's cabinet Rooms].

Friday, April 2nd:  

Good Friday. Today another visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum to explore at your own pace. You are free to browse the textile study rooms where you will find quilting related material and more than 1,200 pieces of embroidery for study. You may also enjoy the British Galleries which cover decorative art in Britain from 1600 to 1900. The fashion gallery has a wonderful display of fashion history up to the present day. You will find fabulous Indian chintz hangings, wonderful tapestries and so much more.

There is an elegant café where you may take refreshments, and don't forget the V&A Shop where you can buy the most wonderful books you don't see anywhere else. Or you may like to spend a quiet day exploring London's historic sights and Springtime gardens. (You may like to revisit the Special Quilt Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert again, however the entrance fee is not included today).

Saturday, April 3rd:  

Up bright and early for London's famous Portobello Road Markets. There is something for everyone here both antique and not so antique. You will find antique needlework tools and cross stitch samplers among silver, books, maps, boxes of every shape and so much more.

Sunday, April 4th:  

Today we will venture further afield and join British Rail as far as Alton and then go on to Chawton in Hampshire where we visit the home Jane Austen loved best and where her quilt hangs on display. We can explore Winchester Cathedral on our way home and pay homage to Jane's final resting place. [Non quilting spouses program - the British Museum]

Monday, April 5th:  

Farewell London as we join the British Rail 125 [that is 125 miles or 200 kilometres an hour] train along the route of the historic Great Western Railway to the Regency Spa town of Bath, where people have come since Roman times to “take the waters”. In the afternoon there is a walking tour of Bath.

Tuesday, April 6th:  

A treat today as we visit the American Museum in Britain. Arriving at 10am in time for morning tea, we will then begin our tour of this unique museum. Our personal tour guide will give us plenty of time to study the wonderful quilt collection they have on display. At the end of our museum visit there will be time to meet some local quilting ladies who have a quilting bee each Tuesday and see what they are making. Perhaps you will have a travel project with you to bring along to show. [Non quilting spouses program - the university city of Oxford]

Wednesday, April 7th:  

A free day to enjoy Bath - visit the Roman Baths, the Fashion Museum, the Jane Austen Centre, the Georgian Garden - or perhaps an excursion to enigmatic Stonehenge and everybody's favourite cathedral, Salisbury, immortalized in Constable's art.

Thursday, April 8th:  

British Rail has us quickly in London where we embark on another historic rail journey - following the route of the Great North Eastern Railway's Flying Scotsman to the city of York, dating from Viking times. There is time this afternoon to explore the Minster and the Shambles.

Friday, April 9th:  

Today we visit the Quilt Museum and Gallery which is run by the UK Quilters' Guild. This is Europe's first museum dedicated to quilt making and textile arts. Here we will see their wonderful collection which includes a coverlet from 1718. We will also be treated to a tour behind the scenes with the curator. [Non quilting spouses program - a drive through the Yorkshire Dales villages as featured in James Heriot's “All Creatures Great and Small” and a village pub lunch].

Saturday, April 10th:  

A change of pace today as we visit one of England's grand “stately” homes, Harewood House. In 1758, as the proportions and foundations of the house were being laid out, the shape of the surrounding landscape was being determined by the designer Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. This is classic Capability Brown - subtly altered hills and valleys, naturalistic plantings of trees and the characteristic serpentine lakes - forming an idyllic rural setting. We move on to the spa and garden town of Harrogate. Take a leisurely cream tea and stroll around the many public gardens for which Harrogate is famous. Keep an eye out for Agatha Christie: this is where she spent her well publicized disappearance in 1926. Home to our York hotel this evening.

Sunday, April 11th:  

This morning British Rail returns us to London where our tour ends. There are transfers to the airport for those flying home today.

Why not stay on a while or join the Great Trains of Europe “Off the Beaten Track: Hidden Gems” Tour from Paris to Vienna via the cultural gems of Bruges, Delft, Dresden, Salzburg, Prague and Krakow. Members of the UK Quilts on Show Tour will be offered a 10% discount on the “Off the Beaten Track: Hidden Gems Tour.”

Tour cost:

$AUD 4,690 [$USD 3,290] per person Twin Share.

Single Room supplement $AUD 1,000 or $US 675

Please indicate on the booking form if you would like us to find someone to share a room with you.
Please enquire about our very competitive airfares, either London return or Round the World to allow you to visit the Paducah Quilt Show in the US.
Given the volatile nature of airfare prices, fares are only guaranteed when paid in full.

PAYMENT DETAILS:
An immediate deposit of $A1,000 or $US675 will guarantee you a place on the tour. Full payment will be due 4 months before departure. Cancellation policies are detailed on the booking form. Regrettably, we do not accept credit cards. Direct bank deposits or personal cheques (Australia only), please.

All travel details are handled by Great Trains of Europe Tours, licensed travel agent #3217475, of Toowoomba, Australia. The tour will be led by Mrs Kerrie Klan and Mrs Val Bensen, award winning quilters of Toowoomba, and managed by Mr Stan Klan, company principal of Great Trains of Europe Tours.