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INTRODUCTION:
WHY WE GO TO ENGLAND
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Island fortress? Not hardly! It seems every tide brings a wave of new
invaders to England. Some, indeed, were repulsed—the Spanish and the
Germans come to mind. But most have been very successful in overrunning
England and changing everything they find. Of course you know about the
Romans, the Vikings, the Danes, the Angles, the Saxons, and, most
famously, the Normans. But those are only the hostile takeovers.
Ever since there has been a British
Empire, the colonials have managed friendly takeovers of the motherland.
At least two colonies, Scotland and Holland, have managed to take over
the empire itself through capture of the monarchy (the Houses of Stuart
and Orange). And, few are the colonies or ex-colonies that have not
partially colonized England in return. Think India,
Africa, the West Indies. Aren’t American tourists but |
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ST. PAUL'S
CATHEDRAL
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common examples of
ex-colonials returning to Mother England? And why not? Even after 230
years of independence we still attribute much of American history and,
to a great extent, our culture, our laws and our arts, our economy,
indeed our very language, to our former place in the English world.
What’s so special? Come and see!
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(CLICK
ON EACH DESTINATION TITLE TO GET FULL TRAVEL PROGRAM DETAILS & PRICES)
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London may be the most youthful,
interesting city in the world—chaotic, loud, sophisticated, and diverse.
It is theater, shopping, museums, royal pageantry, landmarks, red buses
and black cabs. Home At First's apartments—located by London's #1
attraction, the
Tower of London—are
a 5-minute walk from Tower Hill Underground station, from which all of
central London may be reached within 20 minutes. The apartments are next
to a traffic-free marina lined with shops and restaurants—a quiet harbor
refuge from the bustling city. After exciting days pursuing history,
culture, fashion, and theater, return to a friendly pint at a local pub.
Or stop at a local market for fresh food and a bottle
of wine to enjoy on your balcony overlooking the yacht basin.
LONDON PROGRAM DETAILS
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CAN
THIS BE CENTRAL LONDON?
ST. KATHARINE'S MARINA BY THE
TOWER OF LONDON IS THE SUPERB
LOCATION OF
HOME AT FIRST'S
LONDON APARTMENTS.
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NICE NEIGHBORHOOD! THATCHED
'COTTAGE' IN CHIPPING CAMPDEN,
NORTHERN COTSWOLDS. HOME AT
FIRST'S COTTAGES—NOT QUITE
AS LARGE, BUT HISTORIC AND
CHARMING—ARE ALSO HERE.
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The Cotswolds embody much that is
familiar about the English countryside: quaint villages with
multi-hyphenated names (Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water),
thatched cottages of golden limestone, and pleasant walks between rural
pubs. Home At First has cottages in the southern Cotswolds at Tetbury
and in the north in and near Chipping Campden. Both of these pretty
towns have numerous shops, restaurants, and pubs where you will meet
local residents and feel like a local yourself. Our cottages are ideal
bases for exploration the Cotswolds or for day-trips to popular nearby
destinations including Bath, Stratford-on-Avon, Oxford, Windsor,
Salisbury & Stonehenge, South Wales, even London.
THE COTSWOLDS PROGRAM DETAILS
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Home
At First's Devonshire cottages are at an entrance to
Dartmoor National Park, an ideal base for exploring the wilds of
Dartmoor and the coastlines of the English and Bristol Channels. Narrow,
rural lanes follow the winding contours of the West Country leading to
charming hamlets hidden throughout Devon and nearby
Cornwall. Devonshire cream teas, idyllic thatched cottages,
bluffs, heath and moor out of the novels of Thomas Hardy, traditional
fishing villages, Sir Francis Drake, the Mayflower Pilgrims, and the
D-Day preparations all draw you to Devon. Plymouth, Bath, Stonehenge,
Penzance, and the English Riviera are among many possible day-trip
destinations.
DEVONSHIRE PROGRAM DETAILS
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APPETIZING SCENERY, FINE FOOD:
FRESH SEAFOOD AND RICH DAIRY
ARE ALWAYS ON THE MENU IN
BRITAIN'S WEST COUNTRY, LIKE
HERE ALONG THE BRISTOL
CHANNEL COAST OF DEVONSHIRE.
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TREASURE HUNT!
HIDDEN
HISTORICAL TREASURES AWAIT
YOUR DISCOVERY IN SLEEPY
SHROPSHIRE, LIKE THIS RESTAURANT/PUB
FROM ELIZABETHAN TIMES.
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The gentle countryside of
west-central England helped begin the Industrial Revolution, then went
back to sleep. Today, Shropshire and Cheshire remain pretty, rural
counties just north of Shakespeare country, east of the mountains of
Wales, and just south of the great medieval town of Chester. Here are
several preserved gems of old English villages and some important
monuments to the awakening of the modern age. Home At
First's accommodations in Shropshire, in a converted abbey dating from
1133, are a peaceful and stylish retreat and a great base for touring
western England from Robin Hood country through northeastern Wales.
SHROPSHIRE & CHESHIRE PROGRAM DETAILS
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Wordsworth's 19th century poems of praise of the Lake District's lovely landscape of
lakes, hills, and quaint villages still apply. Home At First's Lake District lodgings
include traditional rural cottages as well as attractive apartments in a beautiful
converted country estate home overlooking Esthwaite Water, a small lake just west of
Windermere. The Lake District is a gentle wilderness, and the resulting touring pace is
measured and graceful, never manic or boring. The many walking paths always offer
tranquility, and sometimes exciting challenge, but never dull repetition. And the lakes
are hidden like so many diamonds scattered among the folds of a counterpane of hills.
THE LAKE DISTRICT PROGRAM DETAILS
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STYLE & GRACE AT A SLOWER
PACE: PASSENGER LAUNCH ON
LAKE WINDERMERE, FIVE MINUTES
FROM HOME AT FIRST'S
LAKE DISTRICT LODGINGS. |
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WALKING PATH
BY BOLTON ABBEY
ON THE EDGE OF THE YORKSHIRE
DALES. IF, UNTHINKABLY, YOU
SHOULD TIRE OF THIS UNSPOILED
RURAL LANDSCAPE, THE GREAT
MEDIEVAL WALLED CITY OF YORK
IS ONLY 45 MINUTES AWAY.
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This part of northern England is a pleasant, rolling landscape dotted with small villages
and larger market towns. Our cozy cottages are located in villages with characteristic
Yorkshire names like Bishop Monkton and Burnt Yates, names suggesting the quaint charm and
slow pace of the region. Yorkshire is known for its variety of walking paths,
opportunities for riding, scenic touring, and encounters with English history at numerous
castles and abbeys, and in the great medieval city of York.
YORKSHIRE & THE DALES PROGRAM DETAILS
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