July 2023 Itinerary

 PSA: Anyone going on an extended trip to the United Kingdom should consider becoming a member of the English Heritage Trust Organization. Many of the historical sights and castles are managed by the Heritage trust. Becoming a member affords you free parking and admission fees to most of the properties that they manage. English Heritage cares for over 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites - from world-famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles, from Roman forts on the edges of the empire to a Cold War bunker. Through these, they bring the story of England to life for over 10 million people each year. You can also get discounts to associated attractions you may want to visit.

I became a member when I realized how many properties were on my list. For 83 dollars per year, I saved a ton of money. I have at least 20 locations in my itinerary, and most of the admission and parking fees for these are between 20 and 25 dollars each. It took almost three months to get my membership book and card in the mail, so plan accordingly, but it was well worth it to become a member.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

I will be departing Atlanta GA on a red-eye flight to London, departing on 6 July, and arriving at London Heathrow on 7 July around noon local time. My daughter, Alex, should be waiting for me at the airport, as her flight arrives about an hour and a half prior to mine. The only place we plan on visiting on the way to our hotel is Down House, the home of Charles Darwin. Although I am not related to him, I felt that we needed to visit someplace on day one, prior to resting up. After visiting the museum at Down House, we’ll be headed to the Marriott Delta hotel in Bexleyheath.

Down House

July 8-10 we will be headed east to Kent. Sandwich, Ash, and Canterbury (AirBnB) will provide us plenty of religious sights to research the final resting place for several of our ancestors.

July 10-13 we will be staying at a Hotel in Tonbridge England. 4 Castles, 2 Manor houses, some churches, a priory, and the Battle Abbey at the Battle of Hastings will keep us busy.

July 13-16 will have us staying at an AirBnB just North of Brighton in the countryside. 3 Castles, a Mayflower memorial near Portchester, and a cathedral should provide plenty of photos. I’ve never been to Brighton, but with it being both a college town and a seaside resort town, it should be very busy in July. One of our days will be spent just checking things out in this city.

July 16-18 we make the trek to Winchester (VRBO). There are plenty of historical sights to see, including a few from the Netflix show “The Last Kingdom”.  We will also visit Stonehenge prior to arriving at our next lodging stop.

July 18-21 we will be staying at another Bed and Breakfast in Dorchester. This is in the heart of Devon, and should include some antiquing. At the end of this stop, it will be time for Alex to head back home to Alaska.

After dropping her off at Heathrow, the rest of the month will have me splitting time between Exeter and Torquay, making my way down to Plymouth and Cornwall to begin the month of August. 2020 was the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower voyage, and there should be plenty of places in Plymouth to research the passengers of that trip. My family history includes at least one Mayflower passenger, and possibly 2 more members who made the voyage to start a new life in pursuit of their religious liberties. Francis Cooke, Degory Priest, and William Bradford were all on that ship, and hopefully I can nail down some information to help me make the connection to Priest and Bradford. 

https://www.mayflower400uk.org/visit/ 



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