St Michael's Mount, engraving 1813 after J. Farington RA.

Henley-on-Thames, watercolour by Ernest W. Haslehurst, publ. c. 1930.

Clifton Suspension Bridge, near Bristol, wood engraving c. 1880.

England Tours

England rewards the curious traveller in ways that no other country quite manages. Its history reverberates in a nave still echoing with plainchant, in the engineered audacity of Brunel's suspension bridge, in the walled garden compartments at Sissinghurst that seem to have grown as much from argument as from soil. Our England tours are built around precisely this kind of encounter – with places, ideas and the people who know them best.

We ride the Settle–Carlisle Railway across the high Pennines, one of the great feats of Victorian engineering, and spend unhurried time among the Anglo-Saxon ruins of Lindisfarne, where some of the earliest Christian scholarship in Europe originated. We gain rare access to the grandest houses of the North — Chatsworth, Castle Howard and their neighbours — and follow Marc Morris, one of Britain's foremost medieval historians, through the castles and Plantagenet churches of Sussex and Kent. At Glyndebourne, opera in the Sussex Downs celebrates the English capacity for civilised eccentricity; in Oxford, choral music fills a candlelit chapel with something close to the transcendent.

Throughout, the company of an expert lecturer transforms a visit into a revelation. These are small groups, and the access we arrange – to houses and collections not regularly open to the public, to curators who unlock what a guidebook cannot – is what sets a Martin Randall tour apart.

Browse England tours by theme

Exploring England on a cultural tour

Our extensive programme of escorted tours makes merry with England’s rich artistic, industrial and political heritage. In Derbyshire, specially-arranged visits give us a rare insider’s view of the county’s most magnificent country houses, some of which are not regularly open to the public. Meanwhile, from Durham down to Winchester English cathedrals are our focus, as we admire not just their architectural ambition but also the problem-solving abilities of their builders.

Often, pre-eminent historians lead the way. Best-selling author Marc Morris is our guide through the Plantagenet castles and churches of Sussex and Kent, while Katherine Carter, curator of Winston Churchill’s home at Chartwell, takes us in search of the great war leader’s haunts. We work closely with music critics and broadcasters too. No wonder: private music festivals and Glyndebourne opera tours are essentials in our England tours.

Expert speakers

Spotlight on England

Ely Cathedral

The mighty Norman nave and transepts (c. 1110–30), with their thick walls, tiers of arches and clusters of shafts, leads to the crossing and its unique 14th-century octagonal lantern, a work of genius.

Visited on: 'The Cathedrals of England'

Settle–Carlisle Railway

‘The most spectacular piece of railway engineering in Britain’, the Settle–Carlisle Railway (built 1869–75) traverses the moorland hills of the Yorkshire Dales. Twice last century it faced closure, but it survives as England’s most scenically exciting rail journey.

Traversed on: 'Early Railways: The North'

Important information

Local currency

Pound Sterling (£)

Timezone

GMT+1

Plug Socket Type

Type G

A selection of our bases in England

Other bases:

The Lygon Arms, Broadway

The Bay Tree Hotel, Burford

The Lamb, Burford

The University Arms, Cambridge

Hotel Indigo, Durham

The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne

The Greenbank Hotel, Falmouth

The Hilton, London Paddington

The Compleat Angler, Marlow

Hotel Indigo, Newcastle

The Feathers Hotel, Oxford

The Barnsdale, Rutland

Sidmouth Harbour Hotel, Sidmouth

Lainston House Hotel, Winchester

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Chichester & the South Downs Great houses & gardens

Footpaths of Umbria Walks, art and wine between Arezzo and Assisi

Birth of the Modern Britain in the Age of Jane Austen & JMW Turner

Walking to Derbyshire Houses Magnificent countryside and great country houses

" The Symposium was excellent and good value. " Birth of the Modern - Britain in the Age of Jane Austen & JMW Turner

" It was an honour to be part of an audience in such auspicious surroundings. We were essentially provided with a divine and memorable week and a sense of individual achievement. Thank you so much. " The Divine Office: Choral Music in Oxford - A unique event of exceptional musical intensity and spiritual potency

" There was a lot of laughter and some serious scholarship to be absorbed. " Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity - Archaeology, history, art and landscape

" A terrific balance between countryside and historical centres. " Extremadura - Landscape, history and food in rural Spain

" Janet was encyclopaedic on the history and architecture of the region. She was articulate and interesting and was very well organised. " Chichester & the South Downs - Great houses & gardens

" We appreciated getting off the beaten track but we still thought we had a very good exposure to many of the highlights of Umbria. " Footpaths of Umbria - Walks, art and wine between Arezzo and Assisi

" The excellence in the smallest detail, from hotel selection to minute by minute organisation of each day and evening, the highest possible quality of the lectures, despite initial terror of finding one knew nothing, but realising one was there to learn after all, as were most attendees. " Birth of the Modern - Britain in the Age of Jane Austen & JMW Turner

" Unbeatable combination of well-designed itineraries, superb expert lecturers, terrific tour guides. " Walking to Derbyshire Houses - Magnificent countryside and great country houses

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England Tours