Linda White is leading this tour to the UK which incorporates many different textile related experiences.
There will be numerous stops as we make our way through the beautiful UK countryside, visiting famous places of interest. Two full days will be spent at the biggest quilt show in Europe and the UK – The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, where you will be able to immerse yourself in quilt displays, classes, demonstrations and of course shopping.
Experience London, including the famous Victoria and Albert Museum
2 days at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham
Visit the American Museum, Jen Jones Welsh Quilt Centre, and Minerva Arts Centre
Explore the rural warmth of Cotswold, a locale known for its golden-hued limestone and bucolic rolling hills
Visit York Minster and Bowes Museum in York
Enjoy a class with Sharon from the Raggy Robin Sewing Room
*Tour price is Land Only, starts in London and finishes in Manchester Airport.
About your tour leader - Linda White
Linda White has been a patchworker and quilter for over 40 years, and is never without a stitching project close by. She loves the way that sewing and craft brings like minded people together, and how, many long time friendships have been made through the classes and events that she has held in her shop, Gum Valley Patchwork. Linda has a passion for English Paper Piecing, and is renowned for her award winning quilts ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘Elenor Jean’.
What's Included
Tour Inclusions:
13 nights accommodation in well selected hotels on a bed and breakfast basis
Packed lunch and 4 dinners
Travel in first-class coaches from day 2 to day 14
Tour is led by a professional quilter
Sightseeing and general entry fees as detailed in the tour itinerary, including the Birmingham Festival of Quilts
Tour manager in UK throughout the entire trip
Porterage of one piece of luggage in and out of hotels
Not Included:
Travel insurance
Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary
Sightseeing and general expenses not specified in the itinerary
Items of a personal nature
Additional travel arrangements not in the tour itinerary
In order to get the most from your travels and keep up with the group, a reasonable level of fitness is required.
You will need to be able to walk for a few hours at a gentle pace
Use combined shower/bath facilities (it is impossible to guarantee walk-in shower facilities)
Undertake walking tours of 1-2 hours duration, including using stairs, walking over cobblestones and other uneven surfaces
Stand for long periods in museums and other sites
Embark / disembark coaches, trains and other methods of transportation without assistance
Handle your own luggage
COVID-19 cancellation policy
All participants are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
If Government imposed COVID-19 restrictions mean that we cannot run a tour, or that you cannot travel to join a tour, then you will be given a 100% refund of all monies paid to Opulent Journeys for your tour.
Orientation tour of London’s most famous sights on our panoramic peek at some of the best including Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Tower of London. Visit the Victoria & Albert Museum, the world’s largest museum of decorative art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. We will also pay a visit to Liberty of London for some fabric shopping.
Today we visit fabric and quilting shops, Antique Textile Company and Taylors Buttons, operating for over 100 years in what was once the home of Charles Dickens.
After breakfast on the way to Bristol, we will stop at Lady Sew & Sew; followed by a visit to Stonehenge, the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. Arrive in Bristol for overnight stay.
This morning we’ll visit the Roman Baths of the historical city of Barth and explore textile collections at the American Museum, where vintage American quilts include 18th century examples by Sioux and Amish women, and slaves. We have an opportunity to have a guided quilt tour at the Museum. Also visit the patchwork and quilting shop Country Threads.
Today we visit Lacock, one of the charming English villages in the heart of Cotswold. The Cotswold’s honey-coloured limestone houses, historical market towns and rolling green hills framed by drystone walls represent an unspoiled idyll of quintessential England. Return to Bristol and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Today enjoy a scenic drive to Lampeter, a small market and university town in the middle of the beautiful Welsh countryside. Here you will enjoy a visit and tour at the Jen Jones Welsh Quilt Centre. Have some free time to enjoy and explore the smallest town in Wales. Stop for a visit in the Calico Kate Quilt Shop, Red Apple Yarn Shop, return to further explore the Jen Jones Welsh Quilt Centre.
After breakfast, we depart Lampeter to Birmingham. En route, visit the Minerva Arts Centre in Llanidloes - the home of the Quilt Association and its collection of heritage quilts. The collection contains a large number of antique quilts made in Wales during the 19th and 20th Centuries, along with various associated items such as quilting templates and frames. Afterwards check in at the hotel in Birmingham and enjoy a group dinner with Australian Designer Gail Pan.
Travel through green English countryside to York, where you can stroll through the narrow streets of this medieval city. After a visit to York Minster, we meet with a member of the Quilter’s Guild of the British Isles who specialises in North Country quilts. (subject to the member’s availability). Her private collection dates from the early 19th and 20th century, and she has invited us to view the extraordinary detail of her pristine collection.
Visit an ancient market town - Barnard Castle and the Bowes Museum, Britain’s largest and best European textile collection, with tapestries, needlework, lace and quilts from the 15th to 19th centuries. Attend a workshop with Sharon at the Raggy Robin Sewing Room.
Take in the great natural beauty at the Yorkshire Dales and enjoy a day excursion to the village of Haworth, home of the famous Brontë sisters. Farewell dinner tonight.
Travel by coach to Manchester Airport for your departure flight.
(Meals: B)
LUXURY IN SMALL SHIP CRUISING AND RAIL TRAVEL
Quilt Tour of Wales & England with Birmingham Quilt Festival
14 27 July - 9 August 2023
From $5,990
Tour Overview
Linda White is leading this tour to the UK which incorporates many different textile related experiences.
There will be numerous stops as we make our way through the beautiful UK countryside, visiting famous places of interest. Two full days will be spent at the biggest quilt show in Europe and the UK – The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, where you will be able to immerse yourself in quilt displays, classes, demonstrations and of course shopping.
Experience London, including the famous Victoria and Albert Museum
2 days at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham
Visit the American Museum, Jen Jones Welsh Quilt Centre, and Minerva Arts Centre
Explore the rural warmth of Cotswold, a locale known for its golden-hued limestone and bucolic rolling hills
Visit York Minster and Bowes Museum in York
Enjoy a class with Sharon from the Raggy Robin Sewing Room
Patchwork Shops and retail therapy!
Itinerary Map
Itinerary
Day 1Arrive London
Meet your fellow group members in the hotel lobby, attend the welcome dinner, and receive a special stitching gift from Linda.
(Meals: D)
Day 2London
Orientation tour of London’s most famous sights on our panoramic peek at some of the best including Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Tower of London. Visit the Victoria & Albert Museum, the world’s largest museum of decorative art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. We will also pay a visit to Liberty of London for some fabric shopping.
(Meals: B)
Day 3London
Today we visit fabric and quilting shops, Antique Textile Company and Taylors Buttons, operating for over 100 years in what was once the home of Charles Dickens.
(Meals: B)
Day 4London-Stonehenge-Bristol
After breakfast on the way to Bristol, we will stop at Lady Sew & Sew; followed by a visit to Stonehenge, the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. Arrive in Bristol for overnight stay.
(Meals: B)
Day 5Bristol-Bath-Bristol
This morning we’ll visit the Roman Baths of the historical city of Barth and explore textile collections at the American Museum, where vintage American quilts include 18th century examples by Sioux and Amish women, and slaves. We have an opportunity to have a guided quilt tour at the Museum. Also visit the patchwork and quilting shop Country Threads.
(Meals: B)
Day 6Bristol-Cotswold-Bristol
Today we visit Lacock, one of the charming English villages in the heart of Cotswold. The Cotswold’s honey-coloured limestone houses, historical market towns and rolling green hills framed by drystone walls represent an unspoiled idyll of quintessential England. Return to Bristol and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
(Meals: B)
Day 7Bristol-Lampeter-Aberystwyth
Today enjoy a scenic drive to Lampeter, a small market and university town in the middle of the beautiful Welsh countryside. Here you will enjoy a visit and tour at the Jen Jones Welsh Quilt Centre. Have some free time to enjoy and explore the smallest town in Wales. Stop for a visit in the Calico Kate Quilt Shop, Red Apple Yarn Shop, return to further explore the Jen Jones Welsh Quilt Centre.
(Meals: B, L, D)
Day 8Aberystwyth-Birmingham
After breakfast, we depart Lampeter to Birmingham. En route, visit the Minerva Arts Centre in Llanidloes - the home of the Quilt Association and its collection of heritage quilts. The collection contains a large number of antique quilts made in Wales during the 19th and 20th Centuries, along with various associated items such as quilting templates and frames. Afterwards check in at the hotel in Birmingham and enjoy a group dinner with Australian Designer Gail Pan.
(Meals: B D)
Day 9-10Birmingham
Explore the Festival of Quilts at the NEC Convention Centre in Birmingham.
(Meals: B)
Day 11Birmingham-York
Travel through green English countryside to York, where you can stroll through the narrow streets of this medieval city. After a visit to York Minster, we meet with a member of the Quilter’s Guild of the British Isles who specialises in North Country quilts. (subject to the member’s availability). Her private collection dates from the early 19th and 20th century, and she has invited us to view the extraordinary detail of her pristine collection.
(Meals: B)
Day 12York-Durham-York
Visit an ancient market town - Barnard Castle and the Bowes Museum, Britain’s largest and best European textile collection, with tapestries, needlework, lace and quilts from the 15th to 19th centuries. Attend a workshop with Sharon at the Raggy Robin Sewing Room.
(Meals: B)
Day 13York
Take in the great natural beauty at the Yorkshire Dales and enjoy a day excursion to the village of Haworth, home of the famous Brontë sisters. Farewell dinner tonight.
(Meals: B, D)
Day 14York-Manchester Airport
Travel by coach to Manchester Airport for your departure flight.
(Meals: B)
About your tour leader - Linda White
Linda White has been a patchworker and quilter for over 40 years, and is never without a stitching project close by. She loves the way that sewing and craft brings like minded people together, and how, many long time friendships have been made through the classes and events that she has held in her shop, Gum Valley Patchwork. Linda has a passion for English Paper Piecing, and is renowned for her award winning quilts ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘Elenor Jean’.
What's Included
Tour Inclusions:
13 nights accommodation in well selected hotels on a bed and breakfast basis
Packed lunch and 4 dinners
Travel in first-class coaches from day 2 to day 14
Tour is led by a professional quilter
Sightseeing and general entry fees as detailed in the tour itinerary, including the Birmingham Festival of Quilts
Tour manager in UK throughout the entire trip
Porterage of one piece of luggage in and out of hotels
Not Included:
Travel insurance
Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary
Sightseeing and general expenses not specified in the itinerary
Items of a personal nature
Additional travel arrangements not in the tour itinerary
In order to get the most from your travels and keep up with the group, a reasonable level of fitness is required.
You will need to be able to walk for a few hours at a gentle pace
Use combined shower/bath facilities (it is impossible to guarantee walk-in shower facilities)
Undertake walking tours of 1-2 hours duration, including using stairs, walking over cobblestones and other uneven surfaces
Stand for long periods in museums and other sites
Embark / disembark coaches, trains and other methods of transportation without assistance
Handle your own luggage
COVID-19 cancellation policy
All participants are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
If Government imposed COVID-19 restrictions mean that we cannot run a tour, or that you cannot travel to join a tour, then you will be given a 100% refund of all monies paid to Opulent Journeys for your tour.
Dates & Prices
27 July to 9 August, 2023
Tour Prices*
Per person, twin share
$5,990
Single room supplement
$1,390
Tour deposit
$600
*Tour price is Land Only, starts in London and finishes in Manchester Airport.
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