1105BA5 - Catholic England and Scotland Holy Year Pilgrimage 12 days from Atlanta

Today, we depart from Atlanta on our overnight flight to London. We enjoy complimentary beverages, in-flight movies, dinner, and breakfast while aloft.

We arrive in London this morning, where we are met by our Unitours Tour Manager. We travel by motorcoach into London, where we will have a panoramic tour of the city highlighting some of the world's most famous landmarks, Trafalgar Square, Nelson's column, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Piccadilly. Our drive includes a visit to the beautiful Westminster Abbey, the coronation church and burial place of English monarchs since William the Conqueror was crowned here on Christmas Day 1066AD, by the archbishop of Canterbury. We enjoy a late lunch on our own by the River Thames before Mass at a local church enroute to our hotel. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure before our “welcome” dinner and overnight at our London hotel.

Today, our guided tour of London includes many famous sites, blending the traditions of the past with all the vibrancy of a modern millennium city. We visit Westminster Cathedral, which was finished in 1903 in the Christian Byzantine style. Cardinal Manning chose the site in 1884, which had been in disuse since the Reformation (note that freedom for Catholic worship was not allowed until 1828). We marvel at vastness and fine proportions of this Catholic cathedral and such interesting items as the 15th century alabaster statue of Virgin and Child. We celebrate Mass here. We enjoy the color and pageantry of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (subject to availability and weather) before we break for lunch on our own. We visit the ancient Tower of London and view the crown jewels. We then visit Sir Christopher Wren's architectural masterpiece St. Paul's Cathedral. At the end of the afternoon, we briefly stop at the newly housed British Library to see the exhibition of ancient manuscripts which includes the beautifully illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels and the Magna Carta. Dinner and overnight at our hotel

This morning, we visit the city of Canterbury, one of the most important sites in the spiritual geography of England, with a wealth of historic treasures. To reach Canterbury we drive through Kent, a verdant county of pastureland, which is known as the 'Garden of England'. In the Middle Ages the road to Canterbury was the most traveled road in England, the pilgrimage route to the Shrine of the martyr, St. Thomas a Becket. Other holy men, such as St. Augustine, St. Dunstan, and St. Alphege, also inspired the dedication of monuments in their honor at Canterbury. We stop for lunch on our own along our route and enjoy a guided tour of Christchurch (Canterbury Cathedral) where we see St. Becket's Shrine above the High Altar and the Twelve Stained glass Windows that depict his life and miracles. We celebrate Mass while there. We also view the ruins of St. Augustine's Abbey, the burial place of St. Augustine, England's first Christian missionary, sent here from Rome in 597AD. Before returning to London, we visit Dover on the south coast and view the enigmatic white cliffs created by the heavy chalk deposits, which run under the English Channel and terminate under the Champagne region of France. We celebrate Mass at St Thomas' of Canterbury Church before returning for dinner and overnight in London.

Today, following Mass at a church nearby, we journey westwards from London to Windsor Castle and view the splendor of the world's oldest inhabited castle, the late Queen Elizabeth's favorite weekend retreat. We visit the Chapel of St. George and the State Apartments used for splendid royal banquets. We leave Windsor traveling through the green pastures of Runnymede, past the John F. Kennedy Memorial. Runnymede was also the site of the signing of the Magna Carta by King John in 1215AD. From Windsor, we make our way through the delightful county of Oxfordshire to Oxford, known as the city of 'the dreaming spires' due to the proliferation of its turreted and gabled spires and towers. Oxford, a thriving city, an Episcopal see and the seat of an ancient university, is one of most famous and interesting towns in Europe. The university was first mentioned in the 12th century and one of the many theories about how it began was that it developed from the monastic schools of St. Frideswide's priory. Our day would not be complete without a visit to Wolvercote cemetery and the gravestone of J.R.R. Tolkien, and his wife. We return to London in time for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning, we have an early start as we leave London and journey southwestwards to the beautiful cathedral town of Winchester, the capital of England during the reign of King Alfred the Great. This beautiful cathedral has the longest nave in Europe and is on the same site as the Saxon cathedral. The relics of St. Hedda, Bishop of Winchester are still in the cathedral, as are the relics of St. Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, which are buried under the shrine in the cathedral. One of the best-loved of English saints, St. Swithin was famous for his charity and church building. We celebrate Mass while in Winchester before continuing to the vast plateau of Salisbury plain, to the megalithic stone circle at Stonehenge. We visit this amazing cultural site, whose exact origins and meaning are still a mystery. We continue our journey to holy Glastonbury, the first Christian settlement in England. According to legend Our Lord himself walked here in Glastonbury and the Mother of God sailed here from the Holy Land. They also tell of the coming of St. Joseph of Arimathea, who planted the famous Glastonbury thorn, which flowers at Old Christmas each year. Many other Saints were venerated at Glastonbury. We then drive to the lovely Georgian City of Bath for dinner and overnight.

Today, we enjoy a guided walking tour of Bath, a most beautifully preserved Georgian City. Bath was founded by the Romans but with the coming of St. Boenna, a disciple of St. Patrick, a Christian presence was established. We visit the fine Roman Baths and Pump rooms and the beautiful Bath Abbey, with its soaring fan-vaulted ceiling. After a stop for lunch on our own, we drive through the Cotswold to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of the literary genius Sir William Shakespeare. Here, we visit his wife’s Anne Hathaway's picturesque little cottage. While at the graveyard we also view the grave of Christian writer C.S. Lewis. We celebrate Mass nearby before heading to our hotel, where we enjoy dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning, we leave the midlands and journey to York arriving by lunchtime. York is one of England's finest and most beautifully preserved historic cities. Here St. Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the Roman Empire. After lunch on our own, we enjoy a walking tour of the historic center, taking in the narrow medieval cobbled streets known as the 'shambles'. We visit the Cathedral of St. Peter, York Minster, estimated to contain more than half of all medieval stained glass in England! We will see the beautiful Rose Window and the Great East Window, which depicts the beginning and the end of the world in over a hundred small scenes taken from the Books of Genesis and Revelation. Hidden on a side street in the “Shambles” District of York, is a shrine of a notable saint, St. Margaret Clitherow. Born in 1556 of Catholic parents she was under the eye of anti-Catholic spies and arrested and imprisoned for two years for starting a “Catholic School”. She secretly harbored priests and stored their garments while they were away. Her home was raided, and the secret revealed. She was sentenced to death in1586AD and on March 25 executed by the placement to a heavy door loaded with large stones but before they put that on her, they placed a rock under her spine so that her back would break in the process! She was pregnant at the time of her execution. We conclude our day with a visit to the famous Jorvik Viking Center where a time-car journey takes us back 1,000 years to an accurate reconstruction of Viking York. We also see the amazing 20th century excavation, which revealed a whole Viking Street, which has been carefully preserved. We celebrate Mass in York, then have dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Today, another special day unfolds as we drive the short distance north of York to visit Ripon, one of the three original Christian centers of Yorkshire. Here we view the original crypt of St. Wilfrid's Saxon Church, where we celebrate Mass. St. Wilfrid was most active in missionary work and initiated the great English missions to the Continent, which were to bring the light of Christ to all Northwest Europe. While here we celebrate Mass before we break for lunch on our own. Afterwards, we arrive at the quintessentially beautiful Yorkshire countryside, where we visit the ruins of Fountains Abbey. Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best-preserved monasteries in England, a beautiful and poignant reminder of a rich Christian heritage in England before Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries between 1532-1542. The abbey was founded in 1132AD for the Benedictines and taken over three years later by the Cistercians. We continue our fascinating journey through the Yorkshire Dales to Durham. Here, we see the greatest Norman Cathedral to survive in England. St. Cuthbert is entombed in the Chapel of the Nine Altars below the Great Window. The remainder of the day allows time to explore the fascinating old town before dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning, we leave Durham journey via Bamburgh to the East coast of England, where we visit the tiny island of Lindisfarne, known as “Holy Island” (pending weather conditions). The religious history of the island dates to the very origins of Christianity in England, for St. Aidan established a monastery there in 635AD. A missionary from Iona, he was consecrated first bishop of Lindisfarne and under him and his successors, the island became a beacon of Christianity. We visit this holy site which still has an 11th century priory and Parish church, whose ruins are movingly beautiful. We continue our journey along the East coast road, which affords wonderful views out to sea. We arrive in Edinburgh, the glorious Scottish capital. We celebrate Mass at a local church before enjoying dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Today, we celebrate Mass at a local church before the start of our panoramic tour of the old town, taking in the historic Royal Mile in the old town and the Georgian 'new town', enjoying the many fine Georgian crescents, squares, and streets with their distinctive buildings. We enjoy a guided tour of Edinburgh Castle, home to the Scottish crown jewels, and with stunning views over the city and out to the Firth of Forth. We also visit the Cathedral of St. Giles. After some time for lunch on our own, we drive through the city to enjoy the memorable sites and views as we tour by Arthur's seat, through Holyrood Park and visit the Botanical gardens. The remainder of the afternoon will be at leisure to explore or shop for Scottish arts and crafts. Tonight. we enjoy a Scottish evening with traditional Scottish music, dance, and food as we enjoy our “farewell” dinner. Overnight at our hotel.

This morning, we transfer to the airport for our return flight home, with memories of a lifetime!