Christian England and the World of C.S. Lewis (10 Days) 

     Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

     After arriving in London, transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day is at leisure. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director, then enjoy this evening’s welcome dinner with your traveling companions. (D)

     A full day of sightseeing with a Local Guide includes WESTMINSTER ABBEY. Also visit WESLEY’S HOUSE AND CHAPEL, BUNHILL FIELDS CEMETERY (resting place to many well-known Christians, including author John Bunyan who wrote the beautiful Christian allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress), and ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL in the City of London. (FB)

     Depart this morning for a drive southeast into Kent, the “Garden of England,” for a visit to CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL, England’s Mother Church, where you hear about Thomas à Becket and the Black Prince. On your return to London, visit SPURGEON’S METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE. Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an influential Baptist pastor born in Essex, England. He founded an orphanage still in existence today. In addition, he befriended and supported James Hudson Taylor, who founded the China Inland Mission in 1865. (FB)

     Travel to Oxford, the city of the dreaming spires. Join a Local Guide as you visit magnificent CHRIST CHURCH COLLEGE and CATHEDRAL. Your Tour Director will then take you on a walking tour of Oxford to see Lincoln College where John Wesley founded the Holy Club, nicknamed “Society of Methodist.” George Whitfield, whose preaching in America was a significant part of the Great Awakening revivals, was also a member of the Holy Club. Some free time to explore the city and perhaps visit the Eagle & Child pub that was frequented by C.S. Lewis and his friends, including J.R.R. Tolkien, for their literary club known as “the Inklings.” After a lunch break, continue your walking tour of Oxford, visiting MAGDALEN COLLEGE, where Lewis was elected a fellow in 1925. At the Kilns, former home of Lewis, pause for photographs before visiting HOLY TRINITY CHURCH in Headington Quarry, where he is buried. Then, drive by the former home of Tolkien, writer of The Lord of the Rings. (FB,D)

     Journey through the scenic Cotswolds to Bristol. Visit ST. MARY REDCLIFFE CHURCH, the 800-year-old masterpiece of gothic architecture and one of the biggest parish churches in England. Also explore the JOHN WESLEY’S CHAPEL and THE NEW ROOM, the oldest Methodist building in the world, before returning to Oxford. (FB,D)

     Head north to Epworth, birthplace of John and Charles Wesley. At the OLD RECTORY visit their childhood home, which was built in 1709 by Samuel Wesley and is now a museum. Also visit the WESLEY MEMORIAL CHURCH, completed in 1889 as a memorial to the contribution made by John and Charles to world religion. Continue to York to see one of the most intact medieval walled cities in England. Follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets, including the narrow Shambles. The walking tour ends with a visit to the stunning YORK MINSTER. (FB,D)

     Visit LINCOLN CASTLE where Samuel Wesley was imprisoned. In the venerable city of Cambridge visit the 500-year-old KING’S COLLEGE, including the CHAPEL with its marvelous fan-vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows (visits are restricted during examinations). (FB,D)

     This morning, travel to Olney to visit OLNEY BAPTIST CHURCH, where the renowned English missionary William Carey served as pastor. Then to THE COWPER AND NEWTON MUSEUM, which contains an extensive collection of possessions and manuscripts of William Cowper and Rev. John Newton. Cowper was a prolific poet and writer of Christian hymns, and Rev. John Newton is best known for writing the beloved hymn “Amazing Grace.” On to the JOHN BUNYAN MUSEUM in Bedford, which features his life and works. Late afternoon return to London. (FB,D)

     Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (FB)