2022 Kent Denver England & Scotland Program
| Travel Dates: | June 6, 2020 - June 15, 2020 |
| Group Organizer(s): |
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| WTT Contact: |
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| Deadline(s): | Enrollment deadline forthcoming |
United Kingdom Cultural Journey
Welcome to the United Kingdom, comprised of four separate nations under one flag: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Home to roughly 65 million people, the UK is a constitutional monarchy with most real power based at Parliament in Westminster, while the head of state is currently Queen Elizabeth II based at Buckingham Palace. The capital of the UK and England is London, one of two global “alpha” cities in the world (along with New York). Two millennia old, it is a world cultural center and is a leading city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism, transport, and more. You’ll ride the London Underground (the Tube), walk the River Thames, visit the ancient Tower of London, explore beautiful Covent Garden, learn at Parliament, and so much more.
Cultural Journeys
Cultural Journeys allow travelers to gain insights into the heritage, history and modern realities of their destination by offering a broad diversity of experience. We rely on the expertise of our local staff to plan itineraries which not only explore the prominent sites but also make time for the lesser-known local gems and are intentional about regular interaction with local people.
Program Highlights
Check out some of the featured experiences of your program!
Witness the Changing of the Guard in London
Visit the Houses of Parliament
Tour Oxford University
Explore Windsor Castle
The Itinerary
We do everything possible to run safe, engaging, and immersive programs for our travelers and given the unpredictable nature of international travel we must remain flexible in our planning. Changes to a schedule are uncommon but, we reserve the right to adjust programming in the best interest of the group.
| Date | Day | Location | Description | Lodging |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 6 | Saturday | USA | Board your overnight flight across the Atlantic. | Airplane |
| June 7 | Sunday | USA - London | Welcome to London! Your Walking Tree Program Leader will pick you up at the airport. We will start your London walking tour once you are settled and explore The Strand, Trafalgar Square, the Benjamin Franklin House, the Houses of Parliament, and the River Thames. In the afternoon, we'll visit the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Opened in 1856, the Portrait Gallery was the first in the world. Of its 195,000 portraits, most famous is the Chandos portrait of William Shakespeare. | Swiss Cottage Hotel |
| June 8 | Monday | London | Today we will start with a hearty English Breakfast in the hotel to get ready for the day. We'll take a walking tour of Westminster Abbey, Whitehall's mounted horse guards, the Prime Minister's house at 10 Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. In mid-morning, we will experience the Changing of the Guard and the beauty of St. Paul's Cathedral. We'll have lunch with the locals at Borough Market, one of the oldest markets in the world - in 2014, it celebrated its 1,000th birthday! This afternoon, we will visit the Globe Theatre in Southwark, the home of Shakespeare. In the evening, we will enjoy a river cruise on the Thames. | Swiss Cottage Hotel |
| June 9 | Tuesday | London | Today we will visit the Tower of London, entering through thick defensive walls and looking behind the imposing stony facade. Henry VIII banished two of his wives to this former prison, where Guy Fawkes also spent his final days. But the Tower's most famous occupants, the Crown Jewels, still reside here today. On the tour, we will behold this jaw-dropping collection of ornate rings, scepters, swords, and royal vestments. We will venture outside for a walk through the courtyard, where we can admire the four distinctive turrets rising out of the White Tower. Keep an eye out for the Tower's famous ravens: legend states that the kingdom will fall if any of the six resident ravens ever leaves the Tower Grounds. In the afternoon, we will explore Tate Modern, one of the largest art museums in the world and home to the British national collection from 1900 to the present. From there, we will cross Millennium Bridge, admire St. Paul's Cathedral, and the London School of Economics. For dinner, we will enjoy an authentic meal of fish and chips. | Swiss Cottage Hotel |
| June 10 | Wednesday | Oxford, Harry Potter Studio Tour | Today we depart London for the English countryside. We'll take a bus out to beautiful Oxford, where we'll have time to walk through the oldest university in the English-speaking world. After lunch, we will continue to the Warner Bros studio where all eight Harry Potter movies were filmed! Marvel at the detail throughout the tour as we stroll through the Great Hall, and some of the most iconic sets from the movies, including Dumbledore's Office, 4 Privet Drive, the Gryffindor Common Room, the Weasley kitchen, Diagon Alley, the Atrium from the Ministry of Magic and the Hogwarts Express, plus so much more! In the evening, we return to London. | Swiss Cottage Hotel |
| June 11 | Thursday | London | This morning we visit Windsor Castle, vacation home of the Royal Family. We continue onto Stonehenge, which stands alone in the vast empty tract of Salisbury plain. Its origins date back nearly 5,000 years and it has been home to pagan religion and spiritual worship, not to mention public debate ever since. Next we head to Bath and arrive in time for lunch. We'll enter the Roman Baths that were built nearly 2,000 years ago. Built on Britain's only natural hot water spring lies the magnificent Roman public bath complex and Roman temple. At the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site you can walk around the steaming pool on the Roman stone paving and admire the ancient Roman statues and architecture. | Athena Hotel |
| June 12 | Friday | London - Edinburgh | Say goodbye to England - this morning we board a national rail train in London, and by the time we get off, we're in a whole new country: Scotland! Welcome to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Today we'll explore the Royal Mile, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in the afternoon, we'll head to Calton Hill and the National Monument of Scotland. From here, you can overlook all of this historic city, and out to the North Sea! | Safestay Edinburgh Hotel |
| June 13 | Saturday | Edinburgh | This morning we are in for a treat! Have breakfast at the Elephant House, where J. K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter novels. This cafe still serves up a great meal, and you can see where she got her inspiration when you look through the windows at our next destination: Edinburgh Castle. Sitting atop a huge rock in the center of the city, Edinburgh Castle sits on land occupied since at least the Iron Age. Today, the castle and surrounding buildings date from the 12th century, and overlook the entire city to the sea. We'll see the Scottish Crown Jewels, dungeons that held American POW's from the Revolutionary War, and much more. After lunch, we will visit the National Museum of Scotland, where you'll have time to explore thousands of artifacts spanning millennia. | Safestay Edinburgh Hotel |
| June 14 | Sunday | Edinburgh | We'll start our day with another hearty breakfast and spend the afternoon with some free time exploring Edinburgh! We can do some souvenir shopping and simply admire the architecture and charm of this beautiful city. In the evening, We'll also have a farewell dinner ahead of our international departure from Edinburgh tomorrow. | Safestay Edinburgh Hotel |
| June 15 | Monday | Edinburgh - USA | This morning we enjoy our final British breakfast, head to the airport, and depart for home. | Your own bed, eventually! |
Accommodations
In order to provide a safe and memorable experience, we follow strict guidelines when choosing program accommodations. Walking Tree partners with hotels and guest houses which are centrally located, clean and safe. We vet and inspect the accommodations to ensure they uphold the ethos of our programs, are great values for our travelers and nice places to rest after enriching days of travel.
Athena Hotel
Athena Hotel is located a few minutes walk from Hyde Park in London. Students will be split by gender and put in double, triple or quadruple rooms depending on the hotel’s availability. The hotel provides breakfast and there is wifi throughout the property.
Swiss Cottage Hotel
Swiss Cottage Hotel offers a great location in London city. Students will be split by gender and put in double, triple or quadruple rooms depending on the hotel’s availability. The hotel provides breakfast and there is wifi throughout the property.
Safestay Edinburgh Hotel
Students will be split by gender and put in double, triple or quadruple rooms depending on the hotel’s availability. The hotel provides breakfast and there is wifi throughout the property.
Safety and Support
EASY FUNDRAISING & PAYMENT
24/7 GLOBAL EMERGENCY LINE
HIGHLY VETTED PARTNERS
EXPERT LEADERSHIP
PRIVATE GROUP GUARANTEE
COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM SUPPORT
DEDICATION TO CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT
ALL-INCLUSIVE PRICING
Our daughter is planning a high school junior year as an exchange student abroad, and your program was partly a ‘test the waters” of her being abroad. It was a tremendous success, thank you!
Barney
Parent of Della, traveler on 2017 program to Thailand
Your Adventure Includes
Program Tuition Excludes: Travel insurance, baggage fees, passport/visa fees, laundry, souvenirs, and activities not listed on the itinerary.
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Resource Center
Why should high school students travel abroad? What happens if a participant gets sick? How quickly do we need to enroll? We’re sure you have plenty of questions and we’ve got you covered! Visit our Resource Center to discover the answers to your most pressing questions and contact us anytime with additional questions.