Latest News

Read the latest group travel news.

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Flutter by to Butterfly World

After a winter packed full of renovations - the Butterfly World Project (nr. St. Albans) in Hertfordshire is all set to reopen for the 2010 season on the
29 April. Due to complete in 2011, with the creation of the biodome - attractions for the coming year include new gardens, a butterfly breeding house, insect study centre and a chrysalis shaped lake home to hundreds of plants and
mini-beasts. There is free on-site coach parking and attractive group discounts available. Further
information: Holly Stedman +44 (0)1727 869203.

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Somerleyton's Springtime

Somerleyton Hall and Gardens (nr. Lowestoft) in Suffolk is busy getting ready for the opening of their 2010 season on the 1 April. Attraction manager, Carolyn Ashton says: "Despite the cold winter there are plenty of signs of spring in the gardens, and by Easter we are hoping the lawns of the walled gardens will once again be carpeted with daffodils. This year we are celebrating 400 years of stately history, the first Jacobean manor house was built here by John Wentworth in 1610. Most of it is still here, encased in the much later Victorian re-design, and some of the original panelling can still be seen in the oak parlour". The hall and gardens are open on Thursdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays throughout April, May and June. Further information: Carolyn Ashton +44 (0)1502 734901.

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Monarchs and Myths

Pay a visit to our wonderful collection of cathedrals - home to some of the best loved stories, myths, legends and royal rumblings in English history. From Queen Katharine of Aragon's tomb in Peterborough (Cambridgeshire), to a beheaded Anglo-Saxon King at St. Edmundsbury (Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk) Visit the shrine of St. Alban - the first Christian martyr in
St. Albans (Hertfordshire), or seek out the skeleton of 'trumpeting' Thomas at Norwich (Norfolk). A special leaflet has been produced to highlight the connections.

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Showcase of Sculpture

The celebrated Sculpture Promenade at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire is returning for 2010. Set on the spacious lawns will be fourteen large scale works, ranging from monumental pieces in bronze and steel, to wind-driven, mobile forms. The event will run from the 23 March to January 2011. Further information: Angela Metcalfe +44 (0)1223 332900.

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Hatfield's Victorian Kitchen

Hatfield House in Hertfordshire are holding a ‘Pre-season Preview and Open Day' on Wednesday 24 March (1100-1500) for group organisers and the travel trade. Visitors will be able to see the new Victorian Kitchen which has been restored. It shows life at Hatfield House as the staff prepare a banquet for Queen Victoria in 1846. The adjoining Old Palace will also be open which adjoins the new coach park. To book a place, please email visitors@hatfield-house.co.uk  

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Take a Fresh Look at Knebworth

Knebworth House (nr. Stevenage) in Hertfordshire is hosting a special one day familiarisation trip on Saturday 10 April for coach/tour operators and group organisers. The visit includes coffee and pastries on arrival, an exclusive tour of the house, followed by a tour of the gardens and lunch in the Garden Terrace Room. If you would like attend, please contact Charlotte Farrer, Group Bookings Co-ordinator on +44 (0)1438 810931, or email cfarrer@knebworthhouse.com 

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Step into The Walled Gardens

An exciting project is underway at Holkham Hall (nr. Wells-next-the-Sea) in Norfolk to restore the 6½ acres of walled gardens which were originally laid out by Samuel Wyatt during the late 1700s. The gardens have been closed to the public since 2005, and the project is estimated to take four to five years to complete. For the first time this year visitors will be able to see how it is developing. Features include herbaceous perennial meadows and a spectacular stand of Victorian greenhouses. The Walled Gardens will be open to visitors every day from the 1 April to 31 October, 1200-1600. Further information: Laurane Herrieven +44 (0)1328 710227.

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Spring at Kentwell

Rumour has it that the new lambs will be born very soon at Kentwell Hall in Long Melford (nr. Sudbury) in Suffolk - and certainly in time for when this historic house reopens its doors for the 2010 season. And it's not only lambs that Kentwell is expecting - chicks and baby goats are scheduled to swell their numbers in the weeks to come too! Spring bulbs are already popping their heads above the soil in the beautiful grounds of Kentwell Hall, and despite the cold start to the year the bulb display is set to be truly beautiful with thousands of snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells carpeting the woods and gardens. Lambing and Spring Bulbs: 14 to 21 February inclusive, weekend of 27 and 28 February, and again 7, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28 March. Further information: Julie Warren +44 (0)1787 310207.