Duration: 10 hours
Begin the day travelling across the Chiltern Hills to Oxford, the "City of Dreaming Spires", whose hushed courtyards and elegant, dignified timeworn buildings have inspired generations of scholars (including Bill Clinton in the 1970s!). During your walking tour you will see Christchurch College, where Harry Potter scenes were filmed and where Albert Einstein studied. Also see the Bodleian library and the picture-perfect College courtyards for which Oxford is famous.
Next travel through the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, an area steeped in history and heritage, to Stratford-upon-Avon, a market town at the edge of the Forest of Arden made famous for being the birthplace of playwright William Shakespeare. You will visit the Tudor-style birthplace of William Shakespeare, gaining an insight into his childhood with its typical parlor, bedrooms, kitchen, buttery and the glove-maker's workshop used by his father John.
Then it's a short drive over to the medieval Warwick Castle, most of whose magnificent towers and ramparts are still intact. Warwick Castle will take you back through its 1,000 year history as you enter over the footbridge to a bygone world of banquets, battles and ceremony. Visit the Tussaud's waxwork, or if you're feeling brave visit the spine-chilling dungeons where prisoners were tortured.
You might wish to stroll through the Castle's delightful and lovingly tended gardens set in the peaceful surroundings of England's finest medieval Castle. During the summer months, archery, falconry and jousting take place in the grounds. After Warwick Castle you will head back through the Warwickshire countryside to London.