15th - 22nd March 2026 - This trip is full.

Stay in Thessaloniki and Ioannina and visit Halkidiki and the monasteries of Mount Athos. Also see the archaeological sites of Aigai and the royal tombs plus  a scenic tour of the Zagora region in the heart of the Pindos mountains. A fascinating tour of this area stepped in the history of the Ottoman Empire.

19th - 26th October 2025

This tour is full.

With visits to the World Heritage Site of Castel del Monte , the baroque architecture of Lecce and the trulli houses of Alberobello.

If you are interested please email the tour organiser (James Astbury).

jkastbury2003@yahoo.co.uk

22nd - 27th March 2025

This tour is full.

With visits to the Atlas mountains, the peaceful Ourika Valley and a day trip to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast.

If you are interested please email the tour organiser (James Astbury) jkastbury2003@yahoo.co.uk

PROVENCE    7th to 12th October 2024 

 In the footsteps of Cezanne and Van Gogh. Based in Avignon we will visit Aix-en Provence for Cezanne and Arles for Van Gogh plus a tour of Nimes and Marseilles

 This Tour is now full

ISTANBUL   Where East meets West  8th - 14th March 2024

We will tour the old city including the remains of the gigantic stadium which was the Hippodrome and also the Blue Mosque and later the Topkapi Palace as well as the Byzantine Church of Hagia Sophia.

We will spend two days in Cannakale to enable us to explore the archaeological site of the ancient city of Troy and then visit the landing sites of the 1915 Gallipoli Campaign and the memorials.

We will visit the Spice Bazaar and  Bursa at the foot of old Mount Olympus and the wonderfully ornate Rustem Pasa Mosque . Later that day we will visit the Grand Bazaar with 60 alleyways and 3,000 shops.

On the final day we will explore the Asian part of the city and enjoy a cruise on the Bosphorus.

This trip is now full

Jkastbury@yahoo.comProposed trip to

TUSCANY & FLORENCE
9th-15th October 2023

We will travel to Siena to visit the Cathedral, the Piazza del Campo and explore San Gimignano and its medieval towers.  Plus:

• We go to Volterra and Montecatini Terme
• A guided tour of Florence and also the world famous Uffizi Gallery
• We will travel to Torre del Lago where Puccini composed most of his operas and then onto Fattoria il Poggio for wine tasting and lunch
• We visit Galleria dell' Accademia and Museo San Marco
• We tour the secret gem of Lucca

This trip is now full

James Astbury, Travel Organiser

Jkastbury2003@yahoo.co.uk

23rd-29th March 2023

The Three Megalithic Temples of Tarxien, the "Cave of Darkness" in Ghar Dalam, a day tour of Valetta's fine baroque buildings and a Grand Harbour cruise are all on our aganda. A highlight will be a day trip to the wonderful island of Gozo with the Ggantija temples and Calypso's cave which has a breathtaking view of Ramia Bay. A tour of Mdina the ancient capiltal of Malta and the famous Caacombs of St Paul at Rabat complete our tour.

For details contact James Astbury: jkastbury2003@yahoo.co.uk

With a guided tour of Museo del Prado we will see the world's greatest assembly of Spanish paintings especially works by Goya and Velazquez and we will explore the world famous Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza with its huge collection by El Greco, Caravaggio, Van Gogh and Picasso. A day trip is planned to the sights of Toledo and to Segovia and its impressive Alcazar castle. During two days in Salamanca we will explore this world heritage site.

6 days from £1,314.

This tour is now full.

Contact:  jkastbury2003@yahoo.co.uk

We board our executive coach to travel north, visiting:

Day 1)  Yorkshire Sculpture Park, before reaching our hotel
Day 2)  Beamish Open Air Museum and the Woodhorn Museum
Day 3)  Durham and the The Bowes Museum
Day 4)  Lindisfarne and Bamburgh Castle
Day 5)  On our return journey, we will visit Laing Gallery and continue to Harewood House before travelling home 

The Society is planning a comprehensive trip to Crete with Tailored Travel (who organised our last trip to Bologna).

• Flight:   Direct to Chania from Gatwick with Easyjet
• Hotel:  *****Anemos Luxury Grand Resort for 6 nights, half board
• Travelling around Crete:  Executive coach with a local guide in attendance
• Itinerary:
  • Tuesday, 5th - Flight to Chania
  • Wednesday, 6th - Visit the extensive ruins of Aptera and the Souda War Cemetery before continuing to the Samaria Gorge and then Chania
  • Thursday, 7th - Focus is on the Minoan era by visiting Armeni, the Palace of Phaistos and then the Royal Villa of Agia Triada
  • Friday, 8th - Visit the Minoan Palace of Knossos, followed by a guided tour of Heraklion and the places of interest in the capital city
  • Saturday, 9th - Rest day
  • Sunday, 10th - Visit Margaritas, the Melidoni Cave, the area of Eleftherna and the old town of Rethymnon
  • Monday, 11th - Return flight to Gatwick
• Cost:  £1,144 with a single supplement of £199.  Included are all trips, entrance fees, gratuities and headsets
• Number in the group:  26 Members are already booked from last year.  We hope to be able to take up to 40 people
• If you are interested:  Please contact James Astbury jkastbury2003@yahoo.co.uk with your address so that I can send you a full colour brochure.  You will not be committing yourself financially or otherwise at this stage, but if you wish to join us you will need to complete the Booking Form with a non-refundable deposit of £150 per person by the 31st January.  Completed forms should be sent to me at 13 Hill Farm Way, Hazlemere, High Wycombe, HP15 7SY.  Should the holiday be oversubscribed I will offer placements on a first come, first served basis.

James Astbury
Trip Organiser

VISIT TO BOLOGNA  15th – 20th OCTOBER 2019

The Society had a very successful visit to Bologna with Tailored Travel (who organised our  trip to Romania). Flights were direct to Bologna with BA and we stayed in a centrally located hotel for the duration of the tour and used an executive coach to travel around. We were away for six days and five nights and used a local guide and  Tour Manager to accompany all our day trips.

We  explored Bologna before travelling to Mantua to visit the magnificent Palazzos on our third day. Then a visit to Ravenna which was once the capital of Rome’s Western Empire and one of the great seats of Byzantine art in Europe. Another highlight was a trip to Padua which is one of Italy’s oldest university cities. Finally there was  a guided tour of Ferrara, one of Italy’s hidden gems with many attractive streets and medieval houses.

The cost was £1099 with a single supplement of £149 and  including all trips, entrance fees, gratuities and headsets. Dinner was provided on the first night and breakfast on all mornings 

Trip organiser James Astbury.

SEE GALLERY

The Society had a very successful  visit to Romania in October 2018 by air and coach with Tailored Travel. Over the course of the eight days (12th to 19th October 2018) we saw Bucharest, the capital city, and toured extensively in Transylvania  finally visiting the wonderful painted monasteries in the north of the country.

 The basic cost per person was £1,199 with single person supplement of £189.

SEE GALLERY

MONDAY 9th OCTOBER TO FRIDAY 13th OCTOBER 2017

DURATION: 5 Days / 4 Nights

Full colour brochure created by Success Tours can be found here.

Photo courtesy of Osvaldo Gago:  The Centre of Cascais

Highlights

• Full day exploring Lisbon with an English speaking guide, part walking and part coach. Visits will include the Cathedral, Jeronimos Monastery, Belem Tower and the Tile Museum. (day 2)
• Morning guided visit to Fronteira Palace. Afternoon at leisure in Lisbon or Cascais. (day 3)
• A full day excursion by coach, with English speaking guide, to Sintra to visit the National Palace, plus Queluz Palace. (day 4)
• Visit to the Gulbenkian Museum with audio guide; Free time prior to the return flight to the UK. Return coach transfer from the airport to Beaconsfield. (day 5)

Accommodation

4 nights half board at the Hotel Vila Gale, Cascais (buffet breakfast; three course dinner)

The Hotel Vila Galé Cascais is located a few metres from the renowned Cascais Marina and the historic town centre, and was fully renovated in 2009. All en-suite bedrooms are spacious and comfortable, with air conditioning, minibar, hairdryer, wifi and TV. Hotel facilities include free Wi-Fi access in all areas, two bars, restaurant and an outdoor pool.

The coastal resort of Cascais offers the charm of a Portuguese fishing town and combines a fascinating history with a prosperous and sophisticated atmosphere; hence its nickname of "The Town of Kings and Fishes". There is plenty in the town, with winding lanes leading to small museums, cool gardens, a shiny marina and a pedestrianised old town dotted with designer boutiques and alfresco fish restaurants.

Price per person in a twin/double room

• £769.00 per person based on 25 full paying passengers
• Single supplement of £105 per person

MONDAY 10th OCTOBER 2016 TO 18th OCTOBER 2016

DURATION: 8 Days / 7 Nights

 Highlights

• Full day excursion to Etna & Taormina including the Taormina Amphitheatre (day 2)
• Full day excursion to Siracuse & Ortygia including the Archaeological Site & Cathedral (day3)
•  Entrance & guide for Villa Romana del Casale (day4)
•  Entrance & local guide for Valley of the Temples, Agrigento (day 5)
•  Full day excursion to Palermo & Monreale including the Palatine Chapel, Monreale Cathedral & Cloisters (day 6)
• Day excursion to Segesta & Erice.(day7)
• Tour Manager throughout your time in Sicily

Accommodation

• 1 night at the Premier Inn London Gatwick (North) room only basis (due to early flight departure on Tuesday 11th October at 6.25am)
• 3 nights bed and breakfast accommodation at the Santa Caterina Hotel, Acireale
• 1 night half board accommodation at Colleverde Park Hotel, Agrigento
• 3 nights bed & breakfast accommodation at Al Madarig Hotel, Castellammare del Golfo
• Dinner on first night at the Santa Caterina Hotel
• Dinner on last night in Castellammare del Golfo at local restaurant

Price per person in twin/double room

• £1,255 per person based on 20 full paying passengers
•  £1,159 per person based on 25 full paying passengers
• £1,099 per person based on 30 full paying passengers
•  Single supplement of £155 per person for the duration of the tour
• Travel insurance £40 per person

27th March 2015 to 30th March 2015

A 4 day/3 night tour to Amsterdam, Delft and The Hague.

Day 1 Travel by Coach to Amsterdam

Day 2 Amsterdam,  Rijksmuseum and  Van Gogh Museum

Day 3 Delft, Vermeer Centrum Museum; 'Old' and 'New' Church

Day 4 The Hague, Panorama Mesdag; Mauritshuis Museum (including entry to The Frick Collection Art Treasure from New York); Visitor Centre of the Peace Palace ( Time permitting).

Arrangements

Cost: £375 per person; £64 Single supplement. (If 40 members book, £335)

Travel:  Coach to Amsterdam.  Outbound P&O Ferry from Dover; Inbound Eurotunnel.

Hotel:  Half board accommodation at 4* Ramada Apollo, Amsterdam.  Breakfast - Hot/Cold buffet. Dinner - 3 course Buffet.

7th - 13th October In October, our overseas visit was to Berlin, Potsdam and Dresden. We  started with a tour of the city, including Museum Island, followed by afternoon tea in the Bundestag garden restaurant and then a tour of the Foster Building. In Potsdam we visited two palaces, and in Dresden we had a guided tour with a NADFAS lecturer who is the Vice Chairman of the Dresden Trust. We  visited the Zwinger Palace and the New and Historic Green Vault, . Finally, we visited the Meissen Porcelain factory before we returned to England.