A Magical Tour

At Chirton Grange we’re one of the few Muggles who have the knowledge of the magical world and we’ve used it to bring you the complete Harry Potter tour. The day in London will involve traveling in a mystical Mercedes around the various sites before heading up to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour to get the complete immersive Potter experience.

After being collected from your hotel in the morning, we’ll whisk you down to the Ministry of Magic and show you the entrances – sorry, you can’t go in – before a quick spin around Gringotts Bank with a stop for photos. We’ll then head to Diagon Alley and see the Leaky Cauldron as well as showing you the bridge tragically destroyed by the Death Eaters (miraculously still standing).

Once the selfie tour of Potter sites in London is complete, we’ll apparate off to North London and the Harry Potter Studio tour. This really is the best way to immerse yourself in the world created by JK Rowling, you’ll get to ride a broom, see more of Diagon Alley, visit the Great Hall at Hogwarts as well as learning spells and incantations.

And after all that, we’ll whisk you back to your hotel where you’ll be able to fall under a heavy sleeping spell and recharge for the rest of your break. NOTE – Please ensure you bring wands, you never know what Fantastic Beasts we’ll encounter

A Tour of Cornwall

Well, Devon, Cornwall and Avon to be really precise... Recently we were asked by a client to put together a tour for the area for them and some friends. Naturally, we were only too happy to piece together our favourite parts of the area and the client - so please with our work - has naturally booked the tour already... In case you're wondering, it goes as follows

Day One 

Arrive to London airport (time to be confirmed)

Depart airport for Stonehenge (driving time 2 hours)

A World Heritage Site, Stonehenge has stood for around 4500 years, probably a place of worship and/or sacrifice, with no one truly knowing the answer as to why it was built and why in this spot.

Spend 1.5 hours then depart for:

Thomas Hardy Cottage (driving time 1hr 15)

Few authors have such strong associations with the natural and cultural heritage of their local area as Thomas Hardy. This cottage, where Hardy was borne in 1840, was built of cob and thatch by his grandfather and has been little altered since the family left.

Spend 1.5 hours then depart for;

West Bay, Bridport

The picturesque town of West Bay better known to viewers as ‘Broadchurch’ in the hit TV show

Overnight stay in Bridport/West Bay.

Day Two

After breakfast we depart Devon into Cornwall

Heading over Dartmoor National Park and stopping for coffee at the infamous Jamaica Inn. Built in 1750 as a coaching inn for long horse drawn journeys from London and Bristol into Cornwall, the pub inspired Daphne Du Maurier’s book of the same title after she and a friend became lost in fog while out riding, the horses leading them to the inn and safety. Said to be one of the most haunted buildings in England.

Onto Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway

11.15am board a restored steam train for a 15 minute journey through the English countryside, disembark and meet your driver at Boscarne Junction. Highly recommend pre-ordering your first (but not last) Cornish pasty to sustain you through the journey. Like champagne, the Cornish pasty is recognised as unique to the area and pasties made anywhere else but in Cornwall cannot carry the Cornish title.

As time dictates and at your leisure we explore the beautiful fishing villages of Looe, Polperro, Fowey (a must) before booking into your hotel in and around the town of St Austell

Day Three

After breakfast we visit the Eden Project

In the afternoon we will down to the hidden but beautiful fishing village of Cadgewick where you can take a pub lunch or buy fresh seafood, caught that morning, from the little shop. Onto the Lizard Point which sees you stand at the most Southerly point in the UK.

A quick look at Portleven before check in to your hotel near Redruth for 3 nights

Day Four

Depart for the Minack theatre

The idea for the theatre was born when Rowena Cade, who lived in Minack House at the top of the cliff, decided to create a place for local drama enthusiasts to perform Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Over the winter of 1931 and into 1932 Rowena and her gardener, Billy Rawlings, moved endless granite boulders and earth, creating the stage and the lower terraces of the theatre, in the same place as you see them today. The first performance was in August 1932.

PLEASE NOTE: this has to be a morning visit as they have a Matinee Production.

Stop off at the lovely coastal village of Mousehole en route to:

St Michael’s Mount, Marazion. A stunning castle set on its own island which has been in the same family, Lord and Lady Aubyrn since the 17^th century. A working island that employs 30 people and their families

You can walk over via the cobbled causeway at low tide and either walk back before high tide or, if more time is needed, then the boat back to the mainland.

Day Five

Starting at Lands End, famously the most South West Point of the UK, it is a must to have a photograph taken alongside the signpost that reads NEW YORK….SYDNEY….etc. We then head up the northern coastal path, passing through Sennen Cove, Levant Mine towards St Ives, home of surfers and the Tate Modern Gallery. Finishing at St Agnes before heading back to the hotel.

Day Six

Check out of the hotel and, after breakfast head to the north of Cornwall taking in Padstow, a lively fishing harbour that boasts three restaurants of the acclaimed chef Rick Stein, Fish and Chips are a must here. Along the coast to Tintagel Castle home of the fabled King Arthur, the first King of England before we spend the afternoon, after about an hour drive, at the unique village of Clovelly.

Drive to the Historic city of Bath and stay overnight.

Day Seven

Visit the historic city of Bath before departing for the airport check in

1hr 45 minute drive to Heathrow or 2hr 15 minute drive to Gatwick

For this tour, and more like it, visit www.chirtongrange.co.uk or email us contact@chirtongrange.co.uk

 

A Little Story

A gentleman of 81 years approached us recently and asked us to build a tour programme for his next visit to the UK. The problem was that while we had worked with him last year we where booked through a concierge company. Even though we now, for others reasons, there was a conflict of interest and we had to politely refuse the enquiry.

The customer said, "I've been coming to the UK, mainly London, for more than 60 years and requested, if not begged, them to show me something new, different and exciting.......so they booked me the Tower of London, Changing the Guard and the London bloody Eye".

We really couldn't/wouldn't be able to help this guy but can help many others.

Chauffeuring is our core business but we have developed or own unique brand of tours. Combining our knowledge with the very best Blue Badge Guides we, your clients, implore you to find Find The Gap, Go off Piste and THINK DIFFERENTLY!!!

London Bridge

Londinium (later becoming London) translates as "the settlement on the wide river" and is where the Roman's stopped marching and killing to begin work on establishing their new Capital City (cheekily ignoring Colchester, Essex on the grounds that it didn't have any Premier League football teams)

And so to work, beginning, as any self respecting Sim City builder would do, by building a bridge. 

Today's London Bridge is, in my opinion, the most disappointing of all the bridges that span the Thames. Chauffeuring around many tourists as we sight-see our way across this great city I'm yet to meet anyone who isn't underwhelmed by London Bridge, admittedly there are a lot who believe Tower Bridge to be London Bridge but, that explained, not one person has extolled the simple concrete structure to be anything more than that, a simple concrete structure. 

The best fact I know about the current pontoon is that it is hollow and the warm air from the Tube is pushed through meaning that while all other bridges will freeze over in a snow storm, London Bridge won't. Hmm.

This hasn't always been the case though. London Bridge has a proud and magnificent history with the area carrying many great spans over the centuries. My favourite was a time when the bridge, carried not just people and traffic, but houses, shops and even a two storey church, a la Pontevecchio, in Florence. 

 

 

To get a glimpse into that time I head to the north side of the Thames, St Magnus the Martyr Church to see a 4 metre model depicting the Bridge as it would have appeared in around the 1400. It is an amazing peice of work and the detail of around 900 people crowding the bridge shows King Henry V riding in from Southwark with the Mayor of London waiting to greet him. There's even a deliberate planting of a 20th century character which I didn't find (apparently it is a policeman) 

The claustrophobic hustle and bustle show London as crowded then as now and why the congestion on the Bridge forced a decision that if crossing from North to South then you stayed to the left, as you did if coming from Southwark to the City of London. We still to this day drive on the left or 'correct' side of the road.

The small exhibition also has pictures and facts about the Bridge history, like the last transition saw an American businessman relocate, stone by stone, the outgoing bridge to give a focal point to his new housing development in Lake Havasu, Arizona. My favourite picture is the one of two, new and old, Bridges along side each other. 

London Bridge has, of all the Bridges, the greatest history. It is where the decapitated heads of 'traitors' where gruesomely mounted on a spike to deter any of the like-minded. Where Watt Tyler crossed with his revolting peasants, though he had to wait until the bridge opened as it used to closed at 9pm.

The exhibition is small, free (donations excepted) and walking distance from the Tower of London. 

Your Very Own Brexit

Brexit has certainly made a few headlines across the World and it seems to be the only thing anyone can discuss at the moment across the UK. Whatever the implications for the UK itself, the economy and foreign policy, there’s one immediate benefit to people across Europe and the World… With the pound dropping against the Euro and the Dollar, there’s never been a better time to holiday in the UK.

The 38 year low of the pound on Friday had the hidden benefit of making your Dollar and Euro go much further than it ever has! Where $500 on Thursday night would have given you £333.21, today you’ll get £379.41 for it. That’s a massive £46.21 extra which could be spent in the following ways…

·        Family tickets to the Tower of london

·        two adult tickets on the london eye

·        ten pints of lager

·        two tickets to an English Premier League match

Not only will currency be cheaper to exchange, but the relative cost for hotels, flights, food and drink will all drop against the previous cost of a UK holiday. Airfares from the US have dropped to below $500 for a round trip which should be incentive enough to visit the UK.

But it’s not just the price of flying that should entice you to the UK, connections on to Europe won’t always be as easy as they currently are. Right now, when you arrive in London and clear immigration you then don’t need to again if you decide to carry on to Europe afterwards. Although we love a queue in Britain, the rest of the World isn’t so keen so to avoid those long queues the next two years is when you need to be visiting the UK.

Luckily, if you’re connecting through the UK rather than staying, there’s a number of options if you have a few hours to spare. For a much cheaper price than ever before (cheers Brexit), you can take a Chirton Grange car and spend the day in Windsor – like the Queen would – or even head into London for a few hours. The car will, of course, have you back at Heathrow in enough time for your onwards flight.

Obviously, we’d rather you stayed and toured the City with us. The popular Chirton Grange Spy Tour which reveals the gruesome World that lurks beneath the surface in London will no doubt have some more stories added to it over the coming years and the family fun of the Football Tour will now give you a chance to see more English talent than ever before thanks to immigration laws changing.

So although there’s a lot to frown about with Brexit, maybe there’ll never be a better time to visit the UK…

Making it happen, whatever...

One of the greatest sights you will ever behold is that of the London Marathon. Thousands of runners, from top athletes through to people dressed as chickens, pound their way past the many familiar landmarks on route to completing many months of training.

It isn't so welcome in the chauffeur world though but only for the practical, obvious reason of all the roads being closed. So it is the one day in the calendar that we at Chirton Grange don't go looking for work in the Capital. That said, we do not ignore any client request but certainly look out for other companies wanting to generously pass on to us that 09:00 Greenwich to London City airport transfer.

Some client requests are helpful in that their route doesn't cross that of the Marathons so, in fact, they are easy jobs as most motorists refuse to drive in London on Marathon Sunday....not so simple this year though.

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, comes from one of our largest clients. To get 12 of their valued Travel Agents from Heathrow airport to the Cheval Three Quays Hotel at around 1pm on Sunday.....Marathon Day. The hotel sits beautifully on the River Thames practically underneath Tower Bridge and will be hemmed in by over 30000 runners, the route crosses past Tower Bridge twice, with roads closed from 0600-2000. The last thing anyone needs after an 8 hour flight is a further 8 hours sitting in Starbucks

At Chirton Grange we always look for solutions not problems, say yes then work out how, and here is how we are going to do it. 

First we pick up the group in 2 x Mercedes People carriers we would normally use a coach for 12 people but we might need to 'weave' the back streets and this will be quicker. Then, after some investigation we know we can get to the London Eye before meeting any road closure. The cars finish here and we  now escort our guests to the London Clipper Boat service placed right under the Eye. In around 20, uninterrupted, minutes we will step off at the Tower Pier not 50 metres from the hotel door.

The added bonus is that our guests will get an amazing view of the runners as they head down the Embankment and all this for only an extra £7 per head when using their pre-purchased Oyster cards. Our escort will assist with check in before jumping back on the Clipper and return to the waiting car. Tom Cruise eat your heart out.

Soccer Tours

We refer to it as 'Day 3 Syndrome'

Most parents reading this who have brought their family to tour the UK will know exactly what we are talking about. Day 3 is when the younger members hit the wall and are done with Henry VIII and Stonehenge. Well, we have the solution.

First, let's start as we mean to go on as in dear old Blighty we call the worlds must popular game 'football' and, while a huge chunk of the rest of the planet refer to it as 'soccer', we are going to pull rank on this because, well, we invented the sport so it's our ball and you don't get to play unless you agree.

The English Premier League is arguably the greatest football league in the world and, without question, the richest. England also has the oldest professional team (Notts County) and we are the only country to have 4 professional, full time leagues. In short, we live football.

On their visit to the UK it is on most sports fans 'tick list' is to watch a game of football. With the majority going on to break the bank by committing to the Holy Temples of the football powerhouses and the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

While we totally understand that, and you should do this if you can, we want to introduce you and your family to a football experience that aims to blow away the jet-lag and burn some energy off those who are now twitching for their iPad again.

Every week is different and dependant on the fixtures etc but it should go something like this:

Eat breakfast like a professional and meet us in the hotel lobby for a private chauffeur transfer to the:

Wembley Stadium Tour- the home of football

Don't be fooled by the state of the art stadium you'll see today; this place is haunted by the only England World Cup win and over a century of Glorious FA Finals, internationals and concerts. With time for photos by the pitch and in the dressing rooms, this really is football heaven.

Then onto

Foot Golf 

Always had a problem getting the golf club to do as you tell it? Well now let your feet do the talking, as the name suggests,  you are going to play a round of golf by kicking a  football around the fairway and into the hole. A fantastic and fun day part of our day but who will get the boasting rights and come out on top?

Next up, it's lunch. This is always flexible and dependant on time but you call the shots. Let us know what you fancy and we will book it in advance so we are not late for the BIG 3pm kick off.

Gillingham, Brentford, Leyton Orient are teams we would be very surprised you'd heard of but that is where we are heading next to watch professional football at a high level if not the exactly the top level. Stopping briefly at the club shop (not compulsory) for a memento of your new found passion it's then into the ground to watch the match.

There is a wealth of quality football (subject to alteration) being played every weekend away from the big wages and high ticket priced top teams. Football watched by 'ordinary' people, in places the corporate giants shy away from sponsoring, where you can still stand on the terraces and drink your Bovril* watching tackles fly in that 'they wouldn't get away with in the Premier league. Football player as we all watched growing up here in the UK.

After the match, you will of course then be whisked back to your hotel to get the kids into bed and enjoy a few glasses of wine!

You will need suitable clothing, footwear and a sense of fun. The love of soccer (we'll give you that one) is helpful but not the determining factor in the whole family enjoying the day together.

Email is to find out more contact@chirtongrange.co.uk and pleased do so in advance of your traveling so we can work out the best day/game possible to make it a day to remember. 

 

*Other meat flavoured drinks are available... Actually I don't think they are, but alcohol is...