Four Day Trip to North Wales, Cheshire & Merseyside Monday 12th - Thursday 15th
September Itinerary
Monday 12th September - Port Sunlight Departing from Kettering, we will travel to Port Sunlight in Merseyside arriving at about 12.30pm when we meet our guide Tony who will tell us about the model village built by the Lever Brothers to accommodate workers from their soap factory. The village contains 900 Grade 2 Listed Buildings and was declared a conservation area in 1978. The coach will park outside the Museum and the Lady Lever Art Gallery when our guide will take us on a walking tour of the village if we wish. There are famous paintings by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and Kettering’s Alfred East. We will have lunch in Port Sunlight and leave at about 4.30pm to arrive at our hotel at about 5.15pm where we will be staying for next three nights enjoying dinner, bed and breakfast. Tuesday 13th September - Liverpool In the morning we will travel by coach arriving at about 10am at the Woodside Ferry to view the historical Liverpool waterfront. At 10. 30 am we will be taking the ferry River Explorer Cruise when there will be a commentary on the waterfront and views beyond. At 11. 20 am we arrive back at Woodside but will stay on the boat to cross back over to Liverpool Pier Head. At 11. 30 am our guide Tony will meet us and hand out vouchers for the Hop-on-Off City Tour (£5 per person) with live guide on board which lasts 50 minutes. Alternatively Tony will offer a walking tour including the interiors of the Cunard Building, the Port of Liverpool Building, the Albert Dock and the Port Master’s House. He’ll also take us to the world famous Cavern! 1.30pm – 4pm Independent time can be spent exploring the Walker Gallery, Cathedral(s), Museum(s) or shops! 4.15 pm our Taurus Travel coach will pick us up at the Pier Head for the drive through the Mersey Tunnel back to our hotel for around 5.15 pm. Wednesday 14th September - North Wales, Portmeirion This morning we drive across North Wales to the North of the Snowdonia National Park. Our journey South, initially down the Vale of Conwy, will take us close to the summit of Mount Snowdon via Betws-y-Coed, Capel Curig and Beddgelert. Around mid-day we will reach the Italianate village of Portmeirion on a private peninsular at the top of Cardigan Bay. This was created by the Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis (1883-1978) who fulfilled a childhood dream to build a village ‘to my own fancy on my own chosen site’. About 50 buildings surround a central piazza in styles ranging from Oriental to Gothic. The village has been an atmospheric location for many films and television programmes including, in the 1960’s ‘The Prisoner’. We will lunch in the Terrace Restaurant and around 3. 30pm drive to our hotel via a different route across the National Park. Depending on timings we may have brief stops at some of the interesting places we’ll be passing through en-route. Thursday 15th September - Chester After breakfast we will be travelling to Chester to meet up with our guide Tony at 10.00 am for a walk which will last about an hour. Amongst places of interest that we will discover are the Church of England Cathedral, built in 1541 which is a Grade 1 listed building. We will also walk along part of the city walls (total walk length of 1.8 miles) which were used as a defensive structure to protect the city and the construction was started by the Romans between 70 and 80 AD. The Roman Amphitheatre is another Grade 1 Listed Building and a Scheduled Monument. The most distinctive medieval feature of the city are The Rows. These are double-level walkways with a continuous line of balconies and with shops at street and first-floor levels. The Rows are unique and were certainly in existence in the 14th century. At 12.15 pm we leave Chester for Moreton Hall, a 16th century moated half-timbered manor house. The earliest parts were built for the prosperous Cheshire landowner William Moreton in 1504-08. Little Moreton Hall and its sandstone bridge across the moat are recorded as designated Grade 1 Listed Buildings. On departing from Little Moreton Hall, we will continue our journey home. Beaufort Park Hotel
Contact the Secretary kettcivic@gmail.com |
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For newcomers to the society or to the area perhaps an explanation of how the society operates might be useful. We have a committee of eight members who meet monthly to discuss mainly planning issues within the town and matters that are brought to our attention by our
members and any other concerned parties bearing in mind the objectives of the Society.
To encourage discussion and form a unity with likeminded people several social events and outings are organised throughout the year, these hopefully
stimulate a diversity of civic, cultural and architectural interests. Our Membership fees (£10 annually) help to keep members informed and any profits made are placed in a special projects fund. In addition, annually we are able to present donations to worthy causes which enhance the town and thus Civic Pride. |
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