6 days departing 3 May 2026 

From £1,499

This tour is now full, please contact Clem Norrington-Davies (details below)  if you would like to go on to the waiting list.

A wonderful tour of Malta has been arranged for May 2026, via Tailored Travel who specialise in group tours.  Please click here for the Brochure which includes the Booking Form.  

The tour will include:

• 4* Hotel Victoria in Sliema - Click here for their website.
• Welcome dinner is included;
• All excursions, entrance fees & guided tours included;
• Temples of Tarxien
• Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum
• Grand Harbour Cruise
• Guided tour of Valletta
• Grandmaster's Palace, National Museum of Fine Arts
• Guided tour of the island of Gozo
• Ggantija Temples, Calypso's Cave, Xlendi
• Victoria and the Citadel
• Church of St Mary in Mosta
• Mdina, St John's Cathedral, St Peter and St Paul's Cathedral

For more information please contact Clemmie Norrington-Davies on 01722 742598, or email her on:  clemmiend@gmail.com

Monday 12 to Friday 16 May 2025

Based in Canterbury, there will be visits to the following locations:

• Chartlwell
• Ightham Mote
• Walking tour of Canterbury 
• Guided tour of Canterbury Cathedral
• Margate, guided tour of the Turner Contemporary.
• Great Dixter
• Sissinghurst Castle Garden
• Dover Castle
• Tenterden: guided tour of The Chapel Down Winery and vineyard, plus a tasting.
• All Saints Church at Tudeley, with windows designed by Chagall.
• Hever Castle and gardens

Brochure and Booking Form:   Click HERE for the brochure, and HERE for the booking form

Travel will be by coach, full details to follow.

For more information, please contact Jane Wallace: 07970 857559, wallacejanew@aol.com

Jane will bring details and booking forms to our lecture on 20 November 2024.

Six days departing 12 May 2024

This tour is now full, please contact Clemmie Norrington-Davies regarding the waiting list.

An exciting tour of Madrid, Toledo and San Lorenzo de El Escorial has been arranged for May 2024, via Tailored Travel who specialise in group tours.  Please click here for the Brochure which includes the Booking Form.

The tour will include:

• 5 nights in a 4-star hotel in Madrid;
• an orientation tour of Madrid;
• a guided tour of the Museo del Prado;
• a guided tour of the Museo Reina Sofia,
• a guided tour of Toledo;
• a visit to the Church of Santo Tome;
• a guided tour of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
• a visit to San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

For more information please contact Clemmie Norrington-Davies on 01722 742598, or email her on:  clemmiend@gmail.com

There are still a few spaces remaining for the tour to Cardiff & South Wales,  which runs from the 9th - 13th May 2023. The cost will be £815.00 per head (£160:00 single supplemen).

The tour will include visits to Tyntesfield, Cardiff Castle, Llandaff Cathedral, The Royal Mint, Tredegar House & Castell Coch.

We shall also have an extended visit to The National Museum & Art Gallery of Wales. This houses an extraordinarily large collection donated by the Davies sisters in the 20th century which includes a great wealth of Impressionist Art.  The art collection is said to be one of the finest in Europe & the Davies Collection "as possibly the most ravishing display in Britain".

On one of our days in the city we will take a walking tour of the new waterfront development at Cardiff Bay which will include the Senned (Senate) building & other notable sites.

Dinner on our first & last evening are included.

As on previous tours Heritage Group Travel of Bath are our travel agents & we will be travelling in a Pewsey Vale coach.

Brochures and booking forms will be available at the next lecture, or from Rosslyn O'Connor - see below  

For more information please contact Rosslyn O'Connor on rosslynoconnor@outlook.com or 01722 743256. 

Wylye Valley Art society visit to Budapest

In early May this year 21 members of the Wylye Valley Arts Society enjoyed a five day visit to Budapest “The Pearl of the Danube”. After an early Monday morning start from Wilton and the flight from Heathrow to Budapest the party arrived at their city centre hotel late afternoon giving time to settle in prior to dining together and discussing the programme for the week ahead.

The morning of Day 2 comprised a guided city tour revealing the unique character of the once rival cities of Buda and Pest sitting either side of the Danube. Full of Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture there is no better introduction to Budapest than a tour of Castle Hill which dominates the Buda skyline and features the Matthias Coronation Church and the white stone Fisherman’s Bastion. Returning to the Pest side in the afternoon we headed for the City Park to visit the Museum of Fine Arts. Housed in a grand Renaissance-style building it is home to stellar collections of Spanish, Flemish, Italian and German art.  

Blessed again with warm sunshine the following day started with a coach journey north out of the city to the scenic “Danube Bend”.  Here we visited the imposing hilltop basilica at Esztergom, the home of Hungarian Catholicism and the former state capital, before moving on to Visegrad famous for the remains of the summer palace of King Matthias Corvinus. The area offered spectacular views over the Danube looking towards Slovakia on the opposite bank. After lunch we headed for Szentendre, a small town on the banks of the Danube, with old medieval streets and churches and an ideal spot for a little shopping or simply relaxing with a cup of tea and a delicious slice of cake.   

Evenings followed the usual pattern of gathering in the hotel bar prior to various groups heading off to dine at the local restaurants of which there were many to choose from within easy walking distance. Those who choose to travel further afield were delighted by the abundance of registered taxis and the low fares.

Next day started with a short journey to the nearby Dohany Synagogue, built in the Moorish Revival style in 1859 it is the second largest synagogue in the world, the biggest being in New York. Our guide, Marten, who not only had an encyclopaedic knowledge of his home city, was also able to explain the many and varied features of the synagogue, which included unusually an organ. Adjacent to the synagogue was Jewish Museum with reminders of Hungary’s traumatic past as well as the Garden of Remembrance featuring a stunning metal “Tree of Life” with the name of each victim engraved on the leaves.

The highlight of the afternoon was a tour of the magnificent neo-Gothic Parliament building home of the Holy Hungarian Crown and featuring the spectacular Domed Hall. Situated adjacent to the river it was a short walk to the pier and to step aboard a boat for a relaxing cruise on the Danube taking in the many sights of the city from a different perspective.  So our brief stay in Budapest drew to a close as our final day was unfortunately curtailed by BA bringing forward our flight back to the UK. Nevertheless we departed with many happy memories of a charming and hospital people and a truly beautiful city.

The overseas trip next year for 5 days from 9 May 2022 will be to Budapest.

The highlights on offer include:

- A guided tour of the city

- A guided tour of the Museum of Fine Arts

- Danube Band

- Basilica at Esztergom

- Visegrad - Museum Palace of King Matthias and Citadel ruins

- Dohany Synagogue and Jewish Museum

- A guided tour of Parliament House

- Cruise on the River Danube

- Castle of Sissi

The trip includes accommodation in a centrally located 4 star hotel, all transfers, luxury coach travel with audio headsets, all excursions, boat trip, welcome drink, full dinner on the first night and bed and breakfast thereafter.  The hotel has bars, restaurants, pool, sauna, all rooms are ensuite and gratuities are included.

Full details can be found on the website below.

https://www.tailored-travel.co.uk.wylyevalleyartssociety_budapest_2022

If you are interested in joining the tour please contact 

Clemmie Norrington Davies

A Visit to Liverpool

Tuesday 1 October - Saturday 5 October 2019

Tour highlights to include:

Compton Verney

An award winning art gallery housed in a Grade 1 listed mansion designed by Robert Adam, and set within 120 acres of Grade11 listed park landscaped by Capability Brown.  A light lunch will be taken on arrival followed by a guided highlights tour of the collection.

A Day in Liverpool

A full day of visits to include a visit to St George's Hall, one of the finest neo-classical buildings in Europe, Ullet Road Unitarian Church, which combines the styles of neo-gothic with arts and crafts, Liverpool Cathedral, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the modern, circular styled Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King and the Walker Art Gallery, which houses the finest art collection in the north.

Antony Gormley: Another Place

We will visit the seaside town of Great Crosby to view a piece of modern sculpture, 'Another Place' by Antony Gormley wihich consists of 100 cast iron figures, replicas of the artist's body, looking out to sea.  As the tide ebbs and flows, so the figures emerge and submerge in the water.

Port Sunlight

The village constructed by William Hesketh Lever to house the workers from his soap factory.  We will enjoy an introduction to the village followed by a coach tour.  Our visit will also include the Lady Lever Art Gallery, whose collection boasts romantic masterpieces by the great pre-Raphaelites in additon to Chippendale furniture, sculpture, tapestries, Chinese porcelain and English Wedgewood.

Albert Dock

The five warehouses surrounding the dock were designed by Jesse Hartley in 1846, but by the

early 1900's the imporance of the docks had diminished and in 1972 they closed.  The Grade 1

listed buildings were restored in a development which includes television studios, museums,

galleries, shops, restaurants and businesses.  Our visit will also include the Tate Gallery, the

first outstation of the London Tate, opened in 1988 and a cruise round the dock.

Speke Hall

Built in 1530, Speke Hall is one of the most famous Tudor Manor houses in the country and is

characterised by its magnificent half timbered facade.

National Memorial Arboretum

The Arboretum is made up of 150 acres of trees and memorials devoted to a theme of remembrance.  Since October 2007 it  is also the home of the Armed Forces Memorial.  Its aim is to provide recognition for all thoses who have given their lives in the service of their country since the Second World War.

Tour Price

£700 per person sharing a twin/double room

£120 single room supplement.

Price includes:

Executive coach travel throughout; 

4 nights' bed and breakfast accommodation at the 4 star Liverpool Marriott City Centre Hotel;

Arrival dinner at the hotel restaurant;

Light lunch at Compton Verney;

Services of a Blue Badge Guide for one full day and one half day;

Private guided visit of St George's Hall;

Local guide at Port Sunlight;

Cruise on the River Mersey;

All entrance charges as per the itinerary (excluding National Trust properties);

VOX audio guides;

Gratuities.

Full brochure and booking form will be available at the January 2019 lecture.

The Arts Society Wylye Valley has just returned from a hugely successful, and busy, five day visit to the beautiful baroque city of Dresden, otherwise known as The Florence of The Elbe, the restoration and reconstruction of which is now almost complete. During our busy five days we visited The Albertinum which houses French Impressionists paintings as well as 21st century art and sculpture; delightful Pillnitz Castle and Gardens situated on the banks of the Elbe, returning to Dresden by a luxurious paddle steamer; The Rococo Zwinger Palace containing a wonderful collection of Old Masters; The Royal Palace with its Historic Green Vault and The New Green Vault with its utterly amazing collection of silver and jewellery. Finally, to complete our visit we visited the Meissen Porcelain Museum for a guided tour, which included demonstrations of various processes of how this very fine porcelain is produced, and Moritzburg Castle, a famous baroque hunting castle of Augustus The Strong. As well as our organised visits a number of us managed a night at the Semper Opera House too for a magical evening watching The Magic Flute. We were accompanied throughout by a charming guide who gave many unexpected insights into not only everything we saw but also into what it has been like to live in Dresden during the past few decades.

So much to see and do a return trip is on the cards!

The recent five day trip to the Black Country on occasions reminded me of a mini Eighteenth Century grand tour. We visited private houses of note, and were blessed with dry, cool, and crisp autumnal weather throughout the entire trip. Here I must add that we were not conveyed in horse drawn coaches, but a well equipped bus with a delightful driver!

What an interesting City Birmingham is. Our driver was often perplexed by the road works which are causing havoc, but I have no doubt that in the end the result will be a place to rival London both in architectural interest and vibrancy.

We visited both museums in the City and had good, but very different, guides in both.The City museum reflects the industrial wealth and grandeur of the Victorian era. It has a remarkable collection of over 4,000 pieces from an Anglo-Saxon hoard discovered near Lichfield. Had I seen the standard of jewellery making as a Victorian, I might well have chosen anything but jewellery making for a profession! It was truly remarkable. The gallery of pre-Raphaelite paintings is comprehensive with most artists of the movement represented. The philanthropic nature of Lady Barber lead to the creation of an Art Deco building housing world class pictures as part of the University. Used as a teaching aid, it has superb examples of many genres from the Renaissance to the present day.

In the spirit of broadening the spectrum of interest within the AS, a core of us were lucky enough to get tickets for a concert at the new concert hall.  The CBSO were performing under the baton of their new resident conductor Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla, who spent more time off the podium than on it, a young and absolutely dynamic lass. It was just a five minute walk from our very comfortable hotel.

Our Blue Badge Guide gave us two walking guides. The first one around the jewellery quarter in Birmingham,  showing us interesting things like Victorian urinals, and the assay offices before leaving us to a tour of the time warp premises of Smith and Pepper.The workshops and offices were closed in 1981, literally locked up and left, thereby leaving a complete chronicle of a Victorian jewellery business until relatively recent times.

Our other tour was to Lichfield which was full of hidden gems which, in all probability, would have been overlooked had we not had our guide. One of the most interesting facts I gleaned was that the Cathedral was fortified. Part of the wall was pointed out to us en route to the three spired Cathedral. It is unique in England.

During our stay we had private guides of quite a number of interesting houses, several of which were occupied by the owners and their families. Sezincote was one such house.built in the Mogul style of Akbar. It sports minarets and garden features beloved of its creator, John Cockrell, who had spent many years with the  East India Company. After a visit from the Prince Regent, it became a model for the Pavilion in Brighton. The garden flows from the house, and we were lucky enough to see it in full autumn colour.

Arbury Hall was another highlight of our tour. Again occupied by the family of the owner, we all felt privileged to see such a delightful Gothic revival House very much in the style of Strawberry Hill, with marvellous plasterwork. I have to say it wasn't as creepy as Walpole’s House, and much lighter and with a lovely atmosphere. The home to three very lucky children.

The last house I recall was Chastleton House near Morton in Marsh. A late Jacobean Mansion built by a wealthy yeoman. It's fascinating in that its occupancy can be traced until 1991 when the last owner found it too much.Bought with all its contents In a near derelict state the house and its contents have been lovingly restored by The National Trust. It is a vast and rambling house, with a plasterwork barrel ceiling and original oak panelling throughout. I found it touching that our guide had such a love for the house. I’m sure it still has secrets yet to be discovered.

We also visited Hagley Hall, where we were treated to a delicious lunch served in an elegant room and then guided round this Grade 1 listed house.  We were all feeling a bit weary by now after a very busy morning, so the hundreds of portraits hanging in every room became a bit of a blur.

I hope that gives a feel of our trip. It comprised a group of couples and single folk all happily interacting with meals together, common interests in the Arts, all enjoying a carefully researched and masterminded break by our trusty leader Rosslyn O’Connor and her husband, Neill.

Barbara Turvey

Tour to Bologna, 23 – 29 May 2016

 Our 5-day cultural tour to the red city of Bologna, famed for its gastronomy and learning was an action-packed excursion, also taking in Ferrara, Ravenna and Mantova. Our personal highlights of Bologna included the Titian Crucifixion at the Pinacoteca Nationale and the carved figures in the old university anatomy theatre. The group favourite appeared to be the quality of the food market and restaurants. The mosaics in Ravenna were overwhelming not only at San Vitale but also at the Mausoleum of Gallia Placidia and the Sant’ Appolinares in Ravenna and Classe.

The Mantegna Camera degli Sposi was the highlight of the Palazzo Ducale in Mantova and the Sala dei Giganti in the Palazzo del Te was an experience we had missed on a previous trip to Mantova, not to mention the racy freschi in the other rooms.

We enjoyed perfect sunny sightseeing weather, our guides were well informed and entertaining, and the company was congenial and charming. We had not visited Bologna before, but we are certainly planning to return and further explore this region.

Paul and Heather Borrelli

At the end of September 2015, 25 members embarked for Lincoln & York. We were blessed with warm days & blue skies all week which made our visits so easy - no brollies or macs to encumber us!! Our tour started with Lincoln Cathedral & Castle, where we were able to see another copy of Magna Carta, the Victorian Prison, Lincoln's versions of the Barons & take a quick walk around the newly restored ramparts. The tour continued on to York with visits to the Minster for a guided tour & evensong, & a walking tour of the city with its heritage of fine buildings.

The following days were spent at Castle Howard, Burton Agnes Hall, the Hepworth Wakefield Gallery, Nostell Priory & in case we didn't think we had packed in enough culture we finished with a visit to Charlecote, near Stratford on Avon. Quite a busy five days but full of variety & interest!