Sheffield U3A Travel
Details of Day Trips and Holidays
Trips organised by Sheffield U3A Travel are open to all (and only to) Sheffield U3A members.
Holidays and day trips are listed here for your information but bookings can only be made from the booking forms printed in Links.
Royal Air Force Museum Cosford and Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton
Wednesday 21 March 2012
Set in scenic Shropshire, the Royal Air Force Museum invites visitors to explore the history of the RAF from its beginnings up to its present day role. There are displays of over 70 aircraft ranging from the earliest Spitfire and other wartime planes, including Allied and enemy ones, up to the modern missile and air transport machines. There is also a special display on the significant part played by the RAF during the Cold War. You will also be able to have fun with various "hands on" activities.
In short there is plenty for everyone to enjoy.
We will have lunch in the Refuel Restaurant. It will be a 2-course meal of Steak and Ale Pie, Rhubarb Crumble and Tea or Coffee. The vegetarian option is Vegetable Lasagne. Please tick your choice on the booking slip on page 27.
In the afternoon we will visit nearby Moseley Old Hall (National Trust). Its story is one of the most exciting and romantic in English history.
The house is famous for sheltering the young King Charles II after the disastrous defeat at the battle of Worcester in 1651. We can follow the story of the King's dramatic escape from Cromwell's troops and find out about 17th century domestic life.
The garden has varieties of plants in keeping with the period and has a striking knot garden and a walled garden.
The cost of the day is £18.00 for N.T. members and £24.00 for non-members. This includes travel, gratuities, admissions and lunch.
Tuesday 17 April 2012
We will leave Ecclesall at 7.45 am and the Interchange at 8.00 am to journey to Peterborough.
When we arrive at the Cathedral you will be free to explore this magnificent Norman construction dating from the early thirteenth century with its fine West front, medieval-painted fan-vaulted ceiling and the tomb of Katharine of Aragon.
There is a Cathedral café where you can buy coffee etc. and, if time permits, the city museum is nearby. We need to be at the Cathedral‘s Almoners' Hall at 12.30 pm for lunch.
At 1.30 pm we will leave for Deene Park of which we will have a guided tour. Deene Park is a sixteenth century house modified in the reign of George III, the seat of the Earls of Cardigan amongst whom was the Earl who led the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854.
There is a large collection of art, furniture and porcelain besides memorabilia of the Crimean war. Afterwards you may explore the spectacular gardens and visit the Deene Park café.
We will leave promptly at 4.45 pm for our return to Sheffield.
The cost is £28.00. This includes travel, gratuities, admissions and lunch.
To reserve a place, please complete the booking slip on page 29 of the February ‘Links’ and send it with a cheque made payable to Sheffield U3A Travel and a small, stamped addressed envelope to Val Wiley, 112, Button Hill, Sheffield S11 9HJ, as soon as possible.
Springtime in Kent
Sunday 22-Thursday 26 April 2012
The "Garden of England" has such a wealth and variety of attractive venues it has been quite difficult to decide what to leave out!
Travelling south from Sheffield we will visit Audley End House - an English Heritage property near Cambridge. Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Audley, adapted the extensive buildings of Walden Abbey as his mansion and his grandson Thomas Howard rebuilt the house on a massive scale. As well as seeing the house and gardens there will be time for lunch before moving on to our hotel in Rochester.
A day in Canterbury is an absolute must. The Cathedral, the atmospheric ruins of St. Augustine's Abbey, and St. Martin's Church - the oldest church in England - together form a breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dover Castle, "The Key to England" for over nine hundred years, commands the shortest sea crossing between England and the continent. The Castle boasts a long and immensely eventful history from Iron Age hill fort right up World War II. From the experience of the Secret Wartime Tunnels to the richly furnished chambers of the Great Tower and the great views from Admiralty Lookout this should be a really good day.
The third main venue is to be the Historic Dockyards at Chatham. Housed in Georgian and Victorian buildings, the dockyard complex brings four hundred years of naval history to life. See historic ships, the Victorian ropery, galleries and exhibitions - and then enjoy a river trip on a steam-powered paddle boat.
On the way home to Sheffield I hope we may visit Flag Fen Archaeology Park and Bronze Age Centre near Peterborough. The cost per person sharing a twin/double room for this five day//four night holiday is £300.00 and the supplement for a single room occupancy is £60.00.
Hotel room, breakfast and dinner at the Holiday Inn, Rochester, coaching throughout by Walter Martin, the cost of visits and guides where applicable (English Heritage properties are free to pre-booked U3A groups) and all remunerations and donations are included in the price. The cost of lunches, snacks or any other refreshments is not included.
Places on this holiday are on offer only to members of Sheffield U3A. Members must arrange their own travel insurance and send a photocopy to the holiday organiser when requested.
To apply for a place please complete the form at the end of the August issue of ‘Links’ and send it with a deposit of £60.00 per person, cheque made payable to SU3A Travel, together with a stamped addressed, Links size, envelope to the holiday organiser.
Visit to The Crich Tramway Village and Strutt’s North Mill, Belper
Tuesday 1 May 2012
Our late spring visit is a mixture of local nostalgia and a glimpse of the industrial and social revolution 150 years ago which placed Britain at the forefront of British innovation and technology.
First, we visit the Crich Tramway Village, which shows how urban public transport developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, starting with horse-drawn trams which later developed into modem electric tramways. The visit includes an introductory talk, a visit to the museum and unlimited scenic rides on their recreated tramway system, using old currency to pay the conductor for your ticket. You will be able to visit a traditional 1900 sweetshop, explore the visitor centre, enjoy a cup of coffee and stroll along the woodland walk to the sculpture park.
A short drive takes us to Belper where we have included a buffet lunch at the Lion Hotel, ready for the afternoon visit to the Strutt’s North Heritage Museum. Here, after an introductory film, we have a guided tour of the museum in small groups. We see how water power transformed the Derwent Valley, enabling cheap textiles to be produced and factories to be built along the river, providing regular employment in a traditionally agricultural area. We see houses built by the Strutt’s family to house their workers in conditions far ahead of their time. If the weather is fine there will be an opportunity for a short walk by the river Derwent to the River Gardens, created by the Strutt’s family for the enjoyment of their workers.
The visit finishes with tea and biscuits at the museum, before the return to Sheffield.
The inclusive cost is £26.00. Applications may be made using the slip on page 31 of the February ‘Links’ and should be sent as soon as possible to Derek Shipley, 40 Wollaton Avenue, Sheffield, S17 4LA, including a small stamped addressed envelope. Please include the first name and surname of each person for whom you are applying.
Tuesday 15 May 2012
We plan to visit four relatively local churches and to have lunch provided by the parishioners of All Hallows, Harthill.
Leaving Ecclesall at 9.20 am and the Interchange at 9.30 am. We will begin our exploration at St Giles Killamarsh, proceed to St Peter’s, Thorpe Salvin, lunch at Harthill and conclude our visit at St Peter and St Paul, Todwick before returning to Sheffield.
With the help of our guide Pat McCloughlin, latterly of "Heritage Inspired", we hope to increase our knowledge of the architecture and history of these and other churches with their Saxon preaching cross, stained glass by Kempe, Jacobean box pews and Norman carved font, to eat a good lunch and have a thoroughly enjoyable day. Fine weather would of course be helpful.
We hope to leave for Sheffield at 4.00 pm.
The cost for the day will be £21.00. This includes travel, gratuities, admissions and lunch.
To reserve a place, please complete the form on page 31 of the February ‘Links’and send it together with a cheque made payable to Sheffield U3A Travel and a small, stamped addressed envelope to: Val Wiley, 112 Button Hill, Sheffield S11 9HJ Margaret Bullivant and Val Wiley.
Holiday to Bristol, Bath and Somerset 8–12 June 2012
Our base for this short break will be Bristol. It claims to be England‟s most popular tourist destination and it has much to offer to the visitor. On the first day we will travel to Dyrham Park (NT). It is the beautiful late 17th century home of William Blathwayt, a hardworking civil servant who thrived during the political upheaval of three monarchs.
Bristol has a rich maritime heritage. We will have a boat trip around the docks and a tour of the S.S. Great Britain, Brunel‟s masterpiece. It was the world‟s first ocean-going liner, which has been lovingly restored into one of Britain‟s most acclaimed visitor attractions. Of course, we will not miss the Clifton Suspension Bridge, another of Brunel‟s iconic works.
On the following days the programme includes a day in historical Bath, a designated world Heritage Site, with some of the finest architecture in Europe including the Royal Crescent. We will have a guided walking tour and a visit to the Roman baths. There will be free time to explore some of the other sights, such as the Abbey, the Jane Austen Centre, the Pump room etc.
We shall also spend time in Wells to see the Cathedral and travel to Tyntesfield, the extraordinary Victorian estate which was saved for the nation in 2002 by the National Trust. After a long period of restoration it now offers a fascinating insight into the life upstairs and downstairs of a stately home in the 19th century.
On the last day, before returning home, we will visit the Slimbridge Wetland Centre which was founded by the late naturalist Sir Peter Scott. It is the birthplace of modern conservation, saving wetlands for wildlife and people across the world.
We will be staying at the 4-star Ramada Bristol City hotel which enjoys a central location near the waterfront and is convenient for sightseeing. All bedrooms are en-suite with the usual facilities and lifts to all floors. There is also a Leisure Centre.
The cost of the 4 night/5 day holiday is £340.00 per person, with a single supplement of £50.00. Included are bed, breakfast and evening meals at the hotel, coach throughout and all gratuities, all admission fees, except those for the two National Trust properties.
There is no record of the first performance of the plays but in 1376 they were part of a religious celebration in York. The plays were organised, financed, and often performed, by the York Craft Guilds. "Mystery" is a play on words, representing both a religious truth or rite, and, in its Middle-English meaning, a trade or craft.
The cycle of plays comprises some 48 pageants which were originally presented on carts and wagons. The decorated "Pageant Wagons" would be paraded through York stopping at each of the playing stations designated by the City banners. Traditionally an individual Guild would take responsibility for a particular play - for example the Barkers (tanners of animal hides) acted out the Bible story of the Creation, and the Bakers the story of The Last Supper.
The stories were told in the everyday speech and dialect of medieval York. After their suppression in Tudor times the plays remained little known until a production in 1909. Then, in 1951, Festival of Britain year, the York Festival of Arts put on an extremely successful performance in the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey.
In the interest of comprehensibility an abbreviated and modernised text is now used which does not spoil the essential content of the drama. Since then, the plays have been presented every three or four years with well respected actors taking the main parts supported by very talented local amateurs. A major production is planned for 2012 and will be staged in a bespoke 1400 seat theatre to be built around the superb setting of the Abbey ruins in the Museum Gardens.
These plays are an important part of the rich heritage of our language and literature and this new production offers an opportunity to enjoy these great old stories re-enacted in York where they were first presented more than 600 years ago. I have provisionally reserved 35 centre-block seats for the 2.30.p.m. performance on Saturday 4 August 2012 and this booking must be confirmed by 31 October 2011.
The cost per person is £35.00. This covers coach and theatre ticket and driver's gratuity. No meals or refreshments are included. There will be some free time in York and there are plenty of places to get lunch or you may like to take a picnic to the Museum Gardens.
The short break in September next year will be based in Lancaster on the River Lune and near to seaside resorts and the southern Lake District.
We will break our journey from Sheffield with a visit to Rufford Old Hall, near Ormskirk. This is one of Lancashire's finest Tudor buildings where a young William Shakespeare once performed for Sir Thomas Hesketh and his guests. The Hall has a fine collection of furniture, tapestries, arms and armour. There is a woodland walk by the canal and topiary and sculpture in the gardens.
The Hall is a National Trust property so entry is free to NT card holders and non-members will pay £6.30 on the day.
On our second day we will have a Blue Badge Guide for a tour of the City, by coach and on foot. In the afternoon we will take tea in Morecambe at the splendidly refurbished Art Deco Midland Hotel with its stylish Eric Gill art work.
Day three takes us to "Blackwell" - the most important and the largest surviving early example of work by the architect Mackay Hugh Bailey Scott. This 1890's Arts and Crafts House has fine examples of the decorative arts of the period. After lunch we take the boat from Bowness across Windermere to Lakeside for a visit to Stott Park Bobbin Mill - built in 1835 to produce the wooden bobbins vital to the Lancashire spinning and weaving industries.
On the penultimate day of this holiday we may have a "Brief Encounter" at Carnforth Station, followed by a visit to Leighton Hall - home of the famous furniture-making Gillow dynasty. After our early evening meal a coach will take us to see the famous Blackpool Illuminations.
On our homeward journey we will visit the Queen Street Mill Textile Museum near Burnley. This is the world's last nineteenth century steam-powered weaving mill and is highly commended by the Association for Industrial Archaeology. For this five days/four nights break we will be staying at The Holiday Inn Lancaster on half-board (room, breakfast and dinner). All rooms are en-suite with the usual facilities. Hotel, coaching throughout by Walter Martin Coaches, the cost of visits (except NT Property) and guides where applicable and all remunerations and donations are included in the price quoted. The cost of lunches, snacks or any other refreshments is not included.
The cost of this holiday per person sharing a double or twin room is £290.00. An added supplement for single room occupancy is £60.00. Places on this short break are on offer only to members of Sheffield U3A. Members must arrange their own travel insurance and send a copy to the organiser when requested.
