2026 England

Day 1 – April 24, 2026 (Friday)
Welcome to London! Upon arrival, check in to your centrally located hotel and enjoy time to relax after your journey. This evening, gather with your fellow travelers for a three-course welcome dinner at the hotel and an introduction to your English lighthouse adventure.

Day 2 – April 25, 2026 (Saturday)
After a relaxing morning, set out on a half-day sightseeing tour of London’s famous landmarks before visiting Trinity House, the 16th-century organization responsible for the lighthouses and navigational aids of England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and Gibraltar. Inside its elegant headquarters, you’ll find rare models, historic instruments, and centuries of maritime heritage. The afternoon and evening is yours to explore London at leisure.

Day 3 – April 26, 2026 (Sunday)
Travel east through the Kent countryside to visit North Foreland Lighthouse, a handsome white tower standing proudly above the cliiffs of Broadstairs. It marks the turning point into the Thames Estuary and has guided ships since 1499. Continue to Dover Castle to see the Dubris Pharos, a remarkably well-preserved Roman lighthouse built nearly 2,000 years ago. After lunch on the castle grounds, visit South Foreland Lighthouse, perched high above the famous White Cliffs of Dover. Built in 1843, this Victorian-era beacon was the first in the world to use electric light.

Day 4 – April 27, 2026 (Monday) 
Begin your day in Hythe, where you’ll board the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch steam railway for a nostalgic ride across Romney Marsh which is designated as a National Nature Reserve. At Dungeness, visit both the Old Lighthouse (built in 1901, now a museum offering panoramic views from the lantern gallery) and the New Lighthouse, a striking black-and-white tower completed in 1961. Continue west to view Beachy Head Lighthouse, a red-and-white striped tower built at the base of dramatic chalk cliffs, and Belle Tout Lighthouse, a former keepers’ residence now set back from the cliff edge after erosion forced its relocation.

Day 5 – April 28, 2026 (Tuesday)
This morning, take a ferry to the Isle of Wight, a place of unspoiled beauty and maritime tradition. Visit Needles Lighthouse, standing at the tip of jagged chalk stacks that rise from the sea—one of England’s most photographed sights. Continue to St. Catherine’s Lighthouse, dramatically positioned beneath the island’s southern cliffs, where it has warned mariners since 1840. Nearby, see the St. Catherine’s Oratory, a medieval stone tower built by a 14th-century knight as a penance for shipwrecks. End the day with a visit to the Classic Boat Museum, showcasing the island’s shipbuilding legacy.

Day 6 – April 29, 2025 (Wednesday) 
Head west through Dorset to visit Anvil Point Lighthouse, a charming stone tower built in 1881 that overlooks the English Channel from the cliffs near Swanage. Continue to Portland Bill Lighthouse, a tall red-and-white-striped tower that has stood since 1906, with an excellent visitor centre detailing its operation on the treacherous “Portland Race” currents below. Enjoy lunch at the Lobster Pot Restaurant, a beloved seaside eatery. Travel onward through Devon’s rolling hills, passing Exeter and Dartmoor National Park, before arriving in the historic port city of Plymouth, a port city known for its maritime heritage and historic Barbican district with narrow, cobbled streets. 

Day 7 – April 30, 2026 (Thursday)
Begin the day with a half-day tour of Plymouth, including Smeaton’s Tower, an iconic red-and-white lighthouse originally built in 1759 for the Eddystone Rocks and relocated to Plymouth Hoe in 1882. After free time for lunch, travel to Start Point Lighthouse, dramatically perched on a windswept peninsula that juts into the English Channel. The 1836 lighthouse features a unique octagonal tower and offers sweeping coastal views from its path.

Day 8 – May 1, 2026 (Friday)
Travel westward into Cornwall, a land of wild headlands and ancient maritime lore. Visit The Lizard Lighthouse, marking Britain’s southernmost point. Built in 1752 and rebuilt in the 19th century, its twin white towers have long guarded ships rounding the dangerous Lizard Peninsula. After a scenic lunch stop, continue to Falmouth, a bustling harbor town known for its deep natural harbor and nautical history.

Day 9 – May 2, 2026 (Saturday)
We travel to Penzance where we will have Mini coaches for sightseeing in Cornwall which will include Pendeen Lighthouse. On the way we will be able to view St. Michael’s Mounta tidal island crowned with a medieval castle, before traveling to Land’s End, the westernmost point of mainland England. From the cliffs, you’ll view the offshore Longships Lighthouse, standing on the rocky reef beyond, and glimpse Wolf Rock Lighthouse, a solitary pillar rising from the sea nine miles farther out.  there. We will return to Penzance to board our bus and travel back to Falmouth hotel and have dinner at the hotel. 

Day 10 – May 3. 2026 (Sunday)
Journey north to Trevose Head Lighthouse, built in 1847 to mark a perilous stretch of Cornwall’s north coast. Its white tower stands high above the Atlantic, offering striking views of the surf below. Continue to Ilfracombe, where you’ll embark on a short boat cruise to view Bull Point Lighthouse, a modern yet picturesque structure built in 1879 on steep cliffs overlooking the Bristol Channel. Conclude the day in Barnstaple, a historic market town on the River Taw.

Day 11 – May 4, 2026 (Monday)
Travel east from Devon to visit Stonehenge, the world-famous prehistoric monument on the Salisbury Plain. Afterward, enjoy free time to explore Salisbury, home to one of England’s most magnificent cathedrals and a charming medieval center filled with cafés and shops. Later, continue north to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

Day 12 – May 5, 2026 (Tuesday)
Head northeast to the Yorkshire coast, where you’ll visit Flamborough Head, home to two lighthouses: the original chalk tower from 1674, the oldest surviving complete lighthouse in England, and the active 1806 lighthouse with its bright white exterior and rotating optic. Continue to Withernsea Lighthouse, an inland tower standing amid the town’s rooftops, now housing a museum dedicated to local maritime history.

Day 13 – May 6, 2026 (Wednesday)
Travel south along England’s eastern shoreline through Norfolk and Suffolk. Visit Lowestoft Lighthouse, standing on the cliffs above the North Sea and marking the easternmost point of Britain. Depending on accessibility, visit either Southwold Lighthouse, a graceful white tower built in 1887 in the heart of its seaside town, or Happisburgh Lighthouse, the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia, distinguished by its red and white stripes and community stewardship.

Day 14 – May 7, 2026 (Thursday)
Today we travel to the historic port of Harwich, visiting its High and Low Lighthouses—twin brick towers that once guided ships safely into the harbor—and Light Vessel 18, a former floating lighthouse now preserved as a museum. We stop to visit the Trinity House Warehouse in Harwich, the spiritual home of England’s lighthouse service. Continue toward London with views of the Dovercourt High and Low Light. This evening, gather for a special farewell dinner to celebrate the journey. 

Day 15 – May 8, 2026 (Friday)
Spend your morning exploring Greenwich, the birthplace of world timekeeping and maritime navigation. Visit the Royal Observatory, where the Prime Meridian divides east from west; tour the Cutty Sark, the world’s last surviving tea clipper; and explore the National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House. Enjoy lunch on your own before returning to the hotel to relax and prepare for tomorrow’s departure.

Day 16 – May 9, 2026 (Saturday)
After breakfast, transfer by private coach to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) for your return flight home—taking with you memories of England’s breathtaking coasts, storied lighthouses, and new friendships formed along the way.