Your Wesley Heritage travel study program begins as you depart the United States on your international flight to England.

Arrive in London this morning. Begin your journey at Engelsea Brook. Visit the museum and chapel dedicated to the Primitive Methodism movement that sprung forth as a result of the camp meeting revivals that were imported from America. The museum is dedicated to reflecting how people live out their faith through social action. Check into your Derby/ Nottingham area hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.

The quiet English countryside and green, rolling hills will delight you as you travel to remote Epworth in the Fen Country. Here, Samuel and Susanna Wesley raised their brood of children in the Old Rectory while he served the Parish Church for 39 years. You’ll become familiar with the upbringing and early life of John and Charles Wesley when you visit their childhood home. You’ll see Memorial Church, built with contributions from around the world. Enjoy a worship service with the local people of Epworth. Then, visit St. Andrews Church at Epworth. On the evening of November 14, 1940, a holocaust of bombs and fire destroyed much of Coventry. Experience the pain and the triumph of the townspeople when you visit the beautiful cathedral. The charred ruins of the old cathedral sit next to the exciting architecture of the modern cathedral. They stand together as a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the British people. Time Permitting, enjoy an Evensong Service here.

You’ll glimpse life as it was in the day of William Shakespeare when you visit his birthplace in Stratfordupon- Avon. Not far away, he courted his wife, Anne Hathaway, in the garden of her delightful thatch-roofed cottage. You’ll also drive past Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried. Time permitting, we’ll stop for a visit.

Learn about the educational background of the Wesley brothers, John, Charles and Samuel, Jr., when you view Christ Church College at Oxford University. See Lincoln College and St. Mary’s Church on your walking tour and enjoy time on your own. Stop at the Hamhan Monument, commemorating one of the many places where Wesley preached in the open air. Finish the day in your hotel in Bristol.

In the ancient port city of Bristol, you’ll have a lecture in one of Wesley’s early centers of ministry, the “New Room”. This oldest Methodist building in the world is unusually attractive in its basic simplicity. Then visit the home of Charles Wesley, the famous hymn writer. Bath, a spa town of Roman origin, deserves its name. Since the first century, the warm waters have refreshed and healed. You’ll see the unique Roman baths and enjoy this beautiful city of 18th-century streets and quaint shops. Today, you’ll journey to the mystery of ancient Stonehenge. Experience their new welcome center, and then you can choose to walk or ride a tram (at additional cost) to see this UNESCO Heritage Site. Continue to London for your overnight stay. Dinner is on your own in London.

John Wesley left his mark on the town of London. You’ll have a lecture at City Road Chapel, the site of Wesley’s home and grave. Across the street in Bunhill Fields Cemetery, Susanna Wesley is buried along with other famous personages such as John Bunyan and Daniel Defoe. You’ll walk on Aldersgate Street, where on May 24, 1738, John Wesley had his “Warming of the Heart” experience. You’ll walk past the entrance of “Little Britain,” where Charles Wesley had his conversion experience just three days earlier. Drive by the major city sites such as Marble Arch, Speakers Corner of Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square and much more. Your first view will be of Westminster Abbey, where royalty is christened, married and buried. You will visit St. Paul’s Cathedral, where John Wesley often worshiped. On the day of his conversion, Wesley came here for an afternoon service and was deeply moved by the choir’s anthem, “Out of the Deep Have I Called Unto Thee, O Lord”. Dinner is on your own in London.

Enjoy a driving tour of London, Seeing the various sites throughout the city. Get your bearings on places you would like to return to on your own.

Tour Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, also known as the Tower of London. It is a historical monument that sits on the banks of the Thames River in the heart of London. William the Conqueror began original construction in 1078. Visit Westminster Abbey, begun by King Edward the Confessor in the 11th century. It is the traditional coronation place for British monarchs, and the royalty and famous of England are buried or memorialized here. Tour Methodist Central Hall across the street. Here, the United Nations met after World War II.

Experience the lifestyle of our British cousins as you explore the vibrant town of London on your own. Go and see the regal adornment of Buckingham Palace. Take a ride on the London Eye. Visit the British Museum and wonder at ancient treasures and works of art. Experience a show in London’s famous West End theater district. Enjoy any of these options or more as you enjoy the sights and sounds of London on your own today. Dinner is on your own in London.

This morning, we will check out of our London hotel and bus to Canterbury, the ecclesiastical capital of England. We tour the historic Canterbury Cathedral where Thomas a Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered by four knights of Henry II in 1170. While many of the original structures were dismantled during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Canterbury rose again to prominence as home to French Huguenots escaping persecution and the Mayflower contract to transport Pilgrims to the New World. Travel to the White Cliffs of Dover and look out toward the coast of France. Visit Dover Castle, a mainstay of Britain’s defense for centuries. Return to London for your last night.

Say farewell as you return to the USA or enjoy an exciting extension in London.