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

Arrive in Manchester this morning. Visit York Minster Cathedral before enjoying free time this afternoon to explore York on your own. Consider a walk around the city walls, built on Roman era foundations, for an excellent view of the city, or visit the York Castle Museum and the JORVIK Viking Centre for a look through the history of York.

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.

Enjoy a scenic drive through the charming villages of the Cotswolds, where honey-colored cottages cluster together in secluded valleys. Enjoy a visit to Bourton-on-the-Water, one of the most visited Cotswolds villages. You’ll glimpse life as it was in the day of William Shakespeare when you visit his birthplace in Stratford-upon-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.

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, the 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, with its 18th-century streets and quaint shops.

Learn about the educational background of the Wesley brothers, John, Charles, and Samuel, Jr., when you view Christ Church College at Oxford University. Continue to London for overnight. 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 many 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.

Experience the lifestyle of our British cousins as you explore the vibrant town of London on your own. Visit the regal adornments 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.

Say farewell as you return to the USA or continue onto the Ireland Extension.