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walk Holy Trinity Church_640x396Mark the Bard’s 450th anniversary next year by walking the Shakespeare Way

To commemorate the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth in 2014, walking holiday operator Celtic Trails is introducing a series of self-guided walks along Shakespeare’s Way; the route from the Holy Trinity Church (pictured above) where Shakespeare was baptised and buried in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon to his Globe theatre on London’s Bankside.

And to add some interest Celtic Trails will be giving each party of walkers a copy of Shakespeare’s sonnets to read along the way.

“Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,

The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;

But then begins a journey in my head,

To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired”  (Sonnet 27: 1-4)

Shakespeare's Birth PlaceThe walk is a great way to celebrate  Shakespeare contribution to the arts; his anniversary will be marked by Shakespeare Week, 17-23 March 2014, which will be celebrated in museums, galleries, cinemas, libraries, schools and theatres throughout the UK.

Walkers will travel between eight and 14 miles per day along footpaths, bridleways and tow paths, as well as some minor roads during this unchallenging long distance trail – well known to the playwright whose birthplace is pictured above left.

You can choose between walking 146 miles over 14 days in one epic journey, or divide it into two fascinating trips, breaking the journey in Oxford, just as the young Bard used to do.

En route you can stay in Celtic Trails’s hand-picked inns and let your bags be transported ahead from one hotel to the next, making the going far lighter than it was in Shakespeare’s day.

VE15716On your journey you will pass quaint villages and country towns, like Shipston-on-Stour, Bladon, where Sir Winston Churchill was buried; the market town of Chipping Norton, and Cookham – home of the artist Stanley Spencer. The route links some of England’s best loved locations including:

Stratford-upon-Avon – Explore up to five historic houses and gardens all directly linked with Shakespeare and his family; see his Grammar School which still stands; and visit the home of the RSC, probably the most famous classical theatre company in the world.

The Cotswolds – Enjoy the rolling landscape referred to in Richard II as “these high wild hills and rough uneven way.”

The Rollright Stones – Discover a mystical Bronze Age collection of standing stones that were said to have inspired, on a bleak winter’s day, the witches’ scene in ‘the Scottish Play’.

Blenheim Park and Palace – Descend through a wooded valley into this UNESCO World Heritage Site – the backdrop to one of the most ambitious productions of Shakespeare ever filmed, Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet.

Oxford – Wander amongst the City of Dreaming Spires – home to the oldest university in the English-speaking world – where the Bard would break his journey, staying with his friend and innkeeper, John Davenant at the Crown Inn.

Burnham Beeches – Explore this wonderful National Nature Reserve, one of the best examples of ancient woodland in Britain, famous for its beech and oak pollards – many of which are more than 400 years old.

Grand Union Canal – Avoid the frenzy of the capital’s traffic and take the slow tow path alternative, walking beside colourful narrowboats.

GlobeThe Thames in London – Stroll all the way up from Kew to Bankside, arriving at the open-air Globe – just 230 metres from the site of the Bard’s original theatre – to enjoy one of its highly regarded productions, just as audiences did over 400 years ago.

“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon  the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of  sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Macbeth

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Celtic Trails (www.celtic-trails.com 01291 689774) offers a 7-night / 6-day Shakespeare’s Way walking holiday from Stratford to Oxford, over 58 miles, from £535pp based on two sharing including B&B accommodation, walking pack, book of Shakespeare Sonnets, and optional ticket for the Globe (extra cost).

A 9-night / 8-day trip from Oxford to London over 88 miles costs from £775pp.

Alternatively the 16-night / 14-day Complete Trail over 146 miles costs from £1,195pp.

There is a variety of trains back to Stratford-upon-Avon from London Marylebone, Euston or Paddington stations that take in excess of two hours, costing from £27.40.

 

(photographs courtesy of Visit England. Picture of the Globe Theatre taken by Pawel Libera)

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