Early Church History in the British Isles Land Tour

Depart for Edinburgh, Scotland. Overnight on the trans-Atlantic flight.

Arrive at the Edinburgh, Scotland Airport. We meet our guide, Peter Fagg. Our luggage is loaded onto our coach. We begin on foot as we step into the charm of Edinburgh’s Old Town. We weave in and out of the Royal Mile as we learn of Covenanters, John Knox and the Scottish Reformation. We see sites familiar to those who love Harry Potter including Greyfriars Bobby and a grave that must not be named. We take an evening stroll up Calton Hill to get an overview of the city and our journey together. We overnight in Edinburgh.

We begin our day by exploring the imposing Edinburgh Castle with its Crown Jewels, Stone of Scone, prisons, war memorials, State Rooms and King James Bible beginnings. In the afternoon, we head down the Royal Mile past St Giles Cathedral and its special grave. You get to spit on the pavement (should you feel the urge), puzzle over the Scottish Parliament building, and then run for sanctuary. We visit Holyrood Palace – still a Royal Palace and full of royal splendour, intrigue and scandal! Optional: for those whose feet can take it we end our day with a climb to Arthur’s Seat to relive Orson Pratt’s Scottish mission and learn of the first Scottish missionary efforts of Alexander Wright and Samuel Mulliner, and learn why this is the birthplace of the Articles of Faith. Overnight in Edinburgh. (B)

We head out of Edinburgh to Stirling. Stirling Castle’s striking location overlooked the constant battle ground between England and Scotland for centuries. We learn of the exploits of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Battle of Bannockburn. Witness how James V changed the Royal Palace into a public relations masterpiece. We also uncover the religious story of the unicorn tapestries and the lost football. It was here, after visiting the castle, that David O. McKay, as a young Elder, found a meaningful direction to life. We find some modern recreations of his 'crisis stone'. Next, we visit Roslyn Chapel - a “medieval treasure in stone” and a great sampling of pre-Reformation decoration. Founded in 1446 this quaint little church, with intricate carvings and intriguing legends, came to the mass public’s attention due to Dan Brown’s book – The Da Vinci Code. We return to Edinburgh for some free time to shop for kilts, bagpipes and tartan galore! Overnight in Edinburgh. (B,D)

We begin our walkabout on the beach with a classic view of St. Andrews made famous in the Chariots of Fire movie. Besides being famous as the home of golf we also learn of the town’s famous martyrs, visit their martyrdom sites, and explore the ruins of its ancient castle and monastic ruin. This community played a huge part in the Scottish Reformation and many paid dearly for their involvement. The evening is yours to explore the city. Again, for those not wanting to venture out alone, there is the option of an evening stroll around the New Town where the architecture has a much neater, uniform feel. Overnight in Edinburgh. (B)

We have a fair bit of travelling today, but we’ll be travelling through great countryside in the Scottish Borders, Northumberland National Park, and along parts of Hadrian’s Wall. Hadrian’s Wall became the northern edge of the mighty Roman Empire. We visit the remains of Housesteads Roman Fort and consider the impact of the Italian nation. One of the Empire’s incoming goods was Christianity. This out of the way village, the highest market town in England, made a huge contribution to the beginnings of the first LDS mission to Britain. A few families listened to some promptings and set significant wheels in motion long before the first seven missionaries arrived in 1837. This is the beginnings of the Toronto miracle with Parley P. Pratt. This was also one of the first places our 1837 missionaries visited after Preston. Overnight in Grasmere or Keswick. (B,D)

The Lake District is famous for its beautiful lakes and mountains, but today we discover it also provided the beginnings of a Toronto miracle, helped save the Doctrine and Covenants, and created some great forerunners: Quakers, Romneys, William Wordsworth, and John Ruskin. We start with a morning stroll through Grasmere village to see Dove Cottage where Britain’s best loved Victorian poet William Wordsworth began his married life, where three of his children were born, and where some of his best poetry was written. He is the last of the Romantic poets and had two direct links with the LDS church. We take a cruise on Lake Windermere - the largest of all the lakes - to see the beauty of this area from a different angle. We visit some John Taylor sites where he was born, christened, worked and lived, and get to see the Taylors’ last home before the whole family emigrated to Canada. This is a valley of more than one Champion of Liberty. Overnight in Chorley. (B.D)

Our day starts on the immaculately landscaped grounds of the Preston Temple site where we learn of the tender mercies that made its construction possible. We wander the streets of the City of Preston - The birthplace of British Mormonism - to follow in the footsteps of the first LDS missionaries to Britain and discover Joseph Smith's dentist, the cursed stone, the 1842 riot, the powerful Reverend Wilson, Heber C. Kimball's amazing prophecy, LDS shorthand, and the Deseret Alphabet. We visit all of the well-known sites including their lodgings (a host of evil spirits attacked them), the River Ribble (where the first British baptisms took place, the Vauxhall Chapel Site (where they first preached) and the cockpit site (where the first British Conference was held in 1837). We explore some of the delights of the Ribble Valley - still looking much the same as Heber C. Kimball and Joseph Fielding saw it in 1837. We drive through beautiful English countryside and find the delightful villages of Ribchester, Chatburn and Downham and relive some of the most touching encounters of their missionary labours. These Quaint stone villages, and rolling green hills inspired J.R.R. Tolkien when writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Arthur Conan Doyle lived here as a young boy and his creation of Sherlock Holmes was influenced by these valleys and has an unusual LDS twist. We dine tonight in a favourite watering hole in the shadow of Pendle Hill. Overnight in Chorley. (B,D)

Liverpool, the Gateway to the New World. Liverpool served as the arrival point for hundreds of missionaries and the departure point for thousands of emigrants as they gathered to Zion throughout the 19th century. We take a tour around this famous city which, besides its LDS history, has had a long association with America (including slaves, cotton, and the claim that the first and final acts of the American Civil War took place here!). We visit the beautifully restored Albert Docks where we learn more about the life of an emigrant, see the Sea Trek monument, and discover a host of famous LDS names. In the heart of the Potteries we visit Middleport and experience the world of china with working workshops and giant bottle kilns - and discover the horrors of a Victorian potter’s life. We learn how Wilford Woodruff’s china gift for his wife Phoebe was not quite as perfect as he had hoped. Of particular note is how this area was the springboard for the United Brethren story we experience tomorrow. Overnight in Ledbury. (B,D)

We discover sites made famous by Wilford Woodruff and the United Brethren. We visit Benbow’s farm and Castle Frome, and learn of the faith and sacrifice of John and Jane Benbow and the lesser-known Kington family. This is a tale of miracle after miracle. We visit the medieval market town of Ledbury where we meet William Carter - Utah’s first ploughman, and a welcoming Baptist church. We follow in the footsteps of Wilford Woodruff, Willard Richards and Brigham Young to the top of the Herefordshire Beacon for a very important meeting. We get a sense of the influence of these early converts after they emigrate to join the saints in Nauvoo. We meet up with the likes of Thomas Kington – the head of the United Brethren, William Pitt, the musical convert, James Palmer, a remarkable missionary, and many others. The stories on this tour demonstrate the faith of these early converts as they witness miracles and persecutions unfold in their tiny villages. Included is a special visit to the restored Gadfield Elm chapel – Britain’s first LDS owned meeting place and an iconic symbol of the United Brethren’s story. Overnight in Ledbury. (B,D)

South Wales was once a massive coal and iron producing area, and the scars of that industry are only gradually starting to fade. This as the backdrop for “How Green Was my Valley” and we witness how this industrial landscape provided a fertile ground for the Restored Gospel message. We begin our day with a visit to Big Pit OR the Iron works where we sense how men, women, children and pit ponies dug for black gold. We follow in the footsteps of Dan Jones and a host of Welsh converts. We continue with a drive through the Merthyr Tydfil area on route to St Fagans National History Museum where we visit the whole of Welsh history in one spot! Over 40 original buildings from throughout the nation has been carefully reconstructed and preserved allowing us to walk through the wide spectrum of Welsh history. One of Europe’s leading open-air museums and Wales’ most popular heritage attraction. Here we see non-conformity, industry and rural life merged as a backdrop to our story. Overnight in Cardiff. (B,D)

We explore Oxford. This tour winds its way through the streets of Oxford, through stately colleges and grassy meadows, to discover some of the Noble and Great Ones. We track the history back to the beginnings of Oxford, to the time of the miraculous Frideswide, and then build layer upon layer of famous name after famous names including Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey, Lewis Caroll, C.S. Lewis, John Ruskin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Thomas More, Samuel Johnson and many more. We learn the history behind the iconic images of the Radcliffe Camera, the Divinity School, Bodleian Library, and the Ashmolean Museum and discover the influential John Wycliffe and his nemesis Richard Fleming, the tragic ending of the Oxford Martyrs, and the founding of Wesley’s Holy Club. Throw in some Hobbits and Orcs, Lions and Wardrobes, Green Eggs and Ham, and tonnes of pilchard; mix in a plethora of Prime Ministers, a remarkable balloon flight, a penicillin breakthrough, a four-minute mile, the King James Bible, Halley’s Comet, Harry Potter, My Fair Lady and you have the beginnings of a splendid stroll through the city! Overnight in London. (B)

We start in Southwark where, as we follow the footsteps of Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball and George A.Smith, we also uncover Charles Dickens and the Mormons, John Lathropp and the clink, and Shakespeare and the Globe. We cross the Thames (on a bridge destroyed by death Eaters!) and ascend to the majestic St. Paul’s Cathedral. A visit around St Paul’s (we don’t go in) awes you with its famous dome and impressive architecture. We cross paths with kings, queens, martyrs, missionaries, reformers, playwrights. We hear of Wilford Woodruff’s visit and the significance of Stationer’s Hall for our LDS scriptures. Bunhill Fields - this famous non-conformist burial ground is the burial place of many of the notable non conformists, but we have come here to see the Wesley home and tabernacle - the UK Methodist equivalent of Temple square in Salt Lake City or the Vatican in Rome. Wilford Woodruff visited here and recorded some frustrated feelings. We learn of George Whitefield, his Tabernacle and Tabernacle Square and witness the first opening for the first LDS missionaries to London. We learn of the tender mercies that allowed them to gain their first London converts. Our tour ends visiting the London Temple. We learn of its history and impact on the British saints and local area. Overnight in London. (B,D)

Board your flight in London and arrive at home. (B)