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Rescheduled to March 2024 – Explore Colchester on a group familiarisation trip
Visit Colchester and Visit Essex would like to invite you to the next Colchester group travel organisers familiarisation trip taking place on Tuesday 12 March 2024.
Colchester is Britain’s First City with a rich history dating back over 2000 years offering visitors a unique mix of the historic and the contemporary, a perfect location for a group trip.
Book your space now for just £15 by emailing Cheryl Owen
09.30 Coach pick up at Marks Tey Station
For those arriving via train and needing a lift to the meeting point.
10-10.30 Coffee and welcome at Layer Marney
The day will begin by visiting Layer Marney Tower which lies just outside Colchester and is the tallest Tudor Gatehouse in the UK. After registration and refreshments, a tour of the Tower will take place. The views from the top are breathtaking and not to be missed!
Please note you can leave your car at Layer Marney free of charge for the remainder of the day.
Accompanied by a Colchester Blue Badge Guide the group will then head off by coach to the site of the Roman Circus, discovered in 2004 and the only known Roman circus in Britain. A monumental structure, it would have seated up to 8,000 spectators and would have been used as a venue for spectator sports such as chariot racing. Built in the early second century it would have been used for about 150 years, here you can explore the site and enjoy a private tour.
From the Roman Circus Centre, the group will travel to historic Wivenhoe House for lunch. This elegant 18th century Grade II listed country house hotel is set in peaceful parkland on the outskirts of Colchester, and provides an ideal base for exploring the Essex and Suffolk coast and countryside. Painted by Constable in the early 19th Century, during World War II, Wivenhoe House was requisitioned and served as the headquarters for the SAS.
14.00 Tour of Colchester Castle
After lunch the trip will continue to the final stop of the day, a tour of Colchester Castle Museum. Colchester Castle is the largest Norman Keep in Europe. Constructed on the foundations of the Temple of Claudius, built when Colchester was the first Roman capital of Britain, the Castle Museum today reveals many fascinating layers of history to visitors. Archaeological collections of international quality covering 2,500 years of history are beautifully showcased, including of the most important Roman finds in Britain along with new blockbuster exhibition Gladiators: A Day at the Roman Games.
16.00 Coach drop off at Layer Marney Tower
16.30 Coach drop off at Marks Tey Station
Book your space now for just £15 by emailing Cheryl Owen
Please note we are only able to accommodate two representatives from each club / group and spaces will be offered on a first come first served basis.
Sensible walking shoes are advised.
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