English Heritage has re-opened six of its most popular attractions for pre-booked travel trade and group visits. They join Stonehenge, which has now been successfully welcoming pre-booked groups since early July. It has introduced a central booking system which is now open for travel trade and groups to visit the following sites: ·        1066 Battle of [...]

Royal Museums Greenwich can now accept groups of up to 30 at both the Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark. Following the successful reopening of Cutty Sark on 20 July, the Royal Observatory on 3 August, and the Queen’s House on 10 August, Royal Museums Greenwich are pleased now to be in a position to welcome [...]

After recently re-opening to the public, Hever Castle & Gardens is delighted to be starting to work with group organisers and travel trade partners again. Bookings will now be taken with changes to processes and procedures in line with the government’s COVID-19 regulations. Christmas bookings (21, 22 and 28 November and 6,12, 14, 15, 17 [...]

As lockdown lifts, traveltrade@nts.org.uk - the trade’s one-stop shop at the National Trust for Scotland - is now open for business. Headed up by Sandrine Contier-Lawrie and supported by Peter Stewart, this tailored service aims to match your itinerary to the perfect attraction. Whether you are looking for a world-beating experience like Culloden, or fancy a hidden [...]

Windermere Lake Cruises has donated more than 600 items of food and drink from its onboard and on-shore shops and cafes to the Morecambe Bay Foodbank. Following reports of an increase in the need for foodbank services during the Covid-19 pandemic, staff at the attraction emptied their shops of stock which would otherwise have gone [...]

Salisbury Cathedral is continuing its 2020 celebrations online as it marks its 800th anniversary. A range of activities are planned for the weekend Friday 29 - Saturday 31 May, including music sessions, yoga, children's workshops, sports training, quizzes, talks and virtual exhibitions. The Cathedral’s online art tour Celebrating 800 years of Spirit and Endeavour was included in the BBC's [...]

Among the new offerings from Historic Royal Palaces is a new ‘Highlights of the Tower’ audio guide which will enable groups to experience all that the Tower of London has to offer in just 60 minutes. And in May 2020, Kensington Palace will be introducing an audio guide tour, and Mandarin will be added as [...]

CTA member Stuart Line Cruises has issued an update to operators with information about ongoing roadworks on Exmouth seafront. Due to ongoing flood defence engineering works, there is a road closure along Exmouth Seafront. Diversions are currently in place. Coach access to the Stuart Line Cruises departure point has not been affected but additional directions [...]

The world-famous RHS Flower Shows and Flower Festivals bring a burst of colour to the group calendar from April onwards. Ranging from the world’s most famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, to the fabulous RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival and inspirational RHS Flower Shows at Tatton Park and Chatsworth, every show is brimming with vibrant [...]

Mersey Ferries is launching an exciting new cruise product for 2020 following a successful trial this year with 14 Liverpool Bay Cruises scheduled between June and August. The three-hour sightseeing cruise into Liverpool Bay offers breathtaking views from the deck of a Mersey Ferry. During the three-hour cruise, groups will enjoy great scenery and learn [...]

York’s Chocolate Story is working in partnership with Nestle to bring KitKat Chocolatory to York, the UK’s home of KitKat. The KitKat Chocolatory is a luxury experience where visitors get the chance to create their own eight-finger KitKat using different flavour combinations and a host of diverse ingredients including shortbread pieces, mini marshmallows, honeycomb and [...]

The View from The Shard has announced the return of The Slide, an exhilarating 360-degree Virtual Reality experience which is back by popular demand for a limited period. Visitors to London’s highest attraction will be able to enjoy the thrill of ‘The Slide’ travelling at up to 100mph down and around the iconic building, using [...]

Windermere Lake Cruises, England’s fifth most popular ‘paid for’ attraction will be marking its 40th anniversary year at WTM London, providing clients with information about its fleet of vessels, the lake and surrounding attractions and accommodation providers. The event will also be used as an opportunity to showcase the attraction’s new 300-seat  ‘MV Swift’, which [...]

Tatton Park at Christmas offers a host of festive activities to help everyone get into the Christmas spirit – all available for groups of fifteen or more. Visitors can start in the stunning Winter Gardens – recently voted the ‘Best Garden in the North West’ by readers of Garden News magazine – and see the [...]

The much-awaited Silverstone Experience is opening on 25 October. The attraction will take visitors on an exciting journey through the past, present and future of Silverstone and British motorsport. "We are expecting a lot of interest from the coach market," says Gillian Bell who is responsible for trade sales. "It promises a fascinating half-day of [...]

CTA member Groups Direct has some great winter offers to help coach operators fill their coaches over the winter months. A free group organiser place is available with every 20 paid customers to deliver a reasonably-priced day out that can help group organisers and coach operators offer clients something during the winter months.  The following winter warmers [...]

A glimpse of the Downton Abbey grandeur at our National Trust for Scotland properties From the television series to the big screen blockbuster, the Crawley family and their servants at Downton Abbey have caught the public’s imagination. But coach groups can also get a feel for Downton life at some of the grand houses the [...]

Westminster Abbey marks the 750th anniversary of the consecration of Henry III’s church this autumn. Henry III was devoted to Saint Edward the Confessor, and in his honour he rebuilt Edward’s 11th century Abbey in the then new Gothic style of architecture. Work started in 1245 and the consecration of the Church took place on [...]

As the Turner Prize opens in Margate, Kent looks ahead to an exciting year of culture in 2020. According to Visit England’s recent Annual Attractions Survey, England’s art galleries and museums are currently enjoying significant growth in visitor numbers with figures up by 6 per cent in 2018 compared to the previous year. With millions [...]

Cheshire’s iconic Anderton Boat Lift is marking the national Heritage Open Days campaign with free history talks and ‘Walking the Lift’ tours on Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September. The history talks will cover the restoration of the lift and the engineering that makes the boat lift worthy of its ‘Scheduled Ancient Monument’ status. [...]

In addition to its range of cruise products, City Cruises Poole has opened its own cafe, the Harbour Station Café. Located directly on the Quay opposite the departure point for the cruises, the café provides a wide range of both hot and cold food, as well as an ice cream station. In addition to regular [...]

A spring day out at an RHS Garden offers an unrivalled opportunity for coach groups to see fabulous displays of bulbs, blossoms and special events. From the Royal Horticultural Society’s historic home, RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, to the beautiful RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon, and from RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Harrogate to the [...]

CTA member Aerospace Bristol has launched two new tours for groups in 2020. The Concorde Tour gives groups the chance to learn about the supersonic superstar that is Concorde, just across the runway from where all British Concordes were built. As they walk around the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly, [...]

New CTA member Cruise and Maritime Voyages is offering CTA operator members the opportunity to join its groups department to celebrate Christmas at a Festive Dinner and overnight event in London Tilbury on Thursday 19 December 2019. The event is a great opportunity to step aboard Columbus, to view the facilities and cabins, sample the [...]

Silverstone has announced that Shaylor Group, the main building contractor for The Silverstone Experience, has gone into administration. The Silverstone Experience stresses that the project will still go ahead but this development will inevitably cause some delay to the public opening date. All those who have already booked tickets have been contacted directly and a [...]

An innovative conservation scheme has been unveiled by the National Trust for Scotland to protect Hill House in Helensburgh, which is considered to be the finest example of domestic architecture by Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and a major landmark within the history of architecture. The Glasgow publisher Walter Blackie commissioned Mackintosh to design the house [...]

The Silverstone Experience will open its doors to the public on 9 July 2019, just days before the Formula 1 Rolex British Grand Prix 2019. The new visitor attraction offers motorsport fans an interactive 2.5 hour journey through the past, present and future of British motor racing. Sally Reynolds, CEO of the Silverstone Heritage Limited [...]

CTA members will have received a timely reminder from the Royal Horticultural Society about their forthcoming Sculpture Exhibition, in a personalised mailshot along with a complimentary packet of seeds! RHS Garden Wisley is launching an amazing new group booking opportunity between 30 May and 1 December 2019 with a Sculpture Exhibition including exhibits from Henry [...]

Devon-based CTA member Lifton Farm Shop has a new name and extended facilities and looks forward to welcoming more coach groups. Now re-named Strawberry Fields Farm Shop, the food destination is on the Devon and Cornwall border, just off the A30. “With a new name that takes us back to our roots, ‘Strawberry Fields’ is [...]