For over a quarter of a century, Parish Holidays has been offering exclusive person-to-person vacations, where people came as visitors and left as friends, having shared for a week the life of an English parish. Parish Holidays offers, as so many of our friends have told us, the perfect opportunity to get to know local people, to step beyond the organised tour, to see what life in an English village, or small town, can really be like. Over the years many who have come to our parishes have returned time and again to experience life in other parts of these welcoming British Isles.

We recognise that there are those today who feel more reluctant to travel anywhere, in the face of terrorist activity which recognises no national boundaries, but the English parishes are resolved to continue to offer the warmth of hospitality and welcome for which we have become famous. Visitors are as safe in our villages as they can be anywhere in the world, and our concern continues to be for your comfort and peace of mind. Our hearts and homes remain open to our friends. We wish we could do something to make the exchange rate more agreeable than it appears at the time of writing, but politics is not part of our remit!

Every Parish Holiday featured in this brochure offers a unique opportunity to share the life of an English parish - and in the British Isles that word means much more than simply a gathered congregation of Christian people. Church based though the vacations are, they are never ‘churchy’. Those who give of their time to host, drive, entertain and escort are offering their services on behalf of the local village church, which benefits financially from what you pay. Each parish church featured has a capital building project for repair or extension underway, so that through your contribution, you effectively become a valued part of the history of a local church, which often goes back for more than a thousand years of being at the heart of the local community.

We have a high reputation for comfort, good food and wonderful visits to local places of interest. Accommodation is all in private homes, which offer all the range you might expect in a centuries-old community. You might be staying in a Georgian Rectory, a pretty thatched Tudor cottage, or a modern bungalow, but you can be sure that you will be treated as a member of the family throughout your eight day stay. As far as possible we try to match the interests of hosts with guests, and individual care is taken to ensure that everything is of the highest standard. Remember, everything featured is covered by the all-inclusive price: accommodation, visits, theatre, pub lunches: the only extra you will spend is on gifts to take home!

Your Parish Holiday will almost certainly be just one part of a longer vacation in the U.K or Europe, arranged by your Travel Agent, or one of our recognised overseas Agents; the published price is all inclusive from the moment you arrive in your host village to the moment you leave. Full details of travel from London (usually by rail) to the village or town where you are staying will be provided by the Parish, and we can usually make arrangements for those wishing to stay on or sample other examples of U.K hospitality. If visiting our northern parishes it is possible – and easier - to fly direct from the States or Canada to Manchester international airport.

Over the years we have received many compliments from those who truly feel this to be the vacation of a lifetime. Single people, travelling alone, feel that this a particularly ‘safe’ kind of vacation; the newly retired often welcome the opportunity to savour the British Isles in more depth than is possible on a package tour, and friends who want to explore the U.K. from the inside find that Parish Holidays is a perfect way to do it. We have also welcomed many choirs in recent years, who warmly commend this as an unforgettable group vacation. Most of our guests are on the higher side of fifty - and some considerably more so! Look carefully at the outline itineraries, and you will see that there is a reasonably high level of activity involved, so come prepared for a bit of walking, and be sure to let us know if you have any specific requirements.

The New York Times gave Parish Holidays a two page rave review highlighting the very personal, tailor-made approach which these vacations offer, and commending the excellent value for money. Our greatest satisfaction is to see the steadily increasing number of people who return year after year, and those who recommend us to their friends. Let us hope that 2008 is the year that you decide to experience a Parish Holiday!

Agents in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand