About two hours from London, the Isle of Thanet, with fifteen miles of impressive chalk cliffs and sandy bays, faces the French coast. No longer an island since the seventeenth century, it has seen turbulent times; Roman invasions, (their guardian towers at Richborough and Reculver still evident), plundering Vikings and Danes, military manoeuvres for the Napoleonic wars, daring and dark deeds of many a local smuggler tunnelling down to the sea, the little “ships” which brought back survivors from Dunkirk and a vital RAF airfield at Manston where many Americans were stationed during and after the second World War. Here, St Augustine began his mission to England in AD 597, the young Princess Victoria spent her holidays and Charles Dickens wrote some novels. The painter Turner found the sunsets irresistible.

The Church of St Peter-in-Thanet, founded in Saxon times, became part of a network from Canterbury and Minster and a parish in the 13th century. Despite some restructuring and meddling in the mid 1770s and Victorian times, the sturdy Norman pillars in the Nave and the massive 15th century tower remain treasured features of this busy, much loved and ancient place of worship, its flint stone walls echoed down the narrow lanes and on many local houses.

The history of the village becomes dramatically alive on the award-winning Village Tour with its costumed characters portraying the inhabitants down the centuries. St Peter’s Church remains a major focus within a village ambience, bridging the farming community and the sea-side town of Broadstairs with its old world charm; its Dickensian associations are difficult to miss. Traditional pastimes on sandy beaches, bracing cliff-top walks or a round of golf on the championship North Foreland Course, all under the eye of a 17th century lighthouse, are companion diversions.

Visitors also appreciate a visit to Canterbury Cathedral and its city walls, and to Dover’s magnificent Norman Castle and the Napoleonic tunnels from which the famous withdrawal from Dunkirk was masterminded. There is also an opportunity to see the medieval town and Cinque Port of Sandwich and an option to go to Leeds Castle rising from two small islands in the middle of a tranquil lake, or to drive through the snug Kent villages among the orchards and farms to the beautiful gardens at Sissinghurst, created by Sir Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville West, once a Royal Palace of Henry VIII. Our warm welcome and tender care are guaranteed, find us at www.broadstairs.gov.co.uk and www.villagetour.co.uk/

Wednesday - Arrive p.m. Met by hosts. Welcome drinks, reception and meal together at 6.00pm.

Thursday - Join St Peter’s Village Tour in the morning - an award-winning guided walk meeting costumed characters from the past. Lunch in the Village. Afternoon at leisure.

Friday - Visit Canterbury - Special Tour of the Cathedral in the morning, lunch and shopping in Canterbury - Choral Evensong in the Cathedral.

Saturday - Guided Tour around Ramsgate Harbour - the only Royal Harbour in England. Dicken’s Festival Grand Parade in Broadstairs in the afternoon. Evening meal with other families.

Sunday - Morning Service in the 11th century Parish Church. Traditional Sunday Lunch with other families. Afternoon at leisure.

Monday - Call at the remarkably unspoilt medieval town of Sandwich en route for historic Dover. A chance to see the magnificent Norman Castle, the Napoleonic tunnels used by Winston Churchill in WW2 and the harbour.

Tuesday - Free Day. Optional visits can be arranged to the beautiful gardens at Sissinghurst with a drive through the Kent villages or to Leeds Castle and Grounds - called “the loveliest castle in the World”.

Wednesday - Morning tour around Broadstairs which Charles Dickens described as “Our English Watering Place”. Optional visit in the afternoon to Quex House, a stately family home or to the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial at Manston. Farewell dinner.

Thursday - Depart.