OUTINGS 2025
Page updated: 1 Feb 2025
The Outings Committe are having a break January & February, then they'll be up & ready to go in March.
Outings are arranged for members usually every month.
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A short four or five day holiday is included in the itinerary every year & previous destinations have included Normandy, Salzburg, Ireland, Tuscany, Madrid, Slovenia.
They are organised at cost price, with transport, tickets & gratuities included.
Ideas for future outings
are very welcome.
2025:
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27th March – The Back to Back Houses & the Coffin Works in Birmingham – invitation & booking form emailed to all members Wed 15th Jan. It is now fully booked with a waiting list.​​
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24th Apr – The Historic Dockyards at Portsmouth –
Attractions:
The Mary Rose Museum
HMS Victory
HMS Warrior
HMS M.33
The National Museum of the Royal Navy
And over the water in Gosport:
The Royal Navy Submarine Museum
The Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower
Museums are fully accessible though some ships have limited access - see www.historicdockyard.co.uk
Our outing includes a Three Attraction Explorer Ticket. With individual tickets you can choose which three of the above you would like to explore and in which order.
Our coach (with WC) will leave at 09:15 to get us there for 11:30 and we will head home at 16:45 arriving at about 19:00. PHD advise that the dwell time of most attractions is 60 minutes but Mary Rose requires 120 minutes (or more with recent video additions) as do the two Gosport Attractions. Inside the Dockyard there are two eating opportunities, in Boathouse 7 and in the café next to the Mary Rose Museum.
The cost of the outing will be £55.
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May – Hever Castle in Kent
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Jun – Osborne House, Isle of Wight
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Jul –The Tower of London, possibly including a Thames cruise from Westminster Pier
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Aug – Poole Harbour, with a 4-hour river cruise from Frome to Wareham
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Sep/Oct – A holiday in Kent
Booking Forms are issued by email to members, usually with the monthly Newsletter, about a month or two ahead. ​
Bookings are only accepted with payment.
2024:
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Jan & Feb - No Outing
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Mar - Churchill War Rooms (cancelled)
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Apr - Neasden Temple
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May - RHS Malvern Spring Festival
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Jun - The American Museum and Bath
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Jul - Avebury & Lacock
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Aug – 3 Rivers Cruise, Southampton
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Sept – Sudeley Castle
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Oct – 7-day Holiday in Normandy
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Nov – Theatre Trip, Rhythm of Dance, Wycombe Swan Theatre
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Dec – see above

2023:
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Feb Bovington Tank Museum (cancelled)
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Mar Wallace Collection & Chelsea Hospital
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April Highclere Castle
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May The Cotswolds - Gloucester Railway & Broadway
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June Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
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July Weald and Downland Museum with Gridshell Building
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Aug Cowes
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Sept The Hawk Conservancy, Andover
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Oct Annual Holiday to Salzburg and the Austrian Lakes
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Nov Milestones Museum
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Dec The Mill at Sonning for a performance of High Society
2022:
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Feb Museum trip to London
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Mar Cirencester Museum & the Mansion Cirencester Park Apr Brighton Pavilion
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May The Watercress Line
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June Little Venice, Regents Canal & Camden Market
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Aug Gilbert White's house, garden & Oates Collection
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Sep Holiday in Southern Ireland - 5 days
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Oct Coventry Cathedral & Coventry Transport Museum
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Nov Natural History Museum, Tring
2021:
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June/July - 4 days in Northumbria
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July - Cruise to the Isle of Wight
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Aug - Butser Ancient Farm
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Sept - Salisbury
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Oct - Gloucester
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Nov - Aerospace Bristol
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Dec - The Mill at Sonning
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2020:​
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Feb -Tutankhamun Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh Exhibition in London.​
Then Lockdown happened & the following outings were cancelled or postponed . . .
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Mar Brighton Royal Pavilion & walk along the beach.​​​
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Apr Aerospace Bristol & the last Concorde – Bristol.
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Jun Jewels of Northumbria six-day holiday.​
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Jul Isle of Wight day trip – sea trip, coach tour & cream tea.
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​Aug Salisbury Cathedral – tour & other local places of interest.
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Sep Hemel Hempstead Print Works
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2019:
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Feb London Guildhall
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Mar Royal Mint – South Wales
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May Southampton Water cruise & Solent Sky Museum
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Jun Slimbridge Wetland Centre ​
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Jul Thames Barrier Boat trip from Tower Bridge to the Barrier
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Aug Compton Vernay – introductory talk, a view of the several Art galleries and the Tea Exhibition.​
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Sept Fighter Command Bunker – A detailed talk on the Fighter Command activities was provided.​
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Oct Six Days in Sicily​
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Nov Tate Modern & Tate Britain – Tate Modern then took the boat to Tate Britain. ​
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Dec Christmas Concert at St James. Usual carols, Christmas singing & mulled wine.



Past Holidays
Sicily 2019
Six days of the History of Western Sicily & Palermo. Highlights of the trip included the medieval town of Erice, the Norman Cathedral at Monreale, a tour of Palermo & a boat trip to the island of Mozia. An excellent time had by all.
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Sept 2018 to Romania
To Bucharest, a city of extremes, then to Transylvania in the Carpathians, an area of natural beauty & home to wonderful scenery, Dracula’s Castle (quite ‘sort of interesting’) and Peles Castle, a truly wonderful 19th century chateau filled with highly decorated rooms, set in the most picturesque setting. A most enjoyable holiday with a happy group of members.
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2017
Lake Bled, Slovenia & Koblenz in the Rhineland
A group of 38 of our members had a memorable six day holiday based at Lake Bled. There were many highlights including a visit to Postojna, one of the world’s largest cave systems & a wonderful day at Piran, a medieval town with a Venetian influence, a typical Mediterranean look &, on the day itself, a very Mediterranean climate.
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Many more memorable holidays in the years before....​​
