If you live in or around Basingstoke/Old Basing and are retired or semi-retired, now’s the time to join us and make the most of life. 

 

All the trips below are open to all our members. You must join first, as a member, before you can join any of these fantastic excursions and holidays. 

If you would like to join our u3a, please click here for an application form.

 

If any of the 2023 trips are of interest, please send an email off to either Group Leader, as soon as you can. If you do not already have an email address or phone number for either Group Leader, please send an email to basingstokeu3aenquiries@gmail.com.

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Forthcoming Excursions 2023

Bletchley Park (April 17th 2023)

Visit to see WWII code breakers' work and machines. Now fully booked.
 

National Trust Property of Hughendon at High Wycombe (May 16th AND 25th 2023)

This was Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli's house.  There is a Second World War exhibition as this property was a target for Hitler.  Then we will have a surprise stop on the return journey.

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St. Albans  (June 29th AND 30th 2023)

This includes a visit to the  historical High Street, with a chance to visit the wonderful Cathedral.

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Isle of Wight tour (July 11th 2023) 

This tour includes coach, ferry and then a tour round parts of the island, plus return.  There will be several stops for the views and a lunch and tea stop. Two coaches available.

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Brighton (August 7th 2023) 

Two coaches available.

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Chichester (September 6th 2023)

This includes return coach from Basingstoke to Chichester, with approximately 2hrs 30 minutes to explore Chichester, either before or after the barge trip. The barge trip, along the Chichester Canal, will last for 1 hour 50 minutes, where a meal will be included. You will have two choices for sailing.  The first sailing will include a meal pf fish n chips; the second sailing will include a cream tea. 

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New Forest and Exbury Gardens (October 20th 2023)

The tour includes coach, admission to the gardens, and a Meet and Greet (30 minutes). We can prebook seats on the steam train and this would be £5 per person.  (Group rate pre booked),

There could be a Senior Guide Tour for the group or as many who wish to join it it, which takes an hour and a half and is £100 divided between those wanting it or £150 and it would be a Senior Gardener acting as tour guide.

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St. Pauls Cathedral (November 15th 2023)

We will attend a concert in the evening.  This will be the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing Rutter's Requiem and 3 other works.  

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Forthcoming Holidays 2023

Cyprus (8th – 18th June 2023)

We have 5 nights in Limassol. Then on the 13th June we will leave from the hotel in the morning and have a drive through to Protaras on the east coast.  On the way, we may visit Pano Lefkara which is known for its lace and silver ware, with lunch not far from Governors Beach, then through to Protaras.  where we stay for another 5 nights

There will be an included excursion right to the tip of the North East of the Island, in the Occupied North of Cyprus.  We will visit Salamis and the Monastery of Agios Andreas at the tip of the island.

The transport to and from Heathrow is included in the price, which is £1,200.00 per person with a supplement of £215.00 for those in sole occupancy rooms. 

At present there are no spaces left.

 

Dublin and Wicklow Mountains (10th – 15th September 2023)

The price for those sharing a room is £609.00, with a single room supplement of £100. Included in this is Executive Coach Travel, return ferry crossings, 5 nights half board at Hotel Park View, at Newtownmountkennedy. The holiday includes:

• An excursion to Powerscourt Estate & Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre.

• A day in Dublin at your leisure

• A day in the Wicklow Mountains with a guide.

2 twin rooms and 1 sole occupancy rooms available.  

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Lochs & Glens Holiday Autumn Break (6th – 11th October 2023) 

The hotel we have reserved is Loch Tummel Hotel, by Tummel Bridge.  The first day from leaving Basingstoke in the morning we reach the hotel in time for dinner.

The excursions (may not be in this order) are:

1. Perth

2. A day visiting the Cairngorms National Park which includes Ballater, Balmoral and Braemar

3. St. Andrews 

4. Aberfeldy, Crieff & Pitlochry.  

The cost of this holiday on half board is £459.00, including insurance. We have twin and double rooms, but no singles left.

 

Recent 2023 Excursions

A Mystery tour including lunch (January 26th 2023)

We enjoyed a lovely scenic drive through some beautiful countryside arriving at an hotel in its own grounds where we enjoyed a lunch of 2 courses.  The hotel provided a carvery along with other dishes and you did not need to pre-choose. We also made a stop for shops, cafes etc. 

 

Whitchurch Silk Mill (February 21st 2023)

Tour of the factory and visit to  the cafe. 

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Concert at Royal Albert Hall (March 8th 2023)

Let’s Face the Music. Classic songs from golden age of Hollywood including Anything Goes, Cabaret, 

The coaches left around 3.30 – 4.0pm, so there was time to get a meal before the concert.  

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Recent 2022 Excursions

Visit to Welford Park Snowdrops (Thursday 17th February) 

We had a coach trip to  Welford Park, near Newbury, to see the beautiful snowdrops (see photo on Excursions and Holidays webpage), at the height of the season.  We also stopped at Newbury on the return journey. The cost of the trip was £22 PER PERSON and included transport, admission and a cup of tea or coffee. 

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Visit to "BEST OF BROADWAY" (a concert at the Royal Albert Hall) (Wednesday 2nd March)

The Royal Philharmonic once again played and we had accommodation for one coach full. The seats were up in the up in the circle in the front 3 rows.  The cost per ticket worked out at £30 plus the coach fare.  It was described in the brochure as "An evening of glitz and glamour, featuring four West End star vocalists and guest presenter Gary WIlmot,  With sensational songs from Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, WIcked, Hairspray, We Will Rock you, Jersey Boys, Dreamgirls..and many more."  

 

Visit to RHS Wisley (Thursday May 12th and Monday 23rd May)

We had 2 coach trips to RHS Wisley.  Cost was £35, which included coach, admission to the grounds, a guided tour round a garden (45 minutes to an hour), plenty of free time and then finishing the visit with a cream tea, before returning home. Some of you enjoyed a good long walk, to the far areas of the grounds, others enjoyed spending more time near the shop and seeing the beds without too much walking.  

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RAF HENDON AIR MUSEUM

We went on Friday June 24th and Monday June 27th.  We arrived around 10.30 and had 2 - 3 hours there.  After that, the coach went to Camden Lock and most people boarded the first barge, whilst the others had more chance to look round the market, then 45 minutes later the others leave on a barge, to Little Venice at Paddington .  The barge travelled along the Grand Union Canal and through part of Regents Park including part of London Zoo.  The journey took around 45 minutes and we got a commentary, before leaving for home.

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JERSEY BOYS show (July 14th)

This was a show at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton for which we had tickets for the matinee performance.  The tickets were £43.50 each and the coach worked out at about £15.  

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Weymouth (August 15th)

We had two coaches going and the price was £20 per person.  The starting time was 7.30a.m; there was be a break on the way and we got to Weymouth about 11.00a.m.  

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COTSWOLD WILDLIFE PARK (SEPTEMBER 20TH)

We had a lovely drive out and a beautiful park to explore.  

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WINDSOR AND CASTLE (OCTOBER 21ST 2022)

A visit to Windsor, including a visit to St. George’s Chapel.  We started with coffee at Windsor Farm Shop.

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JOHN RUTTER'S CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION at the Royal Albert Hall (December 6th 2022)  

We enjoyed a fantastic concert at both afternoon and evening performances. For the matinee, we had seats in the arena, and some in the circle.  For the evening it was just the arena.  We had 2 coaches in the afternoon and one for the evening. One member commented "A huge thank you to Joyce and all involved in our wonderful visit to London today for John Rutter's Christmas Celebration".

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Recent Holidays 2022

Turkey And Tinsel at The Shanklin Hotel, Shanklin, Isle of Wight ( 14 - 18 November 2022)

On one day, the meal was a Christmas Dinner, then on "Boxing Day" there was an excursion.  Evening entertainment was included in the price.  

We had our own coach, which was driven direct from Basingstoke to the ferry and over to Shanklin.  The price included transport to the hotel  breakfast, evening meals, plus 2 full day tours, and return journey. 

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The pick-up points for excursions are the bus lay-by next to the barbers and opposite the White Hart in Hook, Tesco Express, Lychpit and the Bingo Hall, Basingstoke Leisure Park.

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If any of the 2023 excursions and holidays are of interest, please send an email off to either Group Leader, as soon as you can. If you do not already have an email address or phone number for either Group Leader, please send an email to basingstokeu3aenquiries@gmail.com.

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