Real Ale, Real England: York to London

Description

July 16 – 26, 2026

Departs every year in July / August

Trip Price (Land-only, Based on double occupancy)
$3,695 per person | Single Room add extra $885
International airfare not included.

Explore Real Ale and real England while discovering some of the UK’s best new and traditional breweries. From York and Masham in the north, through the historic Midlands and the fairy-tale Cotswolds, and on to London, this trip is a thorough investigation of English brewing, pub culture and everyday life.

Beer, Food, History & Local Flavor — From York to London

We start in York, after an easy rail trip from London or Manchester, to explore classic pubs and meet friendly locals in this walled medieval city. Then we head further north to Masham and the Yorkshire Dales for rugged scenery, castles and brewery visits. Turning south, we pass through the Midlands to visit England’s only Trappist brewery and spend time in Hamstall Ridware, home to Tollgate Brewery and the Milking Parlour taproom.

From there we roll into the Cotswolds for a stay in storybook Stow-on-the-Wold and a visit to famous Hook Norton Brewery. Finally we arrive in London, where centuries-old pubs, markets, neighborhoods and modern breweries offer seemingly endless ways to drink, eat and explore. Riverside diversions, green parks, old churches, museums and beer venues of all types — plus a few special beer meals — complete this Real Ale journey.

Why We’re BeerTripping Here

England is the birthplace of cask-conditioned ale, beer engines, bitters, milds and porters — and the pub as we know it. Modern craft breweries now share the bar with traditional family and regional breweries, and CAMRA-supported pubs keep the cask culture alive. This trip is built to show you both sides: the heritage and the new wave.

By traveling overland from York to London via Masham, Hamstall Ridware and the Cotswolds, we see more than cities. We drink in country pubs, talk with brewers, walk old streets, visit castles and spend real time in small towns and villages. It’s beer, yes — but it’s also England as lived by the people who drink it.

Trip Snapshot

• Duration: 10 days / 9 nights on the ground (plus Day 0 travel)
• Group Size: Maximum 12 travelers
• Travel Style: Small-group, brewery-focused cultural journey
• Start / End: Starts in York, ends in London
• Transport: Beer Bus (private coach) plus trains/walking as needed
• Overnight Stays: York (2) • Masham (1) • Hamstall Ridware area (1) • Stow-on-the-Wold (2) • London (3)
• Physical Level: Easy to moderate walking; cobblestones, pub stairs and some hills

Beer Highlights & Brewery Visits*

• York: A city of historic treasures and a lot of good old pubs, set among castles and abbeys in rugged northern England.
• Masham: Home to beer history, Theakston’s Brewery and Black Sheep Brewery.
• Hamstall Ridware (Midlands): Tollgate Brewery and The Milking Parlour taproom for pizza, pints and a taste of rural brewing life.
• Stow-on-the-Wold & the Cotswolds: Fairy-tale landscapes, unique villages, local history and country pubs.
• London: The Real Ale capital of the world and one of the great cities: packed with history, architectural splendor and countless beer engines.
• Beer & Brewing: Cask-conditioned ales, beer engines, city pubs, country pubs, visits to cool breweries old and new.

Wine & Spirits Highlights

• Opportunities to sample English gin, cider or whisky at select pubs and bars along the route.
• Classic British pub spirits and local specialties in both rural and urban settings.

Included Tours

• Guided walk / pub crawl in York.
• Day trip through the Yorkshire Dales with a visit to Richmond Castle and the Tan Hill Inn.
• Visits and tastings at Theakston’s and Black Sheep in Masham.
• Visit to England’s sole Trappist brewery — Mount Saint Bernard Abbey.
• Visit to Tollgate Brewery and The Milking Parlour taproom.
• Hook Norton Brewery tour in the Cotswolds.
• London street art walk and pub tour.
• Thames River water taxi to Greenwich and visit to Meantime Brewing.

Included Meals

Breakfasts daily | 3 Beer Dinners | 4 Beer Lunches

Daily Itinerary*

(B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)

Day 0 – Thursday, July 16, 2026 — Fly to the United Kingdom

Depart the US, bound for the UK. We’ll start in York, after an easy rail trip from London or another airport, to explore classic pubs and meet friendly locals in this walled city.

Overnight: Plane
Meals: –

Day 1 – Friday, July 17, 2026 — Arrive York, Walking / Pub Tour & Welcome Dinner (D)

Arrive in York and transfer to our well-located hotel, an easy walk from the train station. Meet the group this afternoon ready to explore historic York on foot, with pub stops along the way for a bit of banter and history.

Tonight we’ll enjoy pies and ales in one of York’s lauded pubs — a proper English welcome.

Overnight: York
Meals: D

Day 2 – Saturday, July 18, 2026 — Free Day in York & Brewery Tasting (B)

Today is free to explore York’s museums, historic pubs, movie-set streets and city ramparts. Walk the walls, visit the Minster, people-watch in the Shambles or tuck into pubs you spotted yesterday.

In the late afternoon we reconvene at a York brewery or taproom for an informal tasting session. The evening is free to visit a “famous” pub or two.

Overnight: York
Meals: B

Day 3 – Sunday, July 19, 2026 — Yorkshire Dales, Richmond Castle & Tan Hill Inn (B, L)

This morning we head north for a busy and beautiful day. Our first stop is the ruins, castle grounds and fortified keep at Richmond Castle, a 13th-century Norman stronghold set on a riverside cliff. After time to explore and contemplate, we drive through part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park on our way to the highest (and possibly most isolated) pub in England: the Tan Hill Inn.

Sunday roast and other menu items, plus several real ales, make this a memorable lunch stop. Afterward, we make the scenic drive to Masham, home to Theakston’s and Black Sheep, as well as our hotel for the night. The evening is free to explore, dine and drink as you wish; the hotel has a good pub and dinners.

Overnight: Masham (pronounced “Massum”)
Meals: B, L

Day 4 – Monday, July 20, 2026 — Theakston’s, Black Sheep & To Hamstall Ridware (B, L, D)

Explore or sleep in this morning until we walk over to Theakston’s Brewery for a tour and tasting of their beers in optimum, at-the-brewery condition. After the tour, we head to Black Sheep Brewery, founded by a member of the Theakston family. No formal tour today, but it’s easy to see and photograph the handsome brewhouse.

We’ll enjoy lunch in their brewery bistro before traveling south to the Midlands and Hamstall Ridware, home turf for Tollgate Brewery. This evening includes a beery pub-style dinner and time in local pubs or the brewery tap, where nerdy beer conversations with locals are likely.

Overnight: Hamstall Ridware area
Meals: B, L, D

Day 5 – Tuesday, July 21, 2026 — England’s Only Trappist, Tollgate Brewing & To the Cotswolds (B, L)

After breakfast, we drive to Leicestershire, specifically Coalville and Mount Saint Bernard Abbey. The monks here are Cistercians of the Strict Observance — Trappists — and they brew one beer: England’s sole Trappist ale, Tynt Meadow. The abbey, gardens and gift shop (selling their beer and other products) are all worth lingering over.

After time at the abbey we make the short drive back west to Tollgate Brewery and The Milking Parlour taproom and pizza maker. We’ll eat, drink and be merry here before continuing to a truly quintessential Cotswold town: Stow-on-the-Wold, our home for the next two nights and a chance to slow down before the bustle of London. The evening is free to explore this charming village.

Overnight: Stow-on-the-Wold
Meals: B, L

Day 6 – Wednesday, July 22, 2026 — Free Day on the Wold (B)

Lots to do and explore in and around this classic Cotswold town: lovely architecture, antiques, walking trails, shops, pubs, small museums, or buses to other scenic spots. If we are lucky, we will walk down the hill for a visit to Donnington Brewery, known as the loveliest brewery in the Cotswolds and beyond.

Pub games and banter in the evening; dinner is open so you can follow your own nose and curiosity.

Overnight: Stow-on-the-Wold
Meals: B

Day 7 – Thursday, July 23, 2026 — Hook Norton Brewery Tour & To London (B, L)

This morning we visit a truly classic Victorian tower brewery: Hook Norton. We’ll tour and taste, meet the Shire horses if they’re on duty and see brewing history first-hand in this once very innovative gravity-aided brewhouse.

After a local pub lunch nearby, we continue to London, our home for the next three nights. Dinner and the evening are open — with an almost endless list of pubs, restaurants and neighborhoods to explore.

Overnight: London
Meals: B, L

Day 8 – Friday, July 24, 2026 — Funky London Street Art Walk & Pubs (B)

This morning we meet a local guide for an exploration of “not-so-posh” London, checking out neighborhood street art and eclectic pubs. Prepare to learn all sorts of silly historical stuff along the way. The tour ends near food trucks or food pubs for a late lunch on your own.

The rest of the day is free to explore London’s never-ending diversions: museums, markets, parks, attractions — and, of course, pubs. Plans will no doubt ferment.

Overnight: London
Meals: B

Day 9 – Saturday, July 25, 2026 — Borough Market, Bermondsey Beer Mile & Greenwich (B, D)

Today is mostly free to explore the city on your own. Borough Market on a Saturday offers oysters, cheeses, breads and all manner of good things — oysters and champagne anyone? The Bermondsey Beer Mile and Kernel Brewery may draw some of our attention this afternoon.

Later we travel along the Thames to Greenwich, home to maritime history, the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time — as well as Meantime Brewing, London’s original craft brewery, founded in 1999. Museums and monuments honoring nautical achievements are everywhere.

After dinner, beer and happy stories, the illuminated monuments, buildings and bridges of London await as we cruise back upriver to our part of town. Busy pubs and live music will be afoot; late-night revelers may convene. Cheers!

Overnight: London
Meals: B, D

Day 10 – Sunday, July 26, 2026 — Fly Home (B)

Many ways to get to the airport — ask us or the hotel for more information and best options. Depending on your flight, you may arrive back in North America the same day or the following day.

Meals: B

Where We Stay

• York (2 nights): Well-located hotel within walking distance of the station, pubs and historic core.
• Masham (1 night): Comfortable village inn or hotel close to Theakston’s and Black Sheep.
• Hamstall Ridware area (1 night): Country accommodation with easy access to Tollgate Brewery and the Milking Parlour taproom.
• Stow-on-the-Wold (2 nights): Classic Cotswold inn or hotel in the heart of the village.
• London (3 nights): Central London hotel with good access to public transport, pubs, markets and sights.

Exact hotel names and details will be provided in your Final Trip Documents.

Cities & Regions

York — Walls, Minster & Pubs

York is one of England’s most atmospheric cities, with medieval walls, a stunning Minster, narrow lanes and a deep pub culture. It’s a perfect place to begin an English beer trip.

Masham & the Yorkshire Dales

Masham is a small market town with outsized brewing history, surrounded by the rolling hills and dry stone walls of the Yorkshire Dales. It’s a natural stop between castle ruins, dales scenery and brewery visits.

Hamstall Ridware & the Midlands

This corner of the Midlands offers a quieter, more rural look at English life. Tollgate Brewery and its Milking Parlour taproom make for a relaxed stop with pizza, pints and conversation.

Stow-on-the-Wold & the Cotswolds

One of the Cotswolds’ iconic towns, Stow offers honey-colored stone buildings, ancient inns, crooked doorways, walks and plenty of local pubs. A nearby Victorian tower brewery at Hook Norton and Donnington’s watermill brewery emphasize how long beer has been part of this landscape.

London — Real Ale Capital

London needs little introduction: from Borough Market to the Bermondsey Beer Mile, from classic corner pubs to modern taprooms, it is one of the world’s great beer cities — and one of the most rewarding to just wander.

Travel Routes, Rail & Beer Connections

We use a comfortable private coach — the Beer Bus — to travel between regions, linking York, Masham, Hamstall Ridware, the Cotswolds and London at a relaxed pace. Rail is used at the beginning if needed to reach York, and within cities we move mostly on foot, using taxis or public transport when it makes sense. Distances are modest, and we break up travel days with castles, pubs, brewery visits and scenic stops.

Practical Notes

Group Size & Pace

This trip is designed for a small group of beer-loving travelers who enjoy both structured activities and free time. Expect a mix of walking tours, pub visits, brewery tours, scenic drives and open evenings. Some days are fuller than others; the rhythm is meant to be energetic but not exhausting.

What’s Included

• 9 nights of accommodation in carefully chosen hotels/inns.
• Private coach transportation for the main itinerary.
• Brewery visits and tastings as described.
• Guided walks and tours where noted.
• Breakfast daily, 3 beer dinners and 4 beer lunches.
• BeerTrips trip leader throughout.
• All local taxes on included services.

What’s Not Included

• International flights to/from the UK.
• Rail ticket to York at the start (we will advise best options).
• Travel insurance.
• Meals not listed as included.
• Drinks beyond tastings and specific inclusions.
• Personal expenses and tips.

Breweries, Medieval Streets & Mobility

Many English towns and villages involve cobblestones, narrow pavements, pub staircases and uneven surfaces. Some brewery and pub visits include standing for tastings, climbing stairs or walking between venues. Travelers should be comfortable walking several miles over the course of a day at a relaxed pace.

If you have questions about mobility or whether this itinerary is a good fit, please get in touch — we’re happy to talk through details.

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About BeerTrips

For more than 25 years, BeerTrips has crafted small-group cultural adventures woven through beer, food and history. We travel deeply, laugh often and savor every local flavor — from brewery cellars to family tables, from tiny villages to iconic cities.

*Final brewery lineup and exact timing are subject to confirmation and availability — substitutions, when necessary, will be at least as good as what they replace.