King Alfred Exile Tour
TOUR DETAILS BELOW
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This two day (one night) tour follows the exile and return of England's greatest King from his royal residence at Chippenham. The Danish attack on Chippenham in 878AD forced Alfred to take refuge in the salt marshes of Somerset and we will spend the night on his Island refuge at Athelney, stopping at Glastonbury Tor and the site of the battle of Cynuit. The following day we will follow the route of Alfred's glorious return to Chippenham, stopping at the rallying points of Ecgberth's Stone and Isley Oak, and the site of Alfred's decisive victory, the Battle of Edington. after this we will travel back to Chippenham for a final meal together.
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The tour meeting place is the Chippenham Museum, which stands at no. 9-10 in the Market Place at the top of Chippenham High Street (SN15 3HF). This museum is built right on the spot where Alfred the Great's hunting lodge once stood, and likely in the vicinity of his Chippenham Palace. We meet here at 8am for breakfast and to listen to a presentation about Alfred and the tour. After this we will meet the lifesize model of Alfred before following the route Alfred likely took when he fled the Vikings attacked on the twelfth night of Christmas in the year 878AD. On the journey we will listen to a recording of the story of Alfred's life and the birth of England.
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The first stop on the Alfred tour is the spectacular Glastonbury Tor, the ancient Isle of Avalon famed as the place of King Arthur's healing after the battle of Camlann. In Alfred's day this place was one of many Islands rising out of the shallow salty see of what is now the Somerset levels. A huge monastery stood nearby and its monks would have been trusted allies of the king, offering him shelter, prayer, and advice on his next move. Alfred probably didn't stay long at Glastonbury for fear of bringing destruction on the Monastery, however the monks may have advised Alfred on where to find refuge and could have lit beacons on the tor to inform the king of approaching Vikings.
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Next we will travel to the tiny Island of Athelney, which looks very different to the way it looked in Alfred's day. Today the levels have been drained leaving Athelney surrounded by fields and only becoming an Island again after heavy rains. Here Alfred built a fortress, a base from which to conduct his guerrilla war against Danes, and to prepare for the re-conquest of Wessex. The current monument, which recounts the story of Alfred's exile from Chippenham, was built in 1801, a time when there was great interest in Alfred and many memorials to his life were being made, these included paintings, poems, and statues.
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From Athelney we will travel to the site of the battle of Cynuit, the legendary victory of Odda, Ealdorman of Devon over Ubba, son of Ragnar Lothbrok. This battle, which probably inspired Tolkien's 'Battle of Helms Deep', marked the turning of the tide in King Alfred's war with the Danes. From here Odda saw Ubba's fleet of dragonships sailing up the mouth of the river Parrett, which leads directly to Athelney. Here the Vikings came ashore and surrounded Odda and his men in the hill fort. Odda rode out at first light and defeated the Danes, killing Ubba and capturing the Raven war flag.
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Back at Athelney we will climb the stunning Burrow Mump, also known as 'Alfred's Lookout.' This is a great spot to watch the sunset or sunrise (or both). The stunning 360 degree views over the Somerset levels would have been an ideal place for King Alfred's men to have kept watch for approaching Danes. Glastonbury Tot, which is visible from the Mump, may also have communicated with Alfred's men by means of beacons to warn of impending attack. At the foot of Burrow Mump stands the King Alfred pub, where we will eat and drink before spending the night at an Athelney BnB. |
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After a hearty breakfast at the B & B we will follow Alfred's march eastwards towards the site of his historic battle with Guthrum. After a possible early morning walk up Burrow Mump we will travel to Alfred's tower, an unusual triangular tower built by Henry Hoare in the 1760's to mark the end of the seven years war against France and the accession to the throne of King George III. The tower remembers Alfred with a stone statue in its front wall and a memorable written tribute to Alfred at the top. We will have the opportunity to climb the tower, entrance fee included.
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Next we will follow Alfred's journey to Egbert's Stone. Here the men of Wiltshire, Somerset, and Hampshire gathered to prepare for battle with the Danes. This would have been an ideal spot for the three fyrds to meet and also had strong symbolic relevance due to its association with Alfred's grandfather King Egbert. These two sarsen stones were originally upright and bore a larger stone laid flat accross the top of the other two. Here Alfred's men would have heard rousing speeches, drawn up their battle plans, and rested for one night before setting out towards Chippenham.
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With a two day from Ecgberth's stone to Edington, Alfred needed a place to sleep for the last night before the battle and chose a place called Isley Oak, a secret meeting place for those wishing to avoid attracting attention to themselves. In Alfred's day the meeting place was marked by a huge Oak tree that stood in the middle of Southleigh woods. Today this Oak tree has gone, however in 1965 the seventh Marquis of Bath decided to mark the spot with a diamond shaped copse of Monkey Puzzle trees, which can be seen on aerial maps of the wood. Ancient earthworks can also be seen marking out the area.
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From Isley Oak we will follow Alfred's long march to war at Edington. This Neothithic long barrow remains intact and adds to the dramatic feel of the location. Here Alfred and Guthrum's men fought a bloodly hours-long battle before at last the Danes retreated and began the long walk back to Chippenham, pursued by the Saxons. The white horse, cut in 1778, is thought to have been built to commemorate Alfred's great victory there. This white horse, which inspired many others to be cut in the area, may symbolise Alfred's alleigance to Christ, who is pictured in the book of Revelation as returning riding a white horse into battle.
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At the base of the hill at Edington rushes a beautiful crystal clear fresh spring called Luccombe Spring. It is likely that both the Danes and the Saxons would have needed to stop here for a drink before they could hope to walk fourteen miles back to Chippenham. Local legend has it that more fighting broke out beside the spring, and that Alfred's men executed the mortally wounded Danes by beheading them on a sarson stone known as the bloodstone. This stone remains a distinctly red colour and therefore has become known as the bloodstone. If possible, depending on ability, we will also visit the bloodstone.
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After this we will follow Alfred's journey back to Chippenham in pursuit of Guthrum and the Danes. Back at Chippenham we will see where the old Saxon settlement stood, this is where Guthrum held out fro two weeks before agreeing to Alfred's terms of surrender. The agreement was that Guthrum and his men would be spared and allowed safe passage to East Anglia on condition that Guthrum accept Christian baptism. Here we will have a final meal together within the ancient boundaries before bringing the tour to a close. Ethelfled, who travelled with her father on this journey was also likely born in Chippenham. Her story is explored in the Athelstan tour.
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Pricing and availabilty
These tours are currently only running on weekends and during school holidays. As a weekend tour the Alfred Origins Tour begins on saturday morning and finishes on Sunday early evening.
Prices include breakfast on the saturday morning, and one nights bed and breakfast at Winchester. In addition you will need to purchase your own lunches at Glastonbury and Warminster (lots of options available), and dinners at reasonably priced restaurants in Athelney and back at Chippenham (optional).
Price per person depends on the size of the group but smaller groups can be joined together if requested to keep costs to a minumum.
Important note: This is a self-drive tour as I am currently unable to provide transport. Customers will be given a map and locations for satnav to meet at each location. customers are free to share transport but Birth of England Tours cannot facilitate this and is not liable for any harm caused by drivers.
4 people £150 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)
5 people £130 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)
6 people £120 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)
7 people £110 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)
8 people £100 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)
Prices include breakfast on the saturday morning, and one nights bed and breakfast at Winchester. In addition you will need to purchase your own lunches at Glastonbury and Warminster (lots of options available), and dinners at reasonably priced restaurants in Athelney and back at Chippenham (optional).
Price per person depends on the size of the group but smaller groups can be joined together if requested to keep costs to a minumum.
Important note: This is a self-drive tour as I am currently unable to provide transport. Customers will be given a map and locations for satnav to meet at each location. customers are free to share transport but Birth of England Tours cannot facilitate this and is not liable for any harm caused by drivers.
4 people £150 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)
5 people £130 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)
6 people £120 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)
7 people £110 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)
8 people £100 pp (approx based on sharing a double/twin room)