WINTER GATHERING TOUR TO BELGIUM & HOLLAND 3 RD - 7 TH DECEMBER 2018 The Winter Gathering is going to be a European short break tour visiting Holland and Belgium by coach, departing from Cambridge and travelling to the continent by the Channel Tunnel. The tour begins with a stop over in the beautiful city of Bruges in Belgium, where the annual Christmas Market will be on. This picturesque fairy-tale medieval city with its cobbled lanes and canals offers visitors a wonderful experience. Tours to the Chocolate Museum and a guided tour of the city are topped off with time at the Christmas Market. The tour then moves onto agriculture with a technical visit to a dairy farm using its milk for cheese production before reaching Holland and enjoying a canal cruise through its capital city, Amsterdam. Visit the Agriport A7 facilities, where we will see the largest nursery in Europe producing sweet orange peppers and tomatoes heated and powered by their on-site renewable energy plant using waste products. Spend a night in the floating hotel SS Rotterdam, originally a luxurious steam ship (pictured above), which sailed the Rotterdam, New York and Bahamas route, but is now a 249 bed luxury hotel. The last day offers a visit to the Keringhaus Storm Surge Barrier, where you will enjoy a guided tour of this Dutch designed engineering monster built to control flooding of the delta. Finally, returning to the UK via the Channel Tunnel and journey back to Cambridge by coach.
Country Information The Country Holland is part of the Kingdom on the Netherlands and is well known for its tulips, cheese, wooden clog shoes and pottery. The country borders Belgium to the south and has a total area of 41,526 square kilometers compared to Belgium with 30,510 square kilometers. Belgium is in Northwestern Europe and is the founding member of the European Union in 1993. The country also borders France, Germany and Luxembourg. It is known for its diverse cuisine and of course, chocolate! The Agriculture In both countries, agriculture is mainly divided between crop production and raising livestock. The main crops include barley, corn, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat and an assortment of fruit and vegetables. Stock farming or livestock production dominates the Belgian agriculture accounting for around 65% of the nations farming. A variety of livestock raised include beef, veal, poultry, lamb, pork and turkey. There is also a significant dairy industry with Dutch farmers having some of the highest of beef and milk in the world. The Weather Both countries experience similar weather to the South of England. Summers see temperatures of around 20 C where the locals enjoy drinks on the outdoor terraces and in December you may see temperatures as low as 2 C with Christmas Markets lining the cobbled streets. Time Belgium and Holland are 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Meantime : GMT + 2 Web reference: www.nationsencyclopedia.com
TOUR ITINERARY Day 1 - Monday 3 December 2018 (--D) Meet at Cambridge for an early morning departure by coach to Folkstone where we will cross the channel via the tunnel. Cars can be parked in the coach company depot for the duration of the tour. Lunch at own expense en-route. Transfer to Bruges and check in to your hotel for a 2 night stay. Free time to enjoy the Christmas Market. Dinner in a local restaurant and overnight. Day 2 - Tuesday 4 December 2018 (BLD) Breakfast. Depart to the Chocolate Museum, one of the most visited attractions in the city. The building dates from 1480 when it was a wine tavern, but now tells the story of how Bruges became one of the greatest chocolate producers in the world. Lunch in a local restaurant. Enjoy a guided tour of the city including Burg Square, the Standhius (City Hall) and the 13th Century Bell Tower. Enjoy some free time and a further chance to explore the Christmas Market if desired. Dinner and overnight. Day 3 - Wednesday 5 December 2018 (BLD) Breakfast and check out. Depart north towards Holland with a stop en-route to visit a dairy operation with a 440 head Holstein herd, which uses the milk for cheese production. Lunch on the farm. Continue to Amsterdam and board a canal riverboat for a tour of the canals and the city. Transfer to your hotel for a 1 night stay. Dinner and overnight. Day 4 - Thursday 6 December 2018 (BLD) Breakfast and check out. Depart to Agriport 7, an industrial park of some 1000 hectares and home to an 850 hectare Greenhouse facility. Our visit will be to the sweet pepper and tomato growing facility encompassing 30 ha of growing area, where 3300 kilos of sweet peppers are produced everyday. The visit will include a tour of the crops, lunch and a presentation on the facilities and sustainable way in which energy is produced to help grow the crops. Depart to a dairy farm using a GEA robot milking machine for a further technical visit. Depart to Rotterdam and check in for a 1 night stay at the Hotel SS Rotterdam. A former luxury steam ship liner it has been converted into a 249 bed 4 star hotel. Dinner on-board your hotel. Day 5 - Friday 7 December 2018 (B--) Breakfast and check out. Depart to the Hook of Holland to view and tour the Keringhuis Flood Surge Barrier built to prevent flooding throughout the delta area. Depart to the Channel Tunnel Terminal at Calais and your tour coach returns to Cambridge. Lunch under own arrangements. End of Tour Arrangements. (Meal basis: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
Tour Cost: Based on a minimum of 26 travellers. 1143.00 per person (sharing a twin/double room) 261.00 Single Supplement Tour Includes: Private return coach service Cambridge to Belgium and Holland. Good class hotels (4 nights) Meals as indicated B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner. Tour guide with agricultural background Technical & touristic visits as stated, subject to local conditions at the time of travel (weather, crops etc) Escorted by FFT tour manager Fiona Sloan. Free parking for the duration of the tour in the coach company depot at Cambridge. Tour Excludes: Travel to/from Cambridge Meals other than stated Travel Insurance - you need to be insured to travel with Field Farm Tours Ltd. Gratuities Drinks / Personal items Other Info: No visa required. No compulsory health requirements but consult your doctor or health centre for professional advice. Passport needs to be valid for the duration of your stay. To secure a place on this tour, please complete a booking form enclosed and return with your deposit of 150.00 per person. Notes: The itinerary is subject to change without notice (local conditions, availability of visits at the time of travel, etc) and to terms and conditions as per the Company s booking conditions.
OTHER FORTHCOMING TOURS ISLE OF MAN - MAY 2018 VIETNAM - OCTOBER 2018 CHINA - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 CUBA - NOVEMBER 2018 CHILE & ARGENTINA - JAN 2019 FIELD FARM TOURS LTD FIELD HOUSE, 3 STEPHENSON COURT, STEPHENSON WAY, NEWARK, NOTTS, NG24 2TQ Tel no: 01636 616060 Fax no: 01636 640282 Email: info@fieldfarmtours.co.uk The air holiday package in this brochure is ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 10350. Please see our booking conditions for more information.