Some Trips before 2009

For details of our more recent past trips, from the current year and from last year, use the relevant links under the Events link on the left.

The Byron Weekend

19th-22nd September 2008

The weekend began on Friday in Lincoln, where excellent accommodation had been arranged at the Newport Guest House and at the Old Bakery, and after a joyous "tuica" at the former, the party repaired to the Old Bakery for a traditional Lincolnshire meal. On the following morning, our coach transported us to Hucknall. Having passed the "Byron Bingo Hall" (no comment!), we arrived at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, where Byron, along with his daughter, Augusta Ada, is buried in the vault. The church was restored by the Victorians and has some lovely Pre-Raphaelite features. We were made very welcome. From here we travelled to Newstead Abbey. It would take far too long to describe in detail this lovely and fascinating place, set in wonderful grounds. Having completed the tour of the house, we sought out the monument that Byron erected to his dog, Boatswain, who died in 1808. From there, it was on to Nottingham and the "Olde Trip to Jerusalem" pub, hewn out of soft rock at the base of Nottingham Castle.

On Sunday, we visited Newark, which, as well as housing the printing press where Byron had his first work published, also boasts a castle with strong Civil War connections. Byron’s ancestor Sir Richard Byron was here, on the Royalist side. From there, we visited the somewhat grim but superbly maintained and preserved Southwell Workhouse, and then, after a few drinks at the "Saracen’s Head", we came to Burgage Manor, the place where Byron spent his holidays as a young man. We were unable to go inside, but we enjoyed some Byronic readings on the grass outside, and then had time to see Southwell Minister with its famous green man carvings. The evening was enlivened by a somewhat riotous meal back in Lincoln. This was a wonderful weekend.

Weekend Trip to Rye

28th-30th July 2007

Mrs Amworth and The Turn of the Screw was the title of this 3-day long weekend trip to Sussex. In the past, we had only done this as a single day trip, but this year we decided to take in more of this marvellous location. We visited Lamb House, the home of Henry James for 18 years of his life, which later became the home of E. F. Benson. Rye itself is a treat in itself, with many tea-rooms, restaurants and drinking establishments.

On the Sunday we availed ourselves of a coach, and headed off to see Smallhythe Place, former home of actress Ellen Terry, and Bateman’s, Rudyard Kipling’s Jacobean house.

Bodium Castle, a medieval pile with superb moat and battlements, was a great playground and made for a fine finish to the weekend.

8th-11th June 2007

On Friday the 8th of June members of the Dracula Society set off from Luton Airport for a long weekend in Dublin.

We arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon, which allowed time for a little relaxed sightseeing (particularly to get a first view of the amazing Dublin Spire which had been just a hole in the ground on our last visit in 2002).

In the evening we met for dinner at the 101 Talbot restaurant where we were joined by Brian J. Showers, the author of Literary Walking Tours of Gothic Dublin who was to be our guide for the serious expedition on Saturday.

Bright and early on Saturday morning we congregated at Trinity College for the grand tour which took in many sites with literary connections, including the homes of Oscar Wilde, Sheriden Le Fanu and Bram Stoker. We visited the church where Stoker married Florence Balcombe in 1878. We lunched in "The Bleeding Horse" (a splendid pub mentioned in Le Fanu’s The Cock and the Anchor). The afternoon provided more leisure time which many used to take advantage of the glorious weather with a spot of sun-bathing.

On Sunday morning we took a train to Clontarf to visit the birthplace of Stoker in Marino Crescent. We also visited The "Bram Stoker Dracula Experience" which was both entertaining and informative, but sadly lacking in souvenirs. In the afternoon we visited the Dublin Writers’ Museum and had more time for shopping, afternoon tea and relaxation. In the evening we had a very enjoyable meal at "Gallagher’s Boxty House".

Monday provided opportunities to visit St Michan’s Church with its mummified bodies in the crypt, followed by an educational visit to Jameson’s Whiskey Distillery.  We made our way back to the airport only to be faced with massive delays – but nevertheless we left with many happy memories of the sites we had seen, the excellent company, the food we had eaten, the films we had seen and of course the whiskey and the wine.

"Gothic Paris" Trip

22nd-25th September 2006

A splendid long weekend in Paris was had by approximately 20 members with visits to catacombs, cemeteries, cathedrals, and galleries. Sites visited included the Paris Opera House to pay respects to The Phantom, and the splendidly Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame - home to gargoyles and hunchbacks.

A Weekend in Bath

May 2006

A group of Dracula Society members enjoyed a delightful weekend in Bath.

The events included a trip to William Beckford’s tower and tomb on Lansdown Hill, a ghost walk and a day excursion to Silbury Hill, Avebury and Glastonbury, interspersed by plenty of delicious meals and suitably chosen DVDs, including Roald Dahl’s The Landlady set in this beautiful (if sometimes spooky) city. A good time was had by all!

The Trip to Egypt

November 2005

Fourteen of us had a splendid trip to this timeless and magical land where we saw many wonderful sites. We covered the length of the country visiting such splendours as The Pyramids, The Sphinx, Cairo Museum, Abu Simbel, Karnak and Luxor, together with the treasures of the West Bank such as The Valley of the Kings. One of the major highlights was gently travelling the Nile from Aswan to Luxor in a Nile cruise boat stopping off at beautiful sites en-route. This was a truly amazing experience!

Spring Trip - Whitby

15th-18th April 2005

A major event in the Society's calendar for this year, this was our first official visit to Whitby since 2000. This trip was held in April specifically to commemorate the 25th anniversary of our Dracula Society Bram Stoker seat. This was placed up on the West Cliff at Whitby, and unveiled on 20th April 1980, the 68th anniversary of Stoker's death. From the seat all of the main locations in Whitby which feature in "Dracula" can be seen. An unprecedented 35 members made this one of the largest Dracula Society trips ever, and a splendid time was had by all!

Bram Stoker's West Country

17th-20th September 2004

A long weekend in Exeter and Taunton

Summer Outing
West Wycombe Caves

15th August 2004

A visit to West Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire, to see the famous caves, the home of the infamous Hell-Fire Club, and visit the National Trust village there.

Spring Trip
Edinburgh

21st-24th May 2004

This long weekend saw the Society's first trip to Edinburgh. Led by Society member Dr. Gail-Nina Anderson, we explored the Kirkyards, art galleries old and modern, Edinburgh Castle, and the restaurants!

Edinburgh Castle, despite its expensive entry ticket, proved to be a real delight.

The sun shone on us everywhere we went. We had a screening of the film Mary Reilly, based on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde story.

The Jekyll and Hyde connection was plain to see everywhere in Edinburgh, from exhibitions of the author's work to the pub named after the famous story.

The Witchery By The Castle restaurant proved a big hit with members, with its Gothic splendour and fabulous food.

A Tour of Romania with The Dracula Society

29th May to 10th June 2003

The Romania Travel Centre www.romaniatravelcentre.com created the above graphic to promote this event, which was arranged through them. They continue to offer other Dracula-themed trips to Romania, following on from the success of our trip.

One Traveller's Report

This was a 12-day tour of Romania, and it included many of the best experiences from the trips that the Society had done in the past.

We visited the city of Cluj in the north, after an internal flight from Bucharest following the international flight from London.

We stayed at Hotel Castle Dracula in the Borgo Pass and spent an afternoon going out into the countryside, enjoying a picnic, and an exhilarating cart ride!

We marvelled at the fantastic painted monasteries in the north-east of the country.

We walked through the Bicaz Gorge, with its sides towering above us, with the rushing river beside us.

We visited Sigisoara, one of the best preserved walled medieval towns in Europe, which has the birthplace of Vlad to its credit, currently home to a tourist restaurant.

We visited many citadels, including climbing the hundreds of steps to stand in Vlad Tepes's real home at Poenari, a fabulous ruin set high up above the Arges River.

We also saw the Princely Court at Targoviste, residence to both Vlad and his father at one time, with its imposing tower.

This final trip for some years to Romania by the Society was, in this author's opinion, the best he can remember!

(Webmaster's note: The Society's next Romanian tour took place six years later, in 2009. Details of that itinerary are here and a photo record here.)

Trip to York

Friday 2nd August 2002

A trip we had wanted to do for some time, recommended by one of the membership. The theme? Medieval Vampire Monks! Yes, it's true, there were such things, apparently!

We stayed at a B&B (Bed and Breakfast) near the city centre, so we did not have far to go to do some shopping!

We were guided around haunted abbeys across the beautiful Yorkshire countryside in what can only be described as heat-wave conditions. We were regaled with stories that would chill your blood, which was handy considering how hot it was, and took in the wonderful Newburgh Priory, Byland Abbey, and Rievaulx Abbey. These fantastic places inspired the imagination.

We ate in York City at some excellent restaurants, and wished our 2 day trip had been longer. York is a great city.

Literary Dublin

28th June to 1st July 2002

It was off for a long weekend in Dublin, leaving from Luton Airport on the Friday. It was the first time that an official trip to the birthplace of one of our favourite authors had been organised by the Society, and we were near to turning members away this trip was so popular.

Julia Kruk and Des Bradley organised this trip, and we took in the literary sites of Dublin on a tour organised on the Saturday. We saw the home of Oscar Wilde, visited his statue in St Stephen's Green, and went to one of the houses Stoker lived in during his time in Dublin city centre.

We had dinner and a tour of Trinity College courtesy of David Lass of The Bram Stoker Society, and visited Stoker's birthplace in Clontarf. The park opposite Stoker's former home has been renamed The Bram Stoker Memorial Park, and there is a tree and notice board to mark this special memorial.

As always with the Dracula Society, shopping is a must, so plenty of time was reserved for this; yet we even squeezed in a ghost walk!