Historical Tours
6+ hours
Recommended by 100% of travellers
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
£149
per adult
Roots Travel & Tours
Roots Travel & Tours
Roots Travel & Tours
5
Cultural ToursHistorical & Heritage ToursSightseeing ToursBus ToursDay Trips
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Guided tours from Cambridge for visitors to Britain. Our tours visit some of the finest places across England for history, sightseeing and culture. Your driver-guide offers a personal, professional and informative insight to Britain with guided walking tours of each destination. Tours operate every week.
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5.0
129 reviews
Excellent
126
Very good
1
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
1
O G
Cambridge, UK1 contribution
Sept 2011 • Friends
Roots Travel provides terrific trips that cater for all tastes, and I have been on four of them already!
Having tried several different guided tours, I now stick only to this one as none of them has been as informative and well organised as Roots Travel - just perfect!
I cannot thank him enough for the great fun and precious information I learn every time I go and discover England with the tour guide Matt, who introduces you to the creme de la creme of the country.
If you haven't tried Roots Travel, you do not know what you are missing!!
Having tried several different guided tours, I now stick only to this one as none of them has been as informative and well organised as Roots Travel - just perfect!
I cannot thank him enough for the great fun and precious information I learn every time I go and discover England with the tour guide Matt, who introduces you to the creme de la creme of the country.
If you haven't tried Roots Travel, you do not know what you are missing!!
Written 8 September 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Monique-567
Cambridgeshire, UK77 contributions
Apr 2015 • Friends
This month I attended Roots guided tour to Bath and Stonehenge. Generally, I avoid guided tours as, at times, I find myself beholden to fellow tour attendees interests and varied pace. That said, I was delighted a family member talked me into attending the tour.
The information provided by our tour guide was up-to-date, informative and utterly fascinating. Moreover, our charming guide provided us with the perfect amount of ‘alone’ time to explore both Bath and Stonehenge at an individual pace. Most importantly, Bath and Stonehenge are spectacular locations. I highly recommend Roots Travel and Tours to individuals looking for a daytrip away from Cambridge. A word to the wise: dress in layers, because Stonehenge is windy!
The information provided by our tour guide was up-to-date, informative and utterly fascinating. Moreover, our charming guide provided us with the perfect amount of ‘alone’ time to explore both Bath and Stonehenge at an individual pace. Most importantly, Bath and Stonehenge are spectacular locations. I highly recommend Roots Travel and Tours to individuals looking for a daytrip away from Cambridge. A word to the wise: dress in layers, because Stonehenge is windy!
Written 25 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ana p
Covilha, Portugal7 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
Pontual Pick up at Cambridge train station, very kind service. Matt is incredible, appart of the knowledge of each place, make the journey be very pleasent and interesting.
Will be an experience to repeat! :)
I'll recomend to all my friends and colleagues.
Thank you for the great time!
Will be an experience to repeat! :)
I'll recomend to all my friends and colleagues.
Thank you for the great time!
Written 7 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mdyrdek
Switzerland818 contributions
I booked the Bath and Stonehenge tour several weeks in advance. About 10 days before the tour, they had some "unforeseen circumstances" and had to cancel the tour. Though I believe it could just be an excuse for "not enough people signing up for that specific tour" because unforeseen circumstances arise closer to the date -- otherwise, as a professional company, they should be able to work around it given ample time (such as 10 days). We were told they couldn't get a driver. What...a professional tour company can't get a back-up driver 10 days before the tour? Obviously, this is just my opinion and maybe they really couldn't get a back-up driver. However, I still think that's a poor excuse from a professional tour company. They must not have any sort of contingency plan in place given they cancelled 10 whole days beforehand.
Of course, in their fine print, they note that they will not reimburse for things such as booked travel in the event of a cancellation. Sadly, my husband was flying in from Switzerland (I am temporarily in the UK for studies and he planned to visit me and take this tour) and our friend was traveling to Cambridge from London to meet us and join us on this tour. I didn't ask them to consider reimbursing for my husband's flight because we can afford the cost and we could still spend the weekend together. However, our friend is in university and they wouldn't even consider refunding the cost of his train ticket. I was told "well if you had bothered to read the fine print". RUDE!!!!
I would highly advise against using this company if you are arranging any sort of travel around your tour because departures are NOT guaranteed.
A tip for customer service -- I would have considered selecting a new date for me and my friend (though without my husband due to having to fly in from Switzerland), but the poor customer service steered me away from doing so. How do I know it wouldn't happen again? They didn't even offer a small discount, like 5%, for the trouble and to select a new date. Therefore, I just requested a refund.
Of course, in their fine print, they note that they will not reimburse for things such as booked travel in the event of a cancellation. Sadly, my husband was flying in from Switzerland (I am temporarily in the UK for studies and he planned to visit me and take this tour) and our friend was traveling to Cambridge from London to meet us and join us on this tour. I didn't ask them to consider reimbursing for my husband's flight because we can afford the cost and we could still spend the weekend together. However, our friend is in university and they wouldn't even consider refunding the cost of his train ticket. I was told "well if you had bothered to read the fine print". RUDE!!!!
I would highly advise against using this company if you are arranging any sort of travel around your tour because departures are NOT guaranteed.
A tip for customer service -- I would have considered selecting a new date for me and my friend (though without my husband due to having to fly in from Switzerland), but the poor customer service steered me away from doing so. How do I know it wouldn't happen again? They didn't even offer a small discount, like 5%, for the trouble and to select a new date. Therefore, I just requested a refund.
Written 6 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First of all I would like to express my sincerest apologies for the cancellation of the tour. We rarely cancel tours but when we do so it is always with great reluctance and regret.
We operate guided tours for small groups in small buses where the driver of the bus is also the tour guide. This enables us to deliver a personal and informative tour which differentiates us from other tour companies. But this means we cannot simply employ a driver to conduct the tour.
Our tour programme is compiled six months in advance and driver-guides are allocated to each tour at that time. Unfortunately, cancellations do happen for unforeseen circumstances, such as vehicle breakdown, sickness, or, on this occasion, urgent family matters for the allocated driver-guide. We are a small company and have a limited pool of driver-guides that we can fall back on but on this rare occasion none of our usual driver-guides were available to step in to conduct the tour. In 10 days it would be impossible to employ someone else, train them up and expect them to deliver the quality of tour that we guarantee from our usual driver-guides in that time frame.
Since being listed on TripAdvisor four years ago we have worked hard to deliver a high quality tour each and every time, as reflected in the positive reviews we have received, so we would never offer a tour that we know would not be commensurate with the high standards we have set. For this reason we thought the most appropriate course of action was to cancel the tour giving our passengers as much notice as possible to reschedule their tour with us and to rearrange their weekend. We certainly do not cancel tours due to low passenger numbers 10 days in advance of a tour since, at this time of year, the majority of our passengers book within a week of travel anyway.
Our terms and conditions state that in the event of cancellation by us passengers are, of course, entitled to a full refund of the monies they have paid for the tour but they are not entitled to any compensation to cover any expenses or losses brought about by the cancellation. We recommend that passengers have their own insurance to cover themselves in such an event. These terms and conditions are in line with industry standards in the UK and elsewhere.
However, these booking terms and conditions are laid down as general rules but we consider each claim on its merits. Unfortunately, by your cutting short the telephone call to us we had no chance to work out a solution. As a gesture of goodwill I immediately sent you an email to offer a refund of the train fare that your friend had purchased if he was to postpone joining the tour until a later date. Since then I have offered him a refund of his train fare unconditionally. As I write I have yet to receive an acknowledgement from you of my offer or any evidence from your travelling companion of the train ticket purchased. You, your husband and your travelling companion were all refunded in full for the cost of the tour as soon as you informed us you wanted a refund rather than move your booking to another tour date.
As a final point, your claim that I was rude to you is inaccurate. I would never speak to our clients in such a way. I simply told you what the booking terms and conditions stated.
Written 10 March 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jodie G
Kingscote, Australia1 contribution
Nov 2013 • Solo
I initially booked two trips in one weekend (to Bath/Stonehenge, and to York) with Roots on the recommendation of a colleague. Although the recommendation had come early in the year, I found myself with only two months left in Cambridge (before returning to Australia) and realised I had not seen many of the UK's beautiful and historic towns. The first two tours I took were simply wonderful: a perfectly balanced day of road-tripping, useful and relevant information and walking tour provided by Matt, and some free time to explore my own interests at each site. After these trips I rearranged my final weekends in the UK to ensure I could do as many Roots tours as available! Matt's passion and knowledgability with regard to UK history is obvious and he is very enthusiastic to share this in an entertaining manner, thanks Matt :) I took tours to Oxford/Windsor (we saw the Queen drive past!) and Brighton/Beach Head - all worth seeing. I can highly recommend these tours to tourists to the UK and locals alike - so much learnt in a short time. Very enjoyable days out and some of the best memories of my time in the UK.
Written 3 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alessandro O
San Lazzaro di Savena, Italy32 contributions
Oct 2011
We start from Cambridge at 8 am. We arrive at Stonehenge at 10 and Matt explain us all the aspect of the site, in a very clear way, otherwise we couldn't understand functions of stones and they would be only stones.
At 11.30 we move to Bath, and arrive at 12.30. We have free time for lunch and to visit the cathedral and the roman bath, very beautiful places.
Then we go around the city with our guide that explains us everything about the city.
It was a really nice trip
At 11.30 we move to Bath, and arrive at 12.30. We have free time for lunch and to visit the cathedral and the roman bath, very beautiful places.
Then we go around the city with our guide that explains us everything about the city.
It was a really nice trip
Written 19 October 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MollySells26
Cambridge, UK1 contribution
Jul 2015 • Friends
I have been on multiple of these types of tours throughout Scotland/Ireland and from them, this was the least enjoyable. I mean if you're out of better alternatives and would like to see Bath and Stonehenge than this is fine and will do just that. but don't expect much else. I was on the larger coach and it seemed very unorganized. There was also a lot of confusion about leaving time. Usually there is a 10 minute window (there are always a few stragglers who get lost etc) but they seemed eager to leave people behind rather than wait a few minutes. It says meet at 8 but they actually leave at 8.
In addition, the driver and the guide were a bit rude. When I attempted to speak with one of them about letting someone in who was just 2 minutes away from the bus, the driver immediately raised his voice on me rather than listen to me and exclaimed no. It's one thing to stick to a schedule and relay that info but its another thing to yell at a customer. I did not appreciate that at all. When we stopped for a toilet break, they also accused someone of being on our bus that wasn't originally there and did another roll call (everyone was accounted for so they were wrong). Very unprofessional, confusing, and disorganized. Overall, I'd be incredibly hesitant of booking this tour again as they seemed more concerned with making profit then offering a good experience for tourists.
In addition, the driver and the guide were a bit rude. When I attempted to speak with one of them about letting someone in who was just 2 minutes away from the bus, the driver immediately raised his voice on me rather than listen to me and exclaimed no. It's one thing to stick to a schedule and relay that info but its another thing to yell at a customer. I did not appreciate that at all. When we stopped for a toilet break, they also accused someone of being on our bus that wasn't originally there and did another roll call (everyone was accounted for so they were wrong). Very unprofessional, confusing, and disorganized. Overall, I'd be incredibly hesitant of booking this tour again as they seemed more concerned with making profit then offering a good experience for tourists.
Written 13 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am sorry to hear that your experience of last weekend’s tour did not meet your expectations. At Roots we strive hard to give all our passengers a great experience on our tours and clearly you feel we let you down. However, I would like to address some of the points you have raised.
In the peak summer months when demand for our tours is high we increase capacity on our most popular tour to Bath & Stonehenge. The tour is also our longest tour both in terms of distance and duration. Time is of the essence on this tour and any delays during the day have a knock-on effect to the schedule later in the tour. As a result it is very important that the tour commences as soon after the scheduled departure time as possible. Wherever possible we do wait for latecomers but we also have a duty to all other passengers who have arrived on time to commence the tour punctually. This is why in all our literature, whether printed or online, we always use the terminology ‘depart at 8am’. I’m not sure where you found the wording ‘meet at 8am’ but I’d be keen to know where.
We operate a collection schedule from various departure points across Cambridge all at different times. At the weekend your friend who missed the tour had chosen to be collected from a departure point scheduled to depart at a time earlier than from our central departure point. He had not arrived by three minutes after that point’s scheduled departure time so the bus departed without him in order to reach the central departure point in time for an 8am departure. On arrival at the central departure point I discussed with you your friend’s absence from the earlier departure point and we agreed that if you were to contact him and tell him to meet the bus at a different place we would divert the coach away from its normal route to collect him. At the time I warned you that if your friend was not at the place we had arranged when the coach arrived we would not wait any longer for him. The bus departed from the central departure point 5 minutes later than scheduled after having waited a few minutes for a small group. On arrival at the newly arranged departure point your friend was not there. The guide got off the bus to look around for your friend while you were in telephone contact with him but you informed the coach driver and the guide that he was 6-7 minutes away, not 2 minutes away as you suggest in your review, so the coach departed without him. I am very sorry your friend missed the tour but it was impossible for us to wait any longer.
There is no excuse for the driver to raise his voice at you for which I am very sorry. However, we hired in the coach and driver for the tour from a local coach company so he was not in direct employment of Roots Travel & Tours. I have informed the coach company of his behaviour and I can only pass on my sincere apologies for this. I know the driver to be hard of hearing so although it is no excuse perhaps his reaction appeared to be rude when in fact he was only responding in his normal loud voice.
Written 15 July 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
chisworld
Kobe, Japan18 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
I was fortunate in joining the Bath and Stonehenge tour held by Roots because I very much enjoyed everything throughout it.
About 20 years ago I had been to both of places on my own, but in those days there wasn’t much information on them in guidebook (and no internet information like today, of course!). So I just thought “Oh, Bath is very beautiful city!” or “Oh, Stonehenge is very old and mysterious!” when I had visited them.
Therefore I had decided to join the guided tour to deepen my knowledge about them this time.
Matt, the tour guide and driver, gave me so much information on not only Bath and Stonehenge but also on Cotswolds where we passed through on our way to Bath. It helped me a lot to understand their background stories. I was able to see them with new eyes.
Bath and Stonehenge mustn’t have changed since my first visit, but it seemed to me that they were very different places during the tour because of Matt’s interesting and productive information.
I would like to join Roots' other tours such as York, Cotswolds, Oxford etc. when I visit Cambridge again.
About 20 years ago I had been to both of places on my own, but in those days there wasn’t much information on them in guidebook (and no internet information like today, of course!). So I just thought “Oh, Bath is very beautiful city!” or “Oh, Stonehenge is very old and mysterious!” when I had visited them.
Therefore I had decided to join the guided tour to deepen my knowledge about them this time.
Matt, the tour guide and driver, gave me so much information on not only Bath and Stonehenge but also on Cotswolds where we passed through on our way to Bath. It helped me a lot to understand their background stories. I was able to see them with new eyes.
Bath and Stonehenge mustn’t have changed since my first visit, but it seemed to me that they were very different places during the tour because of Matt’s interesting and productive information.
I would like to join Roots' other tours such as York, Cotswolds, Oxford etc. when I visit Cambridge again.
Written 18 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TaliaBar
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada6 contributions
Apr 2015 • Family
We booked a trip with Roots to Bath and Stonehenge in mid April. Normally I am not a fan of guided tours but I found Matt to be a very well informed guide, relaxed (you can bring your own food into the van to eat) and fun. Matt was very up-to-date on the latest archeological theories regarding Stonehenge and the tour of Bath was both in depth and entertaining. Additionally, there was an appropriate amount of "free" time to explore on your own.
Written 24 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Avik M
Cambridge, UK2 contributions
Jan 2015 • Solo
There are certain places in England that you must see before you leave. I took the Bath and Stonehenge tour and the experience is just amazing. Our tour guide Matt was amazing, and he has an awesome ability to present information that one can literally visualize the period of history in front of his eyes. Bus was really comfortable and the long journey was properly interspersed with breaks.
If you are going to Bath, definitely take the walking tour with Matt and visit Roman bath. At stonehenge, please listen to Matt, as he will tell you the most recent scientific information available on Stonehenge. At the end of the day, you will find out that it was really a wonderful day in your life.
If you are going to Bath, definitely take the walking tour with Matt and visit Roman bath. At stonehenge, please listen to Matt, as he will tell you the most recent scientific information available on Stonehenge. At the end of the day, you will find out that it was really a wonderful day in your life.
Written 23 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
silviacoralia
Mexico City, Mexico
Quiero ir a Bath y Stonehenge saliendo de Cambridge en junio en cualquier día entre 16 y 20 y el 19 ya tengo otro tour de ustedes
Written 27 April 2017
Sorry, we only have a tour to Stonehenge & Avebury while you are here in Cambridge - the tour is on 17 June. Our Bath & Stonehenge tours near that time are on 10 & 24 June. I am sorry we cannot be of any greater help.
Written 28 April 2017
silviacoralia
Mexico City, Mexico
Quiero ir tour de Bath y Stonehenge el sábado 19 de junio desde Cambridge tienen alguno?
Written 27 April 2017
Hi, 19 June is a Monday not a Saturday so we don't have any tours that day I'm afraid. We have a tour to Stonehenge & Avebury on Saturday 17 June if that is of interest? I hope you can join us.
Written 28 April 2017
Any feedback on Bath and Stonehenge vs. York tours offered by Roots Travel? Would have loved to do both but am only in Cambridge over the weekend.
Written 15 June 2016
Hi,
I'm afraid our monthly York tour was held last weekend so the next tour is not until 17 July. This weekend's Stonehenge tour is to Stonehenge and Avebury and not to Bath, but unfortunately the tour is already fully booked. The next available Bath & Stonehenge tour is on Wednesday of next week, 22 June although it appears you won't be able to join us.
I'm very sorry we are unable to provide you with the tours of your choice but many thanks for getting in contact.
Kind regards,
Matt Hayes
Managing Director
Roots Travel & Tours
Written 16 June 2016
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