Compare Adventures Online: Discover the Cotswolds, Oxford & Stratford by Road Scholar

Day 1 Welcome, Orientation, Landscape, History, Hike, Characters From the comfort of your own home.

Today’s session will start at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and end at 3:00 p.m. Road Scholars are welcome to join for informal chat at 10:45 a.m.

11.00 a.m. Welcome, Orientation, Introductions. Our Group Leader will greet everyone and provide an overview of the program including Zoom protocols. We’ll then get to know our fellow Road Scholars with group introductions. Lecture. We will learn about the making of a Cotswold landscape, setting the scene from the stone it sits upon, to the millennia of people who have developed it, to the agricultural practices and habitats of today in this historical and thriving area of England. 11:50 a.m. We’ll get to know our fellow Road Scholars with group introductions.

12:15 p.m. Lecture. We’ll learn about the history of the Cotswolds from prehistory to its importance in the influential wool trade. 1:00 p.m. Break. 1:30 p.m. Virtual field trip. We will “explore” the Cotswolds from Chipping Campden to the city of Bath and see some of the fascinating places and beautiful vistas along the route. 2:30 p.m. Lecture. In this lighthearted talk about “puppy dog pies” and “stinking bishops,” we’ll hear some of the region’s fascinating culinary tales and distinctive products. 2:50 p.m. Wrap-up and notes for tomorrow. 3:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.

Day 2 Q&A, Cotswold Characters, Stratford & Shakespeare, Foods From the comfort of your own home.

Today’s session will start at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and end at 2:30 p.m. Road Scholars are welcome to join for informal chat at 10:45 a.m.

11:00 a.m. We’ll have a Q&A session to review yesterday’s material and the topics for today. 11.15 a.m. Lecture. We’ll learn about the pub names, place names and phrases that can be heard and found in and around the Cotswolds. Afterwards, we'll take a look at the people who have been inspired by and shaped by the Cotswolds from Laurie Lee to the Mitford Sisters. 12:30 p.m. Break.

1:00 p.m. Lecture. We’ll examine the relationship between Stratford and Shakespeare, a look at the man and the town. 2:00 p.m. We’ll take a look at food in Shakespeare’s plays. What are they really? 2:25 p.m. Wrap-up and notes for tomorrow. 2:30 p.m. Today’s session will end.

Day 3 Q&A, History of Oxford & Colleges, River Boat Ride, Oddities From the comfort of your own home.

Today’s session will start at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and end at 2:30 p.m. Road Scholars are welcome to join for informal chat at 10:45 a.m.

11:00 a.m. We’ll have a Q&A session to review yesterday’s material and the topics for today. 11:15 a.m. Lecture. We will review a timeline history of the city of Oxford, from the Danes through to the Mini Cooper. 11:45 p.m. Break.

12:15 p.m. Lecture. We focus on the famous Oxford colleges, from the Middle Ages to the present. We will learn how the English-speaking world’s first university was founded, what makes the college system so special, and take a look at some of the beautiful buildings and the famous characters who have inhabited them. 1:15 p.m. Virtual field trip. We will “explore” Oxford and along the River Isis “When Alice Went Under Ground” — following the route of Lewis Carroll and Alice’s boat trip. 2:00 p.m. There are numerous “Oxford oddities.” We’ll find out why students wear a carnation in their lapels and why they have “the bumps.” 2:25 p.m. Wrap-up and farewells. 2:30 p.m. This concludes our program.