We chose the "Enchanting Eastern England" tour for 3 reasons:
1. Previous excellent experience with Blue/Backroads tours;
2. We love traveling with Aussies, New Zeelanders, Canadians;
3. This particular tour went to areas where we had not been;
4. The timeframe worked well with our lives.
We were not disappointed! We had 13 travelers in a 16 passanger van with an superior guide (Jessica) and an amazing driver (Lee). We did indeed see the "back roads," which gives a unique perspective on the country. We were thrilled with the full itinerary and the housing and food choices were a real bonus. The only challenge was that we were in the British Isles for three week and we throught the one "roll aboard" + backpack per person would be too limiting. It wasn't. It was very freeing and caused us to get creative. We worked with a black pallet and colors that looked good in layers. Being late in the season, we had one wool layer and warm washable under garments. "Tide stick" keep clothes clean and hand-washing was an option with two nights in each hotel. Thank you, Back-Roads.

We've been to the UK a number of times over 35 years but hadn't seen much of the east side of England. We had a very good experience with Back Roads on another tour and decided to try it. We like to combine a tour and some time on our own on a trip like this. We went places and saw things we never would have seen on our own. It's always nice to have someone else take care of the details sometimes. We were pleased with the itinerary and the arrangements.

Our tour leader, Jessica, was wonderful. She was very accommodating to our needs. My wife doesn't move as fast as the group at times and Jessica made sure she didn't get left behind or left out. Our driver, Lee, was also very helpful.

We enjoyed the others on our trip. There were only 13 travelers so we had a little extra room on the coach. We were half Australians and half Americans which made for a great mix.

Blue-Roads exceeded my expectations. Had a really wonderful time, will travel with them again. Our tour guide Jessica made this trip spectacular. Jessica is well suited to guiding and went above and beyond to make it enjoyable and rewarding for all. Jessica was so friendly, fun, professional and kind, she researched and answered all the oddball questions, was extremely well versed with the places we visited and loved. There were individual requests to stop at places and Jessica made that happen without losing any momentum. Loved the relaxed pace, thanks for a great experience Jessica and Blue-Roads.

Pro: Very good tour guide and driver. Very knowledgeable and felt very safe in their company.
Pro: Unique hotels but all should have air-conditioning.
Pro: Interesting sites but a bit repetitive. Maybe break up the trip with an activity like a cooking class or a class on how thatched roofs are made or learn about a unique feature/craft of the area.
Pro: All our luggage was handled by our guide which was greatly appreciated.

Suggestions:
1. Edinburgh is a small enough and historical city that some time should have been dedicated to this city.
2. The 1st day of the tour should start earlier than 6pm. Perhaps 3-4pm introductions followed by a walking tour and dinner at a nice restaurant or local pub. Similarly, the last day of the tour should end after breakfast (not 3pm.) At this point in the journey, most travelers appeared ready to say their good-byes earlier.
3. I feel the group is small enough that if we stop at an interesting village and we would like to visit longer, a vote should be an option to perhaps shorter the time spent at the next destination in order to continue remaining at the current location.
4. Final Departures were haphazard in London and seemed very chaotic. Perhaps selecting another city or section of London (where transportation to the airport or another hotel for those extending their stay) would have been less stressful.

We enjoyed our trip and met very nice people along the way. I hope my comments are not taken as criticism but rather are embodied as a fresher look at an established tour.

We saw a varied selection of attractions on the tour. A good variety. Unfortunately we weren't able to visit Sandringham but that was beyond the control of our tour.
Our accommodation was excellent. The hotel rooms and the beds met every expectation and more. The meals that were supplied were good although I think sometimes the restaurants tried too hard to be fancy. Some 'plain' food (ie. a basic salad) would have been welcome.

Blue Roads Enchanting Eastern England was an enjoyable and interesting tour, with a good, knowledgeable and funny tour director Gideon, and an excellent driver, Simon. This was my second Blue Roads tour, and I really like that they go to some different places and locations not on the bigger tour itineraries.

Giovanni and Ash were great. I was amazed at Gio’s preparation and narration and “Ash’s” driving skills especially the many tight, “backroads” situations.

My wife and I had a couple of hotel issues that Gio was very helpful in resolving.

Adequate number of days. Excellent tour leader in Charlie. Provided wonderful regional treats throughout the tour.

Well organized lots of historical sites

on the whole the tour was quite good. Would have liked to see more of the culture in the area and less cathedrals and castles. The evening meals the tour provided were one of the down sides of the tour. I would rather you charge a little more and allow us to order from the menu. Each evening meal provided on the tour was the same - a choice of chicken, fish and pasta/risotto.

Thought it was great value for the price. Just showed up each morning and things were planned but there was free time to explore as well.