Great West Way Unveils New UK Travel Experiences Featuring Castles, Culture and Luxury Escapes

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Great West Way will release the eighth edition of its Travel Trade Directory during its Travel Trade Marketplace in September. This directory is released annually and features travel trade suppliers along the route from London to Bristol. With the release of this directory, Great West Way hopes to provide travel and tourism businesses with innovative ways to engage with suppliers and offer experiences to tourists for the 2027 travel season and beyond.

Featuring more than 400 travel trade-focused attraction and accommodation listings, the updated Directory highlights a wide range of experiences, specialist tours and itinerary ideas that encourage visitors to discover the heritage, landscapes, culture and hidden gems of England’s Great West Way®.

New 2027 Experiences Bring Fresh Reasons to Explore England’s Great West Way®

The new edition showcases the growing diversity of experiences available across the route, including historic attractions, exclusive access tours, English wine and spirits, river adventures, wellness escapes and active outdoor journeys.

In Bristol, travellers can enjoy exclusive access to the Clifton Suspension Bridge through Hard Hat Tours, offering behind-the-scenes exploration of hidden chambers beneath one of Britain’s most celebrated engineering achievements. The experience reveals the remarkable story behind the bridge’s creation and the vision of designer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Bath is also preparing for a major heritage revival in 2027, with the reopening of the Bath Assembly Rooms following significant investment. A new immersive Georgian Ball experience will transport visitors back to 1790s Bath through historical storytelling, restored interiors and interactive audio-visual features, creating a new attraction for heritage travellers.

Across Somerset, Wookey Hole Caves has introduced Wookey Uncovered, a specialist experience designed for FIT travellers and small groups. The exclusive tour allows visitors to enter restricted cave areas, discover geological and folklore stories linked to the underground world, watch a live papermaking demonstration and enjoy a unique tasting experience featuring cave-aged Cheddar paired with Somerset cider.

Wiltshire’s Witchmark Distillery, a Certified B Corporation located near Salisbury, is offering visitors the opportunity to explore the craft behind whisky, gin and vodka production through guided tours and tastings. Its single malt whisky is expected to become available for tasting in autumn 2027.

In Windsor, Treadgold Brock, formerly known as Windsor Carriages, is creating tailored luxury experiences combining private guiding, Windsor Castle visits, exclusive venues, fine dining, chauffeured travel and Estate hospitality with traditional horse and carriage experiences. The bespoke programmes are designed for luxury FIT travellers and premium groups.

At Hampton Court Palace, travel groups can experience an exclusive Horticultural History Tour, taking visitors behind the scenes into the palace gardens and nursery. Led by the Head Gardener, the tour explores the history of the gardens and highlights modern sustainable planting practices.

Great West Way Highlights Norman Heritage Ahead of 2027 Anniversary Celebrations

With 2027 marking the European Year of the Normans, the Great West Way® is preparing new opportunities for heritage-focused travel programmes. Reading will play an important role with its rich Norman connections, including the historic Reading Abbey Quarter and the UK’s only full-length Victorian replica of the Bayeux Tapestry at Reading Museum.

The city will offer a programme of talks, exhibitions, family activities and special events, creating opportunities for themed heritage tours and anniversary itineraries. Beyond Reading, the wider Great West Way® route provides access to historic abbeys, cathedrals, landscapes and cultural landmarks shaped by Norman influence.

Three New Itineraries Inspire Future Travel Programmes

The 2027 Travel Trade Directory introduces three new suggested itineraries designed to help travel businesses create engaging and bookable journeys.

Literary Legends & On-Screen Locations explores the Great West Way’s connections with famous authors, film locations and storytelling heritage, bringing together destinations that have inspired generations of writers and filmmakers.

Luxury, Wellness & Exclusive English Historic Experiences combines premium accommodation, wellness retreats, private tours and unique English experiences, catering to luxury FIT travellers and small groups seeking personalised journeys.

Exploring Beyond: Extend Your Great West Way Journey into South Wales encourages travellers to continue their route beyond the Severn Bridge, discovering Welsh culture, industrial heritage and dramatic landscapes as part of an extended UK itinerary.

With its latest product updates, supplier information and itinerary inspiration, the Directory aims to provide travel businesses with the tools needed to design, contract and sell memorable journeys across England’s Great West Way®.

Travel Trade Marketplace Connects Global Buyers With Regional Tourism Suppliers

The launch of the new Directory will coincide with the Great West Way Travel Trade Marketplace, scheduled for Tuesday 22 September and Friday 25 September 2026. The event will welcome 40 buyers representing more than 17 visitor source markets, alongside 50 tourism suppliers from across the route and different sectors of the visitor economy.

The Marketplace is designed to strengthen connections between UK and international travel trade buyers, tourism businesses and destination partners while supporting the creation and distribution of new bookable travel products.

The 2026 event is expected to generate around 1,700 scheduled and informal business meetings, including virtual one-to-one appointments and an in-person networking event at Bristol Dockyards.

Delegates attending the Bristol gathering will enjoy a private dock tour with Bristol Packet Boats, a buffet lunch and exclusive access to the newly launched Bristol Dockyards. The experience includes guided tours of Brunel’s SS Great Britain, access to the Brunel Exhibition, Dockyard Museum and Brunel Institute Library.

Through its latest Travel Trade Directory and Marketplace event, Great West Way® continues to strengthen its position as a leading UK touring route, offering travel businesses new opportunities to develop authentic, immersive and commercially attractive experiences for visitors from around the world.

Florence Wallace, Head of Travel Trade & Business Support at Great West Way®, said: “We’re delighted to launch our 8th edition Travel Trade Directory at this year’s Marketplace event and connect the trade with suppliers and their experiences, in order to develop new programmes for 2027 and beyond.

“Our focus is on creating meaningful commercial connections between buyers and suppliers, supporting the development of bookable tourism products and encouraging visitors to explore more of the Great West Way® throughout the year. By bringing lesser-known experiences and destinations to the attention of the trade, we can help create new reasons for visitors to stay longer and discover more.”

A Growing Network Connecting Tourism Businesses and Global Travel Partners

Since launching in April 2018, Great West Way® has developed into a strong tourism network featuring more than 120 Official Tour Operators and Distribution Partners, supported by over 200 Ambassador businesses, destinations and attractions located along the route.

Through its dedicated Travel Trade programme, Great West Way® continues to support tourism professionals with personalised business guidance, product development opportunities, industry connections and access to an expanding network of suppliers. The programme helps travel businesses transform creative ideas into bookable experiences while strengthening collaboration between destinations, attractions and the wider tourism industry.