Our enquiries suggest that American visitors often miss out on visiting the home villages of the Mayflower Pilgrims because they don’t understand how easy it is to include this in a standard UK tour. In fact they often pass right through Mayflower Pilgrim Roots country and by William Brewster’s home at Scrooby on the train – at 125mph!

For example, most US visitors follow a route that goes from London to York and Edinburgh, sometimes with a diversion via Cambridge. As our rail route map shows, the direct trip from London to York passes right through the heart of Mayflower Pilgrim Roots country with a station at Retford.

We suggest booking on the 0906 train from London King’s Cross which gets you to Retford at 10.55. A ‘highlights’ visit might then include visiting the most important of the Pilgrim churches, Babworth, and then a visit to William Brewster’s home church at Scrooby. It is also possible to include William Bradford’s village of Austerfield where the tiny church has some beautiful memorial windows about the Mayflower story.

You can then pick up the train again from Doncaster, from where several trains an hour take you to York in less than half an hour.

Pilgrims and Prophets can arrange this sort of short visit for you in liaison with local churches – contact us via Facebook, email or phone if short notice. Our profits go to support local churches and the work we do researching and interpreting our history. We can provide guided transport for you, or simply arrange for a friendly local taxi to take you around and then drop you off again at your local church. All the churches are normally locked so it is not possible to make a visit without prior notice.

Book your train tickets here: https://www.lner.co.uk/

Buy our guide book here: https://amzn.to/2P63QVR