Gretchen Cornwall

Invites you to

A TEMPLAR’S JOURNEY
TO ENGLAND & FRANCE

September 27-October 7, 2024

Visiting London, Chartres, Rochefoucauld Chateau & Bordeaux.
Allow your soul to reconnect, refresh, awaken & remember on this special journey with author and Templar expert Gretchen Cornwall that will be highlighting Knights Templar lore and history. Join Gretchen Cornwall as she guides you to Templar locations featured on The Curse of Oak Island.
Operated in cooperation with Body Mind Spirit Journeys

Join Gretchen Cornwall in England and France for an epic Templar journey inspired by her filming, and more, from the TV Program, The Curse of Oak Island.  Gretchen believes in ‘questing’ as a life practice and following in the footsteps of the Templars. And now she invites you to come with her to Royston Cave.  Experience an in-depth visceral moment of wonder. Learn why the Templars developed the cave. Why was it hidden? The date of 1347 ties the cave to a treasure map and a French castle owned by a powerful family.

Discover Château de La Rochefoucauld in ‘Templar Central’ as an ‘ark’ of powerful secrets. Understand the heart behind the Templars that are not revealed by popular programs. Hear about the secrets she discovered in her books. Learn about her research approach, and only for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.

Additionally, Gretchen will lead several presentations at each location, including at the enigmatic Chartres Cathedral built with the aid of the Knights Templar. Come ready to renew and align yourself in the sacred traditions of the Templars. 

YOUR HOST: GRETCHEN CORNWALL
Gretchen has appeared frequently on the History Channel’s The Curse of Oak Island and Ancient Aliens.  She is a favorite with syndicated podcasters and is a guest host of many online programs, and live talks. Gretchen is working on her fourth book which includes further evidence for the survival of Templar traditions through time.  Her deep knowledge of the Knights Templar and medieval history saturates her successful books with an air of mystery. Her current books are available on Amazon. Templar caves, castles, and churches are a constant lure. Ms. Cornwall is deeply committed to the preservation and the conservation of sensitive archaeological sites, and buildings at risk and believes that by understanding our past we may move forward in harmony, respect, and understanding as human beings. As a prior trustee for the Friends of the Margate Shell Grotto, she has developed her knowledge of caves. Her earlier background includes performing arts and design. She has lived in the UK since 2002 and has family in the USA.

Your Templar Tour Itinerary

Day 1-Friday, September 27: Arrive London: Evening Thames River Welcome dinner cruise (D)
Arrival in London and transfer on our own to our reserved hotels accommodations. Time to relax a bit before we will be transferred to the pier for our “Welcome to London” evening dinner cruise on the Thames River. As we step on-board our floating River Restaurant, we start to sail gliding on the River as London’s landmarks are even more impressive at night. With their bright lights and dreamlike quality, the ever changing backdrop is simply mesmerizing as we sail under Tower Bridge, down towards the Thames Barrier and past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Dinner is served and a live band sets the mood with gentle background music. After disembarking, we return to our hotel by coach.

Day 2- Saturday, September 28: In London (B)
After breakfast, we have a panoramic tour morning to experience London’s West End, including a look at Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and Piccadilly Square.  We will also visit the Tower of London, featuring a carving discovered by Gretchen that could be potentially by the last Templar Grand Master of England in St Martin’s Tower. The Tower rises next to the River Thames, and it was once the largest non-ecclesiastical building in England, as well as a focus of power for each new monarch. Over the centuries, the structure has been renovated, enlarged, and enhanced. As the architecture has changed, so has the Tower’s purpose. It’s been a fortress, a prison, and a palace. It’s served as the Royal Mint, displayed a menagerie of exotic animals, housed the crown jewels, and become the home of the six royal ravens, whose presence, tradition says, keeps the kingdom from falling. We end our tour at the Temple Church. The prayerful and beautiful Temple Church, steeped in the history of Christendom and the whole Common Law World. The church includes Templar Effigies and Royston Cave’s founder, Templar-Lay-Brother Sir Geoffrey de Mandeville. The Round Church was built to be London’s Jerusalem. The Magna Carta was negotiated in the Temple and its greatest heroes are buried in the Church. From Raleigh’s expeditions through the colonial constitutions to the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution, the Temple was the birthplace of American Law. Return to our hotel for an afternoon and evening free for independent exploration and maybe taking in a play at one of London’s wonderful theaters.

Day 3- Sunday, September 29: In London: Full day Royston Cave Touring (B/L)
Three great sites are on our itinerary today. We start our touring North of London to Baldock, Royston Cave, and the Cambridge Round Church. The medieval “new town” of Baldock was established sometime between 1138 and 1148 by the Knights who were given an area carved out of the manor of Weston by bad King John. They planned and laid out the four main streets with a wider area in two of them to act as a market place and that they actively encouraged merchants to settle here but left a bailiff in charge to collect rents and enforce law and order, as the Knights were concerned with the town mainly as a money-making enterprise to finance their crusades to the Holy Land. We will have some time to view a few medieval buildings that remain in Baldock (though most are hidden behind more modern buildings or facades). Their central church of Saint Mary’s in Baldock is nearly void of the Templar footprint, however, their church is a great example of traditional English architecture. It has a very rare memorial to a Templar Knight charged with expanding the property. The streets of Baldock honor the Templars with their many historic names. It is important to understand the landscape in which our medieval ancestors lived and work. The very land determined their movements which was laid over the top of the prior Roman and Celtic world. From their seat in Baldock, the Templars would travel N.E. to the Market town of Royston and secretly guard the crossroads against potential enemies trying to spy on their HQ in London. Though brief, this visit to Baldock will help to understand the Templar strategy in the area.  Our next stop, Royston Cave, to see for ourselves, if the Cave was a secret site for the Knights Templar. Royston Cave was discovered quite by accident, in the summer of 1742. A workman, digging foundations for a new bench in the town’s butter market, struck a buried millstone and found that it was hiding the entrance to a deep shaft in the earth. This being an age before the dawn of health and safety directives, a passing small boy was promptly handed a candle and sent down on a rope to investigate, while the townsfolk of Royston chattered excitedly above about the prospect of buried treasure.  What was discovered was less lucrative but far more mysterious: a broken cup and some jewelry, a human skull and bones, and walls engraved from top to bottom with strange expressionless figures. However, the theory that has ensnared the public imagination more than any other is that Royston Cave was an underground hiding place for the Knights Templar, that enigmatic order of warrior monks who achieved vast wealth and influence across Europe before being violently suppressed in 1307. The Templars owned properties in the town and provided banking services at the ancient Roman and Celtic crossroads. The major artery out of London. The Templars were guardians of pilgrims but also sentinels at crossroads, guarding their headquarters in London. Their presence caused many conflicts with the local abbey. Why were the Templars trading in Royston when their own Market Town of Baldock was just eight miles away? What secrets at the crossroads were they guarding? Some interpret the circular design of the cave as a reference to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. To the Northeast on the Icknield Way of ‘Celtic’ origin, sits the Round Church in Cambridge. Is the Round Church tied to the underground Royston Cave on the same road? Baldock, Royston, and Cambridge all sit on the ancient way. Why? Come with Gretchen to find out! The carvings of Royston Cave bear hallmarks of Templar art, such as their depiction of heart symbols and the biblical King David. Three centuries after it was rediscovered, Royston Cave remains one of Britain’s most mysterious places. We have lunch during our touring before going on to Cambridge. In the afternoon, we travel to Cambridge Round Church. Modeled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Round Church was built by Crusaders in the 12th century. It consisted of a round nave and an ambulatory, with a short chancel, probably in the shape of an apse. Initially, it was a wayfarers’ chapel on the Roman road known as Via Devana. A city landmark long before the formation of the university, the church has stood as a witness to the Christian faith for nearly 900 years of Cambridge history. The city itself is a jewel of England’s finest architectural heritage and can’t be missed.

Day 4- Monday, September 30: In London. Sightseeing tour of Westminster Abbey (B/D)
After breakfast we will have a guided tour of Westminster Abbey, an architectural masterpiece whose footprint may date to the 10th century.  Expanded by the Anglo-Saxon King Edward in 1040 but taken in 1066 by the greatest Viking raider of all time, William the Conqueror of Normandy France.  He had built the fearsome (White) Tower of London, stamping his culture over the defeated Anglo-Saxons.  The fierce men of Norway would change the face of Europe and extended themselves into the Orient.  Their knowledge flowed into the royal court of France, and England and likewise, influenced the Templars.  William Duke of Normandy was crowned King of England in 1066 – Overnight, French became the language of the land.  The abbey is stunning and a behemoth of architectural layers rebuilt over the 13th to 16th centuries.  More than 3,300 kings, queens, artists, poets, scientists, military leaders and the unknown solider have been laid to rest in the ancient abbey.  It is the pageantry backdrop for royal marriages coronations and funerals.  Prince William and Catherine Middleton signed their marriage registration documents in private at the tomb of Edward the Confessor.  Its soaring roof vaulting of 102 feet is one of Britain’s highest church vaults, guiding your gaze upward in wonderment and lifting your soul.  By 1900, so many prominent figures were buried in the abbey that the writer William Morris called it a “National Valhalla.” Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots are entombed near each other as a reminder of the dramatic struggle between two very different monarchs, ending in the tragic death of Mary.  Westminster is a breathtaking ark filled with remembrance of those who impacted the world.  In Gretchen’s view, the most interesting tomb is that of King Edward III who ‘stole’ properties that were placed in the hands of the Hospitallers after the Templars were disbanded in 1314 by Pope Clement who had been illegally elected by pressure from King Philip of France who had his eyes on Templar wealth for many years.  The Knights Hospitaler were the rival order of the Templars. After their arrests on Friday the 13th of October, their properties were absorbed by the Hospitallers. Why was Edward III of England pursuing Templar properties, taking them from the Hospitallers and retaining them as protectorates under the Crown until the 1800’s?  What was he looking for?  Templar treasure? Take the rest of the day off to explore London before we meet in the lobby for our “Farewell to England” as we partake in an Elizabethan Banquet at the famed Hatfield House, with a banquet and entertainment in Elizabethan surroundings at the 15th century Old Palace, where Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII learned of her accession to the throne. During the evening, you will be entertained in traditional style with minstrels and ballad singers. Return to our hotel for our overnight.

Day 5- Tuesday, October 1: London/Paris by Chunnel Train; Onto Chartres (B/D)
After breakfast, we depart London onboard the Chunnel train for the 2 ½ hour ride to Paris. Here we will meet our French Escort and travel by coach to Chartres, the town is built on the left bank of the Eure River with its spires of its famous cathedral. Wide boulevards, bordered by elms, encircle the old town with its steep narrow streets that lead down to picturesque houses by the river…and of course its history steeped in The Templars of Chartres. We check into our hotel before dinner and our overnight.

Day 6-Wednesday, October 2: In Chartres: Morning tour of the Cathedral. Afternoon free for independent exploration.  Evening Labyrinth walk (B)
According to the Cartulaires, the Templars of Chartres settled in Chartres before 1183 and remained there till their demise in 1307. The Templars’ house was adjacent to the Hospitallers’ house at the exact spot where the former Carmelite chapel, now the Court of Assizes (meaning law court), stands today. In the 14th century, as soon as the Temple’s property was joined to the Hospitallers’ property, and until the 17th century, the Hospitallers made the former Templar house the residence of the Commanders, without building or improving it. Gretchen will lead us in an extensive talk about the history and carvings of this great Cathedral. The afternoon is free independent exploration. Consider visiting the Stained Glass Center. we will gather at Chartres Cathedral, which sits on the site of an important Druid mystery center and has been dedicated to the Divine Feminine since Celtic times. In the late afternoon, we meet an walk to the Chartres Cathedral, whose Patron Saint is St. Mary, is also known for its labyrinth. The labyrinth is an archetype found in many spiritual traditions. Unlike a maze, the labyrinth has only one path. Walking its winding course to the center quiets the mind; It involves three stages: purgation – a letting go of distractions as you walk in illumination; receiving what you came for upon reaching the center; and union – a joining with the sacred as you complete the experience and walk out.  Private time to walk the labyrinth in the Divine Energy of St. Mary and to meditate before returning to our hotel and dinner on your own at some of the wonderful charming restaurants.

Day 7- Thursday, October 3: To Angouleme; Overnight (B/D)
After breakfast, we board our coach and head south the medieval town of Angouleme, not far from Chateau de la Rochefoucauld. Angouleme is located on a rocky promontory that overlooks the Charente River and is surrounded by large boulevards which stand above the original ramparts that protected the town. Around the heart of Angouleme’s historic center (which is classified among the best known French Towns of Art and History) there are more miles of ramparts that remaining intact. Dinner and overnight.

Day 8- Friday, October 4: In Angoulene: Excursion to Château de la Rochefoucauld & the Abbey of St Nicolas (B/L)
This morning is devoted to the Chateau de la Rochefoucauld and their ties directly to the Templars. The site was first used around 980 by Fucaldus, younger brother of the Viscount of Limoges. Fucaldus set up a fortified camp on the rock and called it Fucaldus in rupe, or Foucald’s Rock. The castle of La Rochefoucauld gives a remarkable illustration of the interweaving of politics and architecture through the life of the family who owned the castle without interruption since Fucaldus laid the first fortification. Early in the 11th century, the son of Fucaldus built a square keep, still identifiable at the heart of the present site. Two entrance towers were built from 1350. To celebrate the end of the Hundred Years’ War in 1453 and to demonstrate his political power as the Lord of the region, Jean de La Rochefoucauld built three additional towers to the structure and raised the level of the main tower of the castle, thus, enabling him to oversee his domain at greater heights. After a light lunch at a local restaurant, we depart for the Abbey of St Nicolas with its façade. It’s the oldest in the whole of the Anzune. Its vault was built in the 11^th century and has been classified as a historical monument. The monastery had been built on a plot of land given by the lord of the place, Frouin, hence its name. One note of the Abbey’s interior is the bottom wall and a cross of consecration representing the savior’s hand. Then at the north-east corner of the crossing, a curious marquee depicting a mask among foliage. The architecture of the sanctuary reproduces that of the apsidolles; its vault in a cradle, then the cul-de-four that succeeds it, rests on a tablet supported by columns and consoles. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. The evening is free for you to experience some of the local restaurants.

Day 9- Saturday, October 5: To Dome & Castelnaud-La-Chapele (B/L/D)
After breakfast we depart Angouleme for the town of Domme to visit the Haunting Domme Prison which was filmed by Oak Island with Templar Knight Graffiti.  They were held for seven years awaiting trial in the medieval prison and carved mysterious messages on the walls.  Then it’s onto the Cave under the medieval town, which  is a natural beautiful marvel. We will have a quick light lunch before we continue with a short drive from Domme, along the Dordogne River to the huge medieval museum of Chateau Castelnaud!  Full military displays with trebuchets, swordsmen, historic clothed characters and travel friendly site.  This location is one of the best for the modern visitor to experience what life would have been like during our romantic medieval past.  Then to our accommodations in Castelnaud-La-Chapele for dinner and our overnight.

Day 10- Sunday, October 6 To Bordeaux. Leave for Bordeaux. Farewell evening dinner and wine tasting (B/D)
Onto Bordeaux. An intoxicating cocktail of 18th-century savoir-faire, millennial hi-tech and urban street life, Bordeaux is France’s sixth largest city and is among Europe’s most exciting. Bordeaux is also the capital of Nouvelle Aquitaine and the hub of an extensive wine region. So what better way to end our tour with a Farewell dinner and wine tasting in this beautiful city.

Day 11- Monday, October 7: Tour ends after breakfast (B)
Our tour ends after breakfast as we transfer to the airport. Be sure to make your flight reservations for a departure AFTER 12 noon.

TOUR INCLUDES:

• First Class Hotel Accommodations
• 4 Nights London
• 2 nights in Chartres
• 3 nights in Angoulene
• 1 night in Bordeaux
• Hotel taxes
• Breakfast every day
• 2 Lunches
• 6 Dinners
• Sightseeing and entrance fees
• Escorted & Guided throughout
• Transportation by rail and coach
• Porterage at hotels on arrival

ADDED FEATURES:

• Welcome dinner cruise on the Thames in London
• Special Medieval Elizabethan dinner in London
• Tour of London including Westminster Abbey
• Visit the Tower of London
• Full day visit to the Royston Cave
• An excursion to Baldock (founded by the Templars)
• Travel to Chartres, including a Cathedral visit
• Excursion to Chateau de la Rochefoucald
• Visit the Abbey of St Nicolas
• Excursion to the Ventouse Templar Church
• Visit the Chapel of the Templars
• Farewell dinner and wine tasting in Bordeaux
• PLUS…Gretchen will lead several presentations at each location

Hotels (or similar)

• London- Hotel St James Court (4 nights)
• Chartres-Hotel Des Poemes de Chartres (2 nights)
• Angoulene- Hotel Mercure De France (2 nights)
• Castelnaud La Chappelle area – Hotel Le Perigord  (1 night)
• Bordeaux- Hotel de Seze (1 night)

Please read the Terms and Conditions for this tour.

TOUR PRICES

Bonus! SAVE! You will receive a 5% discount if ALL payments are made by check or money order. This discounted price is noted below in red.

Tour – Land Only Costs Per Person, double occupancy:
$4,999 payments via check $5,259 via credit card

Tour – Land Only Costs Per Person, Single occupancy
$6,999 payments via check $7,369 via credit card

Pre-Paid Gratuities (to Escorts, Guides, Drivers)
$125 payments via check, $130 via credit card

Deposit Schedule
Deposit Payment – due as soon as possible in order to ensure a place on the tour
Per Person Double or Single accommodations: $800 by check or money order, $850 by credit card

Final Payment (due on or before July 27, 2024)

NOTE: The Single Room Supplement applies for those who would like to secure a private room throughout the tour.

ROOMMATES: We will be happy to try to find a suitable roommate for those who are traveling alone and would like to share a room. Per our Terms and Conditions, registration for the tour will be held open until four weeks before the departure date in order to try to match everyone with a roommate. If, by that date, we have not been able to match you with a suitable roommate, you will be responsible to pay for the single supplement. An early registration will facilitate this process.

If you have already registered and would like to go to the payment page, Click Here.

Travel Insurance

As travel professionals, Body Mind Spirit Journeys highly recommends travel insurance. Sometimes unexpected circumstances can arise. A sudden emergency just before or during your trip could spoil your vacation and deplete your resources.

We have recently seen some of our valued travelers lose not only their non-refundable deposits, but also their entire tour payments because they hoped they would not need trip cancellation insurance.

You should protect your trip investment and yourself in regards to health, property and trip payments. That is why we provide you with an easy way to contact BMSJ’s preferred insurance provider, Allianz Global Assistance. If you need additional information or have questions, please call Allianz directly at 1-800-284-8300, and refer to code F025323.

BMSJ will be sending you additional details and a brochure with your confirmation on trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

Photo credits:
Temple Round Church London by John Salmon / Temple Church, Temple, London EC4
Temple Church, London: Temple Church, Inner Temple, London by Derek Voller, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Royston Cave Beldam Plate I: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Sun Street, Baldock: Tim Marchant / Sun Street, Baldock
Chartres Labyrinth: via Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Tomb of Elizabeth I and Mary I: AFineClaret, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Westminster Abbey Interior: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cambridge Round Church: The Round Church, Cambridge by Ben Keating, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Domme Prison carvings: Jochen Jahnke, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons