Great British Heritage
Secret War Tour
During WWII, behind the walls of Bletchley Park, a top secret campaign was waged by intelligence staff to crack Germany’s encrypted messages. The intelligence decrypted was crucial to the war effort but it is only recently that the truth has emerged.
It is estimated that the intelligence produced at Bletchley shortened the war by two to four years, and without it the outcome of the war would have been uncertain. Churchill is said to have praised the team there as “the silent geese who laid the golden eggs but never cackled.” Whilst the contribution to the war effort was enormous, its long-lasting effects are also significant, the team at Bletchley Park having devised automatic machinery to help with decryption, culminating in the development of Colossus, the world’s first programmable digital electronic computer, now rebuilt and housed in the National Museum of Computing, adjacent to Bletchley Park.
This fascinating and world-changing story was told in the recent film, “The Imitation Game” starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, but can also be explored in detail with expert guidance from Dr Mark Baldwin on our Secret War tour.
what’s included
At A Glance
Meet Your Expert Guide
Dr Mark Baldwin
Known as ‘Dr Enigma’, Mark is one of the world’s foremost experts on the history, human story and workings of the Enigma machine. A Cambridge graduate with a PhD and fifteen years’ university teaching experience, he first became fascinated by the subject after a chance encounter with a book on Enigma.
That interest developed over more than twenty years, and Mark has now delivered over 700 presentations on Enigma and related codebreaking topics. His authoritative but accessible talks make the technology and its extraordinary wartime importance vividly understandable.
Meet Your Guest speaker
Kerry Howard
Kerry is a researcher and writer devoted to uncovering the stories of the women of Bletchley Park. Her discoveries include the personal papers and photographs of codebreakers Margaret Rock and Joan Clarke, helping to illuminate the lives behind their remarkable wartime work.
Kerry also spent seventeen years as the friend, co-author and companion of veteran codebreaker Betty Webb, supporting the creation of her memoir No More Secrets. Her unique personal insight and meticulous research bring an especially human perspective to the history of Bletchley Park.
itinerary & excursions
Your Itinerary
Explore this incredible tour in detail and discover what makes each day so special. Below, you’ll find a full day-by-day breakdown of your journey, from the moment you arrive to your final farewell. Learn more about the highlights you’ll experience, the unforgettable places you’ll visit, and the unique moments that bring each destination to life. Whether you’re drawn by rich history, stunning landscapes or unforgettable cultural encounters, this itinerary gives you everything you need to picture your adventure and look forward to every step of the way.
Day 1: Arrival in Northampton and the Enigma Story
This evening there will be a welcome reception, private dinner with wine and a talk by Dr Mark Baldwin ‘The Enigma and the Battle of the Atlantic’. Mark will bring his own rare four-rotor Enigma machine for guests to examine.
Day 2: RAF Tempsford, Shuttleworth Collection and the Carpetbagger
Our first visit of the day is RAF Tempsford, Churchill’s most secret airfield. This was home to the ‘Secret Special Duties Squadron’ which flew SOE Agents and supplies for resistance forces during WWII. Although Hitler knew of its existence and said, “find this viper’s nest and obliterate it” the Germans were never able to find its location in order to bomb it and many of its secrets were only released from the Official Secrets List in 1998.
Whilst at RAF Tempsford, we visit Gibraltar Farm which was the Agents final dispatch point. Gibraltar Farm Barn was built to be used as a base where agents were supplied with their equipment and their poison pills, in case of capture. The barn contains several plaques and memorials to the agents, both men and women who were killed after being captured and tortured.
Then it is on to Shuttleworth Old Warden Collection which has a superb collection of vintage aircraft from WWI and WWII. Whilst here, you will be accompanied by guides who will take you to see the SOE configured Lysander and talk about its SOE usage. There will also be some time set aside for you to view some of the historic aircraft collection in the hangar.
There will be free time for lunch (not included) on arrival. The final visit is to the Carpetbagger Aviation Museum, which tells the story of the Station 179 airfield and the USAAF’s 801st/492nd Bomb Group (the Carpetbaggers). Other Exhibits and displays include the secret work of the British Special Operations Executive from their RAF based at Tempsford; the cold war roles of the airfield at Harrington with the Thor rockets; and the Royal Observer Corps.
Evening talk from Bletchley Park researcher and writer, Kerry Howard, followed by dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Day 3: Bletchley Park, the Intelligence Museum and Colossus
We will spend this morning enjoying a private visit to the Intelligence Museum, a former RAF Y-station. Y-stations were the ears of Bletchley Park and were mainly manned by amateur radio operators who worked as ‘volunteer interceptors’ – this particular Y station intercepted the German Air Force’s strategic wireless network. This afternoon we visit Bletchley Park, home of the famous Enigma code breakers who Winston Churchill described as ‘his silent geese who laid the golden eggs but never cackled’.
We will also visit the adjacent National Museum of Computing, home to the rebuilt “Colossus” computer, where we will have a talk and guided tour by expert John Pether. Return to the hotel for approximately 17.30.
Please note: For the visit to the Intelligence Museum, you must bring your driving license or passport for the required photo ID in order to enter.
Availability
Choose Your Departure
HOTELS
Tour Accommodation
Delta Hotels by Northampton Marriott
Located close to J15 off the M1, the modern, four-star Delta Hotels by Northampton Marriott offers a bar, restaurant, gym and comfortable bedrooms with private bath/shower, TV and telephone.
Complimentary car parking is available at the hotel.
Hotel Website
our regular tours
Mobility Information
This tour has a moderate fitness rating, reflecting a fuller itinerary with a good balance of visits, walking and time spent exploring on foot.
Some visits may involve cobbled streets, uneven paving, slopes, steps, stairs, limited seating, or walking from the coach drop-off point to the entrance of a site or attraction. The exact demands will vary from day to day, and we highlight specific practical details within the itinerary wherever possible.
You should feel comfortable walking at a steady group pace, standing during visits and enjoying a full day of sightseeing. If you are unsure whether this tour is right for you, please contact us before booking.
Your questions answered
Tour FAQ
If you have a question, we are more than happy to answer it via email or phone, but you may find your answer below more quickly.
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