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This is what former customers had to say:
Devon M. Scott (Ship's Historian - S/S Norway, Houston, Texas)
This past October (2008) I had the opportunity to visit Southampton for a third wonderful time. The call was a first encounter for my travel companion, a recent college graduate who shares my affinity for ocean liners & history. Having only a single day to take in the city I inquired with the local tourism center about car tours. I was fortunately referred to Richard Frankland, aka Richard The History Teller (www.thehistoryteller.co.uk<http://www.thehistoryteller.co.uk/>). The experience far exceeded our expectations.
Richard had made an impression before we ever met him with e-mails back & forth prior to our trip. I am from the Houston area & had been in the path of Hurricane Ike in September. Richard made the connection & sent a very kind inquiry as to my wellbeing (thankfully I had suffered no damage aside from extended power loss). He had also made several inquiries as to our interests which he used to better tailor our tour.
Our first impression of Richard in person was equally delightful. His dapper suit - quite unnecessary for a couple of American tourists - and genuine smile made him a picture of refined English charm. Over the course of the day he proved even more charming, with a vast knowledge of history & numerous other topics, casual conversational style (this was not a history lecture, rather a telling of how things came to be), professional, stress-free driving & a brilliant sense of humor.
The historic innermost portions of Southampton were covered on foot. More was taken in by car, including, somewhat to our surprise, a jaunt to Portsmouth. The return included stops at several fascinating locations & an exceptional lunch at restaurant inside an antique mill. Richard was even kind enough to find a store where I could buy Bassett Jelly Babies for a connoisseur friend back home.
Our tour ended when Richard dropped us - and our luggage, I should add - at the Queen Elizabeth terminal for the final westbound departure of the QE2. He later saw us (the Queen inclusive) off from a vantage I'd expect of someone who knows the city well. We received photos in our e-mail after our return.
Thanks to Richard Southampton was much more than just the port where we were to begin our voyage. It was a highlight of the trip. I can whole-heartedly recommend Richard's services to anyone visiting the area. I hope to stay in contact with Richard & look forward to visiting our new friend in Southampton whenever the opportunity arises.
Thank you for your kind attention. Feel free to share this with others interested in learning more about Southampton.
T Guisto (Washington, USA)
Mona and I just got back from a Reykjavik to Southampton cruise and would highly recommend the private guide we used in Southampton. I have no vested interest in this recommendation.
I used Richard Frankland whose company is called The History Teller. You can Google the website and email. He was the best of all the guides we had on our cruise.
He picked us up at the ship and took us on a full day tour of the Southampton area which included a drink and a three course lunch. He dropped us off at our hotel for the evening, picked us up the next morning and drove us two hours to Heathrow for our flight back to US (with a couple of stops along the way).
He can tailor a tour to your specific requests or just handle the airport transfer. Mona couldn’t do a lot of walking so he was able to minimize walking. He knows his area very well and provides a lot of background information on the sites you will see. He can also recommend hotels in the area.
Richard has studied history and it shows in his guiding. He is reliable and professional. I would recommend him without hesitation.
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