The King and his Husband - Leamington Spa Day Walk

Delve into the past mystery of a gay king. Yes, a king of England was gay! On this walk, we trace the footsteps of the upbringing and gay love affair of King Edward II. Could a king really be gay? This was hotly controversial, still not accepted by all monarchists even today. Yet a new history book contains many revealing details.

In order to get inside Edward II, we shall be walking through historic Warwick, Leamington Spa and out into the fields where Edward's first lover, Piers Gaveston, was put to death by most powerful of nobles, the Earl of Warwick. How did it come to this? And what happened next when Edward II fell in love with Hugh, relative of that very same Earl?!

The story will be narrated during brief stops along the way. You can join in with the docu-drama to make this a walk with a difference, and bring the story alive. Also, see the best of Warwick's historic centre, race course and watermill at Guy's Cliffe before returning to the grandeur of Leamington Spa with it's Georgian facades and Pump rooms.

Well behaved dogs are welcome on this walk. Be mindful that part of the walk is along town streets and involves crossing roads.

Our approximate route on OS maps is here.

Note: If there are no places left on this event, join the waiting list, as people frequently drop out during the week before an event, and you are likely to get a place.

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Picture 1: Codex Vindobonensis 2554 Source: Wiki Commons. Copyright: Public Domain. Author unknown. Date 1220s. 

Picture 2 (teaser page): The character of Sir John Mandeville, purported English knight, is sent to travel the East by Edward II of England. Author. Mazarine Master. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.

Other pictures: taken by event leader, free to reuse.