“….I took the road less travelled, and that made all the difference.”
Robert Frost

“Wisdom begins in Wonder” – Socrates

Welcome to our mutual Quest!

Explore new places and meet new people…walk the landscape, explore ancient ruins and sites…as we experience the many layers of history at a place, its story over time. History can – and has – transformed lives, and almost everyone has been somewhere that has never quite left them the same again, as land and sea call us on, yet again…where would you like to go?

Historian and noted author, based in Oxford, England, Dr Karen Ralls has also  served as Presenter/ Guide /Guest lecturer for tours, workshops,  retreats, and sacred journeys to ancient, historical and/or sacred sites;  e.g.  for a variety of groups, charities, schools / college and heritage and travel organizations on journeys in preceding years to Chartres/Paris/Brittany; Tour of the British Isles (Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Isle of Man);  Celtic tour of Scottish Highlands & Ireland;  Tour to London, Durham, York, Edinburgh and Rosslyn Chapel;  Tour to Paris /Laon/Chartres/Languedoc; Tour to Glastonbury, Wells, Avebury, and Stonehenge; Tour to Greece and Malta; Tour to Tuscany/Florence/Siena/Rome/Sardinia;  Tour of western USA (including Calif. redwoods), and more…  

From ancient sites, stone circles, hillforts, historical pubs and houses to nature reserves, castles or medieval and Renaissance sites, future tours and journeys to similar and new areas with Karen Ralls as a guide also featuring music (flute, small harp), special events, arts, wine/historical pub /nature outings and optional meditations are now being arranged for the future (as well as to share ideas for possible tour collaborations with interested parties/org.’s, ranging from short weekend breaks to full 10-14 day tours).  Contact and see About Us

To be added to our occasional mailing list about forthcoming tours and special events please email enquiries@ancientquest.com

See the News page for information about upcoming events, tours, etc.

From 2017 on  — tours and journeys in various areas, i.e., Scotland,  the Continent, USA, and other places are being planned.

Tour the world…Explore… tours to places such as:

Chalice Well Gardens Glastonbury

The Wonders of Malta

Explore Stonehenge

Delphi, Greece

*An example of a previous tour*

Tour to Chartres / Paris / Laon — with Dr. Karen Ralls, as presenter and guide. Come join us as we explore the extraordinary birth and development of the Gothic style in France, which led to a futher flowering of the great Gothic cathedrals of the High Middle Ages, and much else besides. Our journey will also explore the wisdom of the medieval builders and the symbolism they have left us, stained glass, the sacred Feminine, the Black Madonnas, geometry, music, the Green Man, and much more. Based initially in Chartres with its stunning cathedral, crypt and labyrinth, we will also be visiting Paris — including Sainte-Chapelle (“Holy Chapel”) with its world-renowned stained glass windows, the many glories of Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Musee Cluny, home to the famed “Lady and the Unicorn” tapestries and other medieval treasures — as well as Laon, one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals in France. Far from a mere “Dark Age”, the 12th-13th centuries peak of Gothic did not occur in a vacuum, but was in fact part of a much larger cultural milieu at the time that included other elements, such as the writing of the Grail romances, the crusades and pilgrimages, the Knights Templar, east-west cultural exchange, and more. Dedicated to Notre Dame, the cathedrals and medieval chapels still reveal to us today the Wisdom of the ages. “Sold out!”   For further enquiries about similar tours in a future year, please email your interest at: enquiries (at) ancientquest.com

photo credit: Musee de Cluny, Paris

Ancient Quest Travel consists of two main areas: Tours and Pilgrimages organised by/with others, on which she acts as a lecturer/expert guide (See Tour Seminars), and research trips by Dr. Karen Ralls for her various books and projects.

Travel to Chartres!

The trip was a great success, and we look forward to more like it in the future – watch this space!