For Susan (nee Billington) is a direct descendant of one of the Mayflower passengers who sailed to the New World in 1620. The Billington boys almost succeeded in blowing up the ship as they got up to a series of pranks which included playing with fire near the gunpowder store. And one of them eventually got hanged for a subsequent treachery.

The Pilgrim Fathers, as they became known, went on to sow the seeds of the United States with their indomitable spirit, faith and courage.

It is generally known that they sailed from Plymouth, Devon, but much less understood that many of its leaders came from a quiet corner of England bordering on Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

And when it came to Charles Harper’s attention that he could find out all about their origins through a specially tailored tour, he jumped at the chance during a short visit to Europe. Charles is senior vice-president of the John Templeton Foundation, which seeks to promote new insights between students of science and religion, and the family live in Philadelphia.

Pilgrim Tours coordinator Russell Hocking and his wife Shelly at the 2007 Nottinghamshire STARS Awards, where Russell was short listed for two awards recognizing excellence in tourism, culture, leisure and hospitality

Pilgrim Tours was set up just a year ago by South African-born Russell Hocking to help Americans and others explore their roots and encourage all to savor a rich Christian heritage. He now lives in North Nottinghamshire, in the heart of pilgrim country, and worships at the Assemblies of God Retford New Life Christian Centre.

My wife Linda and I have also got involved – Linda has explored the Pilgrim Father journey through summer projects for local schools for the past two years – and, with authoress Sue Allan giving a running commentary almost without stopping for breath for the entire day, we set off in the Harper’s hired people carrier following Russell and Linda in the tour leader’s little red car. And Mrs Harper valiantly put up with constant ribbing about her ancestors.

Tour guide and novelist Sue Allan with BBC Lincolnshire's Rod Whiting

Author of a novel on the pilgrims called Mayflower Maid (domtom publishing ltd), Sue Allan is a gold mine of information and fascinating anecdotes as she relates the colorful and moving saga that began with the persecution of a group of Christians who sought freedom to worship, pray and read the Bible informally and spontaneously.

But with the gunpowder plot fresh in the memory (1605), King James I came down heavily on the ‘dissenters’, figuring that opposition to the bishops would ultimately mean opposition to the sovereign.

Our first stop was Babworth Church where Richard Clyfton Drew followers from miles around until he was deprived of his living for his ‘strange doctrines’. Among his most ardent followers were William Brewster from Scrooby (the next stop) and William Bradford from Austerfield who were to emerge key leaders of the Pilgrim Fathers. We were shown around the beautiful ancient churches where both were baptised and viewed the remains of Scrooby Manor House, where the meetings of the so-called Separatists attracted the attention of the authorities and led to their persecution and ultimate flight from England in 1608.

We then headed 60 miles south to Boston, South Lincolnshire, site of the pilgrims’ first attempted escape in September 1607. They had hired a ship to take them to Holland, where there was greater religious tolerance, and boarded the boat at Scotia Creek, Fishtoft. But the ship’s captain betrayed them to the authorities and they were taken to the cells of the Guildhall, which can still be seen. We were shown around the newly restored 15th century building and then visited the nearby memorial of their attempted escape. It’s a bleak place anyway, on the edge of the marshy Fens and just off the North Sea, but it only added to the atmosphere as we ran the gauntlet of lashing rain on the short walk to the monument and got soaked to the skin as we distributed pre-packed sandwiches and hot tea.

It certainly brought home the distress the pilgrims must have felt with their hopes being so cruelly dashed after traipsing so far over such unforgiving territory.

We then traveled back to Gainsborough in North Lincolnshire, where the Separatists had also met under the protection of William Hickman at the grand Old Hall, now magnificently restored as one of the best examples of timber-framed Tudor buildings. The hall, where King Henry VIII stayed on two occasions, also contains a compact but impressive exhibition of the Pilgrim Father story as well as a gift shop and café.

We retreated to Retford through the pouring rain exhausted but inspired by the much tougher journey experienced by our faithful forefathers – we had covered nearly 200 miles of twisty English roads in appalling weather. Pilgrim Tours would normally split this extensive tour to a couple of days, but our American cousins only had a day to spare.

For more information on the tours e-mail pilgrimtours@uwclub.net or call +44 (0) 1777 711497. There is also a website at www.pilgrimtours.co.uk. Also see the Gainsborough Old Hall website at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/gainsborougholdhall 

Charles Gardner is a 57-year-old South African-born journalist living in the North of England with a vision to launch a new national newspaper carrying world news from a biblical perspective. He is currently sports editor of the Selby Times and also writes a weekly blog on their website at www.selbytoday.co.uk called Gods World. He is married to Linda, 49, who teaches Christianity at 21 different schools in the major Yorkshire town of Doncaster. Pictured: Charles Gardner with his wife, Linda.