Farewell tour

For the shorter journey taken by the Tenth Doctor, see the final reward.

The farewell tour was what the Doctor called the two hundred year period in which he traveled to avoid his fixed death at Lake Silencio, Utah, on 5:02pm 22 April 2011.

The farewell tour
Some time after leaving Amy and Rory, (DW: The God Complex) knowing his death was an imminent and fixed point in time, the Doctor began a "farewell tour," which lasted nearly two hundred years. The Doctor actively participated in historical events at this time, "waving" at Amy and Rory throughout history. Some of these escapades included being painted and then imprisoned in the Tower of London, only to escape via a hot air balloon, taking part in a breakout from a World War II POW camp, but quickly being recaptured, and participating in a Laurel and Hardy film as an extra. During these years, the Doctor also had a variety of adventures with River Song, including travelling to Easter Island where the Doctor was worshipped as a god, and meeting "Jim the Fish". The Doctor also seemed to stay in contact with "Jim"; when asked about him, he said he was still "building his dam." (DW: The Impossible Astronaut)

At the end of these two hundred years, the Doctor paid a social call on Craig Owens and found Craig and Sophie had had a son named Alfie. While trying to leave, the Doctor noticed power fluctuations consistent with teleportation energy. He and Craig discovered six Cybermen, whose ship had crashed on Earth centuries ago, rebuilding by converting kidnapped people with spare parts and using Cybermats to drain the city's power. Although Craig was almost converted into the new Cyber-Controller, the Doctor destroyed the Cybermen and saved Craig and Alfie. The Doctor used up the last of his free time to repair damages to Craig's home caused by a Cybermat. He also took some TARDIS-colored envelopes and said his last goodbye. As he walked towards the TARDIS, he saw three children and briefly spoke to them. Thousands of years later, River would read that the Doctor seemed "happy, but sad," since he knew his death was coming. (DW: Closing Time)

Cheating Death
The Doctor managed to escape his death by having the Teselecta take his place at Lake Silencio. (DW: The Wedding of River Song)