4 glorious weeks in the English countryside + photos
Nov 7th, 2014, 08:04 AM
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4 glorious weeks in the English countryside + photos
I'm a bit late posting this report of my journey throughout England during the entire month of July. I've decided to post a summary of each week, mentioning the highlights of each. Less than half of my photos are posted, but I'm working on it! Thanks so much to Fodorites who made suggestions concerning itinerary.
To start, here is a map of my itinerary.
http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/image/158139712
I chose to fly into Newcastle, pick up a rental car (after an overnight at a hotel), and drive up to Howick, Northumberland to stay with friends. It turned out to be a sort of Downton Abbey-like adventure, in that I stayed in a cottage on the estate of Howick Hall.
More to come...
To start, here is a map of my itinerary.
http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/image/158139712
I chose to fly into Newcastle, pick up a rental car (after an overnight at a hotel), and drive up to Howick, Northumberland to stay with friends. It turned out to be a sort of Downton Abbey-like adventure, in that I stayed in a cottage on the estate of Howick Hall.
More to come...
Nov 7th, 2014, 09:03 AM
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janisj: I've been wanting to thank you for recommending the park & ride for visiting Bath. It worked out flawlessly, and I wouldn't have thought to do this without your suggestion. Thanks also for your encouragement about driving. I found it easier than driving in L.A.! But the narrowness of some roads was quite daunting.
Nov 7th, 2014, 01:59 PM
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Dukey1: I'm not sure I would go away for 4 weeks again, but it turned out to be the right amount of time for everything I wanted to see.
bettyk: Yes, since I posted a live report daily on Facebook, it felt like I had already done my reporting, but happy to write up a report here, as well. It will be hard to be brief, but I will try.
Thanks, Lee Ann. Yes, I covered a broad area, from north to south.
bettyk: Yes, since I posted a live report daily on Facebook, it felt like I had already done my reporting, but happy to write up a report here, as well. It will be hard to be brief, but I will try.
Thanks, Lee Ann. Yes, I covered a broad area, from north to south.
Nov 7th, 2014, 06:09 PM
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Trophywife007 -- Thanks for the kind words; only about 1/3 of the photos are loaded, and I still need to edit captions and rearrange, so have another look later. I will be posting photo galleries with each segment of the report.
Thanks, lovs2travel. I wanted to present a visual capsule of where I drove!
Thanks, lovs2travel. I wanted to present a visual capsule of where I drove!
Nov 7th, 2014, 07:19 PM
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Week One:
Howick, Northumberland
Keswick, Cumbria -- Lake District
Hawes, Yorkshire Dales
Haworth, South Yorkshire
Howick, Northumberland: I stayed with friends -- a retired British couple -- in their cottage on the grounds of Howick Hall. They had hosted an English Literature summer school I attended in 1988, in Sheffield, and in recent years they had invited me to stay with them. I could write at length about them -- fascinating people who have led literary tours all over England. She's recently written a couple of books on Howick and has been interviewed on BBC TV. Both thought I had come up with a good itinerary, and they made additional suggestions. In addition, Arthur gave me a guided walking tour of Howick Hall and the grounds. He grew up there, his father being a tradesman, and his grandfather, the coachman.
With Howick as a base, I visited Alnwick Castle (loved it), Bamburgh castle, and the fishing village of Craster, where I met up with an online friend, who's also an amateur photographer. We had a great time photographing vintage cars parked at seaside, and the stone village.
My first long stretch of driving was from Howick to Keswick in the Lake District. My GPS (a Garmin Nuvi) did an excellent job finding most locations for me, but I learned (by about week 2) that she didn't always find the best route for me. For example she instructed me to get off the main dual carriageway (mistake!) and on to an A or B road with lots of hairpin turns. I will say the scenery on that road was spectacular, but I had a hard time enjoying it! I was still getting used to the narrowness of roads, and with all the switchbacks, I found the drive unnerving!
Keswick: I stayed at Howe Keld B & B for two nights: Keswick is a fine base for people using public transportation, but I think if I had it do over, I would stay in a more rural area -- perhaps a farmhouse -- or a quant hotel in Borrowdale (much more beautiful, IMHO). Howe Keld was a first rate B & B, though, and the host, David, was extremely helpful when I had a flat tire!
I drove through Borrowdale (around the lake) and wanted to cross over Honister Pass but the road was steep gravel -- and just looked too scary (by week 3, I would have done it). I also rode the ferry around Derwentwater Lake, saw a play version of Dracula at Keswick's lakeside theater, and visited Castlerigg Stone Circle, just outside Keswick.
On my way to the Yorkshire Dales, I stopped in Grasmere to visit William Wordsworth's Dove Cottage. I had visited with the literary group in 1988, but since I had forgotten much about it, I was glad I returned. Parking was terrible. I ended parking in a non-spot: Several visitors helped me navigate my Kia into a spot between a tree and a large stone (on dirt).
Hawes: I stayed at the Stone House Hotel on a rural country road, which sits a few miless from the town of Hawes. It was lovely! When I arrived in the Dales (and especially at this hotel), I thought, "this is the experience I've been waiting for!" The view from my room was picture postcard perfect (and I do have a photo). Sheep were bleating outside my windows, and my room was lovely -- this was paradise!
One of the scariest bits of driving was over the Buttercups Pass in the pouring rain to visit the village of Muker. Everything there was for the most part closed so I didn't tay long. But the area has a haunting beauty that is difficult to describe.
I didn't experience much rain this trip. For the most part, England greeted me with warm sunny days!
On my drive to my next destination, Haworth, I took the B road down through Kettlewell and other villages. The scenery and the whole experience was just indescribably beautiful. The road was single track most of the way, with stone walls and stone huts dotting the landscape. I would pass a motorcycle here and there, but for the most part, seemed to have the entire road to myself. What an adventure!
Haworth: I stayed 2 nights at Rosebud Cottage B & B for my Bronte adventure. I visited the old village several times, the Bronte Parsonage twice, and took a half day walking tour across the moors with a local guide. Unfortunately, he decided to take the "back way" by Pondon Creek, and then it just became too late in the day to try to get over to Top Withens (Wuthering Heights) but I had been there before.
Highlights of the week: THE YORKSHIRE DALES! Wish I had spent several days here, and I will be back! Haworth! I love this hauntingly beautiful village and moors that fueled the Bronte novels.
Lowlight: The Lake District. Too crowded! And a double-decker tour bus coming my way on a narrow road was over the line. I swerved to avoid it and hit a stone which gave me a flat tire! I didn't see one tour bus in the Dales. It was relatively quiet and undiscovered.
Photos:
Northumberland: http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/northumberland
The Lake District: http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/the_lake_district
Yorkshire Dales and Haworth: http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/yorkshire
Howick, Northumberland
Keswick, Cumbria -- Lake District
Hawes, Yorkshire Dales
Haworth, South Yorkshire
Howick, Northumberland: I stayed with friends -- a retired British couple -- in their cottage on the grounds of Howick Hall. They had hosted an English Literature summer school I attended in 1988, in Sheffield, and in recent years they had invited me to stay with them. I could write at length about them -- fascinating people who have led literary tours all over England. She's recently written a couple of books on Howick and has been interviewed on BBC TV. Both thought I had come up with a good itinerary, and they made additional suggestions. In addition, Arthur gave me a guided walking tour of Howick Hall and the grounds. He grew up there, his father being a tradesman, and his grandfather, the coachman.
With Howick as a base, I visited Alnwick Castle (loved it), Bamburgh castle, and the fishing village of Craster, where I met up with an online friend, who's also an amateur photographer. We had a great time photographing vintage cars parked at seaside, and the stone village.
My first long stretch of driving was from Howick to Keswick in the Lake District. My GPS (a Garmin Nuvi) did an excellent job finding most locations for me, but I learned (by about week 2) that she didn't always find the best route for me. For example she instructed me to get off the main dual carriageway (mistake!) and on to an A or B road with lots of hairpin turns. I will say the scenery on that road was spectacular, but I had a hard time enjoying it! I was still getting used to the narrowness of roads, and with all the switchbacks, I found the drive unnerving!
Keswick: I stayed at Howe Keld B & B for two nights: Keswick is a fine base for people using public transportation, but I think if I had it do over, I would stay in a more rural area -- perhaps a farmhouse -- or a quant hotel in Borrowdale (much more beautiful, IMHO). Howe Keld was a first rate B & B, though, and the host, David, was extremely helpful when I had a flat tire!
I drove through Borrowdale (around the lake) and wanted to cross over Honister Pass but the road was steep gravel -- and just looked too scary (by week 3, I would have done it). I also rode the ferry around Derwentwater Lake, saw a play version of Dracula at Keswick's lakeside theater, and visited Castlerigg Stone Circle, just outside Keswick.
On my way to the Yorkshire Dales, I stopped in Grasmere to visit William Wordsworth's Dove Cottage. I had visited with the literary group in 1988, but since I had forgotten much about it, I was glad I returned. Parking was terrible. I ended parking in a non-spot: Several visitors helped me navigate my Kia into a spot between a tree and a large stone (on dirt).
Hawes: I stayed at the Stone House Hotel on a rural country road, which sits a few miless from the town of Hawes. It was lovely! When I arrived in the Dales (and especially at this hotel), I thought, "this is the experience I've been waiting for!" The view from my room was picture postcard perfect (and I do have a photo). Sheep were bleating outside my windows, and my room was lovely -- this was paradise!
One of the scariest bits of driving was over the Buttercups Pass in the pouring rain to visit the village of Muker. Everything there was for the most part closed so I didn't tay long. But the area has a haunting beauty that is difficult to describe.
I didn't experience much rain this trip. For the most part, England greeted me with warm sunny days!
On my drive to my next destination, Haworth, I took the B road down through Kettlewell and other villages. The scenery and the whole experience was just indescribably beautiful. The road was single track most of the way, with stone walls and stone huts dotting the landscape. I would pass a motorcycle here and there, but for the most part, seemed to have the entire road to myself. What an adventure!
Haworth: I stayed 2 nights at Rosebud Cottage B & B for my Bronte adventure. I visited the old village several times, the Bronte Parsonage twice, and took a half day walking tour across the moors with a local guide. Unfortunately, he decided to take the "back way" by Pondon Creek, and then it just became too late in the day to try to get over to Top Withens (Wuthering Heights) but I had been there before.
Highlights of the week: THE YORKSHIRE DALES! Wish I had spent several days here, and I will be back! Haworth! I love this hauntingly beautiful village and moors that fueled the Bronte novels.
Lowlight: The Lake District. Too crowded! And a double-decker tour bus coming my way on a narrow road was over the line. I swerved to avoid it and hit a stone which gave me a flat tire! I didn't see one tour bus in the Dales. It was relatively quiet and undiscovered.
Photos:
Northumberland: http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/northumberland
The Lake District: http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/the_lake_district
Yorkshire Dales and Haworth: http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/yorkshire
Nov 8th, 2014, 07:00 AM
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Hi SUSAN001,
So glad you are posting your trip.
BETTYK mentioned, "After seeing your photos as you traveled, I'm anxious to see them again!" At first I thought I missed something, but then you said they were on Facebook. Looking forward to seeing them.
Your visit to HOWICK HALL sounds wonderful, especially with such literary minded hosts to show you around. Great start.
"England greeted me with warm sunny days!" Lucky you. I had the same experience for ten days in London this past June - no rain!
OK, just found the photos - wow! Look forward to the rest of your trip.
So glad you are posting your trip.
BETTYK mentioned, "After seeing your photos as you traveled, I'm anxious to see them again!" At first I thought I missed something, but then you said they were on Facebook. Looking forward to seeing them.
Your visit to HOWICK HALL sounds wonderful, especially with such literary minded hosts to show you around. Great start.
"England greeted me with warm sunny days!" Lucky you. I had the same experience for ten days in London this past June - no rain!
OK, just found the photos - wow! Look forward to the rest of your trip.
Nov 8th, 2014, 07:24 AM
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billoburgler -- I'll trade your place for mine! I live in HOT, sunny Los Angeles. Oh... how I miss those Dales, and want to see more of the area there. You are fortunate!
latdaytraveler -- I'm working on having all my photos up this week. It is a process. Yes, my experience with my hosts at Howick Hall was wonderful. They had other guests while I was there -- their son and 3 grandkids. I enjoyed them! On my first night there, July 4, Avril brought out a big bowl of fruit for dessert, with a little paper American flat stuck on top. She suggested I give the kids a lesson on Independence Day. Sketchy lesson!
latdaytraveler -- I'm working on having all my photos up this week. It is a process. Yes, my experience with my hosts at Howick Hall was wonderful. They had other guests while I was there -- their son and 3 grandkids. I enjoyed them! On my first night there, July 4, Avril brought out a big bowl of fruit for dessert, with a little paper American flat stuck on top. She suggested I give the kids a lesson on Independence Day. Sketchy lesson!
Nov 8th, 2014, 07:41 AM
#20
It's now known as the "le Cote de Buttertubs" after the Tour de France this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXAJjNVfS3w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXAJjNVfS3w
