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York, Lakes District in early May good choice? Or Elsewhere?

York, Lakes District in early May good choice? Or Elsewhere?

Old Mar 7th, 2014, 02:10 AM
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York, Lakes District in early May good choice? Or Elsewhere?

We will have 10 days to do some touring from the beginning of May.
We will depart from London and had been thinking to head north. Visiting York and heading to the Lakes District. Is this a good choice?
We will have a car and was thinking to free wheeling it and just stop along the way for a night or two where ever it takes our fancy. We love quaint towns, pubs and enjoy walking the countryside.

We did visit Oxford and the Cotswolds a few years ago and loved the area. But thought to see a different area.

Any suggestions?
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 02:17 AM
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We did the same trip in 2009 at the beginning of May and it was fantastic. The first weekend in May is a bank holiday weekend so will be busier so you may want to plan around that.

Highlights included York, fountains abbey, Bolton abbey, castle Howard, grass mere, hawkshead, Ambleside, hadrians wall, and Whitby.

We spent 4 nights in the 4 in Yorkshire. New preferred the dales to the moors, but all were fantastic.

Morgana is a fabulous resource for Yorkshire.

We drove home via bakewell and eyams (the plague village) both were worth a stop!

Happy planning!
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 02:19 AM
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Some sites that might help

http://www.britainexpress.com/counti...beys/index.htm

http://www.eyamplaguevillage.co.uk

http://www.castlehoward.co.uk
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 02:49 AM
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Thank you Jamikins for your suggestions.
I will get out the map to plot the areas.

Hmm bank holiday, do you think I may have to book ahead. There may be 3 of us for the weekend as hoping our son will join us from Glasgow.

Thanks also for the links.

I hope the British weather will improve before we get there.
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 02:59 AM
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Definitely book ahead for that weekend and try to limit long drives as the roads will be busy, especially Friday and Monday!

We will be in hawkshead visiting family, so maybe we will run into you hehe!
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 03:02 AM
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I sort off jumped around above, we did london to the Lake District, with a day trip to hadrians wall, the drive east to the dales,saw Bolton abbey, then based on the eastern side of the dales. Made day trips to York, Whitby, castle Howard and fountains abbey. Then drove back to London through the Peak District stopping in eyams, and the bakewell on the way back to london.

Hope this helps with routing!
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 03:19 AM
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Hi aussie,

if the beginning of your trip co-incides with the May bank hol [Mon 5th May] you could perhaps book that weekend and then leave the rest open.

The peak district would be nice to see en route [Buxton, Chatsworth], then the Lakes and/or the Dales.

it's a lovely time of year to make a trip "up north".
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 03:22 AM
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Great recommendation for chatsworth annhig, I forgot about that!
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 04:15 AM
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hasn't Chatsworth stood in for Pemberley a few times? and Castle Howard [Yorkshire]?

that would make a nice tour - Jane Austin filing sites!
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 04:29 AM
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"Jane Austen Filming sites" obviously.

can't blame the i-pad, just my fat fingers.
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 09:13 AM
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"Hmm bank holiday, do you think I may have to book ahead. There may be 3 of us for the weekend as hoping our son will join us from Glasgow."

The bank holiday weekend may be a real problem in the Lake District - not just w/ accommodations, but just getting around the Lakes. If the weather is nice the tailbacks can be many miles long.

I'd plan on doing York for that weekend (and booking now) since you can leave the car parked (be sure to get accommodations w/ parking) for a couple of days and explore York on foot. Then after the holiday hordes leave the Lake District, head that way. Immediately after the Bank Holiday things slow way down -- room rates even often go down substantially . . . Until the end-of-May Bank Hol.

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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 10:44 AM
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The 'British weather' has actually been pretty ok 'oop north'. This is the first time for years and years where we haven't had a single flake of snow fall in our garden, and the forecast at the moment is for it to stay very mild. Think I've only scraped ice off my car windscreen 3 or 4 times this winter - and I live in a very rural spot in the Yorkshire Dales.
Yes, definitely head up this way - so much to see and do, and of course the locals are famed for their friendliness.
Bank Holiday without a booking would truly be madness, unless you are happy to sleep in your car. Do get something booked up quickly. The Tour de France is having a big impact up here even though it isn't until July.
A car can be a liability in York itself, so a suggestion would be to come up from London (Kings Cross) to York by train, a fast and pretty reliable service. Then spend a couple or days exploring York itself - no car needed as it is compact.
Once you want to start exploring you can hire a car. Whilst staying in York you could easily drive to Fountains Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey, Castle Howard, take a drive across the Moors to Whitby or Robin Hood's Bay (not suggesting you try and see all these!).
Then once you decide to move on from York you can drive west and stop for a couple of days in the Yorkshire Dales.
North Yorkshire covers a wide area so again I'd advise doing some research of the area as to what you'd like to see and do.
When we go to the Lake District we love to stay here - peace, quiet and beautiful views and walks, and yet not far from Keswick and Cockermouth.
http://www.sandhillsfarm.co.uk/
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 01:18 PM
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Oh Wow! Thank you, thank you everyone!
Such great suggestions. I have been googling and taking notes since waking up this morning. Not even had any breaky yet!

I love all your suggestions of places "oop north" and places to visit on our way back down to London.

Two things will impact on where we go:

Firstly, we are fortunate to borrow a car from my husbands sister and brother in law who live in London. So we will be driving up from London (Morgana the train to York would have been a great idea otherwise).

Secondly our son is in Glasgow working for the Commonwealth Games organising committee so we would like to meet up again with him somewhere easy for him to get to.

We will probably depart London on the Wednesday 30th, our son will meet us somewhere on the Friday night (unfortunately the bank holiday weekend). I had been looking at York but it is a 3.5 hour train trip for him from Glasgow (I think he would love York and areas) maybe too long a train trip. Alternately I was looking at him catching a train to say Penrith 1h 40m and staying somewhere in the Lakes District. Morgana the farm stay looks lovely and Jamikins, Hawkshead looks very cute and the pub there looks like a place to enjoy. (would love to run into you, I feel I know you by your wonderful trip reports - you inspired my Tulip viewing for this trip - another thread).

I am a little concerned about the bank holiday weekend and how busy it will be. But our son is easy going so it will be good whatever we get to do and a few more hugs before we don't see him again for a long time. He will probably only have Sat/Sun off so we will then be on our own to tour for the following week.

Any suggestions on a good location to meet him from Glasgow would be most appreciated.

Love the suggestions of stop offs on the way back to London too! Such great help and now to piece it together.
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 01:28 PM
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We were in the Lake District the first May long weekend in 2009 and the roads were fine, busy yes but not ridiculous, once there...it was driving out of London that was mad!

Well perhaps we will be in the same pub! Let's see where you end up!
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Old Mar 8th, 2014, 02:02 AM
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The Lakes District is fronting up as the winner for the bank holiday weekend. Hopefully janisj the roads will not be too busy. Just need confirmation from the prodigal son!

If I see you in a pub Jamikins I will owe you a glass of wine or two for your wonderful trip reports that I have enjoyed over the years.

Annhig I like the suggestion of the Peak District on the way back to London.
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Old Mar 8th, 2014, 02:15 AM
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Sounds like a deal!

You reminded me that I haven't posted my pics of that trip to Flickr...just went back and added the Lake District pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7642040874884/

If you want a great Sunday lunch be sure to reserve in advance that weekend!
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Old Mar 8th, 2014, 02:24 AM
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And here are the ones from Yorkshire

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7642040971693/

Happy planning!
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Old Mar 8th, 2014, 02:49 AM
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oooh beautiful photos as always!
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Old Mar 8th, 2014, 03:00 AM
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Thanks
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Old Mar 9th, 2014, 10:22 PM
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Well thanks all.

After a mad weekend of emailing every B&B, Guesthouse and farm stay I could find, I have finally lucked out and have booked some accommodation at Hedgehog Hill Guesthouse in Keswick. As my son can only get 2 days off it was proving difficult as many places required a minimum stay of 3 nights due to it being Bank holiday weekend. And there is another one at the end of May!

But the Guesthouse kindly took our booking for 2 nights. We decided on the Lake District as it was a much shorter commute from Glasgow for our son on the Friday night. And we will pick him up from Penrith train station.

We will drop him off at Penrith on Sunday afternoon for his trip back to Glasgow. We think we may then head to the Yorkshire Dales.
Any recommendations where to stay for a couple of nights. I am mindful of the Sunday night still being "bank holiday".

We will then move on to York.
Recommendations for our stay in York is also appreciated.
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