An English Lady Returns Home to England April 2010: Remembering WWII
 

Help with our England Itinerary: My husband and I will be taking my mother-in-law (79) back to England. She was born in Manchester and lived in Southport for a bit. During WWII she lived in Bromley (with daily bombings) and then in Wansford. Her aunt owned the Cross Keyes establishment in Wansford for many years. She was evacuated to a small farm just outside of Fowey and as soon as she was old enough sailed to the USA. She's been a US citizen since, has been back to England twice (short trips)... this will likely be her longest, and last, trip to England.

We will be visiting friends and family (and for the first time visiting her parents graves in New Milton). I want this to be extra special; we have 4-5 weeks for the trip. She loves tea time, cats, true English food (although she's now a vegetarian but wants me and her son to experience the cuisine), authentic/reasonable boarding, good antique deals and is giddy about having a jaunt to Paris to boot. Here is our itinerary and I am looking for information on good reasonable B&B's, shopping, unique or worthwhile sights, authentic small places to have afternoon tea, events such as an English Ball, etc... near/along our path for both HER and my husband and I. My husband and I like out of the way and unique places... roman ruins, abbeys, castles, cathedrals, etc. Website recommendations are good too:

April 2010 Itinerary:
1. Stay with friends in Haywards Health 3 nights...rest... let my husband and I see Canterbury, Dover, etc while she visits an old friend... head to Paris for 1 week. NEED a FLAT near Lourve or Eiffel.

2. Back in England rent a car and drive coast to Portsmouth/New Milton (Stay 2 nights), side trip to Stonehenge and off to Fowey (stay 2 or 3 nights).

3. Drive from Fowey to Wells or Bath (1 night). Is Cheddar worth seeing? Is Wells a more intimate location than Bath?

4. Drive into Costwolds (2-3 nights). Which of the towns should we consider? Some place LESS popular and where we can experience good eating, shopping, rest that isn't too touristy. We can stil see the "touristy" towns during the day but go home at night to something magical.

5. Drive to Southport (2-3 nights).

6. Drive to Wansford (Can't seem to find a number for the Cross Keyes?) and to Bury St. Edmunds (to see the Nutshell... my deceased father in laws favorite pub!).

7. London (3 nights).

Thank you for any recommendations along this route! CA

The pub:

You're almost certainly spelling this wrong. Cross Keys is a reasonably common pub name and one's listed in Wansford on many websites. Offhand, I can't recall any example of a "Keyes" spelling in any context for the crossed-keys device the name refers to.

Cotswolds:

I'd suggest different criteria. Witney and Chipping Norton meet what you say you're looking for, but obviously have almost no, and mediocre, hotel accommodation (why would anyone invest in a hotel somewhere visitors didn't want to stay?).

Burford, Chipping Campden, Stow on the Wold and to a lesser extent Northleach, Winchcombe and Tetbury are all deservedly popular with visitors. But, since there's very little overnight accommodation in the Cotswolds, those tourists almost all drive home as daylight fades: even on the busiest bank holiday, the towms feel utterly untouristy once the last coachload of Japanese salarywomen leaves, but are well-resourced enough for us all to pop in for an adequate meal (high quality gastronomy can be found only in friends' houses) once they've all gone.

Choose any (I'd recommend Burford or Chipping Campden): don't confuse them with photogenic non-places like Broadway, Bourton on the Water and - most pointless of all - Bibury, which illustrate perfectly the concept of "there's no there there", and are the kind of "touristy" places you're trying to avoid.

Things to do:
No idea what an English Ball is. Hunt Balls are generally invitation-only: Commem Balls are for undergraduates and the dances and balls that used to be called the London Season disappeared in the 60s, though there are currently a few, tackily commercial, Eurotrash youth-oriented attempts to revive them. Your MIL MIGHT be interested in the tea dances that become fashionable in London from time to time, especially at the Waldorf (http://www.timeout.com/london/altern...in_London.html)

I've never met anyone who thought Balls were a feature of South Lancashire life in the 1930s, and in posh England they famously all came to a halt from 1939-1946. Either your mother is looking for something she didn't experience, or you're using the term to describe the very different phenomenon of wartime dances. We might be able to help more if you offered more of a clue about what you want.

You're missing the best way of seeing the countryside: getting out of that car and walking it. My mother in law's a good decade older than yours - but happily did the 5 mile circular walk from Burford to Swinbrook back to Burford through the post-Christmas snows earlier this week. If you're in the Cotswolds for more than a day, spend half you time out in the fields.

Lift a pint for me at the Nutshell in Bury. Bury is one of my favorite small towns. The Nutshell is supposedly the smallest pub in England and isn't difficult to find, it's down from the abbey gate on the street that runs alonside the Angel Hotel. Can't advise on the rest of your trip as my experience is limited but I definitly remember the Nutshell from my 2004 trip. The locals were very friendly and had me sign a petition, something about outdoor tables I think, lol. I'm hoping to return in May 2010 depending on the price of airline tickets and hope to do a short visit after seeing York and going on to London to attend the Chelsea Flower Show. Please submit a trip report when you return I would love to read of your experiences. Pam

What a wonderful trip! You are so sweet to do it for her. Please write a trip report. :-)

These are just some random thoughts, on the basis that your mother-in-law wants to see "real" England, rather than just tourist sites, and that she wants to revive old memories.

Portsmouth has plenty of things of naval and second world war history that should interest her, and the scenery of the south coast from Sussex through to the New Forest has a tranquility in places.

If you are going to New Milton, you might like to consider staying at the Sway Manor Hotel (www.swaymanor.com) which has a friendly, if slightly old-fashioned, feel to it. There are lots of reviews on Late Rooms (www.laterooms.com).

Regarding Bath and Wells, I would suggest that you visit both, since they are very different places. If anything, reduce the time spent in the Cotswolds, especially if your mother-in-law does not want to do much walking.

CAmbrose, about your need for a flat in Paris ...

I have a feeling that your Paris agenda might get overlooked in the discussion of the itinerary for England. You might consider separating your Paris questions into a new thread devoted solely to that.

Alternatively, tell us a bit about what kind of apartment you are interested in, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and an approximate price range. There is also a very helpful thread already underway on Paris apartments. You might get a few ideas here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ent-thread.cfm

Anselm

Regarding the Cotswolds part of your visit, Painswick might fit the bill as a less popular yet magical small town.

http://www.painswick-pc.gov.uk/general.asp?pid=3&pgid=6

Here's the website of the best hotel in Painswick, but you'll find others and lots of B&Bs on the second link...

http://www.cotswolds88hotel.com/


http://www.cotswolds.info/accommodat...lodgings.shtml

PS I'd avoid Brookethorpe Lodge as it's not that close to Painswick, is on the main Stroud-Gloucester road and is yards from the motorway, so NOISY!

We stayed at The Lamb Inn in Great Rissington, in the Cotswolds area and thought it was great.
http://www.thelambinn.com/index.html

We had 3 nights there, in 2 different rooms as we booked at the last minute. One room was outside the main pub, in another building in the garden but only half a minute's walk to the pub and the other room was upstairs, above the pub. We had dinner there each night and the food was excellent. We have a generally low opinion of English food so for us to say this was good is a high compliment. Owners and staff were friendly and helpful.

There is not much else in Great Rissington except a few houses, the pub is very popular. It's an easy drive to some of the bigger Cotswold villages and towns.

My husband just reminded me about the Wellington Bomber that crash landed in the pub garden in 1943. Here is some info:
http://www.thelambinn.com/wellington_bomber.html

This tea rooms near Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral in London is old fashioned and bit quirky, small cafe and a tea museum you can visit if you want to (fee). The website says it is shut for refurbishment but it might be open by the time you come. Borough Market is wonderful for all types of fresh food.

http://www.teaandcoffeemuseum.co.uk/

Kay

It doesn't sound as though London is on your mother-in-law's agenda, nor need it be if she doesn't want it to be, but she might be interested in the Imperial War Museum's special exhibitions on civilian experiences of WW2 (online if she doesn't fancy making the trip):

http://london.iwm.org.uk/upload/pack...dren/index.htm

http://food.iwm.org.uk/

I can hopefully help you with your Suffolk part of the trip as Bury St Edmunds is my home town. If you are staying the night there I would recommend The Old Cannon Brewery for rooms AND food. Don't let staying in a Brewery put your mother in law off, it's a gorgeous little restaurant, (great beer brewed on the premises), and the rooms are across the courtyard. It's very reasonably priced too.
www.oldcannonbrewery.co.uk
Alternatively, in the town centre there's an excellent 'upmarket' fish restaurant called Maison Bleue, or the newly refurbished One Bull.
www.maisonbleue.co.uk
www.theonebull.co.uk
If you wanted to stay out of town, about 10 mins away is The Old Pear Tree, a lovely Suffolk cottage that does excellent B&B with one of the best breakfasts I have tasted (all the jams homemade etc).
www.theoldpeartree.co.uk
Driving from Bury to the Old Pear Tree you would pass the gates of Ickworth House, a National Turst property, part of which is an expensive Hotel. You can visit the House and grounds.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...eparkandgarden
In Bury itself, Market days (Wednesday and Saturday) bring the town to life. Also don't miss the cathedral, Norman Tower and beautiful Abbey gardens.
http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc...beygardens.cfm

Thank you all so very much! I am having a great time working through the information (I love the story about the Lamb Inn)! Much appreciation to everyone! I promise to report back and clink a glass of ale to the TimeTraveler! I did find a Paris flat. Happy Travels... C