Northern England in December
 

My husband and I plus our two best friends are going to England November 28. We will be three days in Chester, three in York and a week in Corbridge, Northumberland. My questions are: what are some good places to go when the weather is bad and has anyone walked Hadrians Wall in December and can you offer advice. Any suggestions about proper gear for the weather or places to see, etc. Thanks.

Most of England is geared up for rain, Chester has a lot of old buildings, Liverpool is well worth a visit. for at least one day.York is a very interest city Do not miss
"The Kirk Museum."allow plenty of time, there is a lot to see there. Hadrians wall is a long wall. & would not be good in the rain.

>>Hadrians wall is a long wall. & would not be good in the rain.<<

Hadrian's wall is especially problematic in the rain - the major forts like Housesteads and Chesters are in large fields and even in dry-ish weather the walks can be sloppy. You'll need sturdy footwear.

meant -- especially at Chesters -- there are paths to Housesteads but it is quite a hike.

You might be very lucky and get one of those clear, crisp, winter days with sun. However, the odds are that you won't! If you're out walking across country, you'll need full waterproofs and good boots. Also bear in mind that as the days are short, you won't want to be caught on moorland once it's gone dark, so make sure that any walk you start can be completed in the daylight.

Three days in Chester might be one too many and whilst Corbridge is an interesting little place, it's charms might wane in a week. I assume therefore that you are using it only as a base?

I do have to say that late November/early December would not be my choice for country pursuits.

mmm - I know that many of us here are advocates of the road less travelled but some might think that this is taking it a little far.

with this amount of time available, and Edinburgh not that far from Corbridge, there must be some VERY good reason why you are choosing to spend a whole week [7 days?] there.

for that time of year, 3 nights in Chester, 2 in Corbridge 5 in Edinburgh, and 3 in York might make for a more enjoyable trip, and almost certainly, a drier one.

but of course there may be a back story which makes your itinerary perfectly understandable.

We are going to use corbridge as just a base and we are taking side trips to The Wall, Lindisfarne, Ailnick, durham, etc. we have decided that if the weather is particularly awful we will go on to Edinburgh since that is our destination anyway. The cottage was inexpensive so no worries leaving it early.

I live in North Yorkshire so can speak from experience.
As I am sure you realise, no one can predict the weather. Last winter we had no snow whatsoever in our part of the Dales - and if we do have heavy snow it tends to be in January or February. But who knows what next winter will bring.
I personally wouldn't walk the Wall as such but I'd certainly visit some of it, wearing suitable clothing as Janis sensibly suggests. It can be bitterly cold up there in the middle of summer!
If I was you I'd have Plan A (decent weather) and Plan B (poor weather) and play it by ear once you get here. Keep a check on the BBC weather each day and heed any weather warnings.
Absolutely don't miss Lindisfarne (Holy Island) which will be wonderful without the crowds. Check tide times though as you might find your stay on the island is a bit longer than you'd planned!
I'd also recommend Bamburgh Castle which opens weekends during the winter. If you can't get there when it is open it is worth it to view from the outside.
Barter Books in Alnwick is also a good place for a rainy day - a wonderful, huge second hand bookshop in the old station building, with a very good café too.

If you are particularly interested in Hadrian's Wall and the history surrounding it, then depending on the weather you could also get a lot of value out of time at Vindolanda. Though a short distance away from the wall at Housesteads and part of an early military settlement rather than of the wall itself, it does have a pretty comprehensive (indoor and heated!) set of displays on Roman life on the wall. Again, depending on the weather, you can get a fair (and in winter, more than fair) idea of it all with a relatively short time at Housesteads - ruins of a fort, a small museum on site and s short walk away from one of the more spectacular views of the wall, without having to walk along it for any distance. But you will need good footwear for muddy fields and slippery paths, as well as proper wind- and rain-proofing.

But you will need good footwear for muddy fields and slippery paths, as well as proper wind- and rain-proofing.>>

and a hip flask or two.

Remember also that you'll be far north from a latitude perspective - means it will get dark early.

Yes - as in dark before 4 pm - and light very late in the morning. Overall your touring days will be very short.

And the day we visited Hadrian's Wall - in July (and 85 w hen we left London 5 days before) it was pouring rain, very windy and temp in the upper 40s. Luckily I prefer cold to heat. But a bunch of people who arrived when we did - went back to their cars and left.

Don't be put off by the replies. We used to regularly holiday in Northumberland at Christmas, stopping at Haltwhistle, just a bit further west from Corbridge. We've had some cracking holidays. There has been rain and even snow, but we've also had some lovely sunny days. There have been times when I've been down to shirt sleeves in sunny sheltered spots!

Days are short and by 2pm it can be getting quite chilly. Plan your days so you are not trying to cram too much into them.

Make sure you have a decent pair of hiking boots that are well broken in. Buy a good set of waterproofs - we swear by Paramo which is a waterproof breathable cotton and very comfortable to wear all the time. Think layers and make sure you always carry an extra sweater in the pack as well as gloves, hat and scarves. Also make sure you have a good map too as there is some superb walking in the surrounding countryside too.

Along Hadrians Wall in winter, you will find the area around stiles can get very muddy. Also if there has been a prolonged hard frost, parts of the wall on the bare rock can be very slippery and are best avoided. On a positive note, if there has been hard frost you'll find that mud is frozen and you won't be ankle deep in claggy mud. Snow can also cause problems, especaially if it has been drifting. Use you common sense when deciding on walks.

There are also some good walks in Keilder forest. Forest roads make easy walking but you do need the OS 1:50,000 map for this.

I agree. On a crisp sunny day, with the low sun casting shadows which highlight the contours of the landscape, the English countryside can be beautiful in winter. Each year we have a week in the Dales in either November or February, and if you get some good weather days, it's breathtaking. Just make sure you have the waterproof boots and clothes to cope with the wet days too, and if it's forecast to drizzle all day, you can't beat a few hours in a pub, cosied up to a roaring fire.

On a crisp sunny day, with the low sun casting shadows which highlight the contours of the landscape, the English countryside can be beautiful in winter.>>

unfortunately you could just as easily have a week of misery in the rain. crisp sunny days are not guaranteed in December in the North of England.

>>unfortunately you could just as easily have a week of misery in the rain <<

Or a week of perfect excuses for "a few hours in a pub, cosied up to a roaring fire"...!

and don't forget the thick fog...............!

Patrick - even the pub can pall after a couple of days. [well, it can for me, i wouldn't dream of speaking for you!]

Each to their own. Personally, a week of wet weather at leisure beats a sunny week at work.

But I've never had a full week of unrelenting rain. Some days are dry all day, occasionally wet all day, mostly a cross between the two. If you're expecting a bit of bad weather, you won't be disappointed and you may be pleasantly surprised instead. Check the forecast the night before, plan accordingly and be flexible rather than sticking rigidly to a plan.

Don't forget you can also get a week of pouring rain in summer....

Not sure where you are from but in fact the weather in that area is warmer - and perhaps drier - than in many areas of the northern US. Certainly there is less snow than in our snow zones.

BUT - it's different touring cities than going for a lot of outdoor things in potentially nasty weather. If you have enough indoor things to do - and proper clothes - esp footwear (mud is not fun) you should be OK.

>>If you have enough indoor things to do - and proper clothes - esp footwear (mud is not fun) you should be OK.<<

The main problem as I see it though . . . in that neck of the woods there are very few indoor things to fill one's time. Thus all the comments about pubs.

it is in Northumberland and there are a few castles w/i day trip distance. But they are mostly closed or only open at weekends at that time of year.

>>Don't be put off by the replies.<<

No one is actively trying to talk them out of this -- but mainly just preparing them for the possibilities.

It isn't as bad as janisj makes out. I do wonder whether she has visited the area and if so whether she has visited in winter. I have, many times.

Housesteads Roman Fort and museum is open all week, although is a short walk uphill from the car park. So is Wallington Hall, a stately home. Cragside admittedly is only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Other ideas for places open all week in November/December include:-

Newcastle is only a short drive. There is the castle, Hancock (Great North) Museum, Discovery Museum and Laing Art Gallery - all worth visiting and free. Just across the river is the Baltic Centre for Contempory Art - another worth while visit.

There is Durham with its magnificent cathedral and castle - check the web site as visiting times vary dependng on whether it is term time or university holidays. There is also the Oriental Museum.

Hexham, again just a short drive has a superb abbey and is a nice town to walk round.

Carlisle, a little further to drive has another cathedral and Tullie House Museum...

Many other places are just open weekends, like Corbridge and Chesters Roman sites, Carlisle Castle, Warkworth Castle, Banburgh....

Across the border, about an hours drive brings you to the great Scottish abbeys of Jedburgh, Melrose and Dryburgh which are all open everyday. These are ruins so you may not want to visit in torrential rain. Jedburgh and Melrose are both worth visiting. Jedburgh Woollen Mill is a popular stop for the tourists.

With a bit of thought, you can find plenty of things to do, even in winter when the weather is poor...

>>It isn't as bad as janisj makes out. I do wonder whether she has visited the area and if so whether she has visited in winter.<<

Yes and yes . . . And it can be as bad . . . or not.

<i>Not sure where you are from but in fact the weather in that area is warmer - and perhaps drier - than in many areas of the northern US. Certainly there is less snow than in our snow zones.</i>

Drizzle at just above 0C feels much worse than snow at -10C

The OP is commited to being in UK at end of Novemeber/December and was asking for advice and help. I agree this wouldn't be the time of year I'd choose but perhaps there weren't any alternative dates. It is sad that so many of these comments are negative and make little attempt to help the OP. Surely that is the whole point of a forum?

I can only assume janisj that Northumberland didn't work its magic on you...

I live here.

In November I go to South Carolina for as long as possible.

Nuff said.

In all honesty it isn't until we booked to go to Stockholm this August that I realised how totally unpredictable the weather can be in the North of England and Scotland. We just take our weather for granted and it was a shock to realise how much more settled the weather can be in areas of Europe which are on a far more northerly latitude.

We live at the end of the conveyor belt of warm damp air which is the North Atlantic drift. This along with the accompanying jet streams over the Atlantic drive over cyclonic weather systems throughout the year.
Last year we actually had seasons, warm summer with a cold settled winter and the old violent winter storm.

The main and pertinent point is that it rarely rains for more than a few hours, certainly continuous rain for a week is very rare. I should know I own a business which is totally and utterly dominated by the weather.

I personally can't think of a better place to spend in poor weather than on Bamburgh beach or over on Lindesfarne. Would personally stay further north in say Alnwick.

On a less than sunny day try :

National Trust House at Wallington

Tullie House museum in Carlisle, very thorough Roman exhibits, well worth a visit.

Chillingham Castle is a crazy place where the belongings of generations of the family are just strewn about. Very eccentric.

On a sunny day. :

If you are in Carlisle them the Edward 1 monument is a truly eerie place, it sits on the marshes overlooking Scotland. Edward assembled an army of epic proportions to finish the Scots off in total finality. He dropped dead yards away from entering Scotland!

Bamburgh beach

Lindesfarne Priory

Alnwick castle gardens have undergone a huge redevelopment

Farne Islands on a really calm day makes an incredible trip in winter for the migrating sea birds although December is a little late in the season.

One further issue is snow and on the NE coast this can be a real issue particularly inland. As a nation Britain is simply inept at dealing with the stuff. Twice I have been stranded on small roads in Northumbria but later in winter, just keep an eye on the forecasts.

The OP is commited to being in UK at end of Novemeber/December and was asking for advice and help. I agree this wouldn't be the time of year I'd choose but perhaps there weren't any alternative dates. It is sad that so many of these comments are negative and make little attempt to help the OP. Surely that is the whole point of a forum? >>

simply not correct, ESW. No-one has seriously tried to dissuade the OP from coming to the UK at that time of year, but what several of us have said is that a week in Corbridge in December wouldn't be top of our list. The OP has agreed that if the weather is awful they will bail out. you, and others, have come up with great lists of things to do in that area in bad weather or good. IMO everyone has attempted to assist the OP, albeit in their varied ways, which I certainly see as one of the strengths of this forum. After all, the OP is free to accept or disregard whatever she likes, isn't she, and shows no signs herself of having taken the "advice" in anything other than the spirit in which they were offered.

>>I can only assume janisj that Northumberland didn't work its magic on you…<<

Absolute rot. In fact I have visited Northumberland three of my last 4 trips to the UK (over the last two years) and probably 8-10+ times going way back.

My apologies - I maligned you. As you may have gathered, I'm very protective of Northumberland, which really is God's Own Country.

Quite the opposite.

Gods own country has always been and is still pretty much Yorkshire. In Yorkshire, people still queue outside Fish and Chip shops on Fridays to avoid meat.

For many years, the Robsons, Elliot's and Grahams turned North Tynedale into an extremely godless place. Totally without law and ungovernable for 300 years.

Every December, I and a group of friends have a long walking weekend in the North of England and the weather has never got in the way of either walking or enjoyment. Granted, I may have just been extremely lucky.