Rob

Hi,<BR><BR>I'll be spending 8 days in Britain towards the end of September. I have to see old friends in London for one day and in Manchester for another. I fly out of London back to the US. <BR><BR>I have spent much time in London and done many day trips from there, but have not explored other parts of England/Wales. Can any of you suggest what one or two places you might visit and what lodging (and restaurants, if you have any) you would recommend in those places. (Ideally, I'd like to spend $125-150US on lodging per night, but can go a little higher if needed).I have looked a bit at the Lake District, thought about North Wales or Yorkshire, and in the other direction, wondered whether the coastal areas to the Southwest might make sense (not sure where the weather might be most pleasant).<BR><BR>Thank you.<BR><BR>Rob<BR><BR>Where

janis

my main two recommendations would be <BR><BR>1) Yorkshire - a convenient drive from Manchester. There you could see York, Castle Howard, The north Yorkshire Moors and the terrific steam railway that crosses it, Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay, the Dales Fountains Abbey/Studley Royal and a TON of other places.<BR><BR>2) N Wales and Chester - also convenient to Man'r. Lots of gorgeous scenery, Castles, beaches, Snodonia - and its steam railway.<BR><BR>You would have to try REAL hard to spend $150 single per night. You should be able to find really upscale B&Bs in both areas for half that. Maybe a little splurge in York - but even there $100 (about &pound;65) would get you a very nice place.<BR><BR>

Rob

Thank you, Janis.<BR><BR>Others?

Sam

You could do worse than base yourself in Winchester which is lovely in its own right, and from there you can easily reach Salisbury, Chichester, Bath for their cathedrals etc, and also Portsmouth for the historic ships. The Dorset coast is no distance either.<BR><BR>For lodging you could consider the Wykeham Arms (very old and very close to Winchester College), the Hotel du Vin (superb food) or the Wessex Hotel (modern building but beautiful view of the cathedral).<BR><BR>Restaurants: Hotel du Vin, Loch Fyne, La Bodega, the Gurkha Chef

Mari

Hi,<BR>I'd definitely go to Yorkshire, e.g. Fountains Abbey and the area around - beautiful scenery! And up to north to Hadrian's Wall on the border of England and Scotland and perhaps visit some of the charming towns and castles on the east coast.

Sylvia

Rob, let me put in a plug for my favorite "back door", Liverpool. Along with Beatles attractions, you can visit the Maritime Museum, ride the ferry, view the Anglican Cathedral, or tour Western Approaches, the headquarters of the Battle of the Atlantic. From Liverpool, you can see Chester on a day trip. Or you can make Liverpool a day trip from Manchester. http://www.visitliverpool.com

David

I was outside of London for a week this spring. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Getting outside of London made for an amazingly affordable vacation. I averaged about 70USD per night on lodging in very nice, small hotels and B&B’s. I did 3 nights in Norwich with a day trip to Cromer, 1 night in Ely and two nights in Cambridge.<BR><BR>In Norwich I enjoyed the cathedral, the castle, plantation gardens and the market. In Ely the cathedral (the reason for my visit) was outstanding. There were some nice antique shops too. Cambridge had all the incredible colleges, an American cemetery and several interesting churches including one of only four round churches in England.<BR><BR>I had very nice meals but a few stick out in my mind. In Norwich it was the Eagle and the restaurant at the Beeches hotel. In Ely the Fire Engine House was very good. I got the recommendation for Mary Jane’s fish ‘n chips from this forum and it was excellent. That was in Cromer.<BR><BR>In Norwich I stayed at the Wedgewood Guesthouse. It was run by a lovely couple who were very helpful. I stayed at a B&B in Ely that was run by a delightful lady who was funny, nice and slightly disarrayed. It was a lot of fun. In Cambridge I stayed by the train station at Sleeperz hotel. The en-suite room was as small as a ship’s cabin, but I didn’t mind.<BR><BR>Since I don’t prefer to drive anyway, I try to avoid driving on the “other” side of the road. I used the following web site to find and follow rail lines to help keep my travel time to a minimum. That’s how I settled on the Norwich, Ely, Cambridge itinerary above. Especially since it was a quick 30 minutes from Cambridge to London Stansted (my departure point) via rail.<BR><BR>http://www.railtrack.co.uk<BR><BR>I also highly recommend Winchester. Several nice museums, especially if you have an interest in military history. The river walk area is lovely with a nice stroll over to the ruins of Wolvesy castle.<BR>

Rob

Thank you for your replies to date.<BR><BR>Rob

Ani

For me, a definite tie between N. Wales (we were based in Betws-Y-Coed at the entrance to Snodonia)...fantastic for castle exploring, or York/Fountains Abbey...great memories-have fun!

Aussie603

David: Don't know if you are still reading these boards, but I'm going to Norwich in April and looking for a B&amp;B near the bus line, since I'm not renting a car. You mentioned that you stayed at the Wedgewood Guesthouse. So was Public Transportation close by?? I'm also looking at the Georgian House Hotel, The Best Western Annelsley. There is a very cheap rate for the Travelodge Norfolk Central, but there are no photos and no exact location is given. Do you know anything about that place? Is it badly located or look pretty bad? Thanks alot.