Tim - DH wants to explore the historic docks area - what other suggestions do you have for 'must sees'? Di

Having caught up with this thread, and noticing the "historic dockyards" reference to Liverpool, I assume that the dockyards/Royal Naval Museum is what you will be visiting in Portsmouth as well?

That's right, willit! My great grandfather and his family lived in Portsmouth, and his father was in the navy.

Some years ago we had an overnight stay in Portsmouth that allowed us to track down where they had lived, so this time it's the dockyards & RNM that we'll spend more time at.

There is some mystery as to how my GGF travelled to Australia (supposedly on a naval vessel, even though he wasn't in the navy) so we're also planning to spend some time at the National Archives in Kew to try to track down records of who was on board that ship on that sailing. So far haven't been able to find this detail on line, so this is a last-ditch try!
Di

There is some mystery as to how my GGF travelled to Australia (supposedly on a naval vessel, even though he wasn't in the navy)

My family came from Portsmouth (I live about 20 miles away) and several family members from both mother and fathers sides were Royal Navy.

No idea if this will help, but my uncle was a civil servant assigned to the dockyard in Portsmouth. In the late 1930s he was posted to first Sri Lanka (Ceylon as was) and later Singapore to work in a similar role. As far as I am aware he travelled on RN ships to these postings, so it is possible your GGF may have travelled the same way.

Thanks, willit - that gives me more hope that my visit may bring out something fruitful!

My GGF was an engineer, his father a paymaster in RN. The friend he supposedly travelled to Australia with was a surgeon on the ship 'Emerald' for the voyage in 1878.

I can't locate any on-line records for this journey, so am hoping that the naval records in NA at Kew will have the ship's log and crew records. Di

Just to clarify, Morgana's recommendations is the coast south of Newcastle and would be definite highlights. I would put these above Liverpool - which some people love but which I am lukewarm about..... York is a different story .... I lived there as a young adult and am still in love with the place. In short, and in my opinion, York and the Yorkshire coastal resorts deserve more time than Liverpool.

Thanks for your suggestions, steve - we do plan to spend several days travelling dowm the coast from Newcastle and exploring the Yorkshire Moors. We'll also travel through the dales on our way from Liverpool to Newcastle, so hopefully will get a taste of the whole spread.

I can appreciate that a few days won't be nearly enough, but at least we'll get a 'look-see', and know which pockets we'd like to return to if the opportunity arises. Di

Di, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The old docks are a great place to start, head for Albert Dock. The ground floors of many of the buildings have been converted to a variety of uses and the Tate Gallery has an outpost here. In the same area are the Three Graces - Liverpool's trio of landmark buildings on the pier head. A new building close by also houses the Museum of Liverpool. If you fancy a bit of retail therapy then Liverpool One - the excellent new shopping area is also close by and as well as the shops there are some excellent restaurants.

The second area of 'must sees' would be the area around St George's Hall where you also have the Walker Art Gallery and the World Museum - it's just a fantastic group of beautiful old buildings and is great at night too. St George's Hall has a lovely little museum.

Finally I wouldn't miss the two cathedral's - Anglican and Catholic and the Hope Street area that links the two.

There are loads more things that I'd suggest depending on our interests but those three areas I think no one should miss.
Tim

Thanks for those suggestions, Tim. We really enjoy walking around, exploring little nooks & crannies in a city - just to get the feel of the place and people.

I've seen that you can get a ferry or cruise from Pier Head - do you know if either of these include a commentary? We like the idea of getting a view of the city from the water, and hearing about the history etc is also very interesting.

We plan to drive from Portsmouth to Liverpool, stay 2 nights there, then drive to Skipton the next day. So we'll have an evening, a full day, then a morning to explore Liverpool.

Retail therapy is probably out (we travel with minimum luggage, so no space!), and Tate Gallery may take up too much time, but any other little interesting hideaways would always be worthwhile! Di

That's a long drive up to Liverpool. If it was me, and depending where you are staying, I'd be walking around the St George's Hall area and then making my way over to Hope Street and checking that area out on the first evening. There is a nice Chinatown area close by so I'd check that out too.

Here are some dining choices:
Lunya - excellent authentic Spanish restaurant (eaten there twice, excellent each time)
The London Carriage Works - looks excellent and is on Hope St
60 Hope St - ditto
Fraiche - superb restaurant (amongst top 50 in the country) over the other side of the Mersey in Oxton but just a short taxi ride away from the centre of Liverpool (had a brilliant meal there earlier this year)
Ziba - another recommended place I've not been to yet
Panoramic - Britain highest restaurant! on 34th floor of Beetham Tower and the food is good too.

The next day I'd do the docks area, St George's Hall area and the Cathedrals.

I've been on the ferry once, and loved it - am a fan of the song Ferry Cross The Mersey - but don't know if there are commentaries - you will probably have to phone the ferry company.

If you are doing the docks right you should walk right by the Tate Gallery - its a great place for a coffee if nothing else and you certainly have plenty of better things to do with your one full day.

Liverpool has some amazing pubs and you should definately check out the Philharmonic Dining Rooms - it's on Hope Street and is one of the most lavish and ornate pubs in the country and yet still just an ordinary british boozer.

As with so many cities Liverpool is excellent for just walking around and exploring.

Tim

I'm beginning to feel as though I've come across a private tour guide, Tim - your on-the-ground information is invaluable!

Us Aussies are quite used to long drives, so Portsmouth to Liverpool isn't at all daunting for us. We don't plan to stop between the two (other than comfort stops) because we've spent quite a bit of time over the years exploring that region.

Your latest ideas are just what we need. So far I haven't booked any accommodation anywhere along this UK segment of our travels, so if you have any suggestions for something with character, comfortable but not top drawer, they would be welcome. Also if anyone else wants to chime in with accommodation ideas, go right ahead!

All we really need is somewhere clean and comfortable with ensuite bathroom; hotel or B&B are fine. When I say 'character', I mean not the regular chain hotels that appear everywhere in the world.

We plan to stay in Portsmouth, Liverpool, Skipton (or nearby), Newcastle, Scarborough (or nearby), Yorkshire and Cambridge.

I know we won't get much time in each place; this is a first for us, touring rather than stopping long-term in one place, but we thought we'd give it a try. Anywhere that really appeals to us will go onto our must-see list for future travels.

Many thanks and Happy New Year to all, Di

Driving up the east coast? We did it, entirely without using motorways (the only way to see a country). Our route took in Cambridge, Peterborough, Lincoln, York, Durham, to Newcastle (and beyond). It was marvellous.

Along the way we included many wonderful small towns and villages, which to us are what England is all about: places like Finchingfield, Lavenham, Ely, Stamford, Beverley, Scarborough, Oickering, Whitby, Elsdon, Hexham & co. We tended to overnight in the small towns rather than the cities: easier, friendlier, and more fun.

Sorry, typing error in the above. Oickering should read Pickering!

Di, am a huge fan of Tripadvisor and use it every time I book accommodation. Our last trip was a driving tour round Scotland and every place we stayed was great. So with that in mind here are some suggestions;

Liverpool
Sefton Villas is the top rated B&B, the location is quite good, outside of the centre but just a short bus ride away. Just £70 a night and it looks excellent. You also get to see the lovely residential areas outside of the centre.
Base2stay is the top rated hotel. An excellent central location and a converted 1850s warehouse so top marks for character (on the outside at least - the interior is very contemporary) A big range of room sizes and prices starting from £60 - looks excellent.
Hotel Indigo - ranked 5 on TA has a good location and is part of a chain (although not a big one in the UK) and is more expensive (doubles start at £90).
Heywood House - ranked 7, excellent location and a 1799 converted bank. Rooms start at £90 but the Saturday night price shot up.
Premier Inn Albert Dock - ranked 8, part of a huge chain but this one is actually part of the converted dock warehouses so worth considering for that alone According to TA people have got rooms for just £29 a night!
62 Castle Street - ranked 12 but again looks excellent, luxury end though but worth taking a look and seeing is you can get a deal.
Hope Street Hotel - ranked 18 but excellent location and bags of character, expensive though.

Looks like you have to pay for parking in all the city centre hotels although looks like they all do discounts.

If it was me then Base2stay looks hard to beat although the charms of the B&B look good too.

In Cambridge check out the Varsity Hotel (ranked top on TA), we were passing through this summer and had drinks on their roof terrace on a hot sunny Sunday afternoon - absolutely magical. The B&Bs though will also be excellent and there may be some great 'out of term' college accommodation so check that out too.

I general I've found using TA and then checking the individual websites works out perfectly.

Am quite envious of your excellent trip and hope you have a brilliant time in Liverpool.

Tim

twoflower - thanks for all those little town suggestions - some are already on our list; will check out the others.

Tim - a great list of accommodation for me to work from, thanks! Di

Just to let you know we stayed at the Travelodge London Kew Bridge Hotel this past July and it was just fine. We arrived by car from France via the ferry service. They have underground parking which has an elevator up to the lobby and room levels. Some of the area has a bit of graffiti and they recommended we put the car underground versus the outside lot, but I have definitely been in dicier parts of London.

We ate a a great little Thai place down the road by foot called Fat Boys Thai: http://www.thaitho.co.uk/Brentford/

We also ate breakfast at the Premier Inn practically across the street since it has a much nicer ambiance, get lattes, etc.

And in terms of parking, you can park after 10AM (I think that is the right time, maybe 9AM) in the neighborhood between Kew Road and Kew Garden road near the tube stop area. There is the little area right at the Kew Gardens Tube stop has coffee shops, bakeries and other nice shops. It has short term meter parking. That is what we did before 10AM-we parked there at a meter and then grabbed a coffee and then right around 10AM found a parking spot in the neighborhood and walked a block over. It was pretty easy.

Thanks, jpie - little hints like those you have given make all the difference when finding your way around in unfamiliar places. Di

Not sure if I am into the correct forum for my question, but here goes anyway. My husband and I are visiting the UK in May and plan to rent a car in LHR. We will then tour Devon and Cornwall for 10 days, return the car in Penzance then take the train back to London for our last four days. We have contacted Europcar and they tell us that their office in Penzance is not open on Sundays and we will have to leave the car in their parking lot and leave the keys in a "lock box". Has anyone had this experience? Can we trust that they won't "discover damage" when we know we left it in good condition? Please don't suggest we change our dates, they are already fixed. Thank you.

"Can we trust that they won't "discover damage" when we know we left it in good condition?"

No of course you can't. Nor can you have any basis for your disgraceful allegation that people you've never met might be criminals. Is this how you run all your life? Are you happy if people you've never met operate on the assumption that you're a criminal?

I've used lockbox-like deals lots of times and have never once been let down. Interestingly, I HAVE been ripped off by US car hire companies - and that's happened when I was physically present at the inspection, but the staff at Hertz falsified the data they subsequently processed. We just refused to pay, and they caved in.

If you think there are better things to do in life than guarantee yourself against any possible crime, just go with the flow. If you really want to ruin your holiday obsessing about trivia, take a photograph of the car (not forgetting to date stamp it, and ensure your camera's reprogrammed to show times in BST) from every possible angle.

And of course email a copy of the photos to yourself at home. You never know who's going to steal your camera en route to the airport.

<B>OldeBritt:</B> First of all, you'd do better to start your own thread instead of tacking on to another thread that is asking entirely different questions about an entirely different itinerary.

2nd - if you are only willing to drop a car during office hours, you need to take it someplace like LHR that is open every day. After hours/drop boxes are very common except at airports and such.