Trip Report--London, York, Carlisle, Whitby
 

Just to warn the well-traveled readers: this was my first trip to England so I did lots of the typical touristy stuff, especially in London. Basically we made a big loop around the country--spent four days in London, three in York, two in Carlisle, crossed the country and spent a night in Whitby, then back for an overnight in York, and three last days in London before flying out.<BR><BR>LONDON: Flew out of Logan Monday pm on Virgin Atlantic. Plane ride was usual economy hell, but fortunately Virgin provided earplugs and an eyeshade, which I took advantage of and it really made a difference. Got to Heathrow about 7:15 am Tuesday, ENORMOUS line at passport control, took one hour to get through. Dragged our luggage to Heathrow Express, pretty quick and painless ride into London. At Paddington Station, they were carpooling cabs, so got away with a slightly more economical ride. Stayed at the Georgian House, on St. George’s Drive, near Victoria Station, per the recommendation of some folks here on the forum. I have to say that although the place was clean and the staff was very nice and helpful, the entire hotel is in dire need of some cosmetic help—the rugs were worn, walls were chipped and grimy, the whole place just looked tired. Cheap (for London) though, 49GBP per night for a single ensuite, with full English breakfast. The room wasn’t ready when I arrived so picked up a hop-on, hop-off tour, but was too weary to hop off anywhere, so just rode it around to get oriented. When I got back to the hotel my room was ready so I took a short nap and woke feeling refreshed and ready to go. Had dinner at the Duke of York pub on Victoria Street, not bad, then took a walk up Buckingham Palace Road to Buckingham Palace, took some photos; walked up to Westminster Abbey, and then headed back to the hotel. <BR>To be continued...

Wednesday: The next day was beautiful, brilliant, sunny. Took the tube to the Tower of London (note—it takes longer than you think to get ANYWHERE—plan in some extra time), got there about 9:30, went straight to the crown jewels—no lines, about 15 people in the place. It was great—we were able to spend as much time as we wanted checking them out. There was a Korean war memorial ceremony going on, with a little parade and a band, so watched that for a while, wandered around in the White Tower, and some other buildings. Our afternoon plan was to have lunch then catch the 2 pm British Museum highlights tour with London Walks, but the day was so gorgeous (around 80 degrees F), I just didn’t want to be inside. Instead we took a boat from the Tower Pier to the Westminster Pier and hiked over to the London Eye. Of course the place was mobbed, but it’s very well organized and all the lines moved quickly. It was such a clear day we had excellent views and I enjoyed the whole experience a lot more than I thought I would. After an ice cream break we headed over to the Houses of Parliament to see if we could get in to see the House of Commons. The line was quite long, and the bobby on duty suggested we come back after dinner when we’d have a better chance of getting in, so we left and went across the street to Westminster Abbey. I was surprised by my reaction to Westminster—it just didn’t touch me the way churches in Italy do, and I’m not sure why. I did very much enjoy the cloisters garden though, like an oasis in the bustling city. Went back to the hotel for a rest, then had dinner at another place on Victoria Street, a little Italian place called Bella. Food was good, service was so-so. After dinner, back to Parliament and boo hoo—the houses had finished early that day! Went instead to the Victoria and Albert museum, which was open until 10pm on Wednesday, and checked out the Tiaras exhibit. Interesting to see it the same day as the crown jewels—I must have seen 10,000 diamonds on that one day! <BR><BR>Thursday: The next morning I took the tube and the Docklands Light Railway over to Greenwich to the Royal Observatory, which I enjoyed very much—stood on the prime meridian (with about 500 other people), set my watch by the atomic clock (loses one second every 50 million years!) I would have liked to have stayed longer, there was a lot more to see, but I had to get back to London to meet my Astral Travels tour to Stonehenge, the special access tour. Met the group outside the Earl’s Court tube entrance, it was a smallish group, just 16 of us. Stopped at the West Kennet Long Barrow, which is excavated and accessible, Silbury Hill, Avebury, and looked around for some crop circles, but our guide said it was a little early in the season for them. Got to Stonehenge just as they were closing. After they had cleared everyone out, they led us up and we were able to walk amongst and touch the stones. It was a great experience—I’m not sure what I would have thought of Stonehenge if I had to stay behind the little rope. Stayed for about an hour, then headed back to London, got back about 10 pm. A long, full day!<BR>

Friday: Took an early morning train to Windsor for the day, toured the castle and St. George’s Chapel. This was also something I enjoyed more than I had expected to, maybe because I kept thinking about the people who LIVED there—when they close for the night do the residents get to enjoy the beautiful gardens?? We were also hoping to get to Eton, but we needed to get back to London for our theater date. Saw The Lion King, which I thought was just extraordinary—really imaginative and ground breaking. Had dinner beforehand at Jenny Lo’s Noodle House, also recommended here on the forum—good and cheap.<BR><BR>Saturday: Caught an early train to York (62.50 GPB one way—gulp!) and arrived around noontime. Stayed at a fabulous B & B, the Bronte House on Grosvenor Terrace, just up the road a ways from the Bootham Bar. The house was beautifully decorated, the hosts were kind and helpful, my single (35 GBP per night) felt huge and luxurious after my tiny cell in London. After lunch in the Theater Royal coffee shop (good, fresh food), headed over to the York Minster, which is spectacular and has a wonderful museum in the undercroft and crypt—enjoyed it very much. Afterwards, we caught the free city tour that is offered a few times a day (meets in front of the art gallery across from the TI.) Our guide was a quirky elderly gentleman who had some interesting stories to tell but didn’t take us too far from our starting point, and after an hour we broke away from the group and went to have dinner. Our hosts recommended a restaurant, Russell’s, a carvery, full of tourists from all over, but the food was really good. They have two locations in the city. Had to try the sticky toffee pudding for dessert, but I guess English puddings are an acquired taste. After dinner, took a leisurely stroll back to the B & B. I loved that it didn’t get dark until 10:30 or so, and we lingered outside as long as we could. <BR>To be continued... <BR>

Sunday: Meandered our way through the ancient streets of the old city to Clifford’s Tower and the Castle museum. Climbed the tower for the views, then hit the museum. The museum was interesting—sort of like York throughout the ages, from the Romans through WWII. Afterwards, we popped into Betty’s for tea, which was fun. I think Americans like the ritual of tea, we just don’t have anything like it. Back to the B & B for a rest, then our plan was to go to St. Williams for dinner, but they were closed for a private party so we went to the Golden Fleece, a pub, instead. It was quite enjoyable—they have a nonsmoking bar in the back, and maybe because it was Sunday it wasn’t very busy, so we were able to chat with the staff. They brought us a baked apple in a puddle of sweet cream (yum) for dessert, wasn’t on the menu, they were testing it as a dessert possibility they said, and wanted our opinion. It was a nice way to end the meal and I loved that cream! When we were settling up the bill I asked if any of their rooms were vacant (they have four, reputedly haunted!) and was asked if we wanted a tour. Of course, we did. I had inquired about staying there through the York TI but had been told they were full (?) One of the guys took us through three of the four rooms—they have great potential but don’t quite make it. It just looked as though no one had stayed in any of them for a long time—there were atmospheric cobwebs hanging from the chandeliers, and inexplicably dusty places on the carpet, where it looked like pieces of furniture had been taken away. But the furniture was beautiful and the bathrooms were new and luxurious so who knows, maybe in the future. Has anyone ever stayed there?? <BR><BR>Monday: Took the Yorkshire Coastliner bus to Castle Howard, a spectacular manor house about 1 hour away with magnificent gardens and grounds where peacocks roamed freely, and a stunning house (Brideshead Revisited was filmed here.) The day was looking grayer than usual so we wandered around the grounds first, then when we felt the first drops of rain went inside to tour the house. The Howard family still lives there and we were told that when the house is closed to the public in the winter months, guests stay in the very rooms we were touring! Imagine sleeping in the same bed Queen Victoria slept in! I wish we’d had a nicer day because there was a lot to see outside but by the time we’d finished touring the house, it was raining pretty steadily so we hiked back to the bus stop. Got back to York and had dinner at a so-so Indian restaurant near Bootham Bar and called it an early night.<BR>To be continued...

Tuesday: Packed a small overnight bag, checked out of our lovely B & B, hauled our luggage over to the B & B we were staying at upon our return trip, and headed to the train station to catch the train to Carlisle. We wanted to take the Settle-Carlisle line, which goes through the beautiful Yorkshire dales so changed trains in Leeds and got to Settle right around lunchtime. It was market day and we had fun poking around in the stalls. Had lunch in a really surprising place called Ravenous, a big-city caliber restaurant that was excellent. Had just enough time after lunch to peruse a couple antique shops, then headed for the train. Well, the hype was all true—the views were stunning. Tried to take a few photos from the moving train. I do hope they come out. Got to Carlisle about 3pm. We had made our accommodations reservation through the York TI so we were a bit nervous about what we were going to find, but our B & B was another very pleasant surprise. Fairleigh Guest House, a few blocks from the city center on Howard Avenue, was just beautiful. My room was HUGE—a triple, it had one double bed and one single bed, a fireplace, a couple of comfy chairs, plenty of storage, big bathroom, wonderful! And 25 GBP per night! After we’d checked in, headed back into town to see the sites. Carlisle has three biggies—cathedral, castle and museum. Came upon the cathedral first, so that’s where we went. Very old, lots of stained glass, obviously not as elaborate as the York Minster, but interesting to visit all the same. Had dinner in a forgettable Italian place then looked around for something to do. Unfortunately they seemed to roll the sidewalks up at 4pm or so. There was a movie theater but the latest movie started at 6. Didn’t want to go to a pub so…we took a walk around then gave up and called it a night.<BR><BR>Wednesday: Nice day, perfect weather for exploring Hadrian’s wall. Took the Hadrian’s Wall bus (5.50 GBP for an all day rover ticket) from Carlisle to the first major stop, the Roman Army Museum. Checked it out but it was a bit cheesy and my real interest was to walk along the wall so I wandered out to find it. Walked along the part called the Walltown Crags. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was much more rugged and difficult to walk than I expected and I was totally not prepared—I had no bug repellant, no sunscreen, no water, no hiking boots. I did, however, manage to hike the three miles to the next bus stop at Cawfields, and got there just in time to catch the bus. My next stop was Vindolanda, which is an extensively excavated Roman fort about three miles from the wall on a nice, FLAT stretch of land. The ruins themselves didn’t do much for me, but it was interesting to watch the on-going dig. They also have a nice little museum with a large collection of writings found at the site—things like letters home, inventory lists, etc. Really gave a sense of the people who were there and the lives they lived. After a quick lunch in the caf&eacute;, caught the bus to my final destination, Housesteads, also an excavated fort but this one is built into the wall itself. It’s quite a hike up a gravel road to get to it, but I saw lots of fragile looking seniors and folks with baby carriages making their way to the top. Definitely worth the trip! The fort is well labeled and the views are magnificent. By the time I made it back down to the bus stop it was about 4:30 and I was weary so I caught the bus back to Carlisle. Had dinner in a terrible Chinese restaurant and went back to the B & B to relax and rest my aching feet.<BR>

Thursday: Up early to visit the castle, but first stopped at the TI to make our accommodations for Whitby. The castle was interesting—we took the enjoyable (not free) tour which really helped to bring the place to life. Carlisle Castle’s biggest claim to fame is that it is the place where Mary Queen of Scots was kept as Elizabeth’s “guest.” It is still used today as an army posting. After a quick lunch at the Cathedral restaurant, we headed to the train station for our LONG journey to Whitby. The train ran along parallel to Hadrian’s Wall (although you couldn’t see it) and the scenery was nice until we got close to Newcastle upon Tyne, which is a big, ugly industrial city (sorry if I’ve offended anyone—just my opinion.) Had to change trains in Middlesbrough, in the sorriest excuse for a train station I ever saw! Fortunately we didn’t have to wait too long. Finally after a four hour trip, arrived in Whitby. Took a cab to our B & B—another lovely place called the Corra Lynn. Our twin room was L-shaped so each of us had our own little wing, the place was prettily decorated, our hostess reminded me of Maggie Smith. She recommended a restaurant, Trenchers, down by the harbor, which we found with no problem. Had the most delicious fish and chips there. Afterwards we took a walk around the town, stopped to admire Captain Cook’s ship, the Endeavor, which was moored in the harbor, then walked up to the beach and breakwater. Whitby really is quite a lovely place, feels like a 19th century fishing village. We could see the ruins of Whitby Abbey across the river but it was late so we decided to save that for the next day.<BR><BR>Friday: Woke to the sound of rain so we took our time getting up and out. Meandered down to the bridge and crossed the river into the old town. Made our way up the 199 steps to the abbey ruins, which are quite extensive and evocative. Unfortunately it wasn’t a very nice day to be outside, but the site has a museum as well. (I would love to go back there on a sunny day.) Wandered around until noontime then grabbed a cab to Grosmont, to catch the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to Pickering. It’s an old steam engine train, complete with compartments and costumed conductors. It was a fun ride, but we were hoping for more moor views. I think the train just skirts the area. In Pickering we caught a bus back to York and finally met back up with our luggage, which our new hosts had kindly agreed to hold while we toured the north. Stayed at the Carlton House Hotel, which was on the other side of town on a street called The Mount, not as nice a neighborhood as our earlier one. We requested a twin and got a quad—big room, tiny bathroom for 65 GBP, which we thought was reasonable. The public rooms—lounge and breakfast room were beautiful—obviously recently redecorated. Had dinner at a nearby hotel restaurant, which was pretty good, then went back to the hotel to consolidate luggage for our trip back to London.<BR>To be continued...

Saturday: Checked out of the hotel, brought our bags to luggage storage at the train station, then went to the Yorkshire Museum, which is situated in a lovely riverside park, next to the ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey. The museum had an excellent collection of artifacts from the Romans, the Saxons, the Normans, and also contained the museum of the abbey. Had a pricey lunch in a chain restaurant called Pizza Express, which was located in a gorgeous old building across from the park entrance. We asked—the building had once been a gentleman’s club and had been restored. Caught the train to London in the early afternoon and arrived about 3:30. Took a cab across town, back to the Georgian House. My room was slightly larger this time, but still as shabby. I was happy, however, to be staying in one place for a few days! I could actually unpack! After we got settled, took the tube up to Covent Garden. It was a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon and the place was mobbed. We browsed in the shops, I spent a small fortune at Lush and we took the tube back to our relatively quiet Victoria neighborhood. Had dinner at yet another place on Victoria Street, an Italian place called Ask, which was excellent. Toward the end of the trip I always seem to run out of steam, and had no energy to do much after dinner. We walked around the neighborhood a bit, wandered down a couple new streets, then went back to the hotel for an early night.<BR>To be continued...

Sunday: Day trip to Bath today. Caught the tube to Paddington Station, then the train to Bath, around 32 GBP cheap day return ticket. Went right to the Roman Baths which were quite crowded with tourists, so I bypassed the museum part altogether and went right out to the pool. It is a lovely space, but the crowds were too much for me so I didn’t linger too long. The abbey next door was closed for Sunday services but was scheduled to open in the afternoon so I hiked up to the Costume Museum, which I thoroughly enjoyed (5.80 GBP (I think) for combined ticket with Baths.) Afterwards, I went to see the Royal Crescent, which is quite an impressive bit of architecture. There is a house open to tour, but I’d had my fill of lavish rooms on this trip so I just admired the building and went on my way. Had a bite of lunch then went back and checked out the abbey, which I liked very much, light, soaring interior with interesting fan vaulting, looked quite different from the other abbeys and minsters I’d seen. After that I wasn’t sure what do do with myself—it seemed too early to head back to London. I wandered over to a gorgeous little park a couple blocks away from the baths with amazing gardens (I especially loved the topiary Roman soldier made entirely of sedums and hens n’chicks). There was a band playing at the little gazebo and people lounging about in strategically-placed chaises, a perfect setting to relax and wait for my train. Got back to London in time for dinner—this time tried out another noodle house called Noodle Noodle, around the corner from Victoria Station. I didn’t like it as much as Jenny Lo’s, but it may just be that I didn’t like my entr&eacute;e, a cold noodle dish with chicken that was absolutely flavorless. Starting to look forward to going home…my feet and wallet need a rest!<BR>To be continued...one last installment!

Yikes, Patti, were you really allowed to touch the stones at Stonehenge? When we took the Astral "special Access" tour last summer, we got big speeches and warnings from both the Astral guide and the Stonehenge staff about NOT touching.

Hi Suzy,<BR><BR>We got a big lecture about not sitting or standing on the toppled stones but we were able to touch them.<BR><BR>Patti<BR>

Wow, that's an amazing change of policy, considering how stern the lectures were just last year. I got the distinct impression that if any of us got caught touching, Astral would be out of the Stonehenge-tour business!

Thank you for the details. You answered a number of my questions. I have been worried about transport from airport (Heathrow )to Hotel, how was the Express with luggage, then take a cab or just use a cab or shuttle from airport. Then the next question was about trains tickets from Paddington station --did you buy them in advance or at the station. Was there an advange to "off peak" or days less expensive?thansk, we're headed to Evesham. <BR>W

Thank you, Patti -- We are hoping to be in London next May for the flower show & then see York, etc. Really do not want to drive (DH does that every day as part of his work) so reading of your train/bus/tour combo is just great. Thanks again.

Hi Addie,<BR>We just bought tickets as we needed them which did make for some tense moments at Victoria and Paddington stations. The ticket lines were always long (at least they seemed that way to me.) We did try the automated ticket machine once and that was pretty painless. I didn't notice any off peak discounts, but we never asked about them either, so who knows. If (when?) I go again, if I was going to do the train thing, I'd look into a rail pass.<BR><BR>To MHS--we were concerned with all the private bus and rail lines that we'd have trouble with connections but for the most part it worked. It was a fun way to see the country too. <BR><BR>I'll be posting my last installment soon!<BR><BR>Patti

Great, Patti, I'll look forward to reading it. Question: I know for a loop like this using trains that we should pack lighter than we already do -- Any tricks/tips/wish I had known's to pass on? Did you use standard wheeled bag or backpack? <BR><BR>You said "We had made our accommodations reservation through the York TI". This is the Tourist Information in York, correct? Did you have a pre-booked package of so many nights at various B&B? Or was it a selection you made at TI? <BR>Thanks

Hi MHS,<BR>Packing...well, I bought a nice rolling duffel from LLBean for this trip, it has lots of nice features, it's quite roomy, and I promised myself I would pack light, because I knew we'd be moving around a lot. Then when I was packing I had so much space in the bag that I just kept tossing stuff in--another pair of shoes, an extra pair of jeans, the thing weighed a ton! Fortunately I also had room to back a lightweight overnight-size duffel bag which I took on our loop up to Carlisle and Whitby, and I left my big, heavy bag at our B & B in York. I learned my lesson, though, and next time I will bring less stuff! For me, I'd bring two pairs of shoes instead of three, bring less clothing in general, and work a visit to a launderette into the trip. Part of the dilemma for me was the weather--I really did not know what to expect. We had some warmish days in London but we also had some really chilly, damp weather in the north. Bring stuff you can layer--tee shirts, sweaters, a water repellent jacket. I also wished I'd had gloves--my umbrella-holding hand got really cold!<BR><BR>Re the accommodations--made reservations for our stays in London and our stays in York, in advance from home. For our accommodations in Carlisle and Whitby, I made a list of possibilities at home which I compiled from websites, guidebooks, etc., but then when we got there, the Tourist Info booking service was so easy (it does cost a few pounds per booking) that we just let them choose. You tell them what type of room, number of nights, price range, and they make the reservation for you. I was happy with both selections and would definitely use the service again in the future. It's a nice way to go if you want to be more spontaneous.<BR><BR>Obviously I love talking about my trip so please feel free to ask more questions!<BR><BR>Patti

Patti,<BR><BR>Thank you for your most informative trip report.<BR>Just thought I would let you know that my wife and I are booked into the Golden Fleece Inn, in September this year.<BR>We are staying in 'Lady Peckitt's Room', reputedly to be the most haunted of all the rooms. We are really looking forward to it.<BR>When we return I will send through a trip report and let you know our thoughts.<BR>

Hi James,<BR><BR>Oooh, that's one of the rooms we were shown. It is really pretty, I'm sure you will enjoy it. Definitely let me know how you like it!<BR><BR>Patti

Monday: Our last day so we packed it full! Our first stop was St. Paul’s, which I loved, and of course we climbed up to the Whispering Gallery and tried it out. Can anyone tell me why that works? Didn’t have time to climb to the top of the dome, though, because we had to meet the 11am London Walks British Museum highlights tour. I have to say I’m glad we did the tour because the museum just completely overwhelmed me. I can see spending an entire day there and not even scratching the surface. Afterwards we grabbed a quick sandwich and made our way over to the British Library which I think was my absolute favorite place in London. The collection of works was just extraordinary—at one point I held my head and said, “I don’t know what to look at first!” Who knew I’d get so giddy reading Lewis Carroll’s or Jane Austen’s original manuscripts?? And I think the most amazing thing of all was that the place was empty! Maybe it’s just not the draw that the museums are, but for me it was one of the most memorable places we visited. Left the library and hopped the tube down to our last tourist stop—Harrods. Of course, the place was packed and we wandered around looking at the goods and the architecture and all the beautiful food in the food halls. Got out of there without buying anything! Decided to look around that area for a place for dinner, but around Harrods seemed to be mostly shops so we jumped on the tube and got off a couple stops away at South Kensington. Found a tiny French restaurant called La Bouchee (I think) that offered a prix fixe dinner for 10.95 GBP. Food was delicious, artfully arranged, service was good, a nice way to end our London dining experiences. When we came out it was raining, so we hopped on the tube and headed back to the hotel to pack. <BR><BR>Tuesday: Heading home. We used Hotelink to take us to Heathrow. It was 14 GBP, 4 is paid to the hotel as a deposit, the balance gets paid to the driver, cash only. I thought it was a great deal. They picked us up at the hotel, loaded the luggage, got to Heathrow in about 40 minutes, dropped up off right at our terminal, absolutely no hassles. I’d use them again in a minute! At the airport the travel gods were smiling on us—got upgraded to premium economy, which I guess falls between economy and business class. The seats seemed a bit roomier, we had a front row so we had about 8 feet of clear space in front of us. It felt like we were flying alone. It was one of the most comfortable flying experiences I’ve ever had! In Boston, we had to wait on the plane for about 45 minutes after we landed because of a large number of people at passport control but once we got there the place was completely empty. Breezed through, got to baggage claim, our bags were right there, flew through customs with no problem, out of the airport in record time! A very nice way to end our vacation!<BR><BR><BR>

Patti, Great report, just the facts, and easy to read. <BR><BR>Hotelink, was that 14 pp and why not take the Heathrow Express? Just curious.