Where to go in the UK?

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So, the world’s in financial turmoil, and things are likely to get a lot worse before they get better. My employer (and technically speaking, my wife’s, too) is $1 billion over budget this year. People are worried about their jobs. Prices are up. Sales are down. Fuel Prices/Airfare are outrageous. The UK is one of the most expensive places to visit.

But, dammit, I promised my daughter a cricket match and a trip to the British Museum of Natural History for her birthday, and I aim to keep that promise. At least it is still 8 months away.

(Video after the jump…)

So, my question is this: Given that I insist that we spend two weeks (and could we squeeze three in?) whenever I fly somewhere, what should we go see this time?

Here are my parameters:

Trip cannot occur before June 1, 2009, and we must be there over at least June 15-23 (to cover a day or so before her birthday and a day or two after the World Twenty20 Final fixture, plus a day for delay of game – which basically puts us there, if two weeks, roughly the 15th-28th, or if three, either the 8th-28th or the 15th-July 5.

We’re obviously “stuck” in London for the time around the match, which makes me think that should be at the end of the trip, and then we get out of the country. Seeing more of London isn’t that big of a priority for us, although there are a couple things that interested me that I missed last time, such as the British Museum, and I imagine the kids would like going up in the London Eye.

So, basically, we want to get out of the city. Last time we saw Stonehenge, Avebury, York and Carlisle on the Britain side, and in Scotland we visited Edinburgh, Drumnadroicht/Loch Ness, Ft. Williams and spent less than three hours in Glasgow.

On our last trip, we completely failed to find the magic tree that Benny Hill used to run behind and disappear while his pursuers continue on past him, although we did find a close substitute on Richmond Common. If anyone actually knows any real Benny Hill magic tree shooting locations, let me know. (Or Avengers, Doctor Who… etc)

I don’t have a particular itinerary planned, but I can rattle off a list of things that I’d be interested in seeing:

OK, I know from my logs that a few readers hail from the UK, so I’d really be interested in any suggestions. Generally, we like to just go out and enjoy the countryside and the day, with perhaps one or two touristy spots in the area. We also have to plan around the fact that we have a 7 and a 4 year old, which pretty much precludes the “drinking tour of Olde English pubs”

Comments? Please.

18 thoughts on “Where to go in the UK?”

  1. Well, if you can make it the earlier slot, covering 13th & 14th June, that would match up with one of the two annual events on the Stapleford Miniature Railway (see here) as used in The Gravediggers, one of my favourite Avengers episodes. I haven’t actually visited, but then I haven’t even visted Aldebury Village which played Little Storping in the Swuff in Murdersville which in turn gave its name to my blog.

    Sussex: I know a little bit more about this because I live here, but I’m not quite sure of the exact position of Holmes’ retirement cottage. However, I can recommend the splendid county town of Lewes, which I live in. We’ve even got a castle – there’s no way it can rival Edinburgh, but it’s definitely the best medieval castle within five minutes’ walk of my house. And if you do come here I’ll take you for tea – either in the trendy organic greengrocer Bill’s or at one of the quieter, more traditional tearooms.

    For castles Bodiam is a particularly well preserved example. I don’t know if it stands out nationally, but locally it’s probably our best specimen. From memory it was also used as the location for the jousting scenes in The King’s Demons so you could be killing two birds with one flint there. I’m not so good on Doctor Who locations… I tend to enjoy recognising them rather than seeking them out. For example, much of The War Games was filmed about an hour’s walk into the downs from me, but I’ve never bothered to go and find the exact spot. (I might use my iPhone’s GPS now I’ve got it, albeit to play with the GPS). One location I definitely can recommend: the open air industrial museum at Amberley Chalk Pits. This was used as a location in both The Deadly Assassin and A View To A Kill. Though this did not make it into the film, in Thunderball Bond took a nurse up to nearby Ditchling Beacon in his bubble car, and SPECTRE’s letter of blackmail was posted from the small village of Washington tucked just under the downs.

    I haven’t been to any of the Doctor Who exhibitions (despite being in two of the towns in which its been on) and I don’t know Blackpool, but I’ll give you this advice about Land’s End: avoid unless you must. The surrounding Cornish peninsula is extraordinarily beautiful, but they’ll charge you a tenner to park at Land’s End and it’s basically just a service station perched on a cliff. Cornwall is a popular holiday destination domestically but I prefer south west Wales (where Pembroke is definitely a castle to check out, and it’s worth swinging by Carew – what’s left of it – and Manorbier, the latter having been used often as a film location).

    Torchwood HQ doesn’t really exist, you know… Seriously, Cardiff waterfront is a bit odd – it doesn’t feel finished. The bay (as seen in the sweeping night time panning shots) is really a huge mudflat that’s been (controversially) flooded by the barrage (I think this featured in an episode of TW) and although the bit around the Millennium Centre and parliament has been redeveloped, you don’t have to wander far to stumble across the rusting remnants of industrial “heritage” that make the “underground” part of the hub feel very plausible (unlike the staff).

    Fossil hunting: you need to do the Jurrasic Coast of Dorset. I know you said pubs were a no-no, but you can sit in the garden of the Anchor Inn at Sea Town on the edge of the cliff overlooking the beach and then go hunting for fossils along the waters edge. Lyme Regis is worth a visit if you do go down that way.

    What else can I say? Well, basically most of the things on your list have been on my list for quite a long time (it never gets any shorter) so I’m not really much use! I’ve been meaning to do Portmeirion, the Lakes, and (since I saw The Mark of the Rani the Iron Bridge but haven’t found the time yet… Let me know if they’re worth seeing!

  2. Well, if you can make it the earlier slot, covering 13th & 14th June, that would match up with one of the two annual events on the Stapleford Miniature Railway (see here) as used in The Gravediggers, one of my favourite Avengers episodes. I haven’t actually visited, but then I haven’t even visted Aldebury Village which played Little Storping in the Swuff in Murdersville which in turn gave its name to my blog.

    Sussex: I know a little bit more about this because I live here, but I’m not quite sure of the exact position of Holmes’ retirement cottage. However, I can recommend the splendid county town of Lewes, which I live in. We’ve even got a castle – there’s no way it can rival Edinburgh, but it’s definitely the best medieval castle within five minutes’ walk of my house. And if you do come here I’ll take you for tea – either in the trendy organic greengrocer Bill’s or at one of the quieter, more traditional tearooms.

    For castles Bodiam is a particularly well preserved example. I don’t know if it stands out nationally, but locally it’s probably our best specimen. From memory it was also used as the location for the jousting scenes in The King’s Demons so you could be killing two birds with one flint there. I’m not so good on Doctor Who locations… I tend to enjoy recognising them rather than seeking them out. For example, much of The War Games was filmed about an hour’s walk into the downs from me, but I’ve never bothered to go and find the exact spot. (I might use my iPhone’s GPS now I’ve got it, albeit to play with the GPS). One location I definitely can recommend: the open air industrial museum at Amberley Chalk Pits. This was used as a location in both The Deadly Assassin and A View To A Kill. Though this did not make it into the film, in Thunderball Bond took a nurse up to nearby Ditchling Beacon in his bubble car, and SPECTRE’s letter of blackmail was posted from the small village of Washington tucked just under the downs.

    I haven’t been to any of the Doctor Who exhibitions (despite being in two of the towns in which its been on) and I don’t know Blackpool, but I’ll give you this advice about Land’s End: avoid unless you must. The surrounding Cornish peninsula is extraordinarily beautiful, but they’ll charge you a tenner to park at Land’s End and it’s basically just a service station perched on a cliff. Cornwall is a popular holiday destination domestically but I prefer south west Wales (where Pembroke is definitely a castle to check out, and it’s worth swinging by Carew – what’s left of it – and Manorbier, the latter having been used often as a film location).

    Torchwood HQ doesn’t really exist, you know… Seriously, Cardiff waterfront is a bit odd – it doesn’t feel finished. The bay (as seen in the sweeping night time panning shots) is really a huge mudflat that’s been (controversially) flooded by the barrage (I think this featured in an episode of TW) and although the bit around the Millennium Centre and parliament has been redeveloped, you don’t have to wander far to stumble across the rusting remnants of industrial “heritage” that make the “underground” part of the hub feel very plausible (unlike the staff).

    Fossil hunting: you need to do the Jurrasic Coast of Dorset. I know you said pubs were a no-no, but you can sit in the garden of the Anchor Inn at Sea Town on the edge of the cliff overlooking the beach and then go hunting for fossils along the waters edge. Lyme Regis is worth a visit if you do go down that way.

    What else can I say? Well, basically most of the things on your list have been on my list for quite a long time (it never gets any shorter) so I’m not really much use! I’ve been meaning to do Portmeirion, the Lakes, and (since I saw The Mark of the Rani the Iron Bridge but haven’t found the time yet… Let me know if they’re worth seeing!

  3. Great suggestions, and links! Thank you!

    I realized that I should have linked all my own ideas, if only for my own future reference, so I’ve updated my original post. (Not that finding an article on my site is any easier than searching Google…)

    I can’t believe I completely forgot about Dartmoor! (The park, not the prison.) There’s loads of stone circles and tors out there just waiting to be photographed. I’d like to think there’s still some waiting to be discovered, but I think I located them all this afternoon on Google Earth – and they all seem to have footpaths leading to them from every direction.

    I understand Thomas Paine, my favorite American Revolutionary, once lived in Lewes…

  4. Great suggestions, and links! Thank you!

    I realized that I should have linked all my own ideas, if only for my own future reference, so I’ve updated my original post. (Not that finding an article on my site is any easier than searching Google…)

    I can’t believe I completely forgot about Dartmoor! (The park, not the prison.) There’s loads of stone circles and tors out there just waiting to be photographed. I’d like to think there’s still some waiting to be discovered, but I think I located them all this afternoon on Google Earth – and they all seem to have footpaths leading to them from every direction.

    I understand Thomas Paine, my favorite American Revolutionary, once lived in Lewes…

  7. The Beast of Exmoor, eh? No doubt the locals were feeling slighted for not having Dartmoor’s Hound of the Baskervilles.

    I’m also looking at Cheddar Gorge – for both the scenery and perhaps a spot of cheese. (They have a restaurant called “the Cheddar Kabob” – how could that not be good?)

    I’m a little worried that the gorge looks like it needs to be explored by car. I’m trying to avoid a hire car because – (A) I’m a bit nervous about driving on the left, (B) cars mean car seats when you’re traveling with kids, and car seats mean extra, very cumbersome, luggage and (C) it diminishes the great railway experience.

  8. The Beast of Exmoor, eh? No doubt the locals were feeling slighted for not having Dartmoor’s Hound of the Baskervilles.

    I’m also looking at Cheddar Gorge – for both the scenery and perhaps a spot of cheese. (They have a restaurant called “the Cheddar Kabob” – how could that not be good?)

    I’m a little worried that the gorge looks like it needs to be explored by car. I’m trying to avoid a hire car because – (A) I’m a bit nervous about driving on the left, (B) cars mean car seats when you’re traveling with kids, and car seats mean extra, very cumbersome, luggage and (C) it diminishes the great railway experience.

  9. Cheddar Gorge can be reached by bus. I’ve done it from Bristol. I can’t speak for the cheese, which I didn’t try, but the gorge itself is over-hyped in my view. It’s a nice place, but not worth a special trip (mind you, when one is coming from Bristol one’s expectations are rather high – the Avon Gorge is a different kind of experience but altogether more satisfying to me) . You might want to check out some of the caves if you’re in that part of the world, and that kind of thing floats your boat.

    Oh, and the left is the obvious side to drive on. What I can’t understand is how you manage to remember to drive on the right all the time.

  10. Cheddar Gorge can be reached by bus. I’ve done it from Bristol. I can’t speak for the cheese, which I didn’t try, but the gorge itself is over-hyped in my view. It’s a nice place, but not worth a special trip (mind you, when one is coming from Bristol one’s expectations are rather high – the Avon Gorge is a different kind of experience but altogether more satisfying to me) . You might want to check out some of the caves if you’re in that part of the world, and that kind of thing floats your boat.

    Oh, and the left is the obvious side to drive on. What I can’t understand is how you manage to remember to drive on the right all the time.

  11. OK, I’ll bite: Why are one’s expectations high after coming from Bristol? Great place?

    Funny you should mention, “…remember[ing] to drive on the right…” because I’ve had a number of ex-pats from Australia and Britain tell me that, in the middle of the night, they’ve gotten on the freeways in the US going the wrong way. I’m not so much concerned about that as I am those darned roundabouts. They’re very, very rare here – in fact, I think there’s only 3 within 300 miles of here and they’re all low traffic.

  12. OK, I’ll bite: Why are one’s expectations high after coming from Bristol? Great place?

    Funny you should mention, “…remember[ing] to drive on the right…” because I’ve had a number of ex-pats from Australia and Britain tell me that, in the middle of the night, they’ve gotten on the freeways in the US going the wrong way. I’m not so much concerned about that as I am those darned roundabouts. They’re very, very rare here – in fact, I think there’s only 3 within 300 miles of here and they’re all low traffic.

  13. Just because of the Avon Gorge. It’s big, and it’s been bridged by Brunel, Cheddar is on a different scale. But if I were feeling cynical I’d say there’s a lot of marketing hype for what is, essentially, a road in a crevice. I visited Cheddar when I was living in Bristol and passing the Avon Gorge daily.

    If you’re a roundabout fan, here’s another must visit for your list…

  14. Just because of the Avon Gorge. It’s big, and it’s been bridged by Brunel, Cheddar is on a different scale. But if I were feeling cynical I’d say there’s a lot of marketing hype for what is, essentially, a road in a crevice. I visited Cheddar when I was living in Bristol and passing the Avon Gorge daily.

    If you’re a roundabout fan, here’s another must visit for your list…

  15. Castles:
    Hever Castle (http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/) in Kent
    Leeds Castle (http://www.leeds-castle.com), also located in Kent, and much more convenient for public transport.
    Bodiam is worth a visit

    Lake District: you can get a train to Oxenholme, and from there it is possible to get public transport to places such as Windermere, and Keswick. Apart from having a nice Lake where you shoudl be able to take a boat cruise, Windermere has a Beatrix Potter attraction, and the kids may like that.
    Keswick is particularly picturesque. Attractions include Derwent water, Castlerigg stone circle. They also hold a beer festival there the first week of June….
    If time permits, try the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway (http://www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk/) I’ll be spending two weeks in May in the Lakes, and will have a rental car, so I’ll probably take the Hardknott pass road there!

    Bristol: If you go there you could always take in Ashton Court. I also have fond memories of a place called the Highbury Vaults, located on St Michael’s hill, near the University. If apple juice is your preference, then I recommend the Coronation Tap (http://www.thecoronationtap.com/) – very conveniently located if you’re visiting the suspension bridge.

  16. Castles:
    Hever Castle (http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/) in Kent
    Leeds Castle (http://www.leeds-castle.com), also located in Kent, and much more convenient for public transport.
    Bodiam is worth a visit

    Lake District: you can get a train to Oxenholme, and from there it is possible to get public transport to places such as Windermere, and Keswick. Apart from having a nice Lake where you shoudl be able to take a boat cruise, Windermere has a Beatrix Potter attraction, and the kids may like that.
    Keswick is particularly picturesque. Attractions include Derwent water, Castlerigg stone circle. They also hold a beer festival there the first week of June….
    If time permits, try the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway (http://www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk/) I’ll be spending two weeks in May in the Lakes, and will have a rental car, so I’ll probably take the Hardknott pass road there!

    Bristol: If you go there you could always take in Ashton Court. I also have fond memories of a place called the Highbury Vaults, located on St Michael’s hill, near the University. If apple juice is your preference, then I recommend the Coronation Tap (http://www.thecoronationtap.com/) – very conveniently located if you’re visiting the suspension bridge.

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