I am sure that I have heard this a lot while I have been over here but I only picked up on it the other day.
Someone might say "I don't want to be a gooseberry" and this means the third wheel.
Showing posts with label English Heritage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English Heritage. Show all posts
Dover
I went down here because Jon was having a go at land yatching thanks to his sister Anna. It is about 2-2 1/2 hours drive from Cambridge so I think that is a bit much to do in one day so we stayed in Canterbury.
Dover has a beautiful coast and Dover Castle on top of the cliffs.
Great destination for a weekend away. I would suggest combining this with a stay in Canterbury. While Dover is lovely, there is not a lot to it. So go to Dover for the day, then stay in Canterbury and do Canterbury the next day.
Make sure you get yourself some cockles!
Castle Acre
There is an English Heritage priory located here. The priory is one of the best preserved and dates back to 1090. It is one of the most complete that I have sen so far. On the website there are a few activities you can print out for the children before you go.
I think you could spend a good half of a day here seeing the priory and castle, going around the village, and having lunch in the local pub.
Not too much to organise and a nice place to get away for the day.
Carlisle Castle
I really like the displays that they had about the Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Civil War. It really brought the whole thing to light for me. The more I travel, the more I learn.
It was used in the war and only recently stopped being used. They also have a great war museum in the castle.
Whitby
This year Jon and I both had a few days left of holiday to use and for whatever reason, I got Whitby in my head, so that is where we headed.
Whitby is about a 4 hour drive from Cambridge. It is located up in Yorkshire and is along the coast. Its a lovely little sleepy coastal town with the river lined with lobster traps.
Whitby was a monastery in the 7th Century and you can see the beautiful Whitby Abbey on top of the hill looking down on the town. The abbey allows dogs on leads and is an English Heritage property. It inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula. You might be surprised to learn that this is also known as the English Gothic capital. At the top of the 199 steps is a church. I thought it was very unique because the pews were like boxes and had names of places on them, worth a visit before or after the abbey.
You can also buy a lucky ducky from the Whitby Lucky Duck shop as recommended to me by Jane. It also asks that if you do win something after buying this duck to let them know and you will be sent a presentation duck.
A lot of the cafes and pubs allow dogs in them which was nice for us as it rained everyday except the last day we were there!
Another attraction is the Magpie Cafe. My friend said that during the summer time there are queues to get into this place but lucky for us, it wasn't as busy in the winter. I have a milk allergy and had decided when I saw the lobster traps here, I had to have some. I asked them if they could make it without butter, and they did, when restaurants do this and make me feel comfortable, I always have to mention them. I do write them and let them know how much it means to me.
I have to mention the lovely cottage that we stayed in whilst we were here. It was an 1th century cottage with steps leading down to the main street. It allowed dogs and was walking distance to everything, we didn't drive at all while we were here. Whitby is also a great launching place to stay in and venture to nearby villages.
Looking to get away, here is a great option!
Great Yarmouth
A lot of British people would say that Great Yarmouth is a 'kiss me quickly' place to visit. I didn't know what they were talking about until I got there. I went to Great Yarmouth because I was running my first marathon (4:03:57- not too shabby!)
Greta Yarmouth was first a great place for fishermen as they fished herrings here. Then it was a seaside resort and gained popularity when the Victorians thought bathing in the sea was good for you. It was hit very hard in both WWI and WWII by bombs.
Great Yarmouth has 2 sandy beaches and 2 piers. It has a few rides, miniature golf and arcades too. I would suggest that if you are looking for a beach with sand, this is nice but I prefer Southwold.
All is not lost if you go to Great Yarmouth though. I visited the Elizabethan House (National Trust) which is where they think that the execution of Charles I was planned.It was a quick visit as it was just before closing but you could definitely spend an hour or two here.
There are also some English Heritage Row Houses. in Great Yarmouth, the houses were in rows where the alleys were no more than 3 feet apart and when people opened the windows to the houses they could hold their neighbors hand. Sadly most of the houses were ruined in the WWII so these two houses are all that is left of the 17th century rows.
If you still decide to go to Great Yarmouth, I highly suggest staying at the Tudor House. The people are lovely, its walking distance from the beach and the town centre.
I was skeptical about some of the eateries there but I do suggest that you have a fish and chips at the seaside. I also suggest eating at The Regent on Regent Street, the food was great!
Some other intresting things about Great Yarmouth:
Greta Yarmouth was first a great place for fishermen as they fished herrings here. Then it was a seaside resort and gained popularity when the Victorians thought bathing in the sea was good for you. It was hit very hard in both WWI and WWII by bombs.
Great Yarmouth has 2 sandy beaches and 2 piers. It has a few rides, miniature golf and arcades too. I would suggest that if you are looking for a beach with sand, this is nice but I prefer Southwold.
All is not lost if you go to Great Yarmouth though. I visited the Elizabethan House (National Trust) which is where they think that the execution of Charles I was planned.It was a quick visit as it was just before closing but you could definitely spend an hour or two here.
There are also some English Heritage Row Houses. in Great Yarmouth, the houses were in rows where the alleys were no more than 3 feet apart and when people opened the windows to the houses they could hold their neighbors hand. Sadly most of the houses were ruined in the WWII so these two houses are all that is left of the 17th century rows.
If you still decide to go to Great Yarmouth, I highly suggest staying at the Tudor House. The people are lovely, its walking distance from the beach and the town centre.
I was skeptical about some of the eateries there but I do suggest that you have a fish and chips at the seaside. I also suggest eating at The Regent on Regent Street, the food was great!
Some other intresting things about Great Yarmouth:
- Charles Dickens wrote David Coppefield
- Ann Sewell, the author of Black Beauty was born here.
Wellington Arch
The Wellington Arch is right near Hyde Park and is often something that people just walk under rather than visiting because they don't know that you can go up to the viewing gallery. It was originally it was designed to be where the Victoria Monument (fountain outside of Buckingham Palace).
It was built in 1826-1830, to commemorate Wellington's win over Napoleon. Now it sits It hosts the biggest bronze statue on top of it in Europe and has a great view into the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
If you are an English Heritage member, you can get into the Wellington Arch for free. If you train to London by train, you can get in with the 2 for 1 coupon by Days Out Guide. You should also visit The Aspley House as it is just over the road.
What can you expect from the houses in England?
First off, I need to thank the people that took part in my survey to help me figure out what Americans think of the housing situation in England. They really helped me get an idea of people took notice of so this could be more generalized and not just my opinion!
The other thing I have to say is that it is best that you come over here with an open mind and to remember that this is England and whilst they may not have homes like we do, doesn’t mean it’s wrong as people live differently all over the world from Americans. Believe me I have had to tell myself this about a lot of things but you are going against thousands of years of tradition. If you can embrace that I think that you will enjoy your tour here and be able to find a suitable home. Another thing we need to remember is when America was growing her suburbs and 1950's homes, England was rebuilding itself after WWII. This set England behind the USA about 20 years because it was more important to provide homes for people and the conveniences came later.
Based on my research 73% of the people live in a free standing house, 13.5% semi-attached, and 11.5% terraced-house. If you are looking to live near the town centre, you will need to expect to live in a terraced house. Perhaps the best of both worlds, would be to live in a semi-detached which means that only one side of the house is attached to another. Until the 1970s many homes only had one or no cars so people lived close enough to the town centre so that they could walk to the shops, the station and to work. It wasn't until around the 1970's that women started to drive cars. This is why there is limited parking and the roads are narrow. My husband does like to remind me that a lot of these houses were built before cars even existed. The older houses are more solidly built. The houses from the 1970's to today aren't as they were trying to cope with a large population that needed homes.
To have an opened planned house is rare (whilst it takes a while to get used to it, it appears that people really like this!). There is a fire safety code that states that there must be a door between each room. Also to save money, its best to close doors to rooms you do not want to heat. Check out my other tips on how to save on utilities. Most British houses do not have closets or other cabinets for storage; instead, they often have wardrobes where they store stuff. Although a lot of people recommend you take only half of your stuff and get rid of the rest!
You will get more home for your money the farther from base you live but not near popular cities such as Cambridge (a lot of people that work in London commute from Cambridge). The sizes of the houses that people in my survey range from 900-2800 square feet. Half of the people responded said that their home was not smaller than the last house that they lived in the US.
Kitchens and laundry facilities can also become a shock to Americans. There are no garbage disposals. Most English homes have a washer machine in the kitchen (some houses do not have space for a dryer). It wasn’t until after the 1970's that washer machines became common in the home and driers in the last 15-20 years. You will need to read my post about washing clothes practices to know that a lot of English was their clothes when dirty and not just when worn and will generally line dry in the nice weather and use a clothes horse in the winter. Also you can hang your clothes in the airing cupboard which is where the boiler is and it will dry your clothes quickly. Remember that energy is expensive compared to the US so these are also ways that you can cut back on your expenses. The refrigerator wasn't common until the 1970's but women would go shopping at their small local grocer everyday or every other day. That is why you will see a lot of Co-operatives around. They used to store meat in a larder which is a small cabinet that keeps cool, mine is under the stairs.
The bedroom sizes are not generally as big as US ones and some rooms would not be considered bedrooms at all in the US. Rooms are generally long and narrow. They are also smaller as most people just sleep in these rooms and spend time in their living/sitting rooms, that is why these rooms are usually bigger.
Bathrooms are a bit different than in the US. It is not as common anymore but do not be shocked to see an outdoor loo. Some bathrooms are baths that have showers added at a later date; it appears to be in the 1980’s, which is in line when England caught up with the US and other appliances that were common in the USA became common here. You might also find your bathroom might be split into two rooms, one where the toilet is in one and the another is where the bath and sink are. Some bathrooms might have carpet. There are no outlets for curling irons but there are ones for shavers only, this is because the voltage is twice the strength of the US and it is dangerous to have electrical items that might get wet. That is why the lightswitch is either outside, or a string to pull, because with wet hands you could get a shock. Many bathrooms do not have mirrors in them as women would have gotten ready at a vanity table. You might also have a half bathroom on the ground floor. Also there are usually are no mixer taps in the bathrooms.
Carpets is an interesting topic that came up. Carpets like many things is expensive. The kind of carpet is different as well. They tend to have the short length style. An interesting thing that I found out is that when people moved home, they used to take the carpet with them. This is less common now a days. If you have a child with allergies, its best to find a home without carpets.
Some houses do have garages but the British often use them more for storage rather than parking the car in it.
There are not porches over here as you know them in the US, but a lot of houses have conservatories which are made up of windows. They catch the sun when its out and are a nice place to sit when its raining outside. The British would never sit out in the front of their house. The front garden is for show and the back garden is to enjoy.
Another thing that they mentioned is that heating your home by oil is expensive so if you can find one with a good energy rating and doesn’t use oil, that would be preferable. Also central heating wasn't seen in England until the 1970's.
It doesn’t happen very often but we do get hot weather. The heat mixed with the humidity gets the Americans pining for their air conditioners but it’s a luxury over here. They recommended that if you have one, bring it with you but remember that they will need to use a transformer which will rack up your energy bills. Also windows do not have screens in them.
A lot of people commented on how expensive the houses were. The reason housing is so expensive is not particularly because of the US market nowadays, it is because the value of the house and the land it stands on is so high. Generally, landlords work out rent on an annual return basis of around 6 - 8%, so if a house is worth £100,000, they would expect a rent of £8000 per year, ie £650 per month. So it follows that a £200,000 house, the rent would be £1300 or so.
Pets can make a home harder to find. Some landlords will not accept any pets or will require a double deposit.
Almost 75% respondents said that all over their furniture fit in their house. One tip was if you have a bed that is Queen or bigger, its best to have a box mattress that is split to aid the bed getting up to the room that you want in.
One person said that if you are open minded about how you want to school your children perhaps send them to British schools and that means you can be more flexible with where you live (and your children will be 1 1/2 years ahead of American children!).
Some things that shocked people about homes over here:
The other thing I have to say is that it is best that you come over here with an open mind and to remember that this is England and whilst they may not have homes like we do, doesn’t mean it’s wrong as people live differently all over the world from Americans. Believe me I have had to tell myself this about a lot of things but you are going against thousands of years of tradition. If you can embrace that I think that you will enjoy your tour here and be able to find a suitable home. Another thing we need to remember is when America was growing her suburbs and 1950's homes, England was rebuilding itself after WWII. This set England behind the USA about 20 years because it was more important to provide homes for people and the conveniences came later.
Based on my research 73% of the people live in a free standing house, 13.5% semi-attached, and 11.5% terraced-house. If you are looking to live near the town centre, you will need to expect to live in a terraced house. Perhaps the best of both worlds, would be to live in a semi-detached which means that only one side of the house is attached to another. Until the 1970s many homes only had one or no cars so people lived close enough to the town centre so that they could walk to the shops, the station and to work. It wasn't until around the 1970's that women started to drive cars. This is why there is limited parking and the roads are narrow. My husband does like to remind me that a lot of these houses were built before cars even existed. The older houses are more solidly built. The houses from the 1970's to today aren't as they were trying to cope with a large population that needed homes.
To have an opened planned house is rare (whilst it takes a while to get used to it, it appears that people really like this!). There is a fire safety code that states that there must be a door between each room. Also to save money, its best to close doors to rooms you do not want to heat. Check out my other tips on how to save on utilities. Most British houses do not have closets or other cabinets for storage; instead, they often have wardrobes where they store stuff. Although a lot of people recommend you take only half of your stuff and get rid of the rest!
You will get more home for your money the farther from base you live but not near popular cities such as Cambridge (a lot of people that work in London commute from Cambridge). The sizes of the houses that people in my survey range from 900-2800 square feet. Half of the people responded said that their home was not smaller than the last house that they lived in the US.
Kitchens and laundry facilities can also become a shock to Americans. There are no garbage disposals. Most English homes have a washer machine in the kitchen (some houses do not have space for a dryer). It wasn’t until after the 1970's that washer machines became common in the home and driers in the last 15-20 years. You will need to read my post about washing clothes practices to know that a lot of English was their clothes when dirty and not just when worn and will generally line dry in the nice weather and use a clothes horse in the winter. Also you can hang your clothes in the airing cupboard which is where the boiler is and it will dry your clothes quickly. Remember that energy is expensive compared to the US so these are also ways that you can cut back on your expenses. The refrigerator wasn't common until the 1970's but women would go shopping at their small local grocer everyday or every other day. That is why you will see a lot of Co-operatives around. They used to store meat in a larder which is a small cabinet that keeps cool, mine is under the stairs.
The bedroom sizes are not generally as big as US ones and some rooms would not be considered bedrooms at all in the US. Rooms are generally long and narrow. They are also smaller as most people just sleep in these rooms and spend time in their living/sitting rooms, that is why these rooms are usually bigger.
Bathrooms are a bit different than in the US. It is not as common anymore but do not be shocked to see an outdoor loo. Some bathrooms are baths that have showers added at a later date; it appears to be in the 1980’s, which is in line when England caught up with the US and other appliances that were common in the USA became common here. You might also find your bathroom might be split into two rooms, one where the toilet is in one and the another is where the bath and sink are. Some bathrooms might have carpet. There are no outlets for curling irons but there are ones for shavers only, this is because the voltage is twice the strength of the US and it is dangerous to have electrical items that might get wet. That is why the lightswitch is either outside, or a string to pull, because with wet hands you could get a shock. Many bathrooms do not have mirrors in them as women would have gotten ready at a vanity table. You might also have a half bathroom on the ground floor. Also there are usually are no mixer taps in the bathrooms.
Carpets is an interesting topic that came up. Carpets like many things is expensive. The kind of carpet is different as well. They tend to have the short length style. An interesting thing that I found out is that when people moved home, they used to take the carpet with them. This is less common now a days. If you have a child with allergies, its best to find a home without carpets.
Some houses do have garages but the British often use them more for storage rather than parking the car in it.
There are not porches over here as you know them in the US, but a lot of houses have conservatories which are made up of windows. They catch the sun when its out and are a nice place to sit when its raining outside. The British would never sit out in the front of their house. The front garden is for show and the back garden is to enjoy.
Another thing that they mentioned is that heating your home by oil is expensive so if you can find one with a good energy rating and doesn’t use oil, that would be preferable. Also central heating wasn't seen in England until the 1970's.
It doesn’t happen very often but we do get hot weather. The heat mixed with the humidity gets the Americans pining for their air conditioners but it’s a luxury over here. They recommended that if you have one, bring it with you but remember that they will need to use a transformer which will rack up your energy bills. Also windows do not have screens in them.
A lot of people commented on how expensive the houses were. The reason housing is so expensive is not particularly because of the US market nowadays, it is because the value of the house and the land it stands on is so high. Generally, landlords work out rent on an annual return basis of around 6 - 8%, so if a house is worth £100,000, they would expect a rent of £8000 per year, ie £650 per month. So it follows that a £200,000 house, the rent would be £1300 or so.
Pets can make a home harder to find. Some landlords will not accept any pets or will require a double deposit.
Almost 75% respondents said that all over their furniture fit in their house. One tip was if you have a bed that is Queen or bigger, its best to have a box mattress that is split to aid the bed getting up to the room that you want in.
One person said that if you are open minded about how you want to school your children perhaps send them to British schools and that means you can be more flexible with where you live (and your children will be 1 1/2 years ahead of American children!).
Some things that shocked people about homes over here:
- How small the washer and dryers are (read my explanation here)
- Most things don’t fit up the stairs.
- The houses were as small than I thought.
- Living here has shown us how spoiled Americans are.
- You can adjust the temperature of each room by the knobs on the radiators.
- Security of the doors and windows.
- Small water heaters.
- Small fridge = less junk food
- History that the houses have (used to be the Old Village Hall)
- The houses have character!
- If you live in the right town, everything is walking distance.
- That you can turn off the outlets at the wall to save on electricity.
- Conservatories!
- They are more eco-friendly here. We only heat our water 3 times a day instead of all day.
- They make you realize that you really can live without things you took for granted before. You also learn to appreciate them more.
- I like that I am learning to live in a different manner. Making do with less, and living a bit simpler, if more cramped life!
- Towns are made to be pedestrian friendly which is nice!
- Ship your Household Goods ASAP so that they arrive here by the time you do.
- Check the energy rating of your home, the better it is the less you will spend on heating it. (High D and above will be covered by the money you get for utilities).
- It is hard to mount TVs.
- Do not bring little appliances (vacuum) with you or anything with US plug. Transformers are pains and eat up a lot of energy (which means they cost you more money!). You can also check your electronics to see if they automatically handle the voltage, if so you just need an adapter to fit it in the wall.
- Use cleaners from off base because they are developed for the water over here.
- Take photos of house before you move in for any stains and marks for your records.
- Take your time to find a house you like but once you find one, jump on it as they go quickly!
- Use this as a chance to get rid of things that you don't need.
- Move off base if you feel like you can be part of the local culture but in order to do that you must leave your expectations behind and embrace the differences.
- You will hate it here if you only go to base and back. Make the most of the opportunity to travel, learn and grow.
- Do NOT bring your washer and dryer!!!!
- Look further from base, you get more for your money!
- Set up a British bank account because they have chip and pin and a lot of places do not accept the swipe card you get from banks on base!
Aspley House
Aspley House, if home to the Duke of Wellington, who is most famous for beating Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 but he was also Prime Minister twice.The place was known as Number 1, London in the Duke's time. It is now a Military Museum.
The house was given back to the nation, but the family still use the private rooms. It is the last surviving townhouse in London that is open to the public but also the only EH property that the original owner's family is still alive.
Thetford Priory
Thetford Priory was one of the most important monasteries in East Anglia. Its a lovely place to stop off and have a walk around and there are signs and pictures explaining what is around you.It is free to visit and you could make a half day of it if the weather is nice and have a picnic amongst the ruins. It is very picturesque.
Grimes Grave
This is a place that I would stop off if you out in the area, as it can be a quite quick but it is worth the visit, to get a view into what Neolithic life was like. Also if the weather is right, you can just let the kids run round and burn off some energy.
Grimes Grave is prehistoric flint mine and there are over 400 pits that were dug out. They would dig down and get the flint out and refill the holes. There is a great display the history and importance of the area. Then you can go down one of the excavated shafts. My father-in-law told me that people used to be able to crawl throughout the little tunnels when he visited there 40 years ago, sadly you can no longer do that.
The staff are very knowledgeable and shared with me that the flint from Brandon was used in the guns that Americans used during the American Revolution!
Also this is free to English Heritage members.
Framlingham Castle
Framlingham Castle is a great day out for the family. It is only an hours drive from Bury St Edmunds. It is great fun for kids, very scenic and perfect for a day away. If you are an English Heritage member, its free!
Historically it is also very interesting as well. Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, became queen in 1553 after the death of her brother, Edward VI. This was very controversial for a few reasons, her mothers marriage was dissolved on the grounds that she was married to Henry VIII's brother and so he could marry his second wife. This lead to split between Rome and England and formed the Church of England and the monarch became the head of the church. So Mary was Catholic and it was feared that she would return England to Catholicism. Mary went to Framlingham Castle until she was announced as the Queen.
You can walk amongst the ruins and there are some games and activities for children. They also have great events for Easter and Halloween but also some educational events.
Wrest Park
If you are an English Heritage member, it is free to visit. There are audio tours to take around with you. It also has a tearoom.
There are a lot of trails which children and dogs can explore. Dogs can be taken to Wrest Park but must be on a lead and cannot go into the house. There is also a playground should the children need to burn off any energy.
Lovely day out, pack a lunch and bring the camera!
Audley End
If you are an English Heritage member, you can enter this property for free. It has an amazing garden and you can just imagine women as seen in Pride and Prejudice strolling around.
It also has a Service Wing that shows how hard the servants worked to maintain the house. Such as it would take a week for one piece of laundry to go through the cleaning system. Do you think it takes forever to do your laundry now?
There is also a Stable Yard that holds a multimedia exhibition. It also has an Organic kitchen Garden that was created in the 18th Century.
It is a great day out for the children as well, with plenty of space for them to run around and has a play area to keep them busy.
I like it because it is such as beautiful property and so close to the area. It is worth going here.
It is a great day out, bring a picnic, take a tour of the house and enjoy the serene surroundings.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge
is a stone circle in the Amesbury. The stone circle was constructed
around 2,500 BC. There are several theories on why the prehistoric
people built this impressive stone circle ranging from worshiping
ancestors to burial place.. It is one of the seven wonders of the
world. I enjoyed to be able to see these rocks in person, although they no longer allow you to go up to the rocks.
Admission is free if you have an English Heritage membership.
I highly recommend that you plan on seeing something else in the area such as Bath as they are only an hour away from one another. Allow about 30 minutes to an hour at this location.
Address: Off A344 Road, Amesbury, Wiltshire - SP4 7DE
Hadrian's Wall
If you would like to go for a walk or bike it there are many companies that can help you organise your trip. This website has a lot of information to help you in your planning.
For more information about Hadrian’s Wall, go here.
Jane and I walked Hadrian's Wall in 4 days (84 miles). It was difficult as we followed the wall and were constantly going up and down hill but the training we put in was worth it!
I would recommend stretching the walk out to 5 days or more if you are not a distance walker. Also going West to East was better as the wind was on our back. Many of the forts and other attractions are managed by English Heritage so its worth bringing your card. If you can't commit to the full distance, Carlisle to Newcastle is manageable and you will see most of the wall here. Remember to pack light!
Also there are 7 stations to get your passport stamped along the way, which is only available between May and October.
For more information on the walk, visit here.
Jane and I took a drive up after work on Friday and stayed at a Days Inn 3 hours away from Cambridge to get us as close to the wall that we could get the evening before.
The next morning, we drove to Carlisle and parked outside of the Sands Centre but there is long term parking near the rail station which is closer to the bus station. We took the bus to the beginning at Bowness-on-Solway.
On this walk you rarely see any of the wall but you will be following the line of where it was. The wall is not visible because they used earth to build up their defense. It is a very scenic walk but was quite muddy as it was raining for us.
Be prepared to go over and through many stiles, I think this made it much longer walk. The walk is clearly identified which is nice but it would be good to have a book or map to reference, just in case you get lost. We did come across some people that had lost their way a bit. Also all the books vary in distances so its hard to really know how far you are going.
That day we walked to Irthington and stayed at the Vallum Barn. It was a great place to be staying after long walk. The beds were comfy and Lyn and William Haugh were really nice (I was shocked to see a sandollar in the bathroom but William was in the RAF and stationed in Canada). We ate at the local village pub, Salutation Inn (016977-2310), which we had to prebook because it is so popular. The next morning we had a full English breakfast to get us ready for the day ahead!
Day 2 was when we started seeing the wall pop up in stages and for a long time we were walking along it.
It is amazing the amount of walkers you see along your way and you tend to meet up several times and seem to form a bond :) We were lucky we were walking with the wind because one lady said it took her 11 hours to walk 8 miles because of the wind.
That night we stayed at the HolmHead Guest House which was built over the wall. Many house and buildings in this area used the rocks form the wall which is the reason why it is not still standing in all of its glory. The people at this B&B were very nice as well!
We ate at the local village pub, The Green Head Hotel and enjoyed many glasses of wine and almost got ran over by a bike but really enjoyed ourselves!
This was our longest day from Greenhead to Wall (outside of Chollerford).
We
walked along the wall and not the National Trail so there were many
tricky up and down bits but it was the most scenic as at times we were
on the top of the hills.
We also saw the English Heritage Housesteads Roman Fort which was about a little over halfway but amazing to see what still remained and that it once covered 5 acres!
Then the sun came out and the rest of the day was great! Check out our pictures on our FB page.
We stayed in the Hadrain Wall Hotel.
This was a nice change as it was a pub and hotel so less walking. The
food was okay (don't ask Jane about her soup incident) but breakfast was
good.
We
walked from Wall to Wallsend. The wall started to taper off once we
were getting into the city. We started to follow the old railway along
the water which was good. Luckily for us the sun was out. This seemed
like the hardest part of the whole walk as once you are in town, you
stop getting updates of how far you are from the end. But we did it!
Do not book with the Dorset Arms Hotel in Wallsend! They mixed up our booking and we had to find another place to stay. We ended up staying in Whites Hotel in Newcastle. Luckily it was nicer and cheaper than them! Not what you want after a 30 mile walk! Newcastle is known to have one of the best nightlife in England but we were not up for anything but we ate at a lovely restaurant called Scalini, which was a great relief after our ordeal with the hotel!
We finished and now are trying to think of what to do next!
If you have any questions, please email me at kim@atobhomes.com
Do not book with the Dorset Arms Hotel in Wallsend! They mixed up our booking and we had to find another place to stay. We ended up staying in Whites Hotel in Newcastle. Luckily it was nicer and cheaper than them! Not what you want after a 30 mile walk! Newcastle is known to have one of the best nightlife in England but we were not up for anything but we ate at a lovely restaurant called Scalini, which was a great relief after our ordeal with the hotel!
We finished and now are trying to think of what to do next!
If you have any questions, please email me at kim@atobhomes.com
Denny Abbey
I love it because you can see the difference in the styles of masonry. Also there is a cute farmhouse so you get an idea of what life was like in the 1940s and what life was like in this area and how the world has changed it. They also have children friendly activities and events.
It is located on the A10 between Ely and Cambridge. It is also an English Heritage property so if you are a member you will have free admission.
The Farmland Museum,
Denny Abbey,
Ely Road,
Waterbeach,
Cambridge,
CB25 9PQ
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