August 20, 2004

• If I could go back in time and stop myself from visiting Stratford-upon-Avon I would. Stonehenge was impressive. The Imperial War Museum(london) is another interesting place to check out. My memory is too hazy about what else to see in that region.
• I cannot recommend this place highly enough. Fantastic. As well as the general visits, for 40 quid photographers can get into the enclosures with foxes and wildcats. In fact, winter is the time they're most likely to open. Brighton's good value all year round, and about the only place I liked south of Yorkshire. York's nice.
• The Tate. And from London, a day trip to Paris on the Eurostar might not be a bad idea, hat is if you're not put off by being openly mocked for poor or non-existent French language skills.
• Hey! Mexican's back!
• England, in January? I recommend this lovely place called "Somewhere the hell else".
• It will be cold, wet and windy. If you're lucky there'll be some snow to make it look pretty, but don't bank on it. However, I love the winter, and it it will be cosy inside and bleak and stark (in a good way) outside. If they're going to be in Leeds, why not explore the north? Leeds itself has great clubs etc, Liverpool is an hour in one direction and has tons of stuff to do / see / etc. Art, culture, wildly hedonistic nights out, whatever. It's also where I live, so is extra cool. York is about an hour in the other direction - smaller, but very pretty with loads of history. They can travel by coach, which are quite cheap, or by train. Liverpool, Leeds, York etc are all in a more ore less straight line horizontally across the country. Trains may or may not be completely unreliable. You just can't say until the day. England in winter is great, just prepare to get wet. Oh, and it'll be dark by about 4pm! I love it!
• I'd advise them not to go to any of Stonehenge, Stratford or Bath. Stonehenge is impressive, but Avebury is better and less crowded. Bath is pretty, but there are prettier places that won't take so long to get to. Stratford is dull and hackenyed, even for Shakespeare freaks, who'd be better advised to visit the Globe Theatre in London. All of them would be much better seen in the summer, and Stonehenge in particular could be ruined by the January weather. If this is a once in a lifetime trip then maybe, if they envisage going again, leave it for a different trip. If the latter, then I'd suggest staying in Leeds and (particularly) London as much as possible. There is plenty to see in both cities and you'll save crucial time by not travelling around so much. if you do decide to explore outside the cities, then as kitfisto said, try the area around Leeds, in particular York and the Yorkshire Moors, and maybe up to Durham. Much better than the South-West (and I'm not from the North either!)
• I agree with Etienne and kitfitso. York is gorgeous, as is much of the moors area around Leeds. If you are looking for literary links, forget Stratford and pop into Haworth and Bronte country. Across to Manchester for shopping and bars and up to Northumberland and Durham for history.
• I went to Hampton Court last I was in London (there's a direct train from Piccadilly IIRC). It's quite nice, although it means taking a day out, since it's a big place and it's a train trip of at least an hour there and back to London.
• You could probably do both Stonehenge and Avebury if you wanted. There is other stuff like Silbury very near Avebury, but you probably don't want a megalith overdose. If you are going to Stonehenge, it might be good to do Salisbury as well - you ought to fit in at least one decent cathedral! Really, the trouble is that half the country is in principle within striking distance of one or other of the places you mention. It might be worth browsing around the National Trust and English Heritage sites - but you probably knew that already. As for the idea that the best thing to do in Southern England is get on the train to Paris - dash it, mexican old boy, I must say I find that a bit thick, don't you know?
• Here, here, Pleggo old chap. Dashed if Johnny Foreigner should get our tourist pounds! Plenty to see and do in Merry Olde England...Simply not cricket telling our friends from across the pond to visit the continent.
• There's no such thing as a megalith overdose. (so says the person reading volume V of the megalithful *Crown of Stars* by Kate Elliot - another stone circle in every chapter. :) I would give the same advice I would to anyone touring Canada in winter - try to see indoor things, and save the outdoor for what you must see. The British Museum, the Tate. The Globe costs $ to go in, but will have no plays - better to see a play there in the summer (about the same price). If they have never been to Europe before, see some small towns or villages, stay somewhere a little off the beaten track, visit many pubs, but especially the ones medieval and early modern ones. York is suposed to also have a kickass Viking museum. The main travel advice I would have is to look into a Young Person's railcard is they are under 16 or full-time students. If they plan to be doing a lot of moving my train, you can also buy rail passes from Canada or the US (available to tourists only) - but they may only pay for themselves if you do some expensive trips. About the weather - it will be warmer by thermometre than the midwest, but the dampness will make it seem much colder - many Canadians actually do mind from the cold (and the badly heated houses) in a UK winter, though it's suposedly warmer. If your daughters are used to cold temperatures, they will probably be fine, but people temperate places should be prepared to really bundle up, especially in wool (keeps the damp out better than down).
• ...visit many pubs, but especially the ones medieval and early modern ones. If you come to England looking for traditional-style pubs, you'll be disappointed. Virtually every pub here is owned by either a brewery or a huge chain, and is ran as soullessly and facelessly as any other nationwide chain of eateries. If they happen to pop by Warrington, though, tell them to go to the London Bridge. Nice place, good beer and the drunkard comatose in the corner is probably me.
• There is a pub in Grantchester (outside Cambridge) that the Green something. It might be run by a chain, but the building looks 15th or 16th century - I really should ask them if it is. (Looks old, but wrong shape for 17th - 19th centuries, and replica buildings weren't in fasion then). But then, I've been doing a lot of reading about medieval and early modern housing, so I have a bit of a bias in what I think is interesting in a pub.
• I always thought the Green whatsit in Grantchester was over-rated. But then, I was always annoyed by the fact that I'd just spent three hours punting there being attacked by swans. So maybe it's not an objective assessment. I'd say that if you enjoy the hearty feeling of yomping over wet, windy, wild and rugged moorland, then early January is an ideal time to visit England. Aside from the Yorkshire moors, I'd also recommend Dartmoor (in Devon) and the Lake District (in Cumbria). These are at opposite ends of the country, so I wouldn't suggest you try to ruggedly yomp over both of them. In the north, I'd agree that Liverpool's got a bunch of excellent culture-type stuff, but would also suggest that Newcastle's got some interesting stuff going on in the culture field. Also, you can be amused by the local dress-codes for ladies on a night out: the colder it is, the shorter the mini-skirts. In London, most of the better known places to visit are often a)vastly over-priced, and b)utter shite. The Tates, especially the Tate Modern, are indeed pleasing excpetions to this rule. But maybe try avoiding most of the better known places - have a wonder around the fleshpots of Soho, check out the markets (Spitalfields in the east, Portobello in the west - getting less cheap every week, but still fun). Pubs - Blaise is right about the horrors of chain pubs, but at least the Samuel Smith's chain have managed a great trick of maintaining something of an old-school pub atmosphere (lots of brown decor, old men in the corner) and keeping the drinks pleasingly cheap.
• Let's kidnap BBF from Warrington and bring him to London, perhaps for a meet-up, on gosh, I don't know, maybe August 27th.
• I (and my trinity friends with cheap punts) tend to think of the Green Man as just the justificatory destination to allow indulging in a little swan-mockery (don't hit though, they're vicious) and Jerome K. Jerome-style boating. As for quaint English pubs, avoiding anything that bears the name "Wetherspoons" is a good start. More helpfully, London's outdoor markets are a great touristy activity and I second Spitalfields. It's even in White Chapel and after stall-hopping, you can have a drink in the very pub the Ripper frequented. There is also a very interesting Huguenot immigrant museum kitty-corner to it. What more could you ask for a day out?
• This is excellent stuff people. Keep it coming, I'm all ears!
• ...There is also a very interesting Huguenot immigrant museum kitty-corner to it. Then just up the road in Bethnal Green, there's the Museum of Childhood. (Note: while this is factually correct, it does not constitute a recommendation that you visit Bethnal Green. I do not recommend that course of action. Ever.) And yeah, I concur with quidnunc. If drug Blaise's milk, we'll be able to get him on a plane and he'll NEVER KNOW A THING!
• If we drug Blaise's milk, that is.
• Hands off my milk, you southern ponces.
• I am in agreement with those who suggest the best thing to do in London is to hop on the Eurostar for Paris. They clean Paris from time to time, unlike London.
• Actually, rodgerd, London is surprisingly nice these days, at least for tourists (like me).
• They clean Paris?
• Only when Superman detonates nuclear bombs a few miles above it