Two Weeks in England & Scotland

Hi Deb

Obviously, I know Bristol the best of these places. Bristol is not really a tourist destination so anywhere you go you will be among the locals. I don’t know how long you have but, on top of the obvious attractions, I recommend checking out the North Street/Southville area if you have time for its street art and independent shops and restaurants.

Thanks for that, the street art is right up our alley!

Two things I often recommend:

London - Ben Franklin's house https://benjaminfranklinhouse.org/ He lived there 17 years between 1757 and 1775. It's centrally located near Charing Cross Station. There are a couple of different guided tours in the house and a self guided tour. And they appear to have some special events including walking tours of English/American history celebrating our 250 years.

Glasgow - Tenement House museum https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/the-tenement-house A woman lived in this typical Glassgow apartment from 1911 to 1965 and it is preserved like a time capsule of what it was like.

Enjoy the planning!

FWIW I have just booked for two things I have never done before in 40 years of living in and visiting London: Denis Sever’s House and Chelsea Physic Garden.

Hi Deb, you will have such a fantastic trip! I spent a little under six weeks in England in 2024, and it was one of the best trips of my life.

I have not been to Bristol (yet), but you might want to check out a series called Down Cemetery Road, starring Emma Thompson on Apple+. The series is technically set in Oxford and Scotland, but they shot almost all of it in Bristol, so it might be fun to watch. And the show itself is very good in its own right. Then check out any places that look interesting while you're there. Here's an article that gives more details about some of the settings: https://www.cntraveller.com/article/where-was-down-cemetery-road-filmed.

One place I went to in the Dales was Bolton Castle, near Leyburn, which was where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned for a time by Queen Elizabeth in 1568. I loved the castle and spent some time exploring that, but I especially enjoyed a really interesting event called "Bird of Prey". This is where a falconer comes out and basically demonstrates how they train and use falcons there. They had a number of animals or birds of prey there also that you could see, like owls and so on. It was really fascinating to watch. You can see some photos of it on my online travel journal if you like. https://mostlytraveled.wordpress.com/2024/04/14/day-23-castles-castles-everywhere-and-only-beer-to-drink/

I also agree with the recommendation for the Tenement House Museum in Glasgow. I went there and really enjoyed it.

If you’re a music lover you might enjoy the Handel Hendrix house in London. I’m a Handel fan but found the Hendrix part of the houses really interesting.

There are so many "off the beaten path" places in London! I can help advise if you can provide a bit more info about what you are interested in. Some other good places to start are ianvisits.co.uk, Atlas Obscura, and the book Secret London: An Unusual Guide (but there are many, many others). Nearly every corner you turn here you will find something secret and hidden- even in the busiest parts of London there are interesting little places that people walk by every day without noticing.

In the Lake District- examples of things to do that are a bit unusual, in late April and May this year-
This last weekend just gone- Dalemain Marmalade Festival (near Ullswater)- a service bus, 509, stops there, also a festival shuttle bus from Penrith, while there go and see the Dacre Bears and (on the Sunday, yesterday) a Classic Car event
25 April to 4 May- Ulverston walk fest- 33 walks over 10 days (and visit Stan Laurel's birthplace and do the squirrel benches town trail)
28 April to 4 May- The Settle/Carlisle Walking and Music Festival (at various towns along the line)
2 and 3 May- Leyland National 54 bus festival- at Whitehaven- a weekend of events for the family centred around a vintage bus event with free bus rides around the harbour, including a fun fair, etc etc, around the Town Harbour
2-4 May- Muncaster Sausage Festival (at Muncaster Castle)
9 May- Fell Pony Stallion and Colt Show (at Dalemain Mansion)
9 May- Eskdale Herdwick Tup Fair (at Boot, Eskdale, use the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway)_
9 May- National Mills Heritage Open Day- at Beetham- #755 bus from Windermere
9-10 May- Brougham Hall Wartime Weekend- Brougham Hall, Penrith
16 May- Langwathby May Day (a station on the Settle/Carlisle railway)
16-17 May Brass at the Castle (Brass Band Festival at Brougham Hall- use buses from Penrith to Ullswater
16 May The Halle Orchestra- Dvoraks 8th Symphony- Kendal Leisure Centre
16 May- Royal Northern Sinfonia- Haydn's Creation- Sands Centre, Carlisle
22-27 May Buddhist Spring Festival at Conishead Priory, Ulverston
22-24 May Bowness Bay Brewing Beer Festival at Kendal
23-31 May- Medieval Muncaster- festival of Medieval events at Muncaster Castle
29 May- 6 June- Ulverston Music Festival
30-31 May- Country Fest at Westmorland County Showground, Crooklands, Kendal
31 May- South Cumbria Fell Pony Show at Westmorland County Showground

Some slightly out of the usual places to visit on public transport-
Threlkeld Quarry Museum (Quarrying was once a major industry in the Lake District)
The Senhouse Roman Museum at Maryport (the largest collection of Roman Altars in the UK, a significant general Roman museum on the site of an old Roman Fort)
The Derwent Pencil Museum at Keswick (once one of Keswick's major industries). It's quite good that they give you a quiz sheet as you enter to keep you engaged with the exhibits. Also they have a sale on (25 to 30% off in the museum shop)- you could spend a lot of money on pencils and artists materials!
Lakeland Motor Museum at Backbarrow (bus 6 from Windermere, or steamer to Lakeside, then the steam railway)
Holker Hall and Gardens - 15 minutes walk from Cark and Cartmel Station.
Stott Park Bobbin Mill (another major local industry)- short walk from Lakeside steamer pier

I'm never sure what living like a local means, but-
I live in an old mining town, where we had far too many mining disasters. With little forward notice they are each solemnly commemorated- we had two this last Friday.
On a Saturday morning you might go to the local park run (every week there are visitors present), then join me in maintaining our local Community Garden (which has won Green Flag awards, on the site of an old cleared settlement). In Summer we also meet on a Tuesday evening.
On many Sunday mornings there are often community litter picks around the town.

There is an art installation in the Yorkshire Dales that you can visit by hiking. I haven't done this, but some friends did. Looks cool:
https://hangingstones.org
Things I have done are:
The tea bus in London (https://b-bakery.com) and Edinburgh (https://www.redbusbistro.co.uk). These are more in the "quirky" category, as they are ON the beaten path. A fun way to see the city. The London one was better. The Red Bus also operates in Glasgow.
Walking the Water of Leith Walkway in Edinburgh to see Antony Gormley's Six Times (https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/visiting-antony-gormleys-6-times). Takes you through Dean Village, as well as just below Stockbridge. Return by tram.
Sunday roast lunch. Make reservations. You can search the forum for recommendations, depending on where you'll be on your Sundays.

Parkrun is a really nice suggestion! All you need to do is register if you haven't already (it takes about 5 minutes) and then you can run Parkruns anywhere in the world- they have them everywhere, from Australia to Zimbabwe. It's not competitive, it's just about getting a bit of exercise with your community and enjoying some nice green space. Anyone can take part- including people with dogs or prams, people who choose to walk it, small children, people with disabilities, etc. The distance is 5k. It's a great way to meet people in the local community. We get "tourists" at our local Parkrun all the time, both from other places in the UK as well as other countries and continents (and we cheer for them during the pre run briefing!). There's more info here: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/

17 days with quite a lot of travel involved.
York is my favorite city in England, love it. Recommend The Minster Hotel, which has parking, great food and is walking distance from the north gate.
Bristol ????? what about Stratford Upon Avon, Winchester or Bath instead? Also, loved Durham for a night and the Yorkshire Moors and Whitby.
The Lake District is great, especially if you like hiking and the great outdoors.
Inverness and Loch Ness are great if you can get to the north of Scotland. Also, if you love golf, St. Andrews.

Despite Helen's modesty I would say Bristol has a lot to interest the tourist. I would have it ahead of Stratford-on-Avon (unless you are an absolute Shakespeare nut), Winchester or heaven be Bath (am I allowed to say that on here?).

London suggestions:

Street art in the Shoreditch neighborhood
Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park
The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
Tower Bridge visit
Parkland Trail Walk
Check the Tower Bridge Lift Schedule
Hunterian Museum
Chiswick Flower Market
Thames Barrier Park
Partake in the London Transport Museum hidden underground program
Have coffee in The Attendant ( former public urinal )

I do think Bristol is a good place to visit, it just doesn’t get many tourists. Plenty people come to see family or friends but the number of tourist visits seem pretty small.

Just wanted to say thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! It was an extremely hectic time in the lead-up to our flights, and I'm just now catching up with things here in London. We made it over in one piece, and I have noted many of your tips, including the Benjamin Franklin House, D. Sever's House, The Attendant (coffee shop in a public loo!), Tower Bridge lift, Brick Lane, and many more, including the other destinations we will visit. I will post a full post-trip report when we return, and thank you all again, you have no doubt added some fizzy bubbles to our trip!

If you’re a music lover you might enjoy the Handel Hendrix house in London. I’m a Handel fan but found the Hendrix part of the houses really interesting.

The birth place of baroque and roll.

Deb, thank you for reporting back. We always appreciate it when people take the time to acknowledge help that they get. 😊 And yes, definitely write a trip report—We would love to find out how your trip went!

Deb, so glad you had a great time. I'm looking forward to your trip report.