Looking for enjoyable B&Bs s well as places to visit in Northern England.

We just went to the Borders of Scotland down to York in October. We stayed at village outside of Thirsk and took side trips to York, North York Moors,Yorkshire dales. We started in Edinburgh and drove south through Peebles-see above post-beautiful village- the border abbeys-Melrose,Kelso,etc, woolen mill at Selkirk. Castles at Holy Island,Bamburgh and Alnwick. Hadrian,s Wall-Pouring down rain but got a glimpse of it. Also Durham castle/cathedral in the area. Wonderful Meals at pubs in the villages around Thirsk. WE also went thru Ptaleley Bridge and Skipton Castle area. also there are the Lake District and Peak district near by. I would order brochures for these areas of England and see what interest you. We obviously had a great time despite rain and cold-just be prepared for any weather. We stayed at a B&B in Fenwick near Bamburgh/Lindesfarne(Holy Island) that was nice and not very expensive.

If you get to Inverness, look at Ardgarry B&B-http://www.ardgarryguesthouse.co.uk/. They were the best B&B we used in our 6 week trip.

Hello Joe. The town York is a good place to be at in a rainy or snowy day. At York I recommend having overnight accomodation at the B & B : 23 St. Mary's. Information about it is in the book "Rick Steves' GREAT BRITAIN". And they have an internet website : www.23stmarys.co.uk

Joe,

A few suggestions you might consider in Northern England....

North York Moors Steam Railway - this departs from Pickering and drives through several "quaint" villages such as Grosmont and Goathland (where the very popular British TV series Heartbeat is filmed). If you get the "hop on/hop off" Pass, you can stop at the villages for a a look and then re-board the next train. There's parking at the station, but this was full when I was there last, so there was alternate pay parking at a Trout Farm just up the road (it was about a 15 minute walk back to the station, not too bad at all). I'm not sure what the schedule will be in March? I found it an interesting glimpse of the past!

York - as long as we're on the topic of Railways, the Museum in York is incredible (and as I remember, FREE). The Walking Tours (which depart just outside the T.I.) are very interesting and of course York Minster is magnificent!

Eden Camp - this is not too far from York, near Malton. It was formerly a WW-II P.O.W. Camp for German and Italian Prisoners, and has LOTS of interesting displays (they're really well put together). Each of the 28 (or so) Huts has a different theme.

Castle Howard - in the same area as Eden Camp.

Richmond - I found the old Georgian Market Town of Richmond (and Castle) to be interesting (park in the Pay Lot though or you might find a "Boot" applied to your Car when you return). If you're interested in military history, the Green Howards (a Yorkshire Regiment) have a Museum in Richmond, which occupies five floors in an old Church. I spent hours in there!

There's also Whitby & other small towns in the area. There are so MANY interesting places to see in northern England, it's hard to recommend a few. It's one of my favourite areas! Don't forget to stop for a pint or two.

I stayed in a small B&B in Catterick Village when I was there, but can't remember the name.

Happy travels!

Not sure if is starts that early in the year..but the morcombe bay walk is unique.
York is a great place to vist.
The Yorkshire dales are very scenic, the usual spots, Thorton Force, Malham ,Asygarth Falls, the brewery tours at Masham, if your son is young, "The Hidden Corner", Tan Hill Inn.
Alston is a nice stopover town , high in the Pennines, and you might even be able to do some skiing.
Best wishes richard

Make that, Forbidden Corner

In Inverness, we ate (food was ok, just bar food) and then stayed for the entertainment at Johnny Fox pub -http://www.johnnyfoxes.co.uk/. It was great. We tried others in town, but kept coming back here. Hootananny is supposed to be good, but Johnny fox is really better. If you go, try to sit to the right of the fireplace, as you face it. There you can see the dancing and hear the music really well. All three nights entertainment was different and each was excellent. We also took the half day Nessie tour. Rode the bus from the Tourist office, just around the corner from the Johnny Fox. The bus took us to a boat which went down a canal and onto Loch Ness- http://www.jacobite.co.uk/Wonderful nature sites and and castle was interesting -wife's cousin married a Urquhart- so we were a bit sensitized.

Also, in Edinburgh, we stayed a bit out of town in Portobello at a wonderful self catered apt. -http://www.numberfive.com/. They have ensuite or down the hall baths. Your choice. We did the down the hall (cheaper and they had two bathrooms available) so it never became a problem. The kitchen is basic but we did fine and saved a bundle on food. There is a grocery store close by. The rooms are cleaned daily or every other day, cannot remember which, wife would, but she is not here now. Mrs. Brown was the cleaning lady and she is a trip. The owners, John and ? were wonderful hosts. We paid them their money and never saw them again. There is free parking inside a walled enclosure and the bus stop is literally in front of the door returning and across the street going. I think a ticket with return is 2.30(pounds). Parking in Edinburgh is about 20 to 30 pounds per day. Bus is way cheaper and it is only a 20 minute ride into Edinburgh. In Portobello, there is a computer cafe -I think it is called D.A.T.A. computer services-the storefront is painted purple. The owner is named Prim and is a wealth of knowledge of the area. Tell him John and Sue from America sent you.