Trip Report - RSE Best of England in 14 Days

Day 1 – BATH, ROAST DINNER
Our hotel, the Brooks Guesthouse, was comfortable and centrally located and offered a delicious hot breakfast with excellent service and unique daily options, such as maple banana French toast or Smoked salmon & cream cheese on a bagel. Before meeting our tour group at 4 pm, my travel buddy and I took a spa treatment at the Royal Crescent Spa Hotel in Bath. It was FANTASTIC! It was also a great way to start a 2-week tour – with a massage. It was relaxing, invigorating, and refreshing. We felt amazing when we left there. Afterward, we bought a picnic lunch at the local Co-Op and took it to the Parade Gardens near Pulteney Bridge & the Abbey. It’s 2 pounds to enter, and that gets you a Sling Chair—one of those wooden and canvas chairs with curved back—very comfortable. The 2 ½ acre grounds have a bandstand, gardens, colonnades, memorials and statues, a café, and a great view of Pulteney Bridge. We ate our picnic lunch with beautiful views on a lovely day and some nice people-watching. We met our tour group at 4 pm that day and found out at our tour meeting that the husband of a prospective tour member had already tested positive for the tour, so they both opted out (he had to; she decided not to take the tour without him). So, we started with 22 people instead of 24. But this was a fantastic group! We clicked from day one and really got along well the whole tour. Out of all my RSE tour experiences, this one was the best. The guide was fantastic, the assistant guide was a hoot, and the group was fun. One thing I really appreciated: the tour guide often took group pictures at key places along the tour. Additionally, one tour member set up a Facebook group that everyone could post to after collecting email addresses. So, we could all post pics and videos to FB during the tour, including the group pics from our guide! Sharing pictures was a GREAT idea and added to the trip tremendously. On past trips, we would get one group pic at the end of the tour and possibly one more, but that was it. Getting more of these group pictures really brought the group together; each time we took a pic together, it was always crazy and fun, and made great memories! On our first day, we had an orientation tour of Bath and went to a group “roast dinner” and ale tasting at the Salamander Pub. It was great! The food was fantastic, the selection of meats and veg was diverse, and the dessert was excellent! The meats included lamb, roast beef, and chicken. The veg included roasted carrots, parsnips, beets, and cabbage greens. An important part of the meal was the gravy, which the waitstaff encouraged us to use with gusto! It added to the meal greatly.
“Wow” moment: Enjoying an amazing massage at the Royal Crescent Spa Hotel

Day 2 – BATH, TURKISH DINNER
You can’t visit England without some rain, and we had a bit of rain today. For some reason, I didn’t pack the right rain jacket and got a bit wet today (I rectified that by buying a new raincoat). But, as the Brits (and Rick) say, there is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing! A little rain never hurt anyone. Note to self: always bring a good waterproof raincoat to the UK – that should be a given, but apparently it wasn’t this time! My bad. I wouldn’t even mess with an umbrella, especially if you plan to take many pictures. A good hooded raincoat will serve you well. Today we took a walking tour of Bath with our guide, Deborah. We visited the Royal Victoria Park, Royal Crescent, the Circus, New Royale Theatre, Pulteney Bridge, and the beautiful and historic Bath Abbey (exterior, not interior). We were then dropped off at the Roman Baths, with an audio guide, to visit at our leisure. We learned much about Bath’s culture, history, and architecture and heard some local anecdotes. Our tour guide knew the city well and the best places to visit. After touring the Baths, my friend and I took afternoon tea for lunch at the Jane Austin Regency Tea Room, not far from our hotel. It was quite good! Not as good as Fortnum & Mason in London, but still excellent. The ambient music they played accompanied the tea beautifully and came from the Jane Austin active time period. Lovely! Afternoon tea comes with quite a lot of food, which served as our lunch, and it was great! We had finger sandwiches, tea, mini pastries, and of course, scones with clotted cream and jam. Delicious! In the free afternoon, we took the Bath Abbey Tower Tour, which I would highly recommend. You have to climb 210 steps, but it’s worth it for the 360 panoramic views of Bath, including close-up birds-eye views of the Roman Baths. The tour guide was excellent and filled us in on the history of the ancient Abbey. After some souvenir shopping and a brief rest at our hotel, we headed out to dinner. We booked into a Turkish restaurant called Cappadocia. It was excellent! We had appetizers of hummus and baba ghanoush. Entrees were kebabs of chicken and lamb and the best I’ve ever had. So juicy! So tasty! After the entrée, the waiter brought us some Turkish Delight and two shots of Amaretto. Complimentary. For dessert, I asked the waiter if they could make Knafeh, which I had tried in Israel. Although it was not on the menu, he was impressed that I knew what it was and happily asked the chef to make some for us, and it was fantastic! Afterward, we took some night shots of the Pulteney Bridge, which was right across the street from the restaurant – and it looks amazing at night! A thoroughly enjoyable day! Bath is a great city to visit.
“Wow” moment: Climbing the tower of Bath Abbey and seeing the entire town from the roof

Day 3 – GLASTONBURY/WELLS, PUB DINNER

Today started out with another great breakfast at Brooks Guesthouse, and then a drive through Cheddar Gorge in county Somerset. It’s a beautiful area with high cliffs, mountain sheep, & goats. We took a brief pit stop here for a photo op. The next stop was Glastonbury to visit its historic Abbey. Deborah took us on a guided tour of the grounds and then cut us loose for our own exploration. We hiked the grounds, explored the ruins, and saw some colourful flora, weeping willows, secret gardens, and colorful birds. Lunch was provided by our two tour guides, Deborah & Nina. We sampled local produce, including two different kinds of cheese from the nearby town of Cheddar. To accompany this cheese, they provided some Bath Oliver biscuits, a local delicacy. They also provided some Somerset pasties, fruit & veg, and local spirits, including Scrumpy, an apple-based cider. We had a great lunch and a great time visiting with other tour members. After lunch, we visited Wells and its beautiful Cathedral. We took a fun group photo at the Cathedral with a local dog who joined us for an impromptu visit. We toured the grounds and nearby Vicar’s Close, the oldest continuous street in northern Europe. Then took a tour with a private local guide of the Cathedral, Tess, who was outstanding! I had been here before but not with a guide, and the experience was much more meaningful with a guide explaining the importance of what you’re seeing. We also stopped by Bishop’s Palace to see the famous drawbridge, moat with beautiful trumpeter swans, Cygnets, and the grounds. After returning to Bath, we enjoyed another group dinner at the Victoria Pub & Kitchen, which was quite good! I had a delicious goat cheese & caramelized onion tart and tried a lemon posset with a blueberry puree, which I’d heard of, but never eaten. Delicious! Another wonderful group dinner, a chance to visit with our fellow tour members, and another great day in the UK!

“Wow” moment: Seeing the beautiful Wells Cathedral scissor arches again. I could stare at them all day. They’re fascinating.

Day 4 – STONE CIRCLES & CHURCHILL, INDIAN DINNER

Today, we started our tour with a visit to Lacock village, which has a few Harry Potter film sites. It’s a beautiful 13thC village in Wiltshire, with historic structures, half-timbered buildings, a tithing barn, and charming pubs. We then went to Avebury to visit their famous stone circle. Deborah guided us around the circle and cut us loose for lunch and free time to explore the village. We had a nice lunch at the National Trust Café, sandwiches and traybakes with tea, then visited the medieval St James Church and picturesque village with its beautiful Hollyhocks and thatched-roof cottages. Lovely! My tour buddy Dean is a retired Lutheran bishop, and we took a nice photo of him inside St James at the pulpit, which he loved. The church had a beautiful cemetery with Celtic cross-tombstones and some interesting straw sculptures. We caught glimpse of a cricket match as we headed back to our tour bus. Interesting! On our drive to briefly visit Winston Churchill’s gravesite at St. Martin’s Church in Wiltshire, we went through Marlbrough, which has a famous boarding school. We learned about private and public British education from Deborah. We then headed to Churchill’s birthplace, Blenheim Palace. We took a wonderful tour with the Blenheim guide of the Palace, then had free time to explore. I opted for the grounds, formal gardens, and beautiful fountains. Quite picturesque. Tonight, we are staying at the Sheep Hotel in Stow-on-the-Wold. It’s quite nice and offered me the best bed on the entire tour! The room was spacious and comfortable and had a tub/shower combo that was quite nice. Before our independent dinner, Deborah took us on a tour of the village, including the Edward the Confessor Market Cross and St Edward’s Church, whose Yew-tree-trunk-lined front door gave J.R.R. Tolkien inspiration for his elfin villages. We took Deborah’s dinner suggestion of the Prince of India, right across from the hotel, for some outstanding Indian food! We had papadums, onion bhajis, Chicken Makhani, & Peshwari Naan. The service was excellent, the food was delicious, and the location was perfect. Another great day in the UK!

“Wow” moment: Having fantastic Indian food in Stow-on-the-Wold

Day 5 – STANWAY HOUSE, COUNTRY WALK, & FOLK MUSIC EVENING

We started today with a private tour of Stanway House, a Jacobean manor house in Gloucestershire owned by the Earl of Wymess. There were no other tour groups here today, which was refreshing, and gave us a nice break from the busy Blenheim Palace yesterday. Our tour guide Jackie taught us about the house’s history, and I got to play on one of two historic pianos in the drawing room, which the composer Frederic Chopin once played. What a treat! We learned that Chopin dedicated one of his preludes to Stanway House. We also got a tour of their Water Mill from Millers Mike & Stan and learned how it works. Very interesting and fun, with a visit from their mascot, a black Scottish Terrier. They also turned on the 400-ft fountain for us to enjoy, the tallest fountain in Britain. Our guide and tour member Deb took the opportunity to run through the fountain and get soaked! It was refreshing to enjoy the mist and beautiful scenery of their grounds. This was a wonderful visit for our group. For lunch, we grabbed a sandwich & crisps at the local Co-Op and did some quick shopping in Stow. Then, headed out in the afternoon for a five-mile country walk with our group, led by tour guides Deborah & Nina. It was wonderful! Quiet, peaceful, calming, serene, and absolutely wonderful. I think it recharged everyone’s batteries. We saw horses, sheep, cows, blackberries, local flowers, kissing gates, another cricket field, Sloe Berries plants, which they use for gin (Sloe Gin), and a pair of black Magpies. We ended the walk in Lower Slaughter, where our tour guides treated us to an ice cream cone! After our break, our bus took us back to Stow. That night, we enjoyed another provided meal at the King’s Arms, a great pub with delicious dinners. I tried the sea bass with new potatoes, which was excellent, and a chocolate brownie a la mode for dessert. We then experienced a folk music evening with some local musicians entertaining us; it was fantastic! As a professional musician, I thought it might be difficult to enjoy an amateur night, but it was just the opposite. They were funny, charming, talented, and heart-warming. We laughed at the funny, comical jigs and cried when they sang some beautiful folk songs, like Caledonia. We also enjoyed hula dancing by a fellow tour member, with our tour guides as backup dancers. It was an amazing evening, and everyone left with a smile on their face and a warm heart.

“Wow” moment: Hearing Caledonia for the first time –brought a tear to me eye

Day 6 – STOKESAY, LLANGOLLEN, & CONWY, WELSH DINNER

Today started out with a tour of Stokesay Castle, a 13thC Shropshire Manor House. I opted to skip the audio tour and visited the grounds, which featured St John-the-Baptist Church, with some lovely stained glass, enclosed pews, and beautiful wood carvings. Its cemetery included a beautiful WWI memorial with twisted grapevines all over the top. We were treated to a cream tea for Elevenses at the castle, which offered us tea and scones, with, of course, clotted cream and jam. Delicious! We enjoyed a view of the local farmland and some active birds chirping and twittering around us. Our next stop was a brief one, in the village of Llangollen, in Wales. We had a great photo op at Llangollen Bridge over the River Dee, with rushing water and falls below. Beautiful! This town has the longest town name in Wales (Llangollen is only the end of the name), which I won’t attempt to write here, but suffice to say; it’s a mouthful! After grabbing a quick snack at a local shop, a toffee flapjack, we headed to Conwy, and our next hotel, the Castle Hotel, which was lovely, and right downtown. The rooms were big and comfortable, with a beautiful bath/shower combo and many amenities. We had free time that afternoon, so I explored the harbour and downtown area. Dinner was provided at the hotel and was wonderful! Dinner was butternut squash ravioli & a Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. I had a chance to chat with our driver, Ali, and enjoy sharing stories about our mutual Scottish heritage. After dinner, Deborah took us on an optional walk along the town walls. It was pretty high up and had a few slightly treacherous sections, but it was fine and really fun to explore! It offered amazing views of the town, the harbour, the Irish Sea, and Conwy Castle. Great start to our time in Wales!

“Wow” moment: Walking the walls of Conwy, Wales, and seeing the panoramic views

Day 7 – SHEEPDOGS, CAENARFAN, ITALIAN DINNER

Today started with another great breakfast. I haven’t discussed it much so far, but each hotel has offered us delicious, hot, cooked, scrumptious breakfasts, with choices ranging from smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, to Porridge, to Full English (or Welsh) breakfasts. Lots of healthy choices, and most had a buffet of fruits, yogurts, meats, cheeses, and breads. Today I opted for the hearty porridge with honey. Delicious! This morning we rode up in a tractor-trailer to Gareth Wyn Jones’ sheep farm in Llangfairfechan, near the Menai Strait. His wife Rhian entertained us on the ride up with stories, and then he gave us a sheepdog demo at their farm. His sheepdog, Max, was a loyal companion and herded the sheep valiantly into a circular pen. We did have one ninja sheep who went a bit wild, but we had a great time. We saw a sheep being sheared, learned about the many and varied uses of wool, and met the sheepdog pups! It was a fantastic morning! Gareth was personable, funny, interesting, and very smart. He taught us a lot about sheep farming, its challenges in today’s world, and the many diverse uses for his wool. Lunch was in Caenarfan on our own. We opted for fish ‘n chips. Then took a guided tour of Caernarfon Castle with Sue, who brought the place to life. She talked a bit about local politics, and she was pretty funny about that and quite a loyal and fiercely proud Welsh person. After that tour, we took a hike with our guide, Deborah, up to Dolbadarn Castle ruins near the old Slate Museum. It was a nice, easy hike and gave us excellent views of the Snowdonia mountains and the local quarry nearby. That night, we were on our own for dinner. Using our guide’s suggestion, we chose a local Italian restaurant, Alfredo’s, which was very popular. We barely but luckily got reservations for dinner. However, I thought this restaurant was not in line with Rick’s vision of eating locally - a handwritten menu featuring a few choices using local, in-season products written in the local language. This menu was huge, with similar sauces for four to five items each and fairly cookie-cutter choices. The food was decent, but I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. I did not see any locals here and didn’t notice any customers familiar with the waitstaff. It seemed like a tourist trap and was located just off the main drag. All of our meals on this trip were fantastic, except for this one.

“Wow” moment: Learning about sheep farming & meeting the pups!

Day 8 – BODNANT GARDENS, CASTLERIGG STONE CIRCLE, CHIPPY DINNER

I got up this morning early to walk around Conwy and take some final shots of the harbour. It was nearly deserted; no one was around. I had the whole place to myself. After another excellent breakfast, we left Conwy and headed out to visit Bodnant Gardens. These gardens are quite beautiful, and you could spend an entire day here exploring. When I visited them in 2006, they had peacocks wandering the gardens, but unfortunately, they did not have any this time. After a hike around the gardens, I stopped by the main pavilion for a cream tea. I ran into our tour guide and invited her to join me for tea. We chatted about Wales, England, travel, hiking, theatre, gardens, and English politics. It was wonderful to chat with a Brit and learn more about their culture while enjoying a view of the beautiful gardens. We drove on towards Cumbria and stopped for lunch at a motorway travel plaza, where I grabbed a quick sandwich & crisps. I also had some Ribena, which is black currant juice. I first tried this in 2004 when I visited London, and fell in love with it. It’s my favorite drink in the UK, next to tea. From there, we drove to Grasmere to visit the grave of William Wordsworth, who, along with other Romantic-century poets, put the Lakes District on the map. He’s buried at St. Oswald’s, a nice country church with oak beams and Celtic crosses in its cemetery. Next, we visited Castlerigg Stone Circle, which was an easy hike and totally worth the visit. We saw at least a dozen paragliders floating through the sky all around us while enjoying our views of the local mountains. Deborah & Nina shared with us a local delicacy, an Eccles cake, full of currants and quite tasty. We then drove to Keswick for our next hotel, The Crow Park, which was quite nice and had stunning views of Lake Derwentwater. Upon arrival in town, we took an orientation walk with Deborah & Nina, which ended at our group dinner location for the night, the Keswickian Pub. We were treated to Fish n’ Chips for dinner and topped it off with Sticky Ginger Pudding, which many folks enjoyed. It was a bit too gingery for me but still good. Our guide Deborah joined us for dinner, and we learned of her fascinating and fearless life! She’s quite the traveler. Another great day in the UK!

“Wow” moment: Having Cream Tea & a nice chat with our guide Deborah at Bodnant Gardens

Day 9 – LAKE DERWENTWATER, THAI DINNER

Today started with a boat ride on Lake Derwentwater. The scenery is beautiful along the lake, and we decided to get off at the stop our guide suggested and follow her on a hike around the lake, passing ferns, streams, birds, and other flora & fauna. One interesting feature along the way was a “Teddy in the Window” hut. An interesting local phenomenon where people worldwide send postcards and letters to this “teddy in the window,” which is posted all over the building. Nine and Deborah gave us another local treat on this hike – a flapjack. A UK delicacy which is what Brits call a “tray bake” – and what Americans would call, in this case, granola bars. It was hearty, packed full of goodies, and gave us plenty of energy for the rest of the hike. At one point, there was a cute little wrought-iron bridge over a stream, which was very picturesque, so our guides took another group photo here. Before stopping for Elevenses, Deborah gathered us around a small waterfall in Borrowdale and read the poem “The Cataract of Lodore” by Robert Southey, a poem he had written to his daughter vividly describing a waterfall. He was one of the romantic-century poets who made the Lakes District famous. It was the perfect touch to hear Romantic-century poetry in the Lakes District while on a country hike. We then enjoyed a cream tea for Elevenses at the Mary Mount Hotel in Borrowdale, Keswick, before heading back to the pier to catch our boat back to Keswick. That afternoon, we grabbed a lite lunch at a mini market, falafel, wandered around Keswick, and picked up the laundry we had dropped off earlier this morning. At 530 pm, our guides Deborah & Nina treated us to a drink in the hotel bar. It was a great time to visit with our fellow tour members and enjoy each other’s company. That night we had dinner on our own. Four of us decided to eat Thai food tonight at the Star of Siam in Keswick, which was excellent! We had steamed Thai dumplings and Pad Thai. Both delicious! Every day of this tour has been absolutely fantastic!

“Wow” moment: Hearing Romantic-century English poetry near a waterfall in the Lakes District

Day 10 – HADRIAN’S WALL, VINDOLANA, YORK, INDIAN DINNER

Today we left Keswick and headed towards York. The first thing that morning, I took a final walk around Keswick, taking pictures and enjoying the sleepy town waking up before the tourists invaded. Charming. Our first stop today was at the Roman Army Museum, where we watched a 20-minute 3-D film about Hadrian’s Wall and life as a Roman soldier. It was a fascinating movie, but the museum itself, I thought, was a bit commercial. But, they did have interesting displays about Emperor Hadrian and his “complex” life. Next, we visited a section of Hadrian’s Wall, got some great pictures, and saw some beautiful flora and fauna along a quarry lake, including some pretty Butterfly Bushes (summer lilac). We then visited Vindolana, a ruined Roman fort with a nice museum. We had lunch in their café, which was excellent, and explored the grounds and museum for a bit. Lunch was our staple, sandwich & crisps with a pastry – this time Sticky Toffee Cheesecake. Seems to be the summer of Sticky Toffee Pudding. The museum had interesting artifacts from that time period, but nothing earth-shattering. After the fort, we headed to York and checked into the Minster Hotel, a very nice hotel near the York Minster. That afternoon, our local guide Alfred took us around York, explaining the odd, diverse, mix-and-match architecture that the town offered. It’s an interesting combination of styles, all thrown together, but oddly, it works. We visited St. Olave’s Church, St. Mary’s Abbey ruins, the Shambles, the Minster (exterior), St. William’s College, Bedern Hall, and the Whip-Ma Whop-Ma Gate. We also learned from Alfred that bar means gate, and gate means street. No wonder their architecture is Whip-Ma Whop-Ma! We didn’t see any Morris dancers in the Shambles, as they featured in Rick’s video on York, but we did see a street musician singing a tune from “The Greatest Showman.” Quite good he was. That evening we were treated to a group Indian food dinner at the Viceroy of India. It was a bit spicy but good. We were served a variety of appetizers, including onion bhajis, my favorite. The mildest entrée they served was Chicken Jalfrezi, which is not necessarily mild. Luckily, I ordered a pitcher of Mango Lassis, and a few of us took refuge in that. After dinner, Deborah & Nina led us on a trek along the city walls back to our hotel, with stunning views of the Minster. We heard the Minster bells ringing during that walk, which was quite exciting. We also took another group photo nearby at the York Art Gallery. Another great day in the UK!

“Wow” moment: Getting to see York from the city walls while hearing the Minster church bells ring

Day 11 – YORK MINSTER, NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM, POLISH DINNER

This morning started off with another great breakfast at our hotel. The service on this tour has been fantastic, and the waitstaff has been really entertaining! Deborah walked us a different route to the Minster and pointed out a still-working red telephone booth in York. It’s one of the few surviving in the UK today. They’ve become a collector’s item and are worth over 20,000 pounds now! Our morning tour was at York Minster with a local guide, Chris. He knew the church well and pointed out interesting facts, like the Bell windows, Christ Ascending to Heaven Boss, the history of the Chapter House, why it is also a Cathedral, its Samson & the Lion (actually it’s a sheep) Boss, and the memorial to women who served and died in the military during WWI—the only one known. Also, it’s called a Minster because it once had a mission to teach the gospel to infidels. On this particular day, Elevenses was offered near the quire, with local volunteers serving. After our guided tour, my friend & I had some tea and cakes (Lemon Drizzle) and were joined by two docents, who chatted with us about the stained glass in the Minster. Such a nice city! I love York! Afterward, we went downstairs to the crypt and toured the Undercroft exhibits, many of which were focused on the Queen’s Jubilee & Coronation. We also saw interesting artifacts like the King’s Book and the York Gospels. For lunch on our own, we headed over to the National Railway Museum and ate in their café. It was good, especially the Victoria Sponge. We then toured the museum; with our pre-booked reservations, we got in quickly. We enjoyed seeing all the trains, especially the Royal Coach and the Flying Scotsman exhibit. While at the latter, a docent joined us in the North Shed and explained the history of Queen Victoria and trains, all very interesting. Apparently, she would never use a train toilet, even on her royal coach. Therefore, they had to upgrade all the train station toilets just for her, in case she decided to stop at one of them. Fascinating! Early that evening, we joined a group of fellow tour members to attend the Evensong service at the Minster. It was lovely. They had a visiting choir, the Heseltine Singers, and they sang beautifully. The acoustics are wonderful in their Quire. Afterward, we joined five other tour members for dinner at The Blue Barbakan, a Polish restaurant in town, where we had booked reservations. It was quite good; I had been to Poland a few times before and knew Polish food somewhat, and enjoyed this taste of Poland quite a bit. The service was great, and the food was tasty! Another great day in the UK!

“Wow” moment: Hearing the amazing acoustics of York Minster during an Evensong service.

Day 12 – TRAIN TO LONDON, WESTMINSTER ABBEY, WEST-END SHOW

We left York for London this morning, and our guides managed to get all 22 of us onto a train at York’s Railway station bound for London’s King’s Cross station. There are two chocolatiers known to have come from Yorkshire, Cadbury, and Rowntree, who makes Kit-Kat Chocolate bars. We learned that Kit-Kat is the UK’s most popular chocolate bar with a hot drink. Nestle purchased it in 1988 for the US. So, we were offered Kit-Kats for our train ride down to London. The trip wasn’t very long; we were there before you knew it. With luggage in tow, we all were corralled onto a local bus and took a city tour that ended near Westminster Abbey. Lunch was on our own, and we opted for the Wesley Café in Methodist Hall, across from the Abbey. It was excellent! An inexpensive, delicious option in this rather expensive, touristy area. They had hot and cold choices for lunch, all good. That afternoon, we went on a guided tour of the Abbey with London Walks Guide Mary, who was delightful! She pointed out various highlights of the Abbey, such as the coronation chair, the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, which no one ever walks on in the Abbey, Stephen Hawking’s grave, located between Sir Isaac Newton & Charles Darwin, Mary Queen of Scots grave, the beautiful Quire, and of course, poet’s corner, with Shakespeare, Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, and a musical monument to George Frederick Handel. Very cool tour! After checking into our very nice hotel, the May Fair, my friend and I headed out for dinner and the theatre. I had used Google Maps to get us there via Underground – big mistake! Should have used the Underground’s Journey Planner, which would have told us about current delays and outages, such as the one Google missed. We had to travel past our stop and walk 20 minutes back to the Barbican. Lesson learned. We grabbed a quick dinner at the Barbican Kitchen nearby, which was ok, and then went to see a production of Anything Goes. It was fantastic! Absolutely first-rate cast! We booked our tickets in advance through a London Theatre website. Fantastic seats, in row 6, centre section. Thoroughly enjoyable day. Excellent to be in London again!

“Wow” moment: Seeing Kerry Ellis & Simon Callow in Anything Goes

Day 13 – LONDON WALKS-CITY CHURCHES, SOUTH BANK, FINAL GROUP DINNER

Today started with an excellent breakfast at the May Fair. The food was great, and the service was outstanding. As my travel buddy and I had been to London many times, we opted out of the RSE group activities today. We planned our own itinerary for the day. We started off with a London Walks, which I have done many of before. Today’s walk was called London’s City Churches: In the Footsteps of Sir Christopher Wren (architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral). The tour was led by Blue Badge Guide Rick Jones and was fantastic! He knew his churches well. We started with St. Mary’s Aldermary, which was charming, fascinating, and diverse. It had plaster of Paris fan vaulting, not as impressive as King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, or Bath Abbey, but still nice. The wood carvings were quite nice, and they had an interesting brass handle on the ends of the pews to hold your brollies. Interesting! Next, we visited St Mary Le Bow just in time to hear its bells ring. I believe the tune was composed by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, a prominent English choral composer. This church had an interesting mix of old and new, with a glass & metal modern crucifix yet Romanesque arches in its crypt. Also, at the entrance to the crypt were some glass etchings reminiscent of the etchings at the new Coventry Cathedral. Next was St. Vedast-Alias-Foster, a church with a Mediterranean-style inner courtyard with a tree and an elaborate 15thC carved wooden & marble baptismal font in the nave. Next up were the ruins of St Mary Aldermanbury and an interesting memorial to Shakespeare’s first publishers, a couple of actors. A quick stop at St Mary Woolmoth showed us a memorial to the author of the text to Amazing Grace, John Newton. Finally, we finished with St Stephen Walbrook, with its beautiful domed ceiling. The altar here has been dubbed the “Cheese Wheel” since Brits love to give cute little nicknames to their buildings or prominent features. We stayed on for the free lunchtime organ recital, which was excellent! After this tour, we headed to Pret-a-Manger, my favorite sandwich shop in London, for lunch, which afforded us a view of the Southwark Bridge and the Thames. Following lunch, we walked the Jubilee Promenade along London’s South Bank, passing Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern, and the London Eye, with great views of the Thames and the City, including the Millennium Bridge & St Paul’s Cathedral. After a brief respite, we joined our tour group for our final group dinner at the May Fair. It was a wonderful evening of laughs, really good food, and some great company. There were hugs and tears from everyone. We exchanged email addresses earlier and so I know we will keep in touch with each other. Later that evening, my travel buddy and I caught an overnight sleeper train to Edinburgh to begin the next chapter of our trip – the Orkney Isles! See my trip report for Orkney (which I'll post soon) if you want to read about the rest of this vacation.

“Wow” moment: Enjoying a free lunchtime organ recital in St Stephen Walbrook.

Day 14: Final Thoughts:

This tour was a real treat! Every attraction, every meal, every provided snack, and every briefing was thoughtfully planned and executed flawlessly. This is one of the best tour guides I’ve ever had on a Rick Steves tour, and both she and the assistant were fantastic. Although I have been to England quite a few times and know it quite well, I still enjoyed every minute of this tour. Some places we visited were repeat visits for me, and yet, I still had a great time and learned new things about these places, thanks to the local guides and our main tour guides. The weather was fantastic the whole time. The temps were mostly 55-75 daily, and it only rained slightly on two days out of the 14 we were there. London was maybe 80 degrees, so overall, the weather was fantastic and a nice break from the hot Texas weather. Taking group photos regularly brought people together quicker and bonded us as a group quite well. Kudos to our guides for doing that! I LOVED the idea of a group picture on the first day. When they sent us that photo, they sent two copies, one as is and one marked up with everyone’s name! What a great way to get acquainted with your fellow tour members! The optional activities we were offered ended up being full group activities because we all quickly learned that our guide was an expert on the local areas we visited and knew the best things to do and see there. We knew to stick with her for the best possible experience. I can’t say enough good about this tour. LOVED it!

Wow, what a great TR! I want to take this tour and do exactly what you did! Thank you so much, made my morning. Can’t wait to hear about Orkney as on our visit to Scotland we were unable to fit that in.

I really enjoyed your report. My husband and have visited many of the same areas you did on this tour and I was struck by how efficient you were! No getting lost like we always seem to manage to do.

Great trip report, made me want to book on the BOE tour immediately, and I live here! Looking forward to your report on the Orkneys!

Ian

I really enjoyed your trip report. I hope you do a scrapbook as well - although you created some clear images just with words.

Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate it.
The Orkney trip report is posted.
Hope you enjoy it as well.
MC

What an outstanding trip report. Thank you for your time in sharing. It has made me reconsider my personal rankings of RS tours I would like to do.

Outstanding report. Thank you for sharing.

I start this tour next week so I particularly enjoyed your great trip report. I was pleased that even though many sites were repeats for you they were enjoyed. I, too, have been to most of these places, but love England and don't mind seeing sites that I previously did on my own. I know I will pick up new appreciation of them.

Ohh, I love knafeh too! Thanks for posting with such detail!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading both of your outstanding reports! Very well written! Such positive details about the comraderie of the group, great guides, the cuisine, & “wow” moments. It was all great. Bookmarked for future reference! Thank you.

1. Jealous of the sticky toffee pudding.
2. Jealous of the sticky gingerpudding, which I have never had but would be happy to try.
3. You gotto play the piano at Stanway House!
4. Sticky toffee cheesecake?!
5. I heard some great street musicians in York in July, including one really good young man singing mostly musicals. Wonder if it was the same person.
6. I loved evensong also. :)
7. Putting that London Walks tour on my wishlist!

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Glad this report helps.
Roubrat, cool to see someone else who knows what Knafeh is! Thanks! It is definitely made in a different way in Turkey, but still a great dessert! I think the Israeli version is more like Baklava. But I love both.
TexasTravelmom, thanks for the comments! I ate a lot of Sticky Toffee Pudding on this trip. I actually prefer Treacle Sponge, but you can hardly find that any more. STP is great, though! The cheesecake was excellent! The Scallop Shell in Bath has the best STP from this tour, I think.
Sounds like we heard the same musician in York. He was great! Who did you hear at Evensong in York? Ours was the Heseltine Singers.
Playing the piano at Stanway House was amazing! I'm a clarinetist by trade, but I play a bit of piano, too. Knowing Chopin played it on it and dedicated one of his Preludes to SH is really amazing! The fact that we had the whole "castle" to ourselves on this RSE group tour was awesome, too! It was a nice change from Blenheim, which was crawling with tourists.
That City Churches Tour of London Walks was fantastic! Probably one of the highlights of my entire trip. Rick Jones, our guide, is a Blue Badge Guide and knows his stuff! The reviews on their website are all fantastic and for a good reason. What was nice about this tour--we were in central London in August with big crowds, and yet, we hardly saw any people at all in these churches. Each one was a quiet respite in an otherwise crazy city. Don't get me wrong, I love London, but it's nice to have a break from the crowds sometimes. This tour did the trick!
LaurieBeth, thanks for your comments, too! You're absolutely right; even though we've seen some of these sites before, you can always gain a new appreciation for them. I think I'd been to several places on this tour, but seeing them again with a fantastic RSE tour guide makes all the difference in the world! Getting that local perspective is awesome.
I really love the RSE tours. I think they just know how to show you the best possible experiences in the amount of time you have. I have never been so impressed by a travel company! Looking forward to doing more tours in the future. This year, I brought an old high school friend along with me who had never been on an RSE tour. She loved it, and now she's hooked, too! They do tours well.

Thanks for writing this! Your enthusiasm is most enjoyable!

Although I have been to England quite a few times and know it quite well, I still enjoyed every minute of this tour.

I hadn't ever considered the RSE Best of England tour, having lived in England twice, for 3 years. But you've made it sound very enticing! Might just add it to my list after all. Judging from the 2023 bookings, it's very popular.

Stephen Hawking’s grave, located between Sir Isaac Newton & Charles Darwin
That is very cool. Sheldon would be impressed.

There was actually a choir from Virginia for the whole week when I was there. 🤣 But they were quite good. There was a festival choir from Sussex at Durham Cathedral that week. :)

Thank you for taking the time to post this wonderful trip report. I felt like I was seeing everything through your eyes and was right there with you. It is very thorough and comprehensive. Although I haven’t taken this tour, I have visited most of the places you did and enjoyed this re-visit!

Thanks for all the positive comments, y'all!
CWsocial--I agree with you; I was a bit hesitant to do the England tour because I've seen so much of it, but having a world-class tour guide with you on this tour makes all the difference. I saw a lot more than I even expected, and I tend to have high standards for RSE tours. They never disappoint!

Forgot to mention one thing in my report: the diversity of food in the UK now. Many people still believe that England has bad food, and that notion is very out-of-date now. Our tour was a great example of that: we ate British, Thai, Indian, Turkish, Polish, Middle Eastern, Italian, and seafood. All in England, and it was all good! I think the UK is quite the melting pot now, especially with the migration over the last two decades from EU countries. I know London has even more options as well. So, if the food is holding anyone back from doing an England, don't let it. You will eat well!
MC

A most excellent trip report. Well-written and lots of good information. I read it with great interest, having been on this tour in 2018. Your review brought back many great memories. We also ate at the Indian restaurant across from Sheep on Sheep. Our best sticky toffee pudding was at the Woods restaurant in Bath, not on your list.

It also told me that one of my disappointments with my trip was that the tour guide took no group photos. I kept expecting at least one to be taken, but it never was. The closest thing I have is a picture or two that I took with several fellow tour members included. The tour guide or guides can really make the trip. Ours was distracted and only did the bare minimum. He didn't have to take a group photo of us, so he didn't, for instance.
But again, great job on the trip report. It made it easy to remember many of the things we enjoyed about our trip. The Best of England tour is definitely worth taking. Maybe twice. We shall see. Definitely will not take the trip with the same guide as before.

Hi Sam321,

Thanks for the kind words.

I agree with you that the Best of England could be an RSE tour that I would repeat; it's that good. When I was staying in Orkney, I spoke with a British couple from Newcastle at dinner and told them of this England tour- they said it sounded like a perfect taste of England. It covered all the most important places and experiences. I totally agree!

I also agree with you about the taking of group pictures. Maybe this is just something Deborah does, or maybe it's a new RSE policy? Someone on the forum joked a few weeks ago about the need for RSE tour guides to take the group picture on the first day instead of at the last group dinner, as some tours are losing members to Covid throughout the tour. Maybe that's part of it?

Whatever the case, this was the first tour I've been on to do that. My Heart of Italy tour got one group pic, and my Paris & Heart of France got two. I would have liked more group pictures. But, group pictures are also something we can request from the tour guide when we do these tours. They can only say no, but I seriously doubt they would. Tour guides try to be very accommodating to tour members. I guess we should be more vocal about that.

Sorry to hear about your less than fantastic tour; I think you may be one of the exceptions. Most of the people I've spoken with loved their tours. Hope your tour experience is much better next time.

Best wishes,

MC

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Indian food at the Viceroy restaurant in York. I had never ventured too far beyond chicken tandoori in my metro area. Our tour guide Mark Seymour sat with me and my partner and explained each food item to us. I think we must have sampled nearly everything they offer. He cautioned us when to expect heat and how to temper and manage it. Mark was fascinated by my left-handed handling of silverware...."what are you doing?" It was a memorable event.

This was so great to read. I'm taking the same tour next spring, so I've bookmarked it for all the detailed recommendations.

Did you consider taking the motorcoach from Heathrow to Bath, or were you set on Heathrow Express + train? I'm having trouble deciding which way to go, so I'd like to hear other people's reasoning.

Hi Mary,
Thanks for the kind words!
Yes, actually, we had booked the bus out to Bath as a backup plan.
When we were in the UK, they had rail strikes going on regularly. There was a post on this forum addressing it, and Nigel, who I believe lives in the UK, was posting regularly to keep everyone updated on the situation.
So, we lucked out, and there were no rail strikes on the days we were traveling. The bus fare that we booked is fully refundable up to 24 hours in advance, so we booked it as a backup plan but didn't need it, so we canceled and got a refund. If there are rail strikes going on, I would highly recommend having a backup plan.
In my opinion, the train is just nicer; we booked the first class compartment, which according to their website, came with lunch; it did not. They did offer us some free snacks, though. But, it was very nice, comfortable, and virtually deserted--in August! Whereas the second class was jammed packed with hardly any free seats. It was quicker getting to Bath by train, although it does cost more.
I've taken buses in England before, and they're ok--nothing spectacular, and not incredibly comfortable compared to their trains. IMHO. In this case of bus vs. train, I guess you're weighing cost versus convenience, quality, comfort, and time. My travel buddy and I opted for the Heathrow Express-National Rail option, and we were very happy with it.
The Heathrow Express runs every fifteen minutes and takes 15 minutes to get to Paddington. It's a nice train, too. I'm pretty sure the bus station is nearby the train station in Bath, so arrival location isn't a factor. There is a taxi stand at the Bath train station's main entrance, so getting to your lodging will be quick and easy, or we could have walked it in 15 minutes.
Hope this helps.
MC

I love it that someone set up a Facebook page. I had suggested setting up a Google share page on our tour but nobody was interested. I love to see photos of the same thing I'm looking at but from someone else's perspective.

Did people on your tour take advantage of the page?

Hi Allan,
Yes, I agree, it was a GREAT idea!
And yes, many people contributed to the FB group page throughout our tour. We had multiple daily postings from a set group of people, many of whom were great photographers! You're right, it is nice to see the same thing from someone else's point of view or "eye." Plus, sometimes people get a shot that you weren't able to get or see something you didn't see. Or just to see it from a different angle is nice. I think we all enjoyed the group page VERY much!
I understand that the tour guide is not allowed to organize any of that, but as long as someone in the group steps up to do it, they will support it.
We simply took a printed tour roster, passed it around the bus early in the tour, and had everyone fill in their full names and email addresses. Then, the volunteer emailed everyone an invite to the group.
Worked out great!
I hope more of the RSE tour groups adopt this idea. It's great for building friendships with group members and helps you to stay in touch after the tour. We regularly post to the group board to keep it going.
MC

In 2019, we took the last BOE tour before the pandemic struck. We purchased flexible tickets for the coach from LHR to Bath which worked out well as we managed to get to the departure point 10 minutes early. We were able to arrive in Bath earlier than we had planned. I actually enjoyed it very much as the coach was decidedly newer and very clean. It was so comfortable that my partner easily napped but I myself was interested in the scenery that developed very shortly. It was still fairly green and was populated by the usual farm animals. Towards the last portion of the trip the bus slows down considerably as it goes through some very picturesque towns. It only had one stop for passengers IIRC. It was a really nice start for our extra days before the tour started. There was no need for us to hurry and the smaller towns towards the end of the trip were really nice to see.

What a wonderful trip report!

Thank you so much for taking the time to write up your excellent TR! I've done this one so it was a trip down memory lane although with another guide who was excellent as well.

For anyone reading, I'll confirm that the Bath National Express coach station is right next to the rail station.

I love that Parade Garden in Bath...it always shocks me at how quiet and peaceful it can be there when just up a staircase you are in to the fray! I'm afraid to sit in those cute striped sling chairs because I'd need a team of Bondi Beach Lifeguards to rescue me and haul me up.

Hi Silas,
Thanks for letting us know about the coaches. I'll admit it's been a while since I've ridden a coach in the UK. Glad to hear they're a good experience.

Thanks for the kind words, Mary!

Pam, thanks for the kind words, too.
I agree, the Parade Gardens are a lovely, quiet little spot in the heart of an otherwise busy city. It was a wonderful little oasis for us to chill for a few hours and enjoy the scenery and people-watching. I don't often slow down and enjoy the view, and this was a great chance to just enjoy the space. Glad you enjoyed the review.

MC

Thanks so much for this detailed report. My husband and I have booked this tour for September ‘23. It’s our first RSE tour and are very excited. I’ll come back and read this again prior to departure.

Thanks for the kind words. Hope you enjoy your trip. They really go out of their way to make each RSE tour special. I have never been on a bad tour. They have all been great. Best wishes!
MC

Wow! I’m so glad to read your detailed trip report because we are going in May. It is the 4th time we’ve tried to go since Covid started and we are determined not to have anything get in the way this time. We are doing the Heart of Ireland tour after this tour. I really appreciate your restaurant reviews and what you thought of the guide’s recommendations for hikes & other activities. For sure I’m having sticky puddings and cream tea. You mentioned the temperature range when you were there and that is helpful too. Can you offer any clothing suggestions for this retired school teacher. I’m always either too cold or too hot! Do I need to take ankle boots for the cold or rain or do you think my Merrell walking shoes will suffice? Thank you.

Hi Sharon, thanks for the kind words!

You'll have a blast on this trip! Rick Steves (RSE) really knows how to curate a fantastic tour. This was my third trip with him, and it was amazing!

I think in England, the best you can do is bring layers. They say there is never bad weather in England, only inappropriate clothing! It rains regularly there, which is why it is so beautiful and green but make sure you bring either a good umbrella or a poncho. I think with RSE tour members, function beats fashion every time. Some of our tour members wore rain ponchos; some brought umbrellas. I wore a hooded raincoat on this trip, and that was perfect. It was light enough not to overheat me when wearing a sweater but heavy enough for those breezy days. The thing with an umbrella is, if you like to take pictures, it becomes more difficult to snap photos while holding an umbrella. Count on it raining, and the days it doesn't are lucky! I would bring short and long-sleeve shirts, and maybe a good scarf if you get chilly. May shouldn't be too hot or cold.

Remember you will be away from the bus walking for a good chunk of time, so plan accordingly - maybe bring a day pack with a light jacket if you get cold, or wear that jacket and leave room for it in your daypack if you get hot. I think your Merrell shoes will be fine for this trip unless you plan to hike up to Catbells, in the Lakes District, which is a SERIOUS hike. I had some Merrell shoes for my trip, and they were great! If you are cold-natured, maybe get some sock liners for this tour to keep your feet warm - that's always a good idea. Sock liners from stores like REI are a GREAT investment in NOT getting blisters. I did not get one with my sock liners.

Hope this helps. Have a great time on your trip. Best wishes!

MC