Britain Accommodations

Sawday's online B&Bs and Inns guide.
Sawday's print guide: Great British Hotel & Inn Guide

Sites to See - England, Scotland & Wales

Cromford Mill (aka Arkwright's Mill)

Ironbridge

Caernarfon Castle

Chatsworth House

Arthur's Seat

York Railway Museum

Falkirk Wheel

Kew Gardens

Hampton Court

Herstmonceux Castle

V&A Museum

Da Vinci at Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh

Snowdonia

Ben Nevis

Scafell Pick

Britain Restaurants and Pubs

As seen on Fred Sirieix's series Remarkable Places to Eat is the Michelin starred restaurant in the Leith area of Edinburgh called The Kitchin. Fred considered his meal one of the best he's ever had. High praise from a top chef! The three course à la carte menu is £110.

Sawday's online Eat and Drink guide.
Sawday's print guide: Great British Pub Guide

See Sawday's Telegraph article: 50 Great Pubs in England and Wales

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Great British Pubs
Leisureways Magazine February 1997

Travel 46km (28miles) south of Edinburgh to the village of Innerleithen and visit the Traquair Arms Hotel. Notable is the house specialty, Finnan Savoury, made from the finest Scottish smoked haddock sautéed with onions and finished with Ayrshire cheddar cheese, double cream and garnished with parsley. Creamy it was and delicious, full of little rewards in every mouthful. Another house specialty was the Traquair Steak Pie, made with fine steer beef cooked in a local dark ale. A small cloud of fragrant steam escaped as I cut into the crust, the meat was tender, the gravy rich and the pastry light and flaky.

In the most southwesterly point in England — Cornwall, The Pandora Inn is beautifully situated outside Falmouth, fronting Restronguet Creek. This was the establishment which In Britain readers liked best. The editors wrote, “It’s a dream of a place — formerly a 13th-century farm. It has a thatched roof and is set on the sheltered waterfront. Rambling flagstoned rooms, low wooden ceilings and cosy alcoves set the scene.”

I asked the hostess to bring me her choice for my repast and her selections convinced me that the Pandora deserved its applause: local mussels steamed in white wine with garlic and herbs, a seafood platter of potted shrimps, prawns, smoked mackerel, brown and white crab meat, winkles, cockles and poached salmon. Wonderful!

Next I was off to England’s mid point on the east. Walk down the aptly named Steep Hill in Lincoln to the Wig & Mitre, a pub that studiously avoids pretension and one of its promotion pieces invites the public to use it “as a meeting place or an eating house, a reading room or watering hole, and a haven of peace.”

I enjoyed two smooth patés — one lentil and garlic, the other chicken liver — both sharing a sprightly radicchio salad, These were followed by a tender and delicious lemon sole with chives in nut-brown butter. The fish was enhanced by small, locally grown potatoes, a new crop and a special delight.

My next foray led me to the Cotswolds where The Falkland Arms is located in one of the prettiest villages, Great Tew, Oxfordshire. The day I was visiting, workmen were thatching one of the cottages. Many consider this the perfect English pub and there has been a public house on its site for some 500 years. Originally called The Horse and Groom, it was renamed in the mid-19th century in honor of the Falkland family, former owners of the manor of Great Tew.

The pub’s bar has a big Inglenook fireplace, century-old flagstones, high-back settles, oak panelling and beams. There’s a large collection of English mugs and jugs hanging from the ceiling here and in the breakfast room.

I treated myself to a sinfully good, homemade Stilton, port and garlic paté, the garlic and port each adding extra character to the strong personality of the Stilton. Next came a generous portion of chicken, bacon and mushroom pie with assorted vegetables, including one of my favorites, leeks.

The last stop on my culinary trek brought me to the famed Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in London. The entrance is in Wine Office Court, an alley off Fleet Street, almost next door to the shiny black mausoleum that once housed the Daily Express. The Chop Room has retained much of the appearance and atmosphere it had when it was frequented by Dr. Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith in the 18th century, and Charles Dickens in the 19th. There are still cubicles and sawdust on the floor.

I lunched at the long oaken table where those literary lions dined. There’s a portrait of the lexicographer in The Chop Room and upstairs a copy of his dictionary. The Johnson Restaurant and the Johnson Bar also pay homage to the doctor.

Licensees Gordon and Debbie Garrity live on the premises. The fish and chips were undoubtedly the best I tasted during my stay. A superb steak and kidney pie boasted fluffy pastry that almost floated away and the beef and kidneys were wonderfully tender. These English traditions were followed by another — sherry trifle loaded with fruit and topped with cream — a fitting way to end my culinary odyssey.


Traquair Arms Hotel
Traquair Road
Innerleithen
Scottish Borders  EH44 6PD
Tel: 01896 830229
info@traquairarmshotel.co.uk


The Pandora Inn
Restronguet Hill
Creek
Falmouth
Cornwall  TR11 5ST
Tel: 01326 372678
info@pandorainn.com


Wig & Mitre
30-32 Steep Hill
Lincoln
Lincolnshire   LN2 1LU
Tel: 01522 535 190
www.wigandmitre.com


The Falkland Arms
19-21 The Green
Great Tew
Chipping Norton
Oxfordshire  OX7 4DB
Tel: 01608 683653
falklandarms@wadworth.co.uk


Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
145 Fleet St
London EC4A 2BU
Tel: 7353 6170

Britain's Greatest Sites

This page is based on the Telegraph article Fifty of Britain's best-kept secrets.

Roman Villa. Lullingstone (near Eynsford), Kent  Dating from the 2nd century AD, this rich man's farmhouse is one of the key sites of Roman ( Eynsford)  map

13th century manor house. Plaxtol (near Sevenoaks), Kent. A rare survival, Old Soar Manor retains its "solar" room, chapel and staircase. ( Borough Green & Wrotham) map

Fragment of Roman road. Blackstone Edge, Littleborough  A remarkable half-mile at Blackstone Edge. ( Littleborough) map

Burghley House. Lincolnshire Considered the greatest Elizabethan house in Britain. ( Stamford) map

16 Medieval stained glass. St George's, Kelmscott, Oxfordshire. A delicate late 15th century window showing St George on horseback slaying the dragon. ( Kelmscott. 26 miles west of Oxford) map

Plague graveyard. St Olave's, Hart St, London EC3  Belonging to the church where Samuel Pepys is buried. ( Tower Hill) map

Ancient wooden carving. Church of St Senara, Zennor, Cornwall. Part pagan, part early Christian, the Zennor Mermaid is carved on the end of a pew. ( St. Ives) map

18th-century theme park. Piercefield Park, Monmouthshire. Piercefield Park laid out along the west bank of the River Wye to provide viewing points in keeping with Picturesque principles. ( Chepstowe. 20 miles east of Newport) map

12th century murals. Clayton, West Sussex  Church of St. John the Baptist. In this South Downs church are beautifully faded frescoes dated by Pevsner to c1140. ( Brighton) map

Visit Guides

Visit London
Visit Britain
Oyster Card
Telegraph UK Holiday Accomodations Guide
Great Inns of Britain - 20 pubs with good-quality rooms, most in attractive rural locations. (01423 770152)
Wolsey Lodges - B&B, reasonably priced. (01473 822058)
Hoseasons - 200 lodges in the UK, starting at £245 per week. (0844 847 1100)
Alastair Sawday's travel guides:
  British Bed & Breakfast - £9.74
  Pubs & Inns of England & Wales - £9.74

Sites to See - London & Environs

Walking tours - see Original London Walks.

Canada House, Trafalgar Square

Vermeer paintings at National Gallery: A Lady Standing at the Virginal and A Lady Seated at a Virginal (see Essential Vermeer)

Lord's Cricket Ground ( St John's Wood (Jubilee Line), Warwick Avenue (Bakerloo Line) and Baker Street (Bakerloo, Circle, Jubilee, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines). map

The National Gallery Trafalgar Square, London ( Charing Cross, Leicester Square)

The British Museum. (Good afternoon tea!) See also the Museum Tavern opposite the B.M. - very good pub, 49 Great Russell St. ( Holborn or Tottenham Court Road) Open Sat-Thur 10:00-17:30, Fri 10:00-20:30.
London Walks does a tour: every Mon at 10:45 am, every Wed at 2 pm, and every Sat at 2 pm.

Victoria & Albert Museum. Cromwell Rd. Hours: Sat-Thur 10:00-17:45; Fri 10:00-22:00. London Walks does a "V & A Museum Tour": every Fri at 10:45am. ( South Kensington) map

Globe Theatre ( Cannon Street)

Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Rd. ( Lambeth North) map
 
Cabinet War Rooms, Clive Steps, St.Charles St. ( St.James Park) map
 
Old Bailey (don't do Insight tour) & St.Paul's Cathedral ( St.Paul's) map
 
Lillywhites - sporting goods, 6 floors! 24-36 Regent St. ( Piccadilly Circus) map
 
Fortnum & Mason, 181-186 Picadilly. food hampers, tinned pheasant? ( Greenpark or Piccadilly Circus) map
 
Harrod's ( Knightsbridge or Hyde Park Corner) map

Plague graveyard. St Olave's, Hart St. Samuel Pepys buried here. ( Tower Hill or Monument) map
 
Cutty Sark. King William Walk ( Island Gardens)

Pankhurst Barbers (inside Alfred Dunhill), 48 Jermyn St. ( Green Park or Piccadilly Circus) map


Day Trips near London

Bletchley Park (by rail from Euston Station to  Bletchley)

Hampton Court Palace. Mon-Sun 10:00-16:30 (by rail from Waterloo to Hampton Court)

Windsor Castle. Royal palace, also near Eton. Advanced purchase of tickets recommended. Hours 10:00-15:00 (Nov-Feb); 10:00-16:00 (Mar-Oct). (by rail from Paddington to Windsor & Eton Riverside)

Kew Gardens. The Royal Botanical Gardens. Hours: closing times vary throughout the year  (from 15:30 to 18:00) but always open at 10:00 - see website for details. Open every day except Dec. 24 & 25. ( Kew Gardens - District Line)

Greenwich Observatory. Hours 10:00-17:00. You can get to Greenwich from many locations in London and by various means: tube, rail or boat. Go to Visit London to see all the options. For example, from London Bridge it is an 8 minute tube ride, 10 minute train ride, or a 25 minute boat ride. ( North Greenwich - Jubilee Line; Greenwich)

Touring Bath

Fine weather and a very enjoyable walking tour (and free) around Bath, then toured the Roman Baths. Met a couple from Calgary who recommended the Darlington when I'm in London, near Hyde Park.


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Location:Bath