The Matthew was the ship that John Cabot used in his exploration of North America. In the 1990s a replica was built that sailed to Canada in 1998 visiting many cities in Eastern Canada. I toured the ship when it visited Kingston. It is now docked at Bristol harbour and can be visited there. See the Matthew of Bristol website.
The neolithic site Skara Brae would be interesting but it does require a trip to the Orkney Islands. First settled around 3,100 B.C., it is older than the Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt.
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| Skara Brae |
A few location suggestions from Rick Steves and his Scotland guides:
See an interesting article (that also includes Pitlochry): 8 Friendliest Small Towns in Scotland.
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| Pitlochry |
A great series, Remarkable Places to Eat, has a good video on Edinburgh.
From Kirby Allison, a great estate to stay at is Craigsanquhar (pronounced Craig's acre) Estate in Fife, about 8 miles west of St. Andrews, but is only available as part of a sporting visit, whether it is fishing or shooting. Of course, even if you are not lodging there you can still enjoy a fabulous meal at Nathaniel's restaurant. It is an Orvis accredited resort.
Arrived in London (from Madrid) - see London Itinerary
Flew to Dublin and stayed 3 nights, then ferry to Holyhead and rail to:
Manchester
Saw Derren Brown's 2022 show Showman at The Lowry Manchester theatre in Salford Quays, Manchester
Matlock was a good base from which to visit Chatsworth and Cromford. Did not get to try Crich tramway village and museum.
Chatsworth
Visited stately Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. Open 10:00-16:30.
Take the 217 bus
from Matlock to Chatsworth
(approximately 30 minutes). (
Matlock). One of the greatest private homes in the world.
Cromford Mills
Arkwright's Mills in Mill Lane, Cromford, Derbyshire. Mill Yard, Mill Shop and Cafés: 10:00–17:00. Take the 216 bus from Matlock to Cromford (approximately 9 minutes) or go by rail from Matlock (3 minutes). ( Cromford) A must see for anyone interested in history in general and the history of the Industrial Revolution especially. Arkwirght's Mill is considered to be the first truly modern factory.
Lake District - Keswick
Take bus x4 or x5 from Penrith to Keswick. ( Penrith). See also my Fell Walking blog. Stayed at Lindisfarne House, 21 Church St., Keswick. Alison & Chris Burns were great hosts, and the full breakfast was excellent. info@lindisfarne-keswick.co.uk. lindisfarne-keswick.co.uk. 017687 73218
Walked to the top of Skiddaw, a walk of 5½ miles (8.9 km) from Keswick to the peak. Mild weather in the village changed to ferocious winds, whipping rain and fully enclosed in cloud at the top. What a day! Did cruise of Derwent Water at Keswick. Went by bus to Pooley Bridge and took the Ullswater 'Steamers' tour of Ullswater.
York ( York)
National Railway Museum, 10 minute walk from York Rail Station. Great!
York Minster - special Grinling Gibbons exhibit August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022. with many display posters but also there are three Gibbons memorials in the Minster carved in marble (though one was covered by another special exhibition!)
York Museum, Museum St exhibit of the Ryedale Hoard of Roman antiquities. The "hoard" amounted to four small objects — big disappointment.
JORVIK Viking Centre, Coppergate Shopping Centre, 16 Coppergate St. Very good and extensive displays and even a ride through a typical village with mechanically animated characters.
Merchant Adventurer's Hall, 37 Fossgate St. Very good. The oldest merchant house in Britain, I believe.
Fairfax House, Castlegate. Great old family home with original architecture and furnishings.
Clifford's Tower, Tower St. (bus stop Tower Street or Clifford Street). A just okay experience.
Did not try a river cruise by Hornblower City Experience. Leaves from King's Staith Landing: 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00. They also have an evening cruise at 19:30 and a floodlit evening cruise at 20:45. Also did not try the Hop On Hop Off bus since I'd already seen much of the city.
Merchant Adventurer's Hall, JORVIK Viking Centre, Fairfax House and Clifford's Tower are quite close together — easy walking distance.
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| Click to enlarge |
York Restaurants
Pairings, 28 Castlegate, is a great wine bar with over 70 wines by the glass from £4 to £24, including Champagnes, sherries and ports.
York Accommodations
Stayed at Minster Hotel, 58-60 Bootham. Very nice large room with seating area and desk, but no lift. Parking available on site which is free when booked directly with hotel. Good breakfast, continental or cooked, in a nice dining room. A 5 minute walk to the Minster.
Edinburgh
( Waverly)
Fly from Edinburgh to home July 22
ENTERTAINMENT
Derren Brown tour 2022 - March 4 - October 29, 2022
Checked out London Walks for their guided walks around London. The walk cost £15 and last about 2 hours. Jack the Ripper - every day. Excellent guide who had done it for about 15 years.
The National Gallery Trafalgar Square, London. Saw the special exhibition of the works of Raphael. Noted paintings by Vermeer, Canaletto, Ingres, van Dyck, Rubens, Gainsborough [my print!], Raphael, da Vinci, Velázquez, Caravaggio, Botticelli, etc. Open Sat-Thu 10:00-18:00, Fri 10:00-21:00 (
Charing Cross, Leicester Square). A first rate museum.
Victoria & Albert Museum. ( South Kensington). One of my favorite museums. So many things to see that I am interested in that it is exhausting. Toured mostly the Medieval & Renaissance (1350-1600) sections which took about 2-3 hours. That was enough for one day. That is probably less than a 10th of what is to see at the museum. Another visit is a must.
Shopping
Picked up West Indian Lime cologne at Geo F. Trumper, and had a haircut after 2 years of doing it myself (COVID 19!). Located at 9 Curzon Street, Mayfair, London ( Green Park)
Restaurants
See my London restaurant page here.
Greenwich
Greenwich Royal Observatory. The observatory is a great visit and has an amazing view of London. I was so excited to see John Harrison's chronometers! Saw the "Painted Hall" and the Nelson Room in the Old Royal Naval College. Pretty good but I was most impressed by the memorial to Sir John Franklin and those lost on his Arctic expedition. ( Greenwich - Jubilee Line; Greenwich or Maze Hill)
National Maritime Museum. Saw the special exhibition of Canaletto's complete views of Venice at the National Maritime Museum. ( Greenwich - Jubilee Line; Greenwich or Maze Hill) An excellent exhibit of one of my favorite painters!
Cutty Sark. ( Greenwich - Jubilee Line; Greenwich or Maze Hill). A very good tour of this classic ship.
Queen's House. ( Greenwich - Jubilee Line; Greenwich or Maze Hill). An interesting house but not worth a side trip or a second visit.
Day Trips from London:
Kew Gardens. The Royal Botanical Gardens. ( Kew Gardens - District Line). A must see even if, like me, you are not greatly interested in flora. The variety is astounding with the largest collection of plants in the world. Saw so many strange plants including lots of carnivorous plants. Water lilies the size of a small boat! And see plants from such a range of environments: desert to rain forest.
Accommodation
See my London accommodation page here.
Rules (the oldest restaurant in London - 1798). 35 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden. Traditional English, esp. classic game cookery!! See menu here. Try game soup or dressed crab appetizer. And main courses are pheasant, hare, venison, partridge, duck or lamb; ( Covent Garden, Leicester Square or Charing Cross) map
While Rules specializes in game and domesticated meat, Wiltons is THE restaurant for seafood in London. Located at 55 Jermyn Street in the heart of the men's fashion district. ( Piccadilly Circus)
Tom Chamberlin of The Rake magazine has recommended 5 of the top classic restaurants in London everyone must try. They include Rules and Wiltons noted above as well as Bellamy's, Bruton Place, near Berkeley Square; Rowley's on Jermyn Street; and finally The Guinea Grill, Bruton Place, Mayfair is an excellent steak house. (See also A Gentleman's Guide to London by Tom Chamberlin.)
A special place to eat is The Ivy with its own version of a classic shepherds pie. 1-5 West Street ( Covent Garden, Leicester Square)
Simpson's in the Strand has classic British fare with excellent roast beef, and Kedgeree for breakfast. Located at 100 Strand. ( Charing Cross, Temple or Covent Garden)
Breakfast: Great eggs Benedict and its variations at Cecconi in Mayfair, also great Italian lunch. For the best full English try The Wolseley, 160 Piccadilly, Mayfair. ( Piccadilly Circus)
Kensington) Winner of best afternoon tea in London 2012 - Langham Hotel £40 + tip
Dukes Bar in Mayfair is the ultimate in high class bar to simply enjoy a quiet drink expertly made. Made famous as the drinking place for Ian Fleming who enjoyed their famous martini. Located in Dukes Hotel, 35 St James's Pl.
Grouse & Claret Wine Bar - Excellent London Confidential recommendation, p.77. 14 Little Chester St. ( Victoria) map
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub (v.good pub and English food), Wine Office Court 145 Fleet St. ( Chancery Lane) map
Frederick's, Camden Passage. London Confidential recommendation. ( Angel)
Cafe Des Amis du Vin. London Confidential recommendation. ( Covent Garden)
Hung, Drawn & Quartered. 26-27 Great Tower Street.
( Tower Hill)
Simplicity, 1 Tunnel Road, Rotherithe ( Canada Water) map
E Pellicci, 332 Bethnal Green Road. Telegraph recommendation - Art Deco and artsy clientele. ( Bethnal Green) map
Ole & Steen Lagkagehuset. Good spot for tea and dessert. Located across from Victoria Station in a mall called Nova Victoria on Sir Simon Milton Square.
Knightsbridge
Some quality pubs near Harrods: Bunch of Grapes is a good traditional pub with reasonable prices (e.g., fish & chips for £14.79). Owned by the same company as Bunch of Grapes, Tattersalls Tavern is another traditional pub. The Grenadier is a highly rated pub that mostly locals frequent because it is somewhat hidden at 18 Wilton Row, about a 12 minute walk from Harrods.
Recommended by Rick Steves in Knightsbridge/Chelsea area, 7 min walk to V&A Museum, and 17 min walk to Harrod's. 16 min by tube to National Portrait Gallery. 18 min by tube to Saville Row (£90 and £180 depending on season). Aster House, 3 Sumner Place, London, SW7 3E.
Outside
UK: +44 20 7581 5888 Reservations@AsterHouse.com.
See map. ( South Kensington, via Piccadilly or Circle line)
The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone is a well located and moderately priced (for central London) boutique hotel. It is highly rated by The Telegraph for its Victorian charm and first rate cocktail bar. 28-30 Seymour Street, London W1H 7JB. 020 7324 4544 (£175) ( Marble Arch)
Captain Bligh House, 100 Lambeth Rd. London SE1 7PT +44 20 7928 2735 (£55) map
( Lambeth North - 5 minute walk!)
Jesmond Hotel, 63 Gower St. (£79. 15% discount for one week stay) map ( Goodge Street - Northern Line; Euston Square - multiple; Russell Square - Piccadilly; Tottenham Court Road - Central Line).
Mowbray Court Hotel, 28-32 Penywern Road, Kensington, London SW5 9SU. +44 (0) 20 7373 8285. (£190) info@mowbraycourt.com. ( Earls Court - 1 minute walk from the hotel!!) I stayed here. Tiny room but clean and fairly new. Continental plus breakfast included. Best value for the location.
Better than Mowbray for cost is Park Grand London Kensington which only a 3 minute walk from Earl's Court tube station and is almost half the price of Mowbray (~$220). I stayed at the Mowbray because it was last minute and the only reasonably priced one available. I need to book further in advance.
Travelodge (John recommend - cheap especially when booked ahead)
Ridgemount Hotel, 65-67 Gower Street, London WC1E 6HJ, England +44 (0) 20 7636 1141. (£85). Highly recommended on Trip Advisor ( Goodge Street - Northern Line; Warren Street - Victoria Line; Tottenham Court Road - Central Line).
Rhodes Hotel, 195 Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park. +44 207 2620 537. (£80). Highly recommended on Trip Advisor ( or 
Paddington)
hub by Premier Inn | London Goodge Street, Brook House, Torrington Place, WC1E 7HN. Ultra modern decor! (£96) ( Goodge Street)
The Premier Inn chain (as the above at Goodge Street is) has many hotels in central London and the rest of the UK on various levels of quality and size. They have three categories - Premier, Hub and Zip. All seem to be very reasonably priced for London. The Zip hotels are the very small, almost Japanese style accommodation.
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| Premier Inns London |
London Lodge Hotel, 134/136 Lexham Gardens - highly recommended on TripAdvisor (£125). map ( Earl's Court; Kensington High Street)
Yotel Clerkenwell, 96 - 100 Clerkenwell Road, London, London EC1M 5RJ 44-203-146-1310 (£125) ( or Farringdon)
Darlington, 111-117 Sussex Gardens, Paddington, W2 2RU. Recommended by a couple that I met from Calgary as a very good place to stay in London. Located near Hyde Park.(£250) ( or Paddington)
MINIHOTELS
For very cheap accommodations (£30-40) in London see the Easy Hotel chain. Croydon, Shoreditch, Luton, Paddington, Heathrow, South Kensington and Victoria. (Most get a 3 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor.)
AIRBNB
There are dozens of AirBnBs in London. Here are a few select ones I have checked out that are in Central London.
Comfy Single in Marylebone Village, Bentinck St. ($125) ( Bond Street)
One room with private bathroom in Bloomsbury, Greek Street ($130) ( Leicester Square)
Lovely House in Bloomsbury Central London, Montague Street ($147) ( Holborn)
See London tube map here.
