Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for england
England’s Oldest Inn
By Linda Tancs
Billing itself “The Oldest Inn in England,” Nottingham’s Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem boasts a landmark building dating to 1189 AD. The story goes that crusaders to the Holy Land really did stop there for some respite–and maybe a cuppa. Affectionately known as The Trip, the pub is built upon a series of caves connected to Nottingham Castle and features such curiosities as the Haunted Snug, the Cursed Galleon, and the Fertility Chair.
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Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland
By Linda Tancs
Are you ready for some Christmas cheer? If so, then head to London’s Hyde Park for the annual Winter Wonderland. You’ll feel the arctic chill at the Ice Kingdom, set at -8° celsius. There are also ice skating sessions (one hour long), two circus shows (Zippos and Cirque Berserk) and a giant ferris wheel to wow the kids. You can even get some holiday shopping in; over 100 stalls await you. A new Yuletide Market is at the west end of the park, too. This spectacular destination will be open until 6 January from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (except for Christmas Day). You can get there via Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, Knightsbridge or Marble Arch. Admission to the park is free, but you must have tickets for ice skating, the circus and the ferris wheel. Book early!
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Dive in at Stoney Cove
By Linda Tancs
England’s Leicestershire might not strike you as the underwater diving capital of the country, but its dive school at Stoney Cove National Diving Centre in Leicester boasts modern classrooms and a heated indoor pool. Enthusiasts should make haste to see the Elizabethan shipwreck, the latest underwater attraction recently transported there to complement their assorted collection of boats and planes.
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Where Conifers Reign
By Linda Tancs
England’s Bedgebury National Pinetum is home to an internationally renowned conifer collection, the most complete in the world, with over 9000 trees covering 350 acres. An hour away from London, Bedgebury is close to the Kent/East Sussex border. Voted “Best Picnic Site in the South,” the serene environs also beckon hikers, cyclists, horse riders and zipliners.
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On the Case in London
By Linda Tancs
It’s elementary, you see. Combine a whodunit atmosphere with the swanky feel of a trendy watering hole and you get a bar/restaurant posing as a detective agency in London’s Earls Court. Located on Earls Court Road, Evans & Peel Detective Agency has that speakeasy flair, encouraging you to “make an appointment” with Detective Peel. Upon your visit, you’ll be discreetly guided beyond a bookshelf to a cavernous tavern where innocent-enough concoctions like Auntie May’s Marmalade Bronx will be tugging at your bootlegging soul. Better hurry; the appointment book is filling up.
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Tick Tock in Wycombe
By Linda Tancs
Church Loft is the oldest building in the high street of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, reputedly the sunniest county in England. Dating from the 15th century, the timber-framed building sports a turret clock of its own renown. Over 300 years old, the side-by-side birdcage mechanism resides inside the building’s tower; the clock faces and dial drum were placed to overhang the street during the reign of Queen Victoria. For over 300 years the clock was wound daily until the recent installation of two electric motors above the birdcage rendered the task unnecessary. You can view the clock movements by appointment only.
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Liquid History
By Linda Tancs
At the Lanesborough, a five-star luxury hotel in London’s Knightsbridge district overlooking Hyde Park Corner, a little libation awaits in the Library Bar. Well, maybe not so little. The Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 (a trifling £240 per bottle) is served with a complimentary 10g blinis canapés of Baerii caviar from Aquitaine, France. Maybe you’d like their signature Bloody Mary instead. In any event, you’ll want to sink into one of those deep leather wing chairs and take in the Regency era ambience of this room, bedecked with leather bound books, vintage cognacs (their “liquid history”), display cabinets and subdued lighting to complement a roaring fireplace. Withdraw in style.
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Thoroughly Bred in England
By Linda Tancs
The October Yearling Sale takes place today through 12 October at Tattersalls, the oldest bloodstock auctioneer in the world and the largest in Europe. Offering the best thoroughbreds to be found anywhere, the Newmarket firm’s annual Yearling Sale is Europe’s premier yearling sale, producing four Derby winners in the past decade alone. Only 60 miles from London, Newmarket (England’s home of racing) is just a short rail or bus ride away. Enter the Tattersalls premises via The Avenue.
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A Gothic Revival in London
By Linda Tancs
Strawberry Hill is an 18th century masterpiece in southwest London, one of England’s finest examples of Georgian Gothic revival architecture. Created by Horace Walpole, an English writer and politician, the mansion is particularly striking for its collection of renaissance glass and a state apartment bursting with crimson and gold. The setting at twilight is especially dramatic. You can book a twilight tour during the public opening hours between 31 March and 31 October. Better hurry! You can take the train to Strawberry Hill station from Waterloo, walk there via the Thames Path or take the tube to Richmond and then the R68 bus towards Hampton Court to Michelham Gardens. It’s just a short walk from there.
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Welcome Back, Cutty
By Linda Tancs
You might recall that Cutty Sark, the last surviving tea clipper, got clipped by a fire during restoration in May 2007 at her home in Greenwich. Only eight miles by train from London Bridge, the grand dame of merchant service is restored and open to visitors once more. Don’t miss your chance to experience a precious bit of maritime history.
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