Trip 2016 - In the Works

Hello there, and welcome to the preview of my 2016 England trip.  I'm at the beginning of crafting the thing that will become a memorable vacation.  I hope it will outdo even the magnificent 2014 trip with April and Sharmon!  That was probably the most beautiful vacation I've ever taken.

But, to get on with the 2016 version of "An American in England"...

The plan is to leave the U.S. on a Friday in late spring.  My friend, Sharon, expects to be traveling with me, so I've booked lodging accordingly!  We arrive in London on Saturday, and will be making our way to the Travelodge I became acquainted with in 2014.  Very low cost (for London), spacious rooms and showers, decently clean, and all within a stone's throw of the Tower of London!

For three lovely days, we will be having tea, exploring museums, visiting historic sites, attending West End shows, and shopping.  I can feel the excitement building!

At the end of our time in London, we will leave for the city of York, if only briefly.  York is an old friend of mine, and the minster is my favorite mega cathedral - hosting the world's largest collection of antique stained glass!  Our ultimate destination this day is Knaresborough.  A place I visited many times when I lived in nearby Harrogate and Ripon, but which I've not seen for years.  It rivals Keswick on my list of top villages to see in England!  Our lodging is a lovely B&B near the centre of town.

Knaresborough is a great base for all the fun things I know of in the area.  There's Fountain's Abbey, my favorite little jewel of a town, Kilburn, Thirsk, Ripon... and a host of other beautiful spots that I plan to see. There will be market days and shopping and moors and dales!  Maybe even tea at Betty's!

I also want to visit my wonderful friends Linda and Chris if we can swing it!

Linda and Chris

From Knaresborough, we will be heading north to see Hadrian's Wall and then sweeping down to Keswick for a brief visit in England's lovely Lake District.  We're staying in a new B&B (to me) called Seven Oaks!  It looks lovely.  I'm hoping to see the Cumbria gang on Saturday or Sunday for a short hike and perhaps head out with Sharon to see Derwentwater by boat and do a little shopping at Keswick's Saturday market.  And, who knows... maybe we'll meet up with the elusive Greg and Kim, or the effervescent Sandra Penney with husband, Neil!

Sadly, we'll have to leave Keswick - but happily it's for the Cotswolds!  On the way, we plan to see Judith Yates, my artistic friend from Coventry.

Judith

After seeing Judith, the Cotswolds might seem anti-climatic for some, but that's where we're going!  We'll be staying in a beautiful little cottage in the picturesque town of Bibury. What a trip, eh?  We'll be tripping about to see thatched cottages, the town of Glastonbury for a metaphysical fix, and round about the middle of England.

The final leg of our trip is to head back to Tintagel.  I had such fun there last year!  We re-booked the fantastic room at the Avalon B&B.  I'll be heading back to all the magical places and hopefully seeing some new stuff (the Agatha Christie Walk?).  There's all sorts of Cameloty things to do on the tour this year, for sure!

We'll be waving goodbye to our awesome B&B and heading back to London for one night.  I picked my favorite little hotel on a sweet little tree-lined street... the Best Western Palace and Suites. It's right on the tube line for Heathrow, and close to Kew Gardens and Wimbledon if we decide to tour about one last time.

Most of our trip will be by car (with yours truly driving).  Sharon has offered (generously) to navigate, and we will have Beavis (my GPS of Beavis and Butthead fame).

I will definitely miss the packing skills of Packing Annie (April Fager) and the giggles from Googley Eyes (Sharmon Blank), but we hope to make new memories this year that will last a lifetime.

Cheers, my dears! I'll keep you posted!