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Derwent Water towards Keswick

Keswick is part of The Lake District National park, located in the North West of England and has a history that goes back to the 10th century. An excellent centre for outdoor activities. The beautiful sceneriy of the lakes inspred some of Britians most famous writers. Here are just 10 of thew many things you can do in the area if you decide to base yourself in Keswick. Watchout for future posts featuring more of the Lake District. For more about the Keswick and the Other parts of the Lake District, see the links at the bottom.

Cumberland Pencil Museum

They have been making pencils is Keswick for 175 years. Graphite was discovered there in the 1500’s and this is celebrated today at the Cumberland Pencil Museum , which is located in the heart of Britains beautifulLake District.

The Puzzling Place

Not Somewhere where you can use your Keswick made pencil on a crossword or soduki but a “a classic study in synthesising the arts and sciences” , put more simply, it’s a place of Optical illusions.

The Bond Museum

The Cars, The Boats, the books, the films, it’s all here. The museum opened in April this year. and talking of cars….

Cars of the Stars Museum

If History is your thing, Keswick has lots of that too. How about Stone Age Transport? Fred Flintsone’s car is just one of a sleection of Film and TV transport on display at Peter Nelson’s “Cars of the Stars Museum”. Exibits include a full range of Bond Cars (of course), Chitty Chitty bang Bang, Batmobiles and  FAB1.

Trotters World of Animals.

The Cars of the Stars Museum is also home to Del Trotter’s Three Wheel Relient Robin, but that may not be familiar to our American Visitors. I’m assured ther is no connection between that car’s former owner and the Trotters World of Animals. Here you’ll meet The Asian Fishing Cat, Charlie the Mandril, and the smallest Otters in the world, Rosie and Hutch.

Honister Slate Mine

You can go deep underground at the Honister Slate Mine, the last working slate mine in England. It’s believed that slate has been mined here since prehistoric times but the first confirmed records of mining don’t appear until the 1700’s.

Derwentwater Lake Cruises

Since your in the Lake District it would be remis of you not to take a cruise on Derwentwater. There are seven jetties where you can disembark and explore the amazing scenery and landscape (using a hop on/hop off ticket) or you can just enjoy the 50 minute cruise around the lake. In the summer there are hourly departures in each direction. Rowing boats and self drive motor boats are also available for hire

Mirehouse

The Lake District is know for it’s littery connections. In this year of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Lord Tennyson you can explore the many strong literary connections Mirehouse has had over the years to Tennyson, Edward Fitzgerald, Thomas Carlyle and William Wordsworth. The house also features an interesting collection of furniture, portraits and muanscripts. The Kids are not going to get borde here either with a maze, four woodland playgrounds, Nature Trail and Bee garden.

Keswick Brewing Company

If allthis is making you a little thirsty then there is nothing like stopping for a real local pint. The Keswick Brewing Company offer tours and, of course, tastings. Beer has been brewed in Keswick since 1875. Incedentally there is also Jennings Brewery http://www.jenningsbrewery.co.uk/index.htm in nearby Cockermouth.

Lake District Tours

Despite the fact that there is so much to do in Keswick, you still might feel the need to venture further afield. In which case you’ll probably want to join Lake District tours on one of their minibus tours. Hlaf day and full day excursions that explore the lakes, Taking you to see quaint villages, Breathtaking views and amazing waterfalls valleys, Castles and even the Ravengalss Steam Railway.

For more information you can visit the official Keswick website,  the official website of  Cumbria Tourism or The National Park Website

The Connaught

Three London Hotels have made it into the prestigious Travel+Leisure magazine’s annual World’s Best Awards. The Goring is ranked number two in the list of Best Small City Hotels in Europe. In Belgravia, adjacent to Buckingham Palace the Hotel will be celebrating it’s centenary year in 2010. The oldest privately owned 5-star hotel in London, The Goring was the first hotel in the world to offer bathroom for every bedroom. The hotel’s proximity to Buckingham Palace means that over the years The Goring has, on occasions, become almost an annex to the Palace. On State occasions, foreign royalty have frequently used the hotel as a home from home.

The Number Five spot is claimed by 41, a boutique property situated opposite Buckingham Palace’s Royal Mews. T+L describes 41 as a “discreet and private retreat with a private club air”. This subtle symphony of high technology and pure luxury is a haven for the business-savvy traveler and a cocoon for the discriminating guest.

The Milestone

The Milestone Hotel, placed Number Ten.“A refined, residential feel, thanks to its intimate size and personal gestures like sweets at turndown”, is how T+L describes the atmosphere at The Milestone. Highlights of a stay at The Milestone include traditional English cream tea in the Park Lounge, cocktails in the Stables bar, and dinner in Cheneston’s restaurant, which Tatler magazine has described as ‘a brilliant address to have up your sleeve’.

Clivedon House

Away from London the famous Cliveden House is Number Five in the Top 10 Inns and Small Country Hotels in Europe. ” A grand stately home set in the heart of the Berkshire countryside, surrounded by 376 acres of magnificent formal gardens and parkland.”

So what’s your favourite British Hotel.. and why?

My father always told me how lucky I was, how he didn’t have any of the things that I enjoyed in my childhood. Now I can see just how different my kid’s childhood is to mine. So I think that it’s an interesting idea to show today’s computer savvy, switched on kids what it was like before the microchip.

The V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, London is a treasure trove of Toys, Games, Dolls, and Teddy Bears dating back to the 16^th Century and includes exhibitions and education about the lives of children over the last 400 years. After your visit, your children might have a little more respect for what they have. While at the same time, spotting your favorite toy might just leave you feeling older then when you went in.

The Museum is open daily from 10am to 5.45pm and entry is Free.

If you’re in the North of England you might want to visit Eureka! The National children’s Museum in Harrogate, Yorkshire. Unlike the V & A museum which tells the History of Childhood, Eureka! is very much about today’s kids.

A place where children play to learn and grown-ups learn to play. Everything at Eureka! has been designed to inspire children to find out about themselves and the world around them through 100s of hands-on exhibits.

Open Daily from 10am to 5pm, Admission is £7.50 for Adults and Children 3 and over, £2.25 for toddlers 1-2 years and free for babies under 1 year. After 3pm from Monday-Friday during school term time, visitors are admitted at half price.

Have you been to either of these museums? What are your favourite museum for kids? As always, your thoughts, ideas and comments are welcome.

Cadbury is to the British what Hershey’s is to Americas.

Chocolate!

 It was in 1897 that the Cadbury Company launched its first chocolate for eating (just 3 years after Milton Hershey began to produce sweet chocolate as a coating for his caramel candy). The company history, however, goes back to 1824 when John Cadbury opened a grocer’s shop in Birmingham. Five years later he opened a factory to produce cocoa and drinking chocolate.

 Richard and George Cadbury, John’s son’s,  took over the company in 1861 and in 1879 the Cadbury Brothers moved to a brand new factory four miles outside the City of Birmingham and called it Bournville. Over time they acquired more land and built a village for their workers (Milton Hershey also built a town for his workers). In 1905, they launched ‘Cadbury Dairy Milk’, their ‘trade mark’ product that continues to exist today and, here is the U.S, is manufactured by the Hershey Company.

 Over the next 100 years the company grew, launching more products and merging with other companies until , in 2003, it became the Number One confectionary company in the world after buying the Adams Gum Company in the U.S. known for brands such as Trident, Stride and Bubblicious gum, Swedish Fish, Halls cough drops and Sour Patch kids.

 Cadbury sill produce chocolate at their Bournville factory and in  1990 opened “Cadbury World”. The £6 Million visitor center has grown over the last 18 years to become a major attraction. As well as learning about the history of Chocolate and the Cadbury company you can see how the different types of Cadbury chocolate is produced and packed. It’s not a factory tour, more of a Chocolate Based theme park and well worth a visit for any chocoholic if your in the Midlands area.

 More information about Cadbury World can be found at the Cadbury World Website.

 American – British lexicon

 In Britain, Candies are known as Sweets. Not to be confused with the Desert part of a meal which can also be known as a sweet or a pudding. As well as being sold in Supermarkets and Gas Stations they are also sold in small local stores called “Newsagents” unlike the U.S. where newspapers are most often local and sold from street vending machines. Britain has a selection of national daily newspapers that are sold in newsagent shops. Newsagents also carry a wide selection of magazines and often a small selection of greeting cards and other ancillary things. However, because of the large selection of candy (or sweets) carried by these shops, children refer to them as “Sweet Shops’. The word Candy is mostly used as part of a brand name or to describe particular types of Sweets.

 Have you any experience of Cadbury World? Have you tried any British candy? I’d love to hear what you think. Please feel free to add your comments below.

Last year the soaring fuel prices and the strong pound, made flying to Britain an expensive proposition. This year that seems to be turning on it’s head. The pound has dropped making things much cheaper when your there and the airlines are fighting to get you on their aircraft as the global resession bites. United Airlines have started a fare sale to Europe with fares to The UK from as low as $168.

I did a quick check based on that $168 fare routing from Chicago to London and discovered that you can fly in May for just $113.00 round trip plus taxes. The taxes however are higher than the fare at $363.10. Still, the total round trip cost of $476.10 is not unreasonable and things are now a lot cheaper when you get there.

I also compared the United fares with British Airways and American Airlines and they both matched the total. The only carrier who flies the route directly that didn’t offer a low fare was Virgin Atlantic. Currently their lowest fare for the dates i chose (4th May – 12th May) is $375.00 plus taxes of $363.10 making their cheapest fare $738.10. But that may change if they notice a drop in bookings.

Fares vary from other airports and, of course, all fares are ’subject to availability’ but if your planning a trip now might be a good time to book.

What airfare bargains are you finding for your trip to Britain?

Most travellers don’t experience the lounges that airlines provide for their premium passengers in Business and First Class, but for those who use them they are an important part of the travelling experience, especially in these days of longer check-in times and higher security. 

David Armstrong has written on thestreet.com about (what he considers to be) the Top 10 lounges around the world. Two of those 10 are at London’s Heathrow Airport, The British Airways  Galleries in Terminal 5 and the Virgin Atlantic Club House in Terminal 3.

Heathrow  hasn’t had too much good press among frequent travellers recently, so it’s nice to see that they make the Top 10 twice. The only airport to do so.

What are the best and worst lounges you have encountered. Do you have any suggestions or reccomendations, tricks or tips? Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

If you’re thinking of taking the slow boat to Britain and you’re a fan of James Taylor you might want to consider sailing on Jun 19th. There will be two “Cunard Command” Performances on the six day Queen Mary 2 crossing from New York to Southampton.

 During The Crossing, guests will have the chance to join a live Q&A interview by Cunard’s Entertainment Director, where James will talk about his award-winning career and the Summer European Tour he will begin after his arrival in England. 

Cunard is famed for hosting well known names on it’s crossings. Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant, Clark Gable all sailed on Cunard ships across the Atlantic. More recently Rod Stewart, Shirley Bassey, Harry Connick, Jr. and Lenny Kravitz, Uma Thurman, Angela Bassett, John Cleese, Richard Dreyfuss and Terence Howard have sailed aboard the Queen Mary 2..

Yesterdays Frugal Traveler column in the New York Times gave some advice on “Packing the Right Credit Card“. There is some good advice in the article, but since it is general information that covers the world as a whole I thought I would add information that will specifically apply to Britain.

“Discover, for example, charges no fees, but is not as widely accepted abroad as Visa, MasterCard and American Express.”

Discover card will be no use to you. It simply isn’t accepted anywhere in the U.K. So you’ll need to stick with one of the other three. American Express, while accepted in many places, is not as widely accepted as the other two, Visa and MasterCard. Ditto, Diners Club which is, in my experience, accepted in even less places than American Express. My Advice is to make sure you have a Visa or MasterCard.

“But as they do with credit cards, banks tack on foreign-exchange fees to A.T.M. withdrawals. My home bank, Bank of America, charges $5 plus 1 percent of the withdrawal, while Citibank charges 3 percent of the withdrawal plus $1.50 at non-Citibank A.T.M.s.

Both reduce the fees somewhat if you use their own machines, or those of their partners. Bank of America, for example, partners with Deutsche Bank in Germany and BNP Paribas in France, so withdrawals are fee-free there (but not, however, at Deutsche Bank branches outside Germany).”

Bank of America is an excellent choice of ATM card, in my opinion. The trick here is to use ATM machines at ‘Barclays Bank’. Since there is an agreement between the two. You can use your Bank of America ATM card at Barclays Bank ATMs with no fees. Barclays is one of the big UK banks and their ATMs are located in most towns and cities across the country, so it shouldn’t be hard to find one.

Last time I used my Bank of America ATM card in a Barclays Machine, not only were there no fees, but when i checked my statement, the exchange was better than I would have got hadIi bought Sterling Cash or Travelers checks before I left. Of course I can’t guarantee that for every transaction.

Something not mentioned in the article, but it is good to be aware of is ‘Chip and Pin’. Most UK issued cards now have small chips in them. Rather than use the magnetic strip on the back of the card, retailers have machines that read the chip. When this system was firs introduced it caused some problems for overseas travelers, including me. Retailers refused to accept the card because it didn’t have a chip.  In most places you should not have a problem, but the retailer can and must accept your card by swiping the magnetic stripe in the traditional way.

Finally a word about ATM/Debit cards and cash back. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to use your ATM card as an ATM card in a store. In most cases it will be a ‘credit’ transaction rather than a ‘debit’ transaction. this means that you’ll be unlikely to be able to get cash back. And remember, unlike most of continental Europe, Britain does not use the Euro. They still have the good old British Pound.

If you have experience of using Credit Cards and ATM machines in the UK please share it with us and add your comments below.

OK, I admit that Amsterdam isn’t in Britain. So you may be wondering why I’m writing a post about the city. Well, if you want to get to Britain and you are not travelling to London it’s a great place to connect with flights to regional British airports. Even if you are travelling to London it can be worth considering if you want to avoid Heathrow.

The reason i bring it up now is because The new British Airways subsidiary airline “Open Skies” is offering a great fare to Amsterdam from New York in their ”Prem +” cabin. Just $1000 round trip, and that includes taxes and fees. The actual fare is advertised at $417 each way (based on round trip) plus taxes and fees. It must be booked by Jan 26th, but you can travel up until May 31st 2009. The fare is non refundable and fees apply if you make any changes. More information can be found here

Once you arrive in Amsterdam you can get flights to Belfast with Easyjet , Birmingham with BMIBaby, Bristol with Easyjet, Cardiff with BMIbaby, East Midlands with BMIBaby, Edinburgh with Easyjet, Exeter with flyBE, Leeds Bradford with Jet 2, Liverpool with Easyjet, Gatwick with EasyJet, Lutonwith Easyjet, Stansted with Easyjet, Manchester with BMIBaby and Southampton with FlyBE.

Remember to allow plenty of time to connect since you’ll not be able to check-in for both flights or check your baggage through to the U.K. from the U.S. using these airlines and you’ll need to collect your bags at Amsterdam and check-in again for the second leg of your flight (in both directions) but Amsterdam is a great airport to connect through. You’ll be purchasing your flights from Amsterdam to Britain in Euros, so you’ll need to remember the currency conversion and check what your credit card company charges for that. 

Since your going to be there anyway, you might want to spend a couple of nights in Amsterdam. It’s a beautiful city and Springtime is arguably one of the best times to visit since the world famous bulb fields are in full bloom. There is a quick and easy and frequent train service from the Airport to the City Center.

Even if you don’t fly through Amsterdam to get to Britain, with so many low cost airline routes it makes a great destination for a side trip during your stay. You don’t even need to fly. If you want to see a little bit of the countryside the “man in seat 61” (an excellent resource for all your European train travel) has the details of the Train and Ferry option.

Conveniently, Over on Karen Bryan’s Europe Al La Carte Blog, Andy Hayes has just written about “Where to take your bike in Amsterdam” . As he correctly points out “Bike is the only way to travel in Amsterdam” .  Britain’s Telegraph Newspaper has an Amsterdam travel guide and this article from the New York Times (even though it is a year old) will tell you a little bit more about the Bulb fields and Amsterdam.

But that’s enough about Holland. Next time we are back where we belong in good old Blighty!