It’s Decided…
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We’ve begun planning next year’s travels, and we’re going to be visiting Great Britain! (Well, a few bits of it, anyway.) Right now the itinerary is looking like Edinburgh and Oban in Scotland, then south for a short swing through the Lake District and on to London! The entire trip will be two weeks in late April to mid May. (I’m still working on le monsieur for a hop on the Chunnel over to Paris for a day or two, still TBD.)
London area bloggers, would love to schedule a meetup….someone has to introduce me to the proper way to drink Pimms (or at least clue me in on your favorite shopping destinations, if it’s too early in the season for Pimms).
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I’ve no idea what the proper way to drink Pimms is – probably a tad more slowly than my approach! – but would love to meet up in London. How exciting!
I think it will be too early in the year for Pimms – it’s more of a summer drink. It’s usually 1/3 pimms and 2/3 lemonade (or fizz for a Pimms Royale). add lots of mint, cucumber, strawberries and orange slices.
I live in London and I know you will the V&A museum. It’s applied arts and design, and you could easily spend all day there. It’s not intellectual, just an array of wonderful, beautiful things. there is a section on costume from 1700 to today, and an amazing jewellery section. Also a very good gift shop and tea room (though expensive).
Liberty’s is the perfect shop for you – it’s in a beautiful art noveau building and sells top-quality eccentric upper-class English bohemian goods. A great place to look for scarves, also the perfume dept. is wonderful.
If you can make it to my home town of Bath, you really should take a day trip there. It’s a beautiful little city and I think tourists can get a pass for the main attractions – the roman baths, pump rooms, costume museum (fantastic) etc. There is a spa where you can bathe in Britain’s only hot spring water, but I didn’t find it that nice. The pump rooms are a wonderful place for a cream tea – I introduced my French in-laws to this very English meal there – a proper cream tea is a must for your visit!
even if you don’t make it to Bath I hope you have a wonderful time!
I was hoping your destination was Australia…well Melbourne at the very least where I would have loved to be your tour guide and show you this brilliant part of the world. Perhaps next year?????
LOVE!
The last two times my family has been to England, we’ve gone in early April. We got really lucky in 2011, as the weather was DIVINE.
Oooh, great decision! Do I sense some Scotch-tasting in that itinerary?
I would love to visit London. But for now, I am slowly closing in on our trip to Ireland, Sept. 20th and very excited.
Oban is the area for some fabulous scotches if you like that tipple.
Love the sound of your holiday plans…
have fun planning!
How exciting! If I were visiting GB I’d definitely look up Curtise and Vix, from The Secondhand Years, and Vintage Vixen respectively. And La Dama from Vintage Passions Just Like Mine.
My former husband and I stayed in the Scourie Hotel in the 1980’s and were very impressed. I see it’s still there, which doesn’t suprise me at all. This is where the gentry stay for fishing and bird watching. Not your average tourist hotel! http://www.scouriehotel.co.uk/ I see it’s a long way north from Oban, so probably not possible on your trip.
What fun! (I think planning travel adventures is part of the pleasure.) I hope you come back with lots of great stories… (and fashion, of course.)
When you’re in Oban, try to organise a visit to Iona, a tiny island off Mull which has the remains of a medieval monastery in a beautiful island setting. I visited once and was fascinated.
How exciting! I gather this is your first time to Great Britain? I had been to Europe a couple of times but for some reason had not been to England, even though I’ve been a devoted Anglophile all my life (started with Agatha Christie and The Avengers). In 2010 we scheduled a Spring Break trip to London with our two teenage daughters. It was wonderful! We had great weather even though it was only mid-March. Our hotel was unexciting, the Marriott near Regent’s Park, but we got it on frequent flyer miles, or points, whatever you call it, so that was fine. Took the Tube everywhere; my then-15 year old got quite expert at navigating. We did mostly the standard tourist things: saw Buckingham Palace, went to a play in Piccadilly, toured the Tower of London. We quite enjoyed the Tower, not just for the Crown Jewels! Shopping at Harrods, not for the bargains but just for the experience.
No fine dining, as we were with the kids, but we enjoyed a variety of restaurants for dinner; pub food, Russian food, even American diner food. Also went to the Texas Embassy one night, near Trafalgar square, which has pretty decent Mexican food. I know. But again, kids. We also quite liked the Pret a Manger quick-food places for a fast lunch while on the go. It’s ready-made sandwiches and salads, but fresh and very tasty.
We did take a one day Chunnel trip to Paris, which was great. Got up alarmingly early to catch the first train of the day from St. Pancras, met a work colleague of my husband’s for a nice breakfast in Paris, then saw the sights all day (including a wonderful lunch in Montmartre) and caught the last train back to London. The train was very nice, but I slept through most of the trip!
I’m sure you will have a wonderful time! I look forward to your reports.
Well how exciting is this?! Enjoy your planning and most definitely if I can fit a trip up to London in whilst you are here I will…. As ‘Anon’ commented above, Bath is also a beautiful city (and it’s only 45 mins from where I live too!) full of beautiful Georgian architecture, good shopping and wonderful countryside too. x
Our younger son lives in London (working on his MBA–his serious girlfriend is working there as a research scientist) and is thoroughly enjoying himself.
While you are in London, be sure to see Churchill’s underground WWII headquarters–I’ve never forgotten what I saw and felt during my visit there. Also, try to take in a play in the theater district.
We didn’t have time to see the War Rooms when we were in London. Definitely on the list for my next trip, I’ve heard it’s really interesting.
Don’t forget to pack a raincoat!
I live in South West London. Do let me know your exact dates nearer the time and if I am not in France I would love to meet up. Packing is going to be interesting with our very changeable climate.
We are leaving for London Sept. 20th! A whole eight days of true vacation. No work days for my hubby. I want to visit the Denis Severs house after reading about it in the blog A Bloomsbury Life. Definitely the exhibit at the V&A. May consider a day trip to Highclere Castle, but it may be closed for the season. So much to do, we never get tired of London. We visited Edinburg, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland 2 years ago. Marvelous places. Now we need to get to Wales to complete the British Isles.
I hope to visit Wales next summer — got to get some good-looking rain gear though!
I see wonderful walks. Take some comfy shoes.
Oh, and too – as Anonymous says above, you MUST visit the V & A Museum.
You will probably experience an entirely different museum than I did – that’s because it is so incredibly diverse!
How wonderful! I love looking forward to trips.
Marvelous. Our son lives in London, too. Perhaps you could all meet up, with Susan’s son too!! Our son introduced us to Frank’s Cafe in South London – which you should try to visit if it’s open when you are there (it’s seasonal.) Do check it out. You can read my post about it.
Also, go seek out Gordon’s Wine Bar, and the Wapping Project. Very cool.
Two weeks is just a taster of course but at least you are getting out of London & will see more than the majority of visitors . Oban is not the most idyllic spot but is in a spectacular area & your journey to & fro will be wonderful . If you need a stopover between London & Edinburgh ,you might consider York , a beautiful small city with many medieval areas . Well worth a visit .
Wendy……in york
Sounds like a lovely itinerary, and I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful trip.
Sounds like a lovely itinerary, and I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful trip.
Wonderful; so much fun to have an adventure in the works.
Beware the biting insects in Oban. In Edinburgh Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament building are a must. Avoid the tourist tat in the Royal Mile, but try and go to Leith to visit the ex Royal Yatch. Check out the Castle and the various art galleries. Don’t forget Valvone and Crolla the best Italian dele ever!! They also have a wine bar not far from Harvey Nichols and Mulberry!! You will not have time to see everything. The Lake District is spectacular, give me a wave as you pass by Carlisle. Not Pimms time but check out the whisky distilleries in Scotland. Above all pack layers and something waterproof!!
Great news! I second Mater’s vote for a Scotch tasting. If anything, Martin and I wished we’d spent more time in London. One week wasn’t enough time.
Pimms? With Champagne! A great cocktail + a nice link between England and France. Cheers 🙂
Anne
I know you are going to have a fabulous time and much to share! Cannot wait to live it through you!!!
ohh – I’m from Edinburgh – the best place ever – as has been said above, the castle and the palace are good – also Mary Kings Close on the high street – an underground street which has been left as it was in the 17th century.Armani, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry and Kurt Geiger are all on Multrees Walk, and Harvey Nichols is just round the corner. Jenners Store is good too. If you can get there La Potinière restaurant in Gullane is worth a visit. Oban is beautiful – if you have time take a boat trip to Mull then a boat trip out to Fingals Cave – spectacular.
You must buy Scottish cashmere as well – most of the woollen mill shops sell it.
Hi, Ms. Pseu–haven’t been in your orbit lately, but I must give you a name if you are looking for tweed in Edinburgh (Leslie is right –it is the best place ever!) Walker Slater is a very well known purveyor of Harris tweed , but mostly in the realm of “bespoke” jackets and suits, and mostly for men… HOWEVER, a couple of doors down from the men’s shop is the ladies shop which sells off the rack, ready to wear jackets and suits. My sisters and I travelled through London, Wales, Scotland and Ireland for three and a half weeks this spring, and the cuts and variety in this little shop, as well as the gorgeous tweeds available, are absolutely second to none!–and believe me, we brought all our obsessive shopping powers to bear on the search. In the UK, you’ll find lovely tweeds but in the dreariest most unflattering styles you can imagine. I can only assume that most people who buy a tweed jacket or suit have it made to order, with a couple of fittings thrown in, which costs a bomb. UK men have traditionally had beautifully tailored suits, but classic ladies wear can often look a bit dumpy unless one is rake thin. Walker Slater has a website under its name,(google it) but it doesn’t begin to show the range of goods for women. You can contact one of the designers who runs Walker Slater for ladies on Linked in: her name is Vixy Rae (!); she is really helpful, and can email more examples of their wares. I never thought I’d do this, but I ended up buying 3 jackets there, and have been wearing them, weather, permitting, constantly. My brother in law is a real clothing aficionado, and he examined the jackets we bought and was very impressed with the beautiful tailoring, comparable to the menswear in its detail. They look stylish, and they will be a staple for decades to come.Really, one of the best kept secrets in Edinburgh.
Also recommended: The Witchery, at the gates of Edinburgh Castle –gorgeous restaurant, delightful staff, excellent food.
If you are time pressed to go shopping in London (because let’s face it, there are so many interesting things to visit in London, V&A museum is a must!) then Selfridges on Bond St has almost everything under one roof, from a large range of British High Street names, to diffusion lines and designer. It will save you the time of traipsing Oxford Street.