The Lost Glade News

[Hillbilly Carl]

So my wife and I are planning a trip to England at the end of May. We are really excited about it but we have no idea what we are going to do. I know some of you guys live there so I'm putting it to you. What are some "must see" or "must do" things? We are there for 2 weeks although we may go to Paris for 3 days or so. We are staying in a little town called Princes Risborough between Oxford and London so anything within day-trip distance from there would be perfect!

[Silly Dragon Elf the Third]

Getting blind drunk in local clubs and pubs and working is about all i know sorry.

I live a very simple life and don't ask for much. Which is good becuase in Kent there isn't much (i lied about the blind drunk part, not that there isn't enough pubs but i just don't drink...much). If its history you want to explore than there is a rather alot of it in England. But without ever being a tourist to my own country i can't really say.

Nevertheless Sights to see are!
1. Pigeons
2. Museuems (trust me some in London are really fun!)
3. Pigeons
4. Games-Workshop! What just me then?
5. And some more Pigeons

I hope you like your stay! Remember to pack a water proof coat and some extra pairs of socks.

And watch out for the washing machines they operate alot more openly and actively in England...

SDETT

This post has been edited by Silly Dragon Elf the Third on Feb 25 2009, 09:26 PM

[The Lone Warrior]

Ignore SDETT, there's more than just pidgeons lol.

Unfortunately I've never been to that part of England but I do no London would not not be the best Idea for a day trip. Its very crowded at this time of year ... unless you go on a weekend then its virtually empty coz of prices lol.

Museums are a good idea but there ar also lots f other stuff to see.

Soz if am not helping much just thought i'd have a say coz i used to live in england .

Cheers

[Darkblade]

I know England fairly well from a turist point of view, having a mother suffering from Anglophilia and having the same illness myself XD My familiy have been to England.... at least 20 times since I was born =P And I am not even 20 yet XD

Well, some advices/personal options on England in general:

Walk! Unless you hate foot trips I suggest you walk a lot, just ask at your hotel/bnb/TI for nice walking paths, put on some walking shoes and your off!^^ England really has one of the most astonishingly beautiful culture landscapes in the world.
The villages are usually quite tight packed as well, so it’s never too far to the closest pub and some refreshment. AND, they serve the best ale and cider in the world^^

On Oxford:
A really beautiful city, just spending some time wandering around looking at the collages is definitively a must. At least if you like historical buildings etc.

John and Edith Tolkien’s gave is also a must in my option. At least if you’re fond of his works. It is found in a nice and quiet graveyard in the northern parts of Oxford, a walk able distance from the city centre.

Blenheim palace also lies to the north by Woodstock, but that’s further away, you’d need a cab or buss or some such. Supposedly a place worth visiting, sadly never had the time myself though, yet at least =P

Pitt Rivers Museum is nice if you like archaeology and such, a wonderful museum.

On London:

Where to begin? As…. I believe George Bernard Shaw said, if you’re tired of London you’re tired of life. It’s quite true XD But some personal musts sees can be found below.

British Museum, this really is a must. I would be tempted to say you’d have to visit it in order to live a meaningful life XD At least if you are remotely interested in History. Entrance is free of charge and you can stay there all day. Ohh and if your going there, in order to see it all you’d need minimum 1-2 full days. Though you can always choose your favourite epochs/countries and do that in a few hours time.

221B Bakers Street!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The residence of Sherlock Holmes^^ (Well… the fictional residence XD But the house is real enough) It is now a museum which show many of his famous chases and also how a house looked in the 1800s.

Madam Tussauds, a really funny museum worth a visit, they have a vax figure of pretty much all famous people in history, and a few more XD

Imperial War Museum, again a must see, especially if you like history/WW2/tanks etc O.o

Whitehall district and the Parliament (Including Big Ben), definitively worth a visit, yet I am unsure when it is open to public and when it ain’t.

The Tower of London, again something for those who like History (As I do XD), really interesting place, a huge collection of medieval thingies. Also house the crown jewels etc.

Shakespear’s Globe host a wide variety of shows worth watching, obviously a lot of plays, but I have also seen medieval combat shows there.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, if there is such a thing as THE pub in London, then the cheese is it. Located in Fleetstreet is has been visited by pretty much any notable author in late British history, or so it claims XD Oliver Goldsmith, Mark Twain, Alfred Tennyson and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as Dr. Samuel Johnson are all said to have been 'regulars'. It is dead small, cramped an cosy^^

Hyde park and Speakers Corner, a nice change from the big city and there are still peoples expressing their options on the corner, funny stuff =P

You should… Well you get my point XD The things to see in London simply never ends. Regents park, Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square, The Tate Gallery.

Also when it comes to Transport around London (Walking would take a while) I find two methods preferable (Maybe cos I am a poor student? XD). The busses or the London Underground, the underground faster and the busses allow you to see more. Both sell day passes and ticket batches etc, deals which gives you a lot of cheap travels.

Mad ideas if you like those:

1. Cycle/walk along the Themes as far as you get from Oxford to London.
2. Travel in the footsteps of mr Pickwick!

Mheee, that was a quick guide. And I didn't even get to nightlife O.o But I guess you can figure that out yourselves^^ For meals then I suggest Pubs as much as possible, unless you want proper food XD

[SeanyPrawny]

Hell I want to visit London now and I live in England xD amazing guide Darkblade.

[Darkblade]

Thanks XD I certainly want to live in England as well =P Wonderfull place, then again I love Europe in general. Best part of the world!^^

[Hillbilly Carl]

Thanks for all the replys guys. I've never been anywhere in Europe so everything will be a new experience for me.

All the vacations I've ever been on in my life have either been skiing in British Columbia or Montana or hot-weather vacations like the Dominican Republic or Hawaii. I've never had a strictly sight-seeing vacation so I'm excited but also unsure as to what I want to do. We are staying at my wife's aunt and uncle's place in the country which I've heard is really nice and has a pub at the end of their driveway so we won't have to walk far to get a pint! Apparently they have quite a bit of land which is forested with lots of walking paths so that will be good for relaxing. I would like to see some castles as we have none in Canada (not real ones anyway). I wouldn't mind seeing a soccer (football) game but I have no idea who I would want to see and I don't think my wife is really interested! My wife isn't really that interested in museums but she will go to a few with me as long as I go to the shops with her!

I also just realized that we will be there on the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings so a trip to Normandy might be in order. I would be interested in seeing Juno beach where the Canadian troops landed.

[Nelyafinwë]

You should take the time to visit Wales I think. Beautiful nature, beautiful castles and a sweet language on top of that! The northern parts with wonderful castles such as Caernarfon might be a bit far perhaps but there's for sure some nifty things to see in the southwest too around the regions of Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen) and Llansteffan - both castle and nature wise.

Close to Caefyrddin you'll also find the hill Bryn Myrddin where Merlin is supposed to have lived. Paying a tiny fee to those who own the land you can walk around on the whole hill with some nice sights and nature. The niftiest part has to be the old well on the far side of the hill which is featured in some of the legends (and Mary Stewart's books for example), but no one really knows about it so you'll have to search through the woods yourself.

And on this site you can find out about castles in the region.

[Hillbilly Carl]

Hmm, it would seem that 2 months is not going to be enough time! I would love to see Wales. I'm reading a series by Stephen R. Lawhead that is a re-working of Robin Hood set in Wales and it is really good! It uses real locations as it's setting (as far as I can tell) and it would be interesting to see those places in real life. Most of the big castles are a bit too far away from where we are staying to reach in a day trip but a few of the smaller south-eastern ones might be do-able.

What are your opinions on Warwick Castle? It is fairly close to where we are staying and it looks impressive but very commercialized. I think I'd like to see it but I'd also like to see some ruins too.

[Darkblade]

Warwick castle is one of the best kept, nicest and most open castles in England, been there... like 2-3 times, a lovely town and a lovely castle. Ohh and be sure to see the minister with the grave of "The Kingmaker"^^ (A former lord in Warwick which became famous during the war of the roses)

Normandy is also very nice, even if I always get way sad when we see all the crosses >_<

[Hillbilly Carl]

Alright, got some planning done and really looking forward to this trip! I don't think we are going to be able to make it into Wales, it is too far for a day-trip and if we spend money to stay overnight there then we probably won't be able to afford to go to Paris at all. I think the castles we are going to go see are Warwick castle and Corf castle. Two very different experiences I think. Warwick will be cool because it is well restored and there are lots of things to do while Corf is more of a ruin and less comercialized so we can explore at our own pace.

I think we are going to just plan the rest of the trip as we go, I don't want to have a strict itinerary and always be doing something or going somewhere. This trip is going to be all about relaxing and taking it easy.

The only other plans we have are to go to Paris for a few days. We found a really nice hotel in Paris a block from the Champs Elysees, it is expensive but it is probably a once in a lifetime trip for us so we want to do it right.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I'll be sure to post pictures after the trip! If anyone wants to grab a pint in London when we are there just post here and we'll plan something!

[Billfred]

Warhammer World is a bit far from Oxford, but probably worth the trip.
Not only to see the galleries, but also Bugman's Bar.

Oxford and London are probably the nicest places for a tourist to visit. Cambridge isn't too far away though, a bit like Oxford in that it's full of University Colleges.

Next time, don't limit yourselves, Britain is several countries rolled into one amazing tourist guide.