Boating Holidays in England

When it comes to boating holidays in England, there are several different options to choose from. Canal boating is a popular pastime on the rivers of England and there is the Lake District which has lots of boating opportunities. Here are a few suggestions about where you might want to spend your boating holiday in England.

What could be more fun than a canal boat company called "The Black Prince"? It offers a variety of launch points and the launch points offer a variety of different boating experiences. One of the launch points is in the Peak District. The base is at the Festival Park Marina in Etruria, Stoke on Trent. There are four route options to choose from and all of them offer a different boating experience.

For those who prefer to take a longer trip, there are two routes that are over 100 miles. Both of them are active routes with lots of locks and require traveling for up to nine hours a day. For those who prefer a more leisurely trip, there is one route that is only 42 miles. It requires only three hours per day of floating and then there is one that is middle of the road and requires about six hours of travel per day and goes 82 miles through 26 locks. Their boats can accommodate from two to ten people.

The boats have all the modern conveniences. Kitchens with cookers and fridges, color TV with DVD, showers and toilets. It will be a home away from home for your boating holiday. Cost depends on the number of travelers, time of year and length of the holiday. This is just one of many canal boat options that are available in England.

The Lake District is in the county of Cumbria, in the northwest of England. Only one of the bodies of water in the Lake District is actually called a lake, Bassenthwaite Lake, the rest are called meres or waters. Windermere is one of the larger bodies of water and it has the option to rent a houseboat. The houseboats are offered by
Windermere Lake Holidays in Bowness on Windermere. The houseboats are moored, so you don’t actually move on them, however, if you want to boat there are sailboats and dinghies for rent at the same marina where the boats are moored, the best of both worlds. 

If you want to learn to be a skipper there are boating holidays that can provide that opportunity or you can just lay back and let someone else to the piloting for you. You can choose to cruise the canals, lakes and the coastline, whatever suits your fancy.

These are just a few of the boating holiday opportunities that England has to offer. If you enjoy boating, England has a holiday to fit your tastes and your budget. Boating holidays are also offered in Scot and Wales.

Tuckernuck Inn Meredith New Hampshire

I chose the Tuckernuck Inn in Meredith NH for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the three-course breakfast promised. We were going to Meredith to take a ride on the foliage train and once I had looked at their website and seen the beautiful rooms and the friendly owners, I knew that this was the place I wanted to stay. A call to Tom to make the reservation only cemented the good impression that I had felt on viewing the inn website.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and received a warm greeting from Anne Marie. She showed us around and told us where everything was including the small fridge with water and drinks, the Keurig coffee makers and the afternoon snack. 

Our room was very clean and the bed was very comfortable. The TV was excessively petit, think laptop screen size but let's face it, we don't come to a B&B to watch TV. 

What was more troubling was I had no light on my side of the bed and no plug so I had to charge my phone on the clock on Al's side. The closet also had no light so I decided to keep my suitcase in the room itself. 

These are small things that could be very easily remedied. 

We enjoyed sitting out front in the four chairs. It was very peaceful. We sipped our drinks and just chatted. The cookies both days were exceptional. 

The bathroom had a small shower with not the best pressure but it served the purpose and was very clean with plush towels. 

Breakfast is served from 8 am to 9:30. It beings with fruit, the first morning it was lovely honeydew melon with lime zest and the second morning it was yogurt with blueberries. The second course was a cinnamon muffin the first day and banana bread the second day. The entree was savory on day one, a sausage and egg casserole and sweet on Sunday, creme brulee French toast. Orange juice is offered and you help yourself to coffee, tea or hot chocolate. We never left hungry.

The breakfast tables are for two but they put two of them together both days for us so we could sit together. 

The parlor has lots of books if you want to relax and read and a table with a big checkerboard. We opted to play our game out on the back deck. 

The house was very much into the season with Halloween decoration everywhere. 

We had a very comfortable stay here and the location is perfect, within easy walking distance of downtown and Lake Winnipesaukee.  The parking is in the rear of the house. 

Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad Foliage Train

Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad is a family-owned railroad that offers a charming way to view the fall scenery between Meredith, New Hampshire and Plymouth,  New Hampshire. The train runs on the weekends only after labor day and this particular version "the foliage train" runs in September and October. It is a four-hour tour. 

You have three ticket options, coach, first-class and presidential. We opted for Presidential. It was $115.95 per person. It was a luxury Pullman car with very comfortable seating. While we were traveling between Meredith and Plymouth on the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad we were served drinks and snacks and entertained with live entertainment. 

The train leaves Meredith at 11 a.m. and arrives shortly after noon in Plymouth+. .A buffet lunch is served at the Common Man Inn. It included three entrees, turkey, lasagna and vegetarian stir fry. The soup was on the table when we arrived along with rolls and butter and some brownies and cookies. All of it was good, not great but good. You will have time to wander around a little before getting back on the train. 

On the return trip, we got an apple to eat and a choice of drinks. We also stopped and got off the train in Ashland. While this sounds like a good idea with costumed interpreters in the tiny station, when an entire trainload of people disembarks at the same time, it is not possible to see anything or really enjoy the stop. 

The views from the train are lovely, the staff is friendly and caring and the entertainment was wonderful. This is a very enjoyable way to spend four hours. Several shorter less expensive options are available. To check tickets and availability click here. 

Things you will see include Lake Winona, a deer farm and some very high tressels. If you are looking for a great way to spend a fall weekend, I highly recommend this trip. 

A Day Out at Hampton Court Palace

#hamptoncourt

Hampton Court Palace is one of the most popular day trips from London. It is easy to reach from central London. The train from Waterloo Station takes about 45 minutes. It is a pleasant if not very scenic journey. As an alternative, you can take a boat up the Thames in the warmer months which is much more scenic. It is also possible to drive there. It is actually quite well signed and easy to find. Parking is available.

When you arrive at the Hampton Court Station, you will need to cross the bridge to get to the palace. After entering the gate, you are directed to the building on your left, which holds a gift shop and the ticket office. Entrance is a bit steep but if you are going to visit the Tower of London, you can buy a combination ticket and save a little that way.

Cardinal Wolsey built Hampton Court, and one might say it led to his downfall. It was larger and more elaborate than any palace that Henry VIII owned. It is not a good idea to show up a volatile king, but the fact that he made Anne Boleyn his enemy that really was his worst move. When he was unable to obtain a divorce for the king, he signed his own death warrant. He then had the good sense to die before the king could execute him. Problem solved. Henry broke with the Catholic Church, granted himself a divorce, married Anne, and the rest is history as they say.

Anne enjoyed her time at Hampton Court; it was a sweet but all too short victory. Anne wasn’t the only one of Henry’s wives whose history is entwined with Hampton Court; her cousin Catherine Howard went from here to the Tower of London and her death (some say she has never really left Hampton Court). The last of the six wives, Catherine Parr, was married to Henry in the small Queen’s Chapel. Henry’s only son, Edward, was baptized in the Chapel Royal, and his mother, Jane Seymour, died here.

Many different options for touring are offered at Hampton Court:

Audioguide
Tudor Kitchens
Henry VIII State Apartments
The King’s Apartments
The Georgian Rooms

You pick up your guide at the information center in the Clock Court. The kitchens, in particular, are not to be missed.

Costumed Guided Tours:

Henry VIII State Apartments
The King’s Apartments (William III)
Self-Guided

It really isn’t that hard to find your way around but you do miss some of the drama without the audio guide or even better the live guides to fill you in on all the little tidbits that make these historic visits so fascinating.

You can visit things outdoors as well, the Privy Garden, the Maze and the Orangery

If you visit on the weekend, there are other tours and presentations offered. A visit to Hampton Court Palace is a whole day affair, plan accordingly. There are a couple of dining options and several great stores.

If you want to go a step farther you can rent an apartment at Hampton Court and actually stay here. The apartments can be rented through the Landmark Trust. This has always been on my bucket list but we have not done it yet. However, when I visit London, I often spend a day tour Hampton Court and I am never disappointed. Planning a visit to Hampton Court Palace should be a part of your London experience.

Staying at the Charming Aspley House Hotel Bath England

In 1830 the Duke of Wellington built a Georgian country house in Bath. It is rumored that it was so that he had a place to meet with his mistress. We decided that this would be the perfect place for us to stay while we were visiting Bath. With only twelve rooms, Apsley House Hotel could provide the personal service that we were hoping to get used to.

Joe saw the pictures of the rooms and fell in love with one with a four-poster bed and red bed hangings. Our other friend decided that she wanted the Duke of Wellingtons former room. Al and I decided that we didn’t want to spend as much as they were spending and opted for a more simple room (it turned out to be the Champagne room where the Duke and his Mistress met).

We were lucky enough to get the Web winter break which meant we had a superior room for two nights (midweek) for £160. Joe and our other friend spent £220 on their rooms. We decided that we would use the £60 we saved to pay for our dinner in Bath.



Thought it is a historic house it has all the modern amenities, ensuite bathroom, wireless internet, flat-screen TV and Molton Brown bath amenities. What more could some hedonistic vacationers ask for? Well, certainly the trouser press was a nice addition as were the two bottles of spring water on our night-stand, which were replaced when we drank any.

Our room The Champagne Room #3 is on the second floor and has a king-size bed, iron and brass headboard and matalasse coverlet with a dark, richly floral sham and curtains. The ceiling was high, at least 12 feet and we had a very pretty chandelier hanging in the center of our ceiling. A dresser, ladies chair, desk, armoire and shaving mirror made it all very comfortable.


The tea tray was just a nice addition.



When we need to order food delivery Anel ordered for us and then had a tray with plates, napkins, and silverware ready for us when the food arrived. We took the tray into the lounge where a fire was burning and used the table as our dining table.

There an honor bar where we were able to have a coke with our dinner. Newspapers, magazines, and books are available if you want to relax and enjoy the cozy atmosphere.

The larger rooms were both magnificent. Five of the rooms are really outstanding four-poster rooms, each a little different. Joe had access from his room to the rear garden and the other room had a California King sized bed and a chaise lounge. The Romance room was next door to us and it had gorgeous blue toile decoration and a four-poster canopy bed.

A car park is located in front of the house. The hotel allowed our English friends Barbara and GB to park there while we walked out to get lunch.



Breakfast is served in a beautiful room with large windows and a splendid view. There is a buffet where you begin your breakfast with juice, fresh fruit (both whole and cut up), cereal, yogurt, stewed prunes and grapefruit slices.

One of the women will ask you for your coffee, tea or hot chocolate order and then you can choose from several types of eggs with the addition of mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon, sausage and brown or white toast. They also offer kippers salmon and believe it or not American style pancakes and real maple syrup. It was all beautifully prepared and cheerfully served.

I can’t recommend this Aspley House Hotel highly enough, everything is first class. Both the owners and the managers are delightful to converse with and will go way beyond what you might expect to make sure that you have an exceptional stay. Pampering is what they do best and I felt very much like Lady Iz vacationing with Sir Al.

Newgrange Meath Ireland

I have wanted to go to Newgrange for a while and I have to say, it did not disappoint. It is one of the most spectacular places I have ever visited. We hired a driver to take us out of Dublin, if you have a car, it would be an easy drive out. 

They have a large parking lot and it is a bit of a walk to the visitor center where you learn a little about the site and buy your tickets for the tour. They have a great gift shop I have to say. 

It is another longish walk out to where the bus picks you up to take you out to the grave. You then get on the bus and are dropped at the bottom of the hill where the site sits.  Again, you need to be pretty mobile to do this tour. 

When you arrive outside the tomb, the group is divided into two, everyone can't fit inside at one time. We ended up in the second group so you are encouraged to walk around and entertain yourself while the others go inside. 

Getting inside the tomb requires walking in a bent-over position. How bent over you will be depends on how tall you are. It is rough on the back at any rate. Having said that, it is so worth it. 

It is dark inside the tomb and no photography is allowed but that is also okay since it will be seared into your brain, we were all awed and that is no exaggeration. It just boggles the mind that our ancestors created this amazing place. 

Even more amazing is the fact that twice a year the interior room is lit by the light of the sun!! Our ancestors knew quite a lot more than we can ever imagine. 

You only get a short time inside the tomb since there are groups waiting to get in so savor it. Then it is back outside for a last walk around and then back to the road for bus pickup. 

The visitor center has a museum that will give you all the information you need about the site and others like it. You can tour before you go out to the actual tomb or after, but do take the time to visit it, it is packed with information. 

I loved this visit, it was one of the highlights of a trip to Ireland which had many highlights. I highly recommend getting out to Newgrange if the opportunity presents itself.  

Deep in the heart of England

This is a diary post about one of our many trips to England. While it took place many years ago, the things that we did and enjoyed are timeless. This post is as relevant today as it was the week we took it. 

Our wanderings through the countryside took us from the Fens of Lincolnshire through Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire on the way to Oxfordshire. If you think the only thing to see in Oxfordshire is Oxford, think again!

From our rental cottage in Great Milton, 10 miles south of Oxford, we were able to drive not only to that most venerable of college towns, but the Cotswolds, Stratford on Avon, and by the train to Bath. ALL of central England was within our reach.

This is a diverse area that includes the quiet of the rolling countryside and the speed of the motorway which can take you from Great Milton to Stratford in under an hour. For a more leisurely pace, you can drive along the A-roads through villages and towns. A farm market can be found every day of the week, it's just a matter of finding out which day for which town. We enjoyed a morning in Thame, which I will discuss later and still had time for sightseeing in the afternoon.

A multitude of ways are available to entertain yourself in the Heart of England. The area has a rich heritage and many lovely "great houses" dot the countryside. Waddesdon Manor, Blenheim, and Woburn are an easy drive from Great Milton. Many lovely homes of a smaller scale give another glimpse into the English Life of Privilege. This is an area steeped in history and I hope to be able to share a bit of what we found. Again, you really need a car to get to most of the places we visited. 

Minster Lovell and Rollright Stones, in particular, are deep in the countryside, quite a way off the beaten track. That is not to say that you can't visit this area if you don't drive. Nothing could be farther from the truth. You can take the train from London to one of the cities and from there take the bus even into the villages. A local driver is also a possibility, check with the local tourism office or research online ahead of time.