86 replies to this topic

[thatguy0101]

Hey Brits!

I will have about five days in the UK that I intend to spend driving from London to the Jim Clark Room in Duns and back.

What else should I see? Donington, Coventry Transport Museum, Harry Ramsdens?

[buckaluck]

For Us and Them how about every Pub you see! Be our ambassador. Stiff upper lip an all and always ask for green tea.

Buck

[FrankB]

http://www.google.co...ved=0CBsQnQIwAQ

[FrankB]

If you're going to be here on the 14th of May have a look at the TNF Hertfordshire UK film show thread.

[DouglasM]

The Science Museum, South Kensington, London.
Cars, planes, ships, space craft, steam engines, etc.
Be prepared to spend all day there.

[Giraffe]

Hire a decent car & allow plenty of time for what is a lengthy journey north from London to Duns on some of the poorest roads you are ever likely to experience outside of the third world! Stop at Donington on your way back to London if you are not rushing back to Heathrow to catch your flight!

[Bloggsworth]

Don't drink the coffee or the tea - The beer is supposed to be warm and does contain significant amounts of alcohol. Don't eat for a couple of days then go to Mallory on a Wednesday morning for a Full English Breakfast as seen in post 1530 here - You will also get a chance to meet other TNFers. who will regale you with tales old and new, tell you why the UK is going to the dogs and how much better motor racing was in the old days when you could walk up to Jim Clark in the paddock at Goodwood and say hello, and when Bob Dance would say "Hey Jo, can you come and give us a hand shifting this engine..........."

[Allan Lupton]

If there is one when you are out and about here, try to get to a Vintage Sports-Car Club race meeting:
21/22 May at Donington Park
11 June at Cadwell Park
21 August at Mallory Park
all of which are not far off the London-Duns route.

[Giraffe]

Don't eat for a couple of days then go to Mallory on a Wednesday morning for a Full English Breakfast

By giraffe138 at 2011-04-07

Edited by Giraffe, 25 April 2011 - 07:53.

[elansprint72]

I would not bother with Harry Ramsden's, this is now a franchised operation, not unlike Ronald McDonald's.

[Alan Cox]

and always ask for green tea.
Buck

Only if you want to be greeted with bewildered looks.

[Nick Savage]

I recently visited the Coventry Transport Museum : my advice, miss it out. Slovenly presentation and badly over-rated.

Now, if you have a penchant for steam-era railway trains, I strongly recommend a visit to the National Railway Museum at York, and 150 miles further south, try the Imperial War Museum's aviation museum at Duxford, S. of Cambridge. The special USAAF display is fantastic, and it is based on a working WW2 airfield.
Yrs
Nick

[Allan Lupton]

always ask for green tea.

I think that's a worthy addition to Gerard Hoffnung's misleading suggestions for tourists which included:
"Try the echo in the British Museum Reading Room"

[arttidesco]

I have only made it to Mallory the once on a Wednesday but it was definitely worth it even on a relatively quiet day, if your thinking of making a 5 day trip around the country I'd recommend a visit to the Morgan Factory, or closer to the main route of your trip is the Prodrive Factory which is also worth a visit.

If you provide us with the dates your planning your trip and at which airport you will be arriving we will be able to give you an accurate guide to the events that will be on during your stay.

[Tony Matthews]

If you provide us with the dates your planning your trip and at which airport you will be arriving we will be able to give you an accurate guide to the events that will be on during your stay.

At this rate his entire route will be lined by cheering, flag-waving well-wishers...

[kayemod]

I would not bother with Harry Ramsden's, this is now a franchised operation, not unlike Ronald McDonald's.

True, it's a long way from what it once was. Fish and chips in England is one of the most variable dishes, depending on the venue, it can be historic, and it can be barely edible, but if you want to sample the best fish and chips in the whole world ever, go to The Magpie Cafe on the quayside in Whitby North Yorkshire. If it hasn't got a Michelin star, then it damn well should have, I'd award it three of their star thingies.

[arttidesco]

At this rate his entire route will be lined by cheering, flag-waving well-wishers...

I have my little Union Jack ready !

[Catalina Park]

I did a trip to the UK last year, I kept it secret because I didn't want to see Tony Mathews stuck on a corner waving a flag in the hope that I would pass by.
My trip included a few days in London before travelling west and then north and then the real north. (To most locals anything outside the M25 is north) We landed at Heathrow got the express to Paddington, bought an Oyster card each and used the underground to get to our hotel. We then used the underground to get around London till we were ready to head north. We got the express back to Heathrow picked up the car at Heathrow to avoid the London congestion charges and then onwards.

Avoid the Little Chef.
Avoid Travelodge.
Drive on the left.
Get in the door on the right if you are driving.
Watch out for speed cameras.
There is only about 20 speed limit signs in the whole of the UK so you never actually know what the speed limit is.
The roads in the UK are very good despite what the locals think.

[kayemod]

Avoid the Little Chef.

Or to summarise, make every effort to avoid UK fast food in general. It's a constant source of amazement and despair to me, the stuff that some of my fellow-countrymen will gobble down accompanied by copious amounts of ketchup and brown sauce, and describe as "Very tasty!".

The Magpie Cafe is a proper sit down place with knives and forks, a fine Yorkshire dining experience that shouldn't be rushed.

[Giraffe]

The Magpie Cafe on the quayside in Whitby North Yorkshire.

Tosh Rob. I don't know when you were last there but it survives on it's reputation, is grossly overpriced and unless you want to eat fish & chips at 11am the queue is worse than for the Sistine Chapel. A 90 minute wait is about average.

[jimjimjeroo]

Don't forget to poke you're head in at Silverstone!

I quite like popping into where the F1 teams are based! Force India and Mercedes are pretty easy to find, Mclaren is slightly in the wrong direction well totally the wrong direction as well as Brooklands motor museum and mercedes world!

[eldougo]

Take a Tom Tom or Sat Nav because if you find your way into a town by street signs then there is NO signs showing the way OUT. Its a English tourism way of keep in you so you spend money. Crafty Poms.

[john winfield]

True, it's a long way from what it once was. Fish and chips in England is one of the most variable dishes, depending on the venue, it can be historic, and it can be barely edible, but if you want to sample the best fish and chips in the whole world ever, go to The Magpie Cafe on the quayside in Whitby North Yorkshire. If it hasn't got a Michelin star, then it damn well should have, I'd award it three of their star thingies.

Rob's right; Whitby, Magpie Cafe, North Yorkshire coast...all excellent. That could form part of a trip from London to Duns up the eastern side of England which included Bourne in Lincolnshire (the home of Raymond Mays, ERA, BRM and Pilbeam), Lincoln, Cadwell Park, the Humber Bridge, Scarborough, Whitby, Staithes etc. Beautiful weather guaranteed.

[Alan Cox]

I did a trip to the UK last year, I kept it secret because I didn't want to see Tony Mathews stuck on a corner waving a flag in the hope that I would pass by.

Brilliant!

[kayemod]

Tosh Rob. I don't know when you were last there but it survives on it's reputation, is grossly overpriced and unless you want to eat fish & chips at 11am the queue is worse than for the Sistine Chapel. A 90 minute wait is about average.

They aren't queuing up for the food though, it's to gaze in awe at The Magpie's ceilings.

[eldougo]

...Travel SignpostsPicture

ImageShack.us

Edited by eldougo, 25 April 2011 - 10:04.

[Chris Townsend]

Take a Tom Tom or Sat Nav because if you find your way into a town by street signs then there is NO signs showing the way OUT. Its a English tourism way of keep in you so you spend money. Crafty Poms.

A good satnav in a hire car will have a relatively up to date record of the speed camera locations on it.
It won't tell you if they are working or not - some local authorities, thankfully, can't afford to put film in all of them - nor will it alert you to our wonderful police force lurking to catch criminal motorists rather than doing something socially useful like keeping the chavs in their place [rather than breaking and entering someone else's...]
So, you still need to watch your step, and yes, a satnav is essential to escape urban traffic systems or you may still be going round a ring road as your plane home is going down the runway

If you are in search of English food beyond fish and chips on the way north, and are prepared to go a little off piste, I recommend the Plough Inn at Fadmoor, near Kirkbymoorside [on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Moors] Real beef suet puddings like my mum used to make

I'd totally agree with the Bourne-Cadwell-Lincoln route [not cars I know, but Lincoln and Durham cathedrals are two of the finest examples of English mediaeval architecture you are likely to see, and the scenery in the Lincolnshire Wolds is gentle and quietly beautiful]
So go north on the east side and back down the west side so you see the Lake District.

And if you want somewhere to stay near Duns, try the Coach House at Crookham, near Cornhill on Tweed, haven't been there for a few years, but used to be very quaint and very well run

[Catalina Park]

I'd totally agree with the Bourne-Cadwell-Lincoln route [not cars I know, but Lincoln and Durham cathedrals are two of the finest examples of English mediaeval architecture you are likely to see, and the scenery in the Lincolnshire Wolds is gentle and quietly beautiful]
So go north on the east side and back down the west side so you see the Lake District.

I agree with the Lincoln cathedral, it is something not to miss. (I did miss Durham though!)

[Vitesse2]

Take a Tom Tom or Sat Nav because if you find your way into a town by street signs then there is NO signs showing the way OUT. Its a English tourism way of keep in you so you spend money. Crafty Poms.

The way out is usually signposted Other Routes. Which is a few miles from Loose Chippings.

[Chris Townsend]

I agree with the Lincoln cathedral, it is something not to miss. (I did miss Durham though!)

Indeed, if you are going to do Lincoln, then take A15 north to Humber Bridge, rather than going back on the A1M
That way you can check out the hidden gem of Late Romanesque and early Gothic that is Beverley Minster then B1248 across to Malton, A169 to Pickering and head west on A170 for lunch or dinner at the Plough Inn
Not that I wish to be prescriptive in any way!!!

[Giraffe]

The way out is usually signposted Other Routes. Which is a few miles from Loose Chippings.

Always take the sign for 'All Routes' as it will take you anywhere you want to go but beware of delays. If you really are ugly like you say, you'll feel right at home here, just you wait and see. It may take you a while before you actually meet an Englishman though.

[Bloggsworth]

If you wish to get in practice for A Full English, the Daily Mail has thoughtfully provided a cooking guide here

You now seem to have a month's schedule mapped out for you, either that or you'll need to borrow the Tardis for the duration...

Edited by Bloggsworth, 25 April 2011 - 11:12.

[Tony Matthews]

I did a trip to the UK last year, I kept it secret because I didn't want to see Tony Mathews stuck on a corner waving a flag in the hope that I would pass by.

I was there. I waved. You ignored me.

[Tony Matthews]

I've just remembered that Max Mosely did that to me, too, but that's another story...

[kayemod]

For finding good food whilst travelling around the UK, you need a good guide, I can recommend the AA Pub Guide 2011, quite expensive at £15.00, but you can get it for half that on Amazon, and you'll find Whitby's blessed Magpie within its pages. You really do need the assistance of something like this though, without experience or local knowledge, it's easy to make decisions you'll come to regret, some of the very best non-restaurant food can be found in our pubs, but you need to know where to go, as some of the worst food is also served in establishments that can appear outwardly similar, especially to visitors from former colonies. We buy this particular guide almost every year, and have rarely been even mildly disappointed by any of its recommendations, some of them have been memorably excellent.

[Doug Nye]

No American with a sense of mechanical history should be disappointed - if he has the time - by a stop off to see the York Railway Museum, or the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster, Spitfire, Hurricane etc at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, or sniff around any of the myriad old wartime US air bases dotted around that part of the world, or on the borders take a look at the Roman remains of Hadrian's Wall (the National Trail walk is only 84 miles long), or, or, or, or.... If you are so inclined, there's an absolute ton of things to see, do or to experience. And so little time... Best wishes for a good and memorable trip.

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 25 April 2011 - 11:37.

[Bloggsworth]

Find your ancestral roots and move over here for a year, be easier.

[Bauble]

No American, ugly or otherwise, should fail to visit the US Forces cemetery at Maddingley near Cambridge. The level of sacrifice made so many US citizens is humbling, row upon row of white headstones listing names form every state in the US, underline's what we owe our gallant allies, and these are just the ones buried in the UK.

You will not be sorry you made the effort.

God Bless them All.

bauble.

[thatguy0101]

Thanks for your gracious reminders, Bob and Frank.

They aren't queuing up for the food though, it's to gaze in awe at The Magpie's ceilings.

The American philospher Yogi Berra summarized this: "It's so crowded, no one goes there."

Edited by thatguy0101, 25 April 2011 - 13:58.

[Eric Dunsdon]

By giraffe138 at 2011-04-07

Full English?!. That looks like a light snack to me!. And that tea isnt just weak, its more like a fortnight!.

[Dunc]

I'm curious, why are you heading to the Jim Clark room? I'm from near Duns and, whilst it's good, I'm not sure I'd cross an ocean to see it.

Nonehteless, I'd pop into the Dryburgh Abbey Hotel outside of St. Boswells (not too far from Duns) for an amazing meal, head to Galashiels and get fish and chips on Bank Street (best in the Scottish Borders) and head to Selkirk and see Abbotsford (Walter Scott's house).

[kayemod]

No American, ugly or otherwise, should fail to visit the US Forces cemetery at Maddingley near Cambridge. The level of sacrifice made so many US citizens is humbling, row upon row of white headstones listing names form every state in the US, underline's what we owe our gallant allies, and these are just the ones buried in the UK.

You will not be sorry you made the effort.

God Bless them All.

bauble.

Very true, I used to live and work in Huntingdon, which is not many miles away from Madingley (with one 'D' Bauble...), and we were amused back then by a friend of my Mother's who always took visiting friends and relatives to that American cemetery. After I'd been myself, I understood perfectly, it's an awe-inspiring venue, you'd need a heart of stone not to be affected by the atmosphere of the place. Many of those buried there were in their teens, probably only weeks after they'd left their US homes for the first time in their short lives. If you go, I can strongly recommend The Three Horseshoes pub in Madingley village (with one 'D' Bauble...), it's in that guide I mentioned earlier. The pub is best reached from the A14 Huntingdon Cambridge road, though you can also get there from the A428 Cambridge St Neots road, which is where you'd find the cemetery.

[Bauble]

Very true, I used to live and work in Huntingdon, which is not many miles away from Madingley (with one 'D' Bauble...), and we were amused back then by a friend of my Mother's who always took visiting friends and relatives to that American cemetery. After I'd been myself, I understood perfectly, it's an awe-inspiring venue, you'd need a heart of stone not to be affected by the atmosphere of the place. Many of those buried there were in their teens, probably only weeks after they'd left their US homes for the first time in their short lives. If you go, I can strongly recommend The Three Horseshoes pub in Madingley village (with one 'D' Bauble...), it's in that guide I mentioned earlier. The pub is best reached from the A14 Huntingdon Cambridge road, though you can also get there from the A428 Cambridge St Neots road, which is where you'd find the cemetery.

Kaye the Mod,
Many thanks for the correction I was unsure of the spelling, but assumed it would be easy enought to find either way.

Apropos (?) of nothing; Why only three horseshoes? What sort of horses do they ride in Cambridge?

[thatguy0101]

I'm curious, why are you heading to the Jim Clark room? I'm from near Duns and, whilst it's good, I'm not sure I'd cross an ocean to see it.

I was a kid in Indianapolis in the Sixties. Plus, it seems like a nice turnaround point for a sightseeing trip from London to the north.

[thatguy0101]

Apropos (?) of nothing; Why only three horseshoes? What sort of horses do they ride in Cambridge?

Heck, I was hoping you'd explain that IoM thingy.

[cpbell]

If you have time when you visit Madingley, come a touch further East to my neck of the woods. Norwich Cathedral, the Cathedral Close and the Castle are well worth a look. Norwich always seems to get missed-out (mainly because it's off the beaten track), and many Brits don't realise how old or impressive it is. Mind you, there are rough areas..

[Bloggsworth]

If there is one road to avoid in England, it is the A14, never a day goes by without Sally Traffic reporting a hold up at Bar Head or somewhere on the road to dusty death. If you are going up the A1, make sure you keep within the speed limit for the first part where it becomes a 4 lane carriageway, there is nearly always a policeman with a speed-gun hanging about in the first lay-by.

Edited by Bloggsworth, 25 April 2011 - 14:55.

[Davidson10]

Apropos (?) of nothing; Why only three horseshoes? What sort of horses do they ride in Cambridge?

Apparently it is a reference to the heraldic arms of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (Charter granted in 1674) - according to my 'Dictionary of Pub Names' which I keep at my bedside.

[doc knutsen]

Hey Brits!

I will have about five days in the UK that I intend to spend driving from London to the Jim Clark Room in Duns and back.

What else should I see? Donington, Coventry Transport Museum, Harry Ramsdens?

As a regular visitor to the UK, I would suggest you do not miss on the Donington Collection of racing cars, next door to East Midlands Airport, close to the M1. Also, if you have any interest in aviation history, the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, off the M11 about twenty minutes drive north from Stansted airport, really is a must. It includes a whole hangar dedicated to the history of the US aircraft and airmen, from pre-WW2 right up to the end of the Cold War era. Duxford features a whole lot of other theme hangars as well, also the new aviation and space museum which is superb. Count on spending at least a day at each of these venues. I have been to either more than ten times but always try to go there whenever I visit the UK.
The Jim Clark Room is quiet, dignified, and will bring a huge lump to your throat. I would - indeed I did! - cross the sea in order to visit, even if it is only the North Sea, not the Atlantic.

[kayemod]

If there is one road to avoid in England, it is the A14, never a day goes by without Sally Traffic reporting a hold up at Bar Head or somewhere on the road to dusty death.

True, but if you think it's bad now, you should have sampled it back in the late 60s and early 70s when it was three lanes, a central shared 'overtaking lane', not the dual carriageway it is today, and I'd bet that many younger TNF have never even seen a 3 lane road like this. Casualty figures were comparable to Los Angeles murder statistics, and I speak from sad experience. Just over 30 years ago, I got a quarter page of the Hunts Post all to myself, driving my 9 week old Cortina, had its first service just the day before, on a two lane stretch just the other side of Brampton, I met a US serviceman from nearby RAF Alconbury, he'd only been in the UK for three weeks and had forgotten which side of the road we drive on. Sitting on the wrong side of something large, he was almost uninjured, but it was very nearly fatal for me, and I spent the next six months in Addenbrookes in Cambridge. I could bore you all senseless with medical details, but I'll spare you the gore, just to say that the A14 isn't my favourite road either.