London and York
London and York were a part of a United Kingdom tour that we booked. It was Collette’s British Landscapes Tour through Alabama Public Television. Since we were traveling in August, the high season, it meant longer days, better weather, but unfortunately larger crowds. As a Downton Abbey fan, I was excited that Highclere Castle, the location of the show, was part of the tour. Our tour group of 38 people had nine nights in the UK, but we really saw a lot in those few days.
London
During our visit, London was extremely crowded. However, there is history and beautiful ancient architecture in abundance to make it worth the challenges. Our hotel, the Leonardo Royal Hotel, was a few blocks from the London Tower. It was very nice and just a couple of blocks from the London Tube.
Unfortunately, London was hosting a bike race the weekend of our visit, which greatly hindered our tours ability to get around and caused significant delays. Still, we saw quite a bit.
London Tower
We had a few free hours, so we walked to the Tower and purchased tickets. The Tower has an interesting history dating back to the 1070s. Currently, it houses the Crown Jewels and the infamous Tower Ravens. However, in the past it imprisoned and tortured many famous people. Unfortunately, we were so jet-lagged that we were pretty much walking zombies.
The famous Tower Bridge was a sight to see. We walked to the north side of the river and sat on a bench, but were soon nodding off. Not feeling safe to sleep on a bench, we headed back to the hotel.
Dinner was with the group at The Inn of Court. I had a meat pie and minted green peas that I liked, but my husband did not like most of his meal. It was our first real opportunity to get to know some of our traveling companions.
Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle is in Hampshire, a couple of hours away from London. It is the home of the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, but is more widely known as the filming location for Downton Abbey. Our coach transported us there from London on our first full day. I was thrilled to be seeing it in person.
The castle was even more than I expected. The rooms were incredible—so opulent, but still familiar. One would almost expect to see a cast member from the show appear.
A King Tut exhibit is on the lower level of the castle. The 5th Earl of Carnarvon and a colleague discovered the tomb in 1923. Consequently, the castle houses an extensive collection of artifacts, including the mummified remains. I had no idea it was there, so it was an added bonus.
We had tea and scones with clotted cream and jam at a cafe behind the castle. Next, we had cocktails made with a special gin that had botanicals from the estate. Flavored gin is a pretty big thing in England right now.
Photos were allowed outside and in the garden, but not inside. The gardens were lovely and so peaceful.
Highclere was everything I hoped it would be. So we arrived back in London with a few hours free. The bike race still had roads blocked so we just walked the areas near the hotel and had dinner at a nearby pub, The Minories. The fish and chips was quite good.
Tour of London
First, a local guide took us on a tour of London in the Collette coach. We saw many rather famous landmarks including Westminster Abbey, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, and Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, Big Ben was behind scaffolding while undergoing renovations.
We saw the end of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I could not believe the number of people in the area. The changing of the guard was exciting to see—the prancing of the horses, the precision of the marching, and the music. So we loved it!
London’s Fab Food Tour
Finally, we went on walking tour of London’s food with Eric, a local guide. It began in Spitalfields, a local market for food, fashion, and arts. There has been a market at that location for over 350 years. I would love to go back and spend more time there.
We had wine and cheese at Bedales, a small serving of fish and chips at Poppies, a full curry meal at Aladdin on Brick Lane, ales at The Pride of Spitalfields, and bread pudding at The English Restaurant. The fish and bread pudding were favorites of our group. Eric also gave us an overview of the history in the area. So, well-fed and educated on the area, we took the Tube, London’s subway, back to our hotel. Our second day in London was over and we were to head for York with a stop in Cambridge the next morning.
Cambridge
We stopped at Cambridge for a couple of hours on our way to York. Cambridge University has 31 colleges, with some dating back to the 12th century. It is a beautiful city with ancient architecture everywhere one might look. However, with limited time, we focused on King’s College, founded by Henry VI in 1441.
While there, we has crepes at a local restaurant. However, it took awhile for them to be served, which really cut into our time.
York
York was founded in 71 AD by the Romans, but it is famous for the Magnificent York Minster and its city walls. We spent one night just outside the city walls at the Doubletree.
City Walls
The city walls were interesting because they encircle the City Centre. At 3.4 kilometers long, hence they are the longest medieval town walls in England. While walking them, you can view sections of ancient Roman walls.
The Minster
The York Minster is perhaps the main attraction in York. Its official name is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York. It is the second-largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe. Construction was from 1230 to 1472. It is still an active church and a service was occurring while we were there.
The Shambles
The Shambles is a medieval shopping street which has overhanging timber-framed buildings, some dating to the fourteenth century. It has mistakenly been attributed to Diagon Alley in Harry Potter films. It certainly has the look.
The Flavors of Yorkshire was an option we took on our tour. It included an ale tasting and a three-course dinner at the Chopping Block at Walmgate Ale House. The restaurant is in a 17th century building that is reputed to be haunted. The roast beef with Yorkshire pudding was quite good and I have become a big fan of sticky toffee pudding, which was served at most of the restaurants.
York was such fun! We would have liked more time in York, but that was true of all our stops. The next morning we departed early for Edinburgh. However, we stopped at Hadrian’s Wall on the way.
Hadrian’s Wall
The Roman Emperor, Hadrian, built a 73-mile wall between England and Scotland in A.D. 122. It was constructed using nearby materials. In some places it was almost ten feet wide and over sixteen feet tall. It’s purpose was to keep out the Scottish people. Today, it is a National Trail. The section we visited was right next to some beautiful horses.
The next leg of our tour is in a separate post, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Summer Tour.
We so loved seeing London and York! It would be great to go back someday.
