Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
Hi ArtnBarb
Some thoughts, mostly from visits 10-25 years ago
Exeter has a very pleasant central area around the cathedral, and certainly has charm, though not likely to be overrun with tourists.
Bath vs. Bristol. Bristol is the functioning city, with stronger nightlife / mainstream shopping and enough history. Bath tends to get much more of the fancier small shops and has a much higher concentration of history. The baths seem to have got universal praise since the big outfitting about a decade ago. Do wear comfortable & well-supported shoes and take a break from walking as those cobbles start to hurt after a while. Bristolians also seem to also have a rather distinctive sense of humour that might seem a bit direct.
Bournemouth. A slightly odd place. Historically a major coastal resort with very long & good sandy beaches, and a nice touch with the gardens running between the town and the beach, housing perhaps the most well-known 'crazy golf' course in the UK, with carpet covering rather than bare concrete. If you go to Bournemouth, then I'd recommend this as a fun/silly thing to do, that you may find comes up in conversation with any Brits you mention Bournemouth to. Very tame squirrels/birds in the park, presumably from the food they get given. You can walk miles along wide tarmac/paved paths along the coast (or of course on the sand). Bournemouth town centre suffers a bit from the summer tourist trade and I'd definitely avoid the school summer holidays.
New Forest is very extensive and yes I'd recommend a drive through, or even perhaps a couple of nights on one of the camp sites. Very professionally run (for good or bad) and I have a rather juvenile memory of toilet paper in the communal toilets having 'HM government' printed on it, which rather appealed to a juvenile mind! So much of the UK was historically quite densely wooded, so it gives a feel for how the country might have looked before the massive population growth. There is very good mushroom hunting, though that would be more Sept/Oct and I understand their are semi-professional foragers.
Arundel / Arundel Castle both good, but for a special one-off, the first match played by visiting cricket teams is traditionally here, against the Duchess of Norfolk's XI (yes Norfolk is nowhere near, that's how those hereditary titles go sometimes). The setting is idyllic, and don't worry about not understanding the game. The art of watching cricket involves a healthy sized picnic of all the stuff you like, some drinks you like, a hat (for rain or sun!) and just taking in the scene. I suppose the closest analogy is the pre-match parking lot food, drink and chat at NFL games (but much smaller crowds and much more scenic). Here's the fixture list with 1st May being the game I referred to. The others are possibilities of course, but will not attract anywhere near as many people.
http://cricketatarundelcastle.co.uk/fixtures_and_results.html On this subject, if strolling around, don't be afraid to stop for half an hour to watch a cricket game. Some of the village settings are wonderful and quite photogenic. Again the setting can make such a game (most common on Saturday or Sunday) a perfect picnic spot and they'll be happily surprised at someone bothering to stop and watch, so just stroll around outside the boundary rope and just avoid walking past the big white 'sightscreens' when someone is bowling.
Sussex. I lived down here for a while and it's good plenty of charm, plus a major draw in Brighton, but also places like Horsham, with a pleasing centre, despite the best efforts of the local Insurance company (who paid for a church to be moved, brick by brick, stone by stone, to fit their plans). Worth seeing if 'Random Hall' is still going, it's a few miles outside of Horsham but had great history and oodles or quirkiness (I used to stay and eat here with work a few years ago). I posted on another thread about Lewes and surrounds. In addition, Brighton is a big draw, and a simple walk along the pier can be good if a little noisy. The Lanes are the small fancy tourist shops, but do find the North Laines which I describe as the 'locals' touristy shops - lots of quirly stuff from fine cheeses to boomerang shop, 2nd hand music to arts and crafts. I would often spend and hour or two winding my way through them on the way home from the town centre on a Saturday. The beach is stony, but extensive.
For bases, I'd be tempted to keep it simple and look for a base fairly central within a county and treat anywhere in that county as a daytrip option. They are all different shapes but it might make planning easy if you can focus solely within the county.
regards
Ian
Some thoughts, mostly from visits 10-25 years ago
Exeter has a very pleasant central area around the cathedral, and certainly has charm, though not likely to be overrun with tourists.
Bath vs. Bristol. Bristol is the functioning city, with stronger nightlife / mainstream shopping and enough history. Bath tends to get much more of the fancier small shops and has a much higher concentration of history. The baths seem to have got universal praise since the big outfitting about a decade ago. Do wear comfortable & well-supported shoes and take a break from walking as those cobbles start to hurt after a while. Bristolians also seem to also have a rather distinctive sense of humour that might seem a bit direct.
Bournemouth. A slightly odd place. Historically a major coastal resort with very long & good sandy beaches, and a nice touch with the gardens running between the town and the beach, housing perhaps the most well-known 'crazy golf' course in the UK, with carpet covering rather than bare concrete. If you go to Bournemouth, then I'd recommend this as a fun/silly thing to do, that you may find comes up in conversation with any Brits you mention Bournemouth to. Very tame squirrels/birds in the park, presumably from the food they get given. You can walk miles along wide tarmac/paved paths along the coast (or of course on the sand). Bournemouth town centre suffers a bit from the summer tourist trade and I'd definitely avoid the school summer holidays.
New Forest is very extensive and yes I'd recommend a drive through, or even perhaps a couple of nights on one of the camp sites. Very professionally run (for good or bad) and I have a rather juvenile memory of toilet paper in the communal toilets having 'HM government' printed on it, which rather appealed to a juvenile mind! So much of the UK was historically quite densely wooded, so it gives a feel for how the country might have looked before the massive population growth. There is very good mushroom hunting, though that would be more Sept/Oct and I understand their are semi-professional foragers.
Arundel / Arundel Castle both good, but for a special one-off, the first match played by visiting cricket teams is traditionally here, against the Duchess of Norfolk's XI (yes Norfolk is nowhere near, that's how those hereditary titles go sometimes). The setting is idyllic, and don't worry about not understanding the game. The art of watching cricket involves a healthy sized picnic of all the stuff you like, some drinks you like, a hat (for rain or sun!) and just taking in the scene. I suppose the closest analogy is the pre-match parking lot food, drink and chat at NFL games (but much smaller crowds and much more scenic). Here's the fixture list with 1st May being the game I referred to. The others are possibilities of course, but will not attract anywhere near as many people.
http://cricketatarundelcastle.co.uk/fixtures_and_results.html On this subject, if strolling around, don't be afraid to stop for half an hour to watch a cricket game. Some of the village settings are wonderful and quite photogenic. Again the setting can make such a game (most common on Saturday or Sunday) a perfect picnic spot and they'll be happily surprised at someone bothering to stop and watch, so just stroll around outside the boundary rope and just avoid walking past the big white 'sightscreens' when someone is bowling.
Sussex. I lived down here for a while and it's good plenty of charm, plus a major draw in Brighton, but also places like Horsham, with a pleasing centre, despite the best efforts of the local Insurance company (who paid for a church to be moved, brick by brick, stone by stone, to fit their plans). Worth seeing if 'Random Hall' is still going, it's a few miles outside of Horsham but had great history and oodles or quirkiness (I used to stay and eat here with work a few years ago). I posted on another thread about Lewes and surrounds. In addition, Brighton is a big draw, and a simple walk along the pier can be good if a little noisy. The Lanes are the small fancy tourist shops, but do find the North Laines which I describe as the 'locals' touristy shops - lots of quirly stuff from fine cheeses to boomerang shop, 2nd hand music to arts and crafts. I would often spend and hour or two winding my way through them on the way home from the town centre on a Saturday. The beach is stony, but extensive.
For bases, I'd be tempted to keep it simple and look for a base fairly central within a county and treat anywhere in that county as a daytrip option. They are all different shapes but it might make planning easy if you can focus solely within the county.
regards
Ian
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