Read novels set in England to get you excited about your trip or, even better, to read while you’re there. Numerous authors have been inspired to set novels in England, particularly novels inspired by England’s rich literary heritage from Shakespeare to Jane Austen to Oscar Wilde to Agatha Christie.
And yes, one of the novels set in England is mine! The Muse of Fire is my third novel, and it’s set in early 19th Century London and inspired by real events.
Oscar Wilde’s wife and two sons come out from the shadows of history in this emotional journey of a family moving from the Italian countryside to the trenches of WWI as they grapple with their famous father’s legacy.
Listed in the Architecture category on Art In Fiction, From the Ground Up takes place in Elizabethan England and is Katherine J. Scott’s first Robert Smythson Mystery.
In this contemporary romance, Hanna Ballard is a film location manager involved in pre-production for a film set in the Somerset countryside when she becomes involved with the local landowner.
From deep in the trenches of the Great War to the storied English countryside and the devastating Coventry Blitz of World War II, The British Booksellers explores the unbreakable bonds that unite us through love, loss, and the enduring solace that can be found between the pages of a book.
This wild and hallucinatory reimagining of Elizabethan London is listed in the Theater category on Art In Fiction and is a fever-dream full of prophecy and anarchy, gutter rats and bird gods that takes the reader on a wild ride from the rooftops of Elizabethan London to its dark underbelly.
This compelling and heartwarming story is set in post-war London and revolves around three women working at Bloomsbury Books, an old-fashioned new and rare bookstore that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years. As the women interact with various literary figures of the time–Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others–they plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.
Set in London in 1930, the five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy–the Queens of Crime.
Set in the 1920s, The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is described as a love letter to books. It’s a compelling rags-to-riches tale laced with betrayal and intrigue with a magnificent library and an enigmatic manuscript at its center.
Set in London in 1808-09, The Muse of Fire takes readers behind the scenes at Covent Garden theater where the intrigue, romance, and betrayal offstage rivals the drama in the plays performed onstage.
This telling of the little-known story behind Shakespeare’s most enigmatic play is a luminous portrait of a marriage and the devastating loss of a beloved child.
Want more novels set in England? You’ll find many more on Art In Fiction, the website I created to showcase novels inspired by the arts.
Guidebooks About England
My favorite travel writer, Rick Steves, of course has produced an excellent guidebook on England. Rick’s suggestions are pretty much always on the mark. I also enjoy Lonely Planet books for their comprehensive accommodation guides, particularly for budget places.
Tours Around England
I highly recommend a tour around Southwest England to give you a good sense of the beautiful English countryside described in some of my featured novels. This tour from Bristol visits many of the same locations I went to on the 4-day tour I took, including Minack Theatre, Durdle Door, Stonehenge, and St Ives.
Have you read any arts-inspired novels set in England? Do you have a favorite guidebook? Share your recommendations with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.
Check out these posts containing suggestions for what to read in other European countries:
London’s new-to-me Design Museum is indeed quite new. Founded in 1989, it moved in 2016 to its spacious digs in South Kensington adjacent to Holland Park from a former 1940s banana warehouse on the South Bank.
Now the Design Museum hosts millions of visitors each year.
And no wonder! The Design Museum’s vision is “A world in which design enables this planet and its inhabitants to thrive.” Innovative exhibitions, partnerships, research and learning programs celebrate design in all its forms.
I highly recommend a visit to the Design Museum in London. Unlike many museums that are full of objects we can admire but never use, the Design Museum features objects we all use every day—from teaspoons to computers to cars. It’s fascinating to see the integral role design has played in shaping our modern world. Read on to learn what there is to see and do at the Design Museum in London!
Things to See in the Design Museum in London
Located on Kensington High Street near Holland Park, the Design Museum’s newly renovated building is spacious, airy, and chock full of interesting things to look at.
Admission to the permanent collection at the Design Museum (1) is free, just like so many of London’s major museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum (2), the National Gallery (3), and the British Museum (4).
In addition to the marvelous permanent collection called Designer Maker User, the Design Museum houses several special exhibitions which do require tickets.
Check the Design Museum’s website to see if any of the special exhibitions interest you, buy your ticket online in advance, and then make sure you save some energy to tour the permanent collection. Tickets for popular exhibitions, such as Barbie: The Exhibition that I saw in September 2024 and the current Tim Burton Exhibition that runs to April 21, 2025, sell out quickly.
Barbie: The Exhibition at the Design Museum in London
If you’re visiting London this fall or winter, then run, don’t walk to see Barbie: The Exhibition before it closes on February 23, 2025. The story of the iconic doll’s evolution from a design and marketing perspective is fascinating.
The bright, colorful (and VERY pink) Barbie exhibition at the Design Museum in London showcases Barbie’s development from her creation in 1959 to her hundreds of iterations today and includes a nod to the 2024 Barbie movie.
Part of the very colorful Barbie Exhibition at the Design Museum in London
My First Barbie
I got my first Barbie when I was eight years old, and I remember loving her. I also remember my older brother trying to put my Barbie through the wringer washer. Fortunately, she survived surprisingly intact. That plastic was made to last!
My mom sewed clothes for my Barbie, a monumental achievement considering the teeny tiny size of Barbie clothes. At the time, I took her incredible skill for granted. As I gazed down at the Barbie clothes on display in the Barbie exhibition, I was astonished anew by my mother’s abilities and achievements.
For obvious reasons, I particularly liked the displays of the early Barbies. I remember coveting the high-priced Barbie Dreamhouse and Barbie cars, but they were out of reach for my family. I did know a few very wealthy girls at school who had them and were the envy of us all. Here is a selection of cars from Barbie’s early years.
Barbie’s Success Story
Barbie sure is a design success story. The doll has evolved over the years, and while still essentially a stick-thin glamor girl, she has had some iterations that bring her closer to real life. There are different body shapes, different ethnicities and different head shapes.
I’m particularly impressed by all the ways in which Barbie is shown to participate in the world—from Firefighter Barbie to Astronaut Barbie to President Barbie.
Barbie has become a much healthier role model for young girls than she was back in the 1960s. My first dolls were baby dolls in keeping with the emphasis in the 1950s on preparing girls for motherhood. Having a doll that looked glamorous, had long hair that I could brush, and that wore pretty clothes was a revelation. But the concept of a Firefighter Barbie or an Astronaut Barbie or even a Management Consultant Barbie was foreign territory indeed.
So yeah, we’ve come a long way since 1959 when Barbie first hit the market!
I’m Just Ken!
Barbie: The Exhibition does not neglect good ‘ole Ken. I snapped this photo of a collection of Kens standing tall and proud in a case of their own.
Exploring the Permanent Collection at the Design Museum in London
After touring Barbie: The Exhibition, I ascended to the third floor to tour the permanent collection of the Design Museum and admire the museum’s interior space.
That to See in the Designer Maker User Collection
The permanent collection at the Design Museum is called Designer Maker User and it’s a stunner! The curators have done an excellent job of explaining various design concepts through the display of everyday objects, from spoons to chairs to computers.
The exhibit features over 1000 objects divided into three segments: Designer, Maker, and User .
Designer at the Design Museum
The objects in the Designer section are displayed in ways that invite the visitor to contemplate the thought process of the designer who must envision how the designed object will be used. I like the quote on one of the information plaques: “The role of the designer stretches from the spoon to the city.”
In this section are displayed objects such as a traffic light, the Anglepoise lamp, and a Tube carriage.
Maker at the Design Museum
The Maker section presents objects in relation to the evolution of manufacturing. Included are café chairs, a Model T Ford, robotic arms, and 3D printers. Objects such as tennis balls and the London 2012 Olympic Torch are presented at different stages of production.
As I wandered through the exhibits, I was constantly amazed by the ingenuity of the human mind. Take tennis, for instance. First, someone had to want a ball they could bounce and hit with a racket. Then, someone else had to figure out how to make a prototype of the ball. Finally, a whole team of brainiacs had to figure out how to manufacture thousands of balls so that anyone who wanted to could play tennis. Mind-boggling!
User at the Design Museum
The User section explores the interaction between people and brands that define the modern world. As a computer user for many decades, I was especially taken by the display of electronics, from the clunky Apple computers of the 1980s to the sleek Macs of today. The red Sony laptop in the picture below is identical to one I had a good twenty years ago. I really liked that computer!
Crowdsourced Wall at the Design Museum
Outside the Designer User Maker exhibit is the Crowdsourced Wall. Here are displayed more than 200 objects that people from 25 countries nominated as their most important objects. The diverse selection of objects is meant to “demonstrate the intimate relationships we have with the everyday objects that shape our lives.”
Items on display include a red bucket, an Underground sign, a bicycle, a green plastic stool, a sewing machine, a drill, a mop, a pair of jeans, and a lot more. The fascinating selection is so much fun to look at since these are objects that we all know and use.
Checking Out the Rods at the Design Museum
I am arrested by a display of…rods! I didn’t know rods were a thing in the UK, but they certainly were a cherished part of my early school years. For those who don’t know, rods are various colored plastic rectangles used to teach children arithmetic.
A white rod represents one and is one-tenth the size of an orange rod that represents ten. In between are red for two, green for three, and so on. When I was in Grades 1 and 2, the highlight of a day was when you finished your work early and the teacher let you go to the back of the room to “play rods.” I spent many a happy hour solving arithmetic problems with the tactile aid of those plastic rectangles that felt so smooth and were so pleasingly colored. Rods are still in use to this day, although my daughter doesn’t remember having them when she was at school in the 1990s.
What a shame for her! I credit rods with giving me a lifelong penchant for arithmetic. Mathematics? Not so much, but I’m a dab hand at addition, subtraction, multiplication and division without a calculator! Thank you, rods.
A display of rods used to teach children arithmetic
The box of rods on display at the Design Museum isn’t the only object that catapults me down memory lane. The entire museum is one big time-travel experience.
If you use household objects (and who doesn’t?), then check out the Design Museum. You’re bound to find at least a few displays that trigger happy memories.
The Design Museum Shop
After you’ve toured the exhibits, check out the stylish gift shop. You’ll find all sorts of cool design items there.
Practical Information about the Design Museum in London
The Design Museum is located at 224–238 Kensington High Street and is open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 17:00, and Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Some ticketed exhibitions may remain open later on weekends. The Design Museum is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Admission to the permanent collection is free. Check the website for more information.
Touring London
London is full of intriguing museums and experiences, some very much off-the-beaten path. GetYourGuide has plenty of options to choose from. Here are a few:
London is not an inexpensive city, but nevertheless, I’ve discovered some excellent places to stay that, while not bargain basement, are good value and centrally located.
On a recent trip to London, I stayed at the Park Plaza Victoria London Hotel. Located right across the street from Victoria Station, the Park PlazaVictoria (5 on the map at the beginning of this post) is a remarkably good deal for a modern, four-star hotel in the heart of London. My room for two was spacious and even had a view over London.
The Wilde ApartHotel (6) in central London is also a wonderful choice. I loved its central location within walking distance of Trafalgar Square and most of the West End theaters. Check out my post about the Wilde ApartHotel.
Conclusion
Have you visited the Design Museum? What were your favorite exhibits? Did you see a special exhibition? Share your experiences and recommendations in the Comments below.
Here are links to posts about three of my favorite London galleries and museums:
The Victoria and Albert Museum is one of the world’s most amazing repositories of, well, beautiful stuff. It’s a collector’s dream come true with astonishing examples of the decorative arts and the applied arts. You’ll find everything from costumes to metal gates to furniture to bracelets and everything in between.
There is so much to see at London’s Victoria and Albert museum that you need to pace yourself and have a plan. Think of an object and the V&A probably has an example of a version made with exquisite skill by someone somewhere in the world.
You can’t really define the V&A because it’s just so eclectic. It’s a sensual feast for the eyes and a testament to the ingenuity of human beings and their commitment to fashioning objects that are not only functional but gorgeous.
There are so many things to see that you could spend days exploring—it’s HUGE! In this post, I share my recommendations for seeing the best of the V&A.
Overview of the Victoria and Albert Museum
The V&A museum is high on my list of favorite museums. Almost every time I go to London, I pop into the V&A. No matter how often I visit, I still discover new things to look at.
The only problem with the this incredible museum is that it’s impossible to see and appreciate all of it in one visit, or two, or ten. I’ve visited at least five times over the years, and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface. The museum lives up to its reputation as the world’s largest museum of art and design.
The V&A was established in 1852 with collections from the Great Exhibition of 1851, and was originally called the Museum of Manufactures and then the South Kensington Museum. Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone of the current location in 1899 and changed the name to the Victoria and Albert Museum to include her late husband Prince Albert.
Location of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London
The V&A is located near the South Kensington underground station and alongside several of London’s largest South Kensington museums. If you love museums, make a day of it. Visit the V&A (1), and then hop on over to the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum (2 & 3 on the map). Both are excellent places to visit with children.
Better still, spread the visits over two days. Museum-hopping can be exhausting. Go at your own pace and take time to explore nearby Hyde Park (4) and Kensington Gardens (5) for a nature break.
Yes, the V&A is huge and yes, there’s a ton to see, but you have to start somewhere. Your best bet when first visiting is to select five or six galleries to explore, occasionally veering into exhibitions rooms en route when something catches your eye.
List of Galleries
Architecture
Britain (1500 – 1760)
Britain (1760 – 1900)
Buddhism
Cast Courts
Ceramics
China
Contemporary Glass
Design (1900 – Now)
Europe (1600 – 1815)
Fashion
Furniture
Glass
Gold, Silver & Mosaics
Himalayas & Southeast Asia
Ironwork
Islamic Middle East
Japan
Jewelry
Korea
Leighton
Medieval & Renaissance (300 – 1600)
Metalware
Paintings
Photography Centre
Portrait Miniatures
Prints & Drawings
The Raphael Cartoons
Sacred Silver & Stained Glass
Sculpture
Sculpture (1300 – 1600)
Silver
South Asia
South Asian Sculpture
Tapestries
Theatre & Performance
Daunting? You betcha! Note that some galleries may be closed. Start your visit by checking at the information desk to find out what’s open. For example, the Theatre & Performance gallery was not open when I visited in September, 2024.
So where to start?
Exterior of the Victoria and Albert Museum on Cromwell Road in Kensington
Arriving at the Victoria and Albert Museum
First, walk up the steps and enter the museum’s massive atrium. Straight ahead is a large information area—your first stop.
Put your wallet away (unless you’re planning to see the special exhibition) because admission to the permanent collection is FREE. I know. Amazing! You can make a donation (I always do), but you don’t have to. The attendants at the information booth will give you a map and may also suggest you purchase the guidebook. For £5, it’s a bargain because it gives you an overview of the highlights of each gallery.
Special Exhibitions
You can choose to buy a ticket to the special exhibition. A few weeks before you visit the V&A, check what’s on and make reservations. Popular exhibitions often sell out quickly.
Getting Started
Once you’ve purchased your guidebook, or even just armed with the free map, walk straight through the gift shop (you can come back later!) and out into the courtyard. Buy something to drink from the kiosk and settle down at one of the tables (weather permitting) to check the map and/or guidebook.
Courtyard at the V&A
While sipping your beverage of choice, figure out which areas you want to focus on and where they are in the museum. You want to avoid backtracking. The beauty of the V&A is that even if you’ve decided to tour only six galleries, you’ll see plenty more as you walk through the museum from chosen gallery to chosen gallery. Don’t be surprised if you’re tempted to veer off to check out a gallery you hadn’t intended to visit. Give in to these impulses.
The V&A truly is a treasure trove!
Now you’re ready to start your tour. Go slowly and pace yourself. Beauty overload is a thing! Here are just some of the hundreds (thousands?) of things to see at the V&A.
Things to See at the Victoria and Albert Museum
I’m focusing here on six galleries: Fashion, Asian (which includes several areas), Furniture, Cast Court, Glass, and Jewelry.
Fashion Gallery
I always drop into the fashion collection, located in the central area of the main floor. Here, you’ll find a unique collection of European clothing and textiles spanning from 1750 to the present. I particularly enjoy the 18th- and 19th-century dresses. Can you imagine wearing so many hoops and corsets? Here’s an elaborate dress from the 1760s.
Asian Art and Objects at the Victoria and Albert Museum
This is a broad category that includes art and objects from several regions: Japan, Korea, China, South Asia and Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. Take a stroll through the galleries to enjoy an amazing collection of articles. Highlights for me are the Samurai armor collection in the Japan section, a golden Buddha, jade objects from China, delicate porcelain, and so many more treasures.
An interesting—if rather gruesome—piece is Tipu’s Tiger in the South Asia and Himalayas section. This wooden sculpture was made for Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore in South India. When the handle on the side of the tiger is turned, the ghastly noises produced imitate the wails of agony of the British soldier lying underneath the tiger. Apparently, this exhibit was one of the most popular in the East India Company’s museum.
And although not part of the Asian galleries, take a quick detour to check out the Ardabil carpet, which is the world’s oldest dated carpet. Although it’s exact origins are unknown, the carpet was made sometime during the 16th century. It’s a stunner.
Furniture Gallery
Examples of furniture are scattered throughout many of the galleries in the V&A. In addition, the Dr. Susan Weber Gallery of Furniture showcases how furniture has been made and decorated for over 600 years. Included are items from the Renaissance to the present.
One of the most interesting pieces of furniture is in the Britain 1500 – 1760 gallery. Definitely make a detour to check out the Great Bed of Ware, so famous in its day that it was mentioned by Shakespeare. The famous bed is three meters wide and apparently able to comfortably accommodate four couples (as least!). It was constructed around 1590 as a tourist attraction for an inn in Ware, Hertfordshire, which was a day’s journey from London and a convenient overnight stop for travelers bound for Cambridge and points north. The initials that visitors carved into the bed posts and the headboard are still visible today.
Cast Courts
The massive sculptures in the Cast Courts are the showstopping, must-see areas of the V&A. You’ll be able to view the two huge, connected courts from many angles as you make your way up through the four levels of the museum.
Look down from one of the walkways on the third or fourth level and find yourself faced with a bewildering hodge podge of iconic statues, altarpieces, and even columns. Why go to Florence when you can visit the cast courts at the V&A instead?
It’s like a souvenir store for giants.
These plaster casts of great art and architecture from around the world were collected and displayed for visitors to study. One of the many highlights is Michelangelo’s David. Apparently, Queen Victoria was shocked by the anatomical correctness of the David cast and requested that a suitably proportioned fig leaf be made and hung on the statue when dignitaries visited. My source didn’t specify if regular visitors were allowed to view the full Monty, so to speak.
Another highlight is the reproduction of Trajan’s column. The original is too tall to include in a building and so the reproduction is divided into two massive columns. I’ve seen the original in Rome, and because of the column’s height, it’s difficult to see the detail. At the V&A, you can get pretty close to the columns to view the intricate carvings.
Glass Gallery
Up on Level 3 in a corner of the museum that was virtually empty when I last visited is the astounding Glass Gallery. Here, you’ll trace the development of design and technology in glassmaking over 3,500 years. The museum’s glass collection is reputed to be one of the most comprehensive in the world.
I’m always intrigued by glass. How did people figure out that sand heated up could turn transparent? The variety and beauty of the hundreds and hundreds of objects on display is truly remarkable. I could have stayed there for hours.
Here are some highlights—both old and new:
Jewelry Gallery
I’m feeling overwhelmed after looking at some many amazing objects, but I can’t resist a walk through the narrow, dimly lit and quite crowded collection reputed to be among the finest in the world.
More than 3,000 pieces tell the story of western jewelry from ancient times to the present day.
Case after case contain pieces ranging from tiaras, brooches, and earrings to stunning necklaces, bracelets, and rings. All around you, people can be heard oohing and aahing, and no wonder! The ingenuity and skill that was required to make such superb objects is unfathomable.
Completing Your Visit
Your visit will probably take you three to four hours. But don’t spend all that time touring the exhibits! Here are some ideas for pacing yourself.
Taking a Break at the Café
A good strategy is to take a break to enjoy something to eat at the V&A café. Not only is the food tasty, but you’ll also benefit from getting off your feet to further study the guidebook and map.
The café can get crowded, so time your visit either before or after the lunch rush. One good strategy to avoid crowds is to arrive at the museum when it opens at 10 am, tour a few galleries, and then enjoy an early lunch in the café before tackling some more.
Checking Out the Gift Shop
I do love a good gift shop, and the one at the V&A is first-rate. You’ll find relatively affordable textiles, jewelry, books, fashion items, gift items, cool stuff for kids, and much more. I bought some lovely tea towels that will be for display only in my kitchen. They are far too nice to use!
Studying at the Victoria and Albert Museum
The V&A is a world-class research center. In addition to displaying over 60,000 objects in the Museum, the museum also maintains a number of study rooms, both on and off-site. Here, you can view over two million objects from the Reference Collections and conduct private research.
When I was researching my novel The Muse of Fire, set in early 19th century London, I booked time at one of the study centers to view original prints of cartoons popular at the time.
In the hushed atmosphere of the offsite study room, I received the box of prints from an attendant who looked straight out of a Dickens novel, and spent several happy hours making notes and taking pictures.
If you have a research project in mind, you may well find useful resources at the V&A. Check the website for more information. Note that you must book well in advance of your visit.
Practical Information
The Victoria and Albert Museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 17:45, except for Fridays when it is open until 22:00. Admission is free. Check the website for more information.
Taking a Tour
On one visit to the V&A, I opted to take a guided tour. Good call! The two-hour tour showed me all sorts of amazing objects I may have missed if touring on my own. You can take a free tour provided by the museum staff or an outside tour.
Of course, top of the list is the British Museum, in which you’ll experience objects from cultures all across the globe over two million years. Entry is free, but book your entry ticket in advance. The closest tube stations are Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, and Russell Square.
For art, you can’t beat the Tate Britain, the Tate Modern, the National Gallery of Britain (my favorite), the National Portrait Gallery, and the Courtauld Gallery.
The Wallace Collection is small but eclectic and worth a visit. And while you’re in South Kensington, check out the Design Museum, which has become one of my new favorite places in London.
Staying in London
London is not an inexpensive city, but over the years, I’ve discovered some excellent places to stay that, while not bargain basement, are good value and very centrally located. On my latest trip to London, I stayed at the Park Plaza Victoria London Hotel. Located right across the street from Victoria Station, the Park Plaza Victoria (6 on the map at the beginning of this post) is a remarkably good deal for a modern, four-star hotel in the heart of London. My room for two was spacious and even had a view over London.
View from my room at the Park Plaza Victoria Hotel in London
The Wilde ApartHotel (7) in central London is also a wonderful choice. I loved its very central location within walking distance of Trafalgar Square and most of the West End theaters. Check out my post about the Wilde ApartHotel.
Conclusion
Have you visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London? What were your favorite exhibits? Share your experiences and recommendations in the Comments below.
Here are links to posts about two of my favorite London galleries:
Consider taking a Rabbie’s small group tour of Southwest England to discover one of England’s most beautiful (and visited) regions.
When I travel on my own, I often take small group tours so I can efficiently explore local sites. Usually, I opt for day tours (see my posts about tours in the Cotswolds and Yorkshire). But on a recent, longer trip to the UK, I chose a four-day, three-night small group tour of Devon and Cornwall with Rabbie’s Tours.
Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Rabbie’s operates dozens of tours throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. Their reviews are excellent and the prices reasonable. I figured I couldn’t lose—and I was right. In this post, I present a day-by-day account of what I experienced on my four-day, three-night Rabbie’s small group tour, starting in Bristol.
Spoiler Alert: I cheerfully recommend a Rabbie’s small group tour, particularly if your time is limited.
Map of Southwest England: Locations Visited
The map of Southwest England below shows the locations I visited. I stayed in Falmouth (#5) for two nights and Exeter (#23) for one night. Click a number to read more about the location.
Setting Off on a Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
Bright and early at 8:00 am on September 1, I’m out front of the Doubletree Hilton Hotel in Bristol (#22 on the map), where I meet the first two people I’ll be touring with, a couple from Virginia in the US. They tell me this will be their fourth Rabbie’s small group tour. This bodes well since they have only positive things to say about the tours they’ve taken to Wales and Scotland.
We board and soon stake out our personal space for the next four days. With the entire 16-seat van at our disposal, we each have our own row. It’s delightful to spread out across two seats with another across the aisle rather than having to share the admittedly narrow seats with a stranger for four days.
Matt, our guide and driver
Day 1: Somerset to Cornwall on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
We pull away from the hotel and head out of Bristol. I settle into my seat and listen to Matt when he’s talking and then think when he’s not. Notebook open and pen at the ready, I alternate between jotting down notes about what we’re seeing and planning two new novels.
Matt reviews our itinerary for the day. We’ll travel west from Bristol along the north coast of Somerset, across Exmoor in Devon and then angle southwest to Falmouth on the south coast of Cornwall—our home base for two of the three nights. He uses arrow stickies to show our route on the large map of southern England pinned above the front window.
Map with stickies showing our route on days 3 and 4 of the Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
Over the next four days, I’ll enjoy studying the map not only to follow our route but also to remember many of the places I visited when I lived in England back in the 1970s.
First Stop on the Rabbie’s Small Group Tour: Dunster in Somerset
Dunster (#1) is the home of the impressive Dunster Castle that we can only admire from afar. Since on Day 1 we must cover 225 miles, with a long stop at Tintagel, we only have time for a quick stop to wander Dunster’s sweet main street and grab a quick coffee.
Charming town of Dunster in Somerset
Lined with gift shops and restaurants, the street is as quaint as one would expect a Somerset village street to be. Most stores are closed since it’s still early, which is just as well. I need to carefully monitor my shopping if only because I’m traveling with a small carry-on and don’t have a spare centimeter for extra stuff.
On the Road to Lynmouth on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
After Dunster, we travel on from Somerset into Devon. Along the way, we scale the 25% grade road (that’s really steep) that leads up from Porlock on the coast into Exmoor National Park and down the other side to the seaside town of Lynmouth (#2).
The views at the top are probably magnificent, but we need to take Matt’s word for it. The mist has rolled in, and the view is soft and gray with hints of heather and gorse. It’s still beautiful in an atmospheric kind of way, and we do spot several wild horses.
Misty ExmoorWild Exmoor horses
Lunch in Lynmouth
We stop for an hour in Lynmouth, which is just long enough for me to walk from the car park to the harbor, get a takeout lunch of fish and chips, do a spot of window shopping, and pop into the Memorial Hall that documents two seminal events in Lynmouth’s history.
I eat my ridiculously large serving of fish and chips on the pier overlooking the placid sea. The weather continues to be gray and dull, but the air is warm, and the streets of Lynmouth are still full of holidaymakers.
Lynmouth Harbour
Flood of 1952
After lunch, I check out the Memorial Hall where I learn about the devastating flood of 1952 when over nine inches of rain fell in a very short time, resulting in a landslide that buried half the town and killed 34 people in the wider area, 28 of them in Lynmouth. The excellent exhibit in the Memorial Hall includes several blown-up photographs that show the devastation, a well put together and sobering memorial.
Flood damage in Lynmouth
Rescue of the Forrest Hall
Lynmouth is also famous for a daring rescue undertaken in 1899 by local townspeople. When a ship called the Forrest Hall foundered off Porlock Weir—the town we’d just driven through on our way to Lynmouth—the seas were so rough that local fishermen couldn’t even attempt a rescue. Rather than allow the people to perish, the intrepid fisherman of Lynmouth hauled a lifeboat called the Louisa up and over the extremely steep road we’d just traversed. The Memorial Hall includes a display of photographs about the rescue and its re-creation on the 100th anniversary in 1999.
On our way out of town, Matt plays us a song written to commemorate the rescue. The jaunty tune gets stuck in my head for hours.
Visit to Tintagel on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
A lot of driving takes us across Devon and into Cornwall, finally ending at Tintagel (#3), the highlight destination of the day. The main attraction here is Tintagel Castle, a windswept ruin perched atop a craggy island on the rugged Cornish coast. Was it the home of King Arthur? No. But that doesn’t stop the makers of souvenirs from exploiting Arthur at every turn.
Tourist shops line Tintagel’s main street leading to the long walkway to the castle. It’s colorful and tacky and crowded, although Matt tells us it’s quiet compared to what it’s like on Bank Holiday weekends.
Crossing the Bridge to Tintagel Castle
We start the trek down a very steep hill to the entrance to the castle. The word “castle” is used loosely. Folks expecgting to see a castle at Tintagel Castle (#4) will be disappointed. What you will see is an extremely dramatic setting, a very cool bridge linking the mainland to the island, and a smattering of crumbling stone walls—some quite large, most not.
Come prepared to walk and climb. A visit to Tintagel Castle requires a lot of walking, much of it over quite rough ground and up and down steep steps.
Getting to the island is almost as fun as climbing around it. A new bridge spans the gap between the mainland and the island. An open space of about four inches in the middle of the bridge allows for expansion and contraction during the often-ferocious weather that sweeps in from the Atlantic. The bridge to the ruins is sometimes closed and access cut off.
Tintagel Bridge
Exploring Tintagel Ruins
As I wander around the ruins, I try to imagine what the castle looked like back in the day. I can’t really picture it, but I do feel a sense of kinship with the early inhabitants. The view of the rugged Cornish coastline stretching to the east and west will not have changed. And if Arthur had hung out here, he’d have looked up at the same massive expanse of sky and felt the same fresh wind.
View from Tintagel Island
The large site swarms with people but doesn’t feel crowded. The castle has been rebuilt several times over the centuries because the walls keep crumbling in the elements. Hardly surprising. Bonus points for trying to build in such an inhospitable location, but in the end, nature wins.
I take a LOT of pictures.
Back to Tintagel
After exploring the island, I descend an extremely precipitous set of stairs to the bridge. I have a choice. I can either walk back up a very steep hill, which is the way I came, or I can continue down to a road and catch a Land Rover back up to the car park.
The one-way trip costs ₤2.50—a bargain, particularly because all the up-and-down climbing has inflamed my arthritic knee. To be honest, it’s screaming.
Tintagel Steps
Old Post Office in Tintagel
Back in Tintagel, I discover the fabulous old post office—a National Trust property that draws me like a magnet. The ancient building dates from the 14th century. I gleefully explore the rooms, with their massive wooden beams, uneven floors, and white plaster walls. I’m a sucker for old houses, particularly one this old. I know it’s been restored and likely doesn’t look like it did back in the day, but my imagination goes into overdrive, nonetheless.
The thick walls and tiny windows would keep in the heat but at the cost of light. It must have been very gloomy, particularly at night with light provided by only a few guttering candles.
Old Post Office in Tintagel
In the beautiful English garden behind the old post office, I chat with one of the National Trust guides about history and my novels. She’s lovely!
The Tintagel Old Post Office is open every day, with visiting hours from 10:30 to 17:30.
Rum in Tintagel
Before boarding the bus, I stop in at a place that sells local gin and rum. The shopkeeper is very accommodating. He describes the impressive range of rum-flavored spirits. I buy a small bottle of cinnamon flavored rum which I take a tipple of later in my room. It’s delicious; I wish I’d bought more!
The Rum and Gin Shop in Tintagel
Dinner in Falmouth
The first and second nights of the tour are spent in the Cornish town of Falmouth (#5) on the south coast. I’ve chosen the Lerren Hotel—a large guest house overlooking the sea. My room is spacious and comfortable and the breakfast on both mornings is very tasty. I opt for smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on day 1 and porridge with cream and honey on day 2.
After getting settled, I walk down the hill to the harbor in search of a restaurant. I pass the Maritime Museum (#6)—a modern building that looks very intriguing and advertises an exhibition about pirates which, alas, I will miss. On both of our nights in Falmouth, we arrive back long after the museum has closed and leave both mornings before it opens.
Maritime Museum in Falmouth
A General Note About Guided Tours
One drawback of a guided tour is that you’re at the mercy of someone else’s schedule. If the itinerary doesn’t include something you want to see, then you’re out of luck. You must decide if the convenience of a tour is worth the lack of flexibility. Because I’m traveling on my own and don’t want to drive, taking a tour makes sense. Hopefully one day I’ll return and do a driving holiday. There is a LOT to see in this part of the world.
Dinner at The Hub in Falmouth is excellent: a dressed crab salad with lovely fresh bread and salad, and a large glass of Pino Grigio. After dinner, I meet up with the American couple who are dining close by and walk back to the hotel. They are staying around the corner, and I’m grateful for the company in the darkness.
A note about accommodation on a Rabbie’s tour. You can choose the level of accommodation you want, and they will book appropriate places, or you can book them yourself. I can recommend both The Lerryn in Falmouth and Leonardo Hotel Exeter, which is a cookie-cutter chain hotel, but very comfortable with excellent food.
Day 2: All Day in Cornwall on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
The next morning dawns soft and mizzly, with the sky and the sea meeting in a single sheet of gray. But the air is fresh and the seagulls loud, and I’m excited to explore this scenic corner of Cornwall. Matt has promised us a full day of sightseeing with short drives.
Visit to Porthleven on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Our first stop is the seaside town of Porthleven (#7) which is apparently a mecca for foodies. Matt tells us about a terrible storm many years ago during which the sea surged into the sheltered harbor and swept a police car right off the pier, killing both police officers inside.
I snap a photo of the warning sign that greets us at the start of the pier.
Warning sign on Porthleven Pier
The pier is open and empty in the rain. It’s a spectacular setting even in the gray and the wet.
Looking out to sea in PorthlevenPorthleven Clock Tower
We stop at a coffee roastery to sample some locally roasted coffee. The roastery is a happening place with lots of employees bustling around the facility visible through large windows in the café area.
Minack Theatre on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
At 11:30, we have a reservation to view Minack Theatre (#8). This place is a revelation. I’d never heard of it and so was delighted to discover a multi-level series of turf-covered benches stretching from the edge of a clif sea up a steep hill.
Minack Theatre is the creation of the indomitable Rowena Cade after she saw an open-air production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the 1920s. She offered her cliffside garden for staging performances and almost 100 years later people are still coming to this dramatic setting to enjoy live theater.
Minack Theater
I go into the exhibition center to watch a film about the origins of the theatre and am particularly interested in the interviews with various performers about the challenges of performing in a theater open to the elements—wind, rain, cold, sun. Occasionally, the weather is so bad that the theatre has to be closed and the performances cancelled.
One of the highlights of the site is the plethora of exotic succulents in all sorts of twisty shapes. I can’t stop snapping pictures!
If I ever travel again to Cornwall—preferably under my own steam—I’ll definitely book tickets for a performance at Minack Theatre. Talk about an Artsy Traveler experience!
Land’s End
A short drive takes us from Minack Theatre to Land’s End (#9). The last time I visited Land’s End was in 1974 when, at age18, I traveled with two friends all around Britain. Somewhere in a box is a picture of the three of us at the Land’s End signpost.
I remember the place as windswept and pretty much empty apart from maybe an ice cream truck.
Land’s End
That’s all changed now. A theme park franchise has taken over the area and made it horrendously commercial. Fortunately, no amount of tackiness can detract from the stunning view of rocks and ocean that awaits you once you’ve threaded the gauntlet of souvenir stores and fast-food joints along with a bunch of weird, out-of-context attractions.
Now, you’ll pay ₤10.99 to have your picture taken next to a signpost on which an attendant affixes letters designating your home town and its distance from Land’s End.
Needless to say, I decline.
Tin Mines of Botallack
This stretch of Cornish coastline is known as the Tin Coast and was home to numerous tin mines, the vestiges of which are still visible. The Tin Coast has been the site of mining for over 2,000 years, with the industry peaking during the Industrial Revolution when the demand for tin was high.
At Botallack (#10), we stop to view the ruins of several mines and walk out to the cliff. The word bleak comes to mind, perhaps because it’s gray and rainy, but more so because I can’t help thinking how horrific life must have been for the miners.
Ruins of a tin mine at Botallack
Many of the mines extend hundreds of meters out to sea and hundreds of meters below the seabed. I shudder to think of how claustrophobic the conditions must have been and how many of the workers died.
St. Ives on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
The major destination for Day 2 is the seaside town of St. Ives (#11). One of its many claims to fame is its association with several prominent 20th century artists, including Barbara Hepworth.
Tate St. Ives
Matt drops us right in front of the Tate St. Ives. I hadn’t realized there was a Tate here, so imagine my delight! I make it my first stop. The beautiful building houses ten galleries filled mostly with post-war abstract art along with a special exhibition of the very colorful work of Beatriz Milhazes.
I arrive in Gallery 1 in time to hear a short talk by one of the curators about Robert Lanyon, an artist I had never heard of. Unlike most of the artists who flocked to St. Ives throughout the 20th century, Robert Lanyon was born in St. Ives. He was also a foremost proponent of post-war abstract art. The curator tells us that St. Ives was attractive to artists such as Barbara Hepworth and others because of the beauty of its light and the landscape.
He emphasizes three words: abstraction, light, and landscape.
Commentary on Porthleven by Peter Lanyon
The curator presents a lively commentary of a work called Porthleven by Peter Lanyon. The large, powerful work was Lanyon’s contribution as one of sixty artists chosen to represent Britain at the Festival of Britain in 1951. I’d heard about the Festival at the Museum of English Rural Life a few days earlier. Funny how you can go a lifetime never hearing about something and then suddenly hear about it twice in three days.
The piece is a multi-layered depiction of Porthleven, where we’d visited that morning. The curator’s explanation really brought the painting to life. Apparently, David Bowie was a big collector of Lanyon’s work. He said his work may not be the most beautiful in his collection, but they were the pieces he looked at the most.
Porthleven by Peter Lanyon
Touring the Tate St. Ives
After the short talk, I tour the various galleries and get pleasantly lost in a reverie of art appreciation. Here are three of my favorite pieces.
Waterfall by Arshile GorkyL’Étang de Trivaux by Henri MatisseNives II by Victor Vasarely
Commentary on Lost Mine by Peter Lanyon
I finish my swing through the galleries in time to catch a second talk about Peter Lanyon by the same curator. Thankfully, there is seating for this talk. My knee is tender after yesterday’s hike around Tintagel and I sink gratefully onto a bench to listen.
The curator describes a piece called Lost Mine that depicts a tin mining disaster. Since I’d only just visited the remains of the tin mines at Botallack, viewing the painting felt particularly relevant.
The curator describes what I’d suspected when viewing the tin mines—the dreadful conditions the miners endured to extract tin and copper from under the sea. Some of the shafts went 400 meters into the seabed and then a mile out to sea. When there was a flood—an inundation as it was called—there was no way out. Deaths were alarmingly common in an age when safety standards were unknown.
Lanyon’s visual depiction of a mining disaster is visceral and immediate. The curator’s description of the various elements make sense of the painting and reveal Lanyon’s skill.
Lost Mine by Peter Lanyon
Exploring St. Ives
After touring the Tate, I mosey into the main center of St. Ives, a pleasing warren of narrow streets and alleys. The main street is lined with shops—gifts and food and art. But unlike some of the places I’ve visited so far in Cornwall, most of the shops feature locally made art and gift items rather than imported tat.
At the end of the street, I discover that St. Ives is a peninsula, with the ocean on one side where the Tate is and a beautiful harbor on the other. Surfers ride the waves on the ocean side, and boats bob serenely on the harbor side.
It really is picture perfect. No wonder the place is mobbed. It would be wonderful to come here off-season—rent a house overlooking the water and write. I wouldn’t be the first author to have done so! As a child, Virginia Woolf lived here in Talland House, which is the title of a novel inspired by Woolf by author Maggie Humm. I interviewed Maggie about Talland House and its connection to St. Ives for The Art In Fiction Podcast.
I see signs to Barbara Hepworth’s studio and garden, but I decide I don’t have time for a visit. At least I have even more incentive to return to St. Ives.
Back to Falmouth
After St. Ives, we head back to Falmouth. It’s been a long day and I’m happy to pick up a takeaway dinner to eat in my room. Before darkness falls, I stroll along the sea front to admire the view and listen to the constant cawing of the seagulls. Falmouth seems like a very pleasant town and I’m sorry there’s not more time to explore it.
Day 3: Cornwall to Devon on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
The sun decides to come out as we leave Falmouth and the Cornish coast and drive inland across the sunlit patchwork of green that is central Cornwall. Huge clouds fill the big sky, and everyone is in good spirits.
Our small group is easy to deal with, which I’m sure is a relief for Matt, and makes for a tranquil tour for me. Everyone returns to the bus on time, and no one has any complaints.
Jamaica Inn on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
The first stop of the day is the Jamaica Inn (#12), made famous by Daphne du Maurier. When she and a friend were lost in the fog, their horses led them to the inn. As a result, du Maurier wrote her famous novel Jamaica Inn. Several films and a TV series have been filmed here.
I’m looking forward to touring the museum, but, alas, I can’t find it in the warren of rooms all serving food. Basically, Jamaica Inn is a restaurant and gift shop attracting coach tours. I do, however, buy a novel by Daphne du Maurier because I’ve never actually read any of her work.
Traversing Bodmin Moor
In the sunlight, the gorse and heather and cows and towering clouds in a wide sky above Bodmin Moor (#13) captivate my imagination. We’re on our way across the moor to the tiny town of Minions where there is an ancient stone circle. But first, a quick stop to get acquainted with some lovely Cornish hairy cows.
A hairy cow on Bodmin Moor
Matt skillfully drives us along narrow roads with densely packed hedgerows on either side. He tells us that the foliage masks stone walls just waiting to dent passing cars.
We stop in a sylvan dell to view an ancient bridge, called a carriage bridge, that includes outdents to allow vehicles to pass. Matt leads us in a quick game of Pooh Sticks. Mine emerges from under the bridge in third place.
I love this stop! There are no visitors or ice cream trucks in sight; it’s just the six of us in a forest with the smell of vegetation on the brink of decay—the smell of summer ending.
The Minions
We drive on into Dartmoor en route to the tiny town of Minions (#14). Apparently, the town sign is often pinched thanks to the popularity of the Minions movies. Our destination is the Hurler Stones—an ancient stone circle set atop the windy moor.
I do love a good stone circle and this one is impressive.
One of the stones in the Hurlers Stone Circle
The stone circle is named The Hurlers because in olden times, a group of men dared to play hurling on the Sabbath. To punish them, the devil rose from hell and turned them to stone.
The true origins of the stone circles (there are three of them) is not known, but they are definitely very old.
As we walk up to the stones, we need to watch every step to avoid many still-steaming contributions by horses, sheep, and cows.
Lunch Stop in Tavistock on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
We stop for lunch stop in Tavistock (#15), a pleasant little town. I have just enough time to grab a quick lunch—a chicken, bacon, and leek Cornish pasty (excellent) — and check out the indoor market that mostly features antiques.
The American woman on the tour is into antiquing. I run into her outside and tell her she must go in and take a look. With ten minutes to spare before the bus leaves, she manages to make two purchases—an antique lace doll’s dress and an antique doll also dressed in handmade lace. I’m impressed by her power shopping!
A street in Tavistock
Cream Tea
On our way to Haytor on Dartmoor—one of the day’s highlights—we stop at a café to enjoy a proper Devon cream tea. Although I’m full from my pasty at lunch, I can’t pass up the opportunity to slather jam and clotted cream on a freshly baked scone!
Cream tea
Visit To Haytor on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Dartmoor is littered with tors—granite outcroppings that rise above the moor. The most famous, and one of the largest, is Haytor (#16). We are lucky that the weather is glorious for our ascent from the parking lot past grazing wild horses to the base of Haytor.
It is possible to climb to the very top of the grainite tor, but I content myself with enjoying the 360-degree views from the base. It’s pretty dang magnificent.
Here’s a 360-degree video taken from the base of Haytor.
And here are just a few of the many photos I snapped while enjoying Haytor—one of the highlights of the entire Southwest Tour.
Day 4: Devon to Dorset on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
It’s the final day of our four-day tour of the Southwest. Our mission today is to check out the Dorset coast and then Stonehenge before returning to Bristol.
Lyme Regis on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Our first stop is Lyme Regis (#17), known as the pearl of Dorset. Matt drops us at the bottom of the steep main street. I have just an hour and must make a choice. Either I go left to explore the museum or right to walk along the shingled beach to the Cobb, made famous in Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Years ago, I visited the Cobb and so I choose left.
Lyme Regis Museum
The Lyme Regis Museum (#18) is packed full of interesting artifacts and fossils, in keeping with Lyme Regis’s reputation as fossil central. Several displays document the life of the indomitable Mary Anning. Born in 1799, Mary became known internationally for her discoveries of Jurassic marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis. Her findings contributed to changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the history of Earth. Go Mary!
She’s been the subject of novels and films, including Remarkable Creatures by author Tracy Chevalier.
Fossils at the Lyme Regis Museum
Strolling Lyme Regis
After leaving the museum, I stroll a little way along the beach towards the Cobb. Despite the shops and the crowds, the main street leading down to the water still feels ancient. It’s easy to imagine Anne Elliott from Persuasion strolling along the beachfront.
View of Lyme Regis
Hiking Down to Durdle Door on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Another hour on the road takes us to Durdle Door (#19) in Dorset. Last night, Matt asked each of us to supply him with the titles of three or four of our favorite songs. During the drive, he plays all our songs. It’s an eclectic mix including some smooth and jazzy Brazilian music, When I’m 64 by The Beatles, a track by Taylor Swift, various country and rock cuts, and my own contributions—Carole King, Simon & Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart.
At Durdle Door, I’m faced with a very steep walk down and back. My poor knee is not happy, but I ignore the pain and set off. Unfortunately, Durdle Door is not visible from the car park so in order to get some photos and enjoy the stunning views, I need to walk.
View of the beach at Durdle DoorView of Durdle DoorCarol at Durdle Door
Lulworth on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
The little village of Lulworth (#20) is an easy downhill walk from Durdle Door. We drive there, park, and walk down the single street to the cove. There really isn’t a whole lot to do except walk down to the cove, look at the cove, buy lunch, eat it on the beach while looing the cove, walk back from the cove, and then buy a fridge magnet depicting Durdle Door.
View of Lulworth Cove
Stonehenge on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Our final stop of the day—and of the four-day tour—is Stonehenge (#21), where we will be five of the one million visitors who check out this massive stone circle every year. I’ve visited Stonehenge a few times over the years and seen quite the evolution.
Back in the 1970s, I was able to walk right up to the stones, touch them and pose on them. Such free access was curtailed in the 1990s because of damage being caused to the stones. When I visited in 2001, I bought my tickets at a pokey kiosk next to the parking lot, walked a fair distance to the stones, walked around the stones, walked back, and that was about it. I don’t even think there was a gift shop.
Well, welcome to 2024! The visitor experience has been transformed into a slickly managed sequence of carefully orchestrated activities. After getting tickets (Matt takes care of this for us), we are fitted with paper bracelets that include a QR Code. I scan the code and download the audio guide, which provides a worthwhile commentary of the Stonehenge Experience.
Shuttling to Stonehenge
I board a shuttle bus for the five-minute ride to the stone circle and begin the circumnavigation to view it from every angle. Although I’ve seen Stonehenge before, I still find it impressive. Who built it? Why? How?
Carol at Stonehenge
I snap plenty of pictures. Even though the site is full of visitors, it doesn’t feel overwhelming, perhaps because the stone circle itself is empty. It’s easy to get atmospheric shots that evoke the ancient past without including other visitors.
Stonehenge
After getting my Stonehenge fix to last me another decade or two, I take the shuttle bus back to the stylish Visitor Centre. The small exhibition is high-tech and interesting and includes re-creations of the types of houses that the people who built Stonehenge may have lived in.
And finally, I enter the giftshop—the largest I’ve seen on this trip, and that’s saying something! It’s remarkable how many Stonehenge-themed items are on display, from sweatshirts to water bottles to socks and a lot, lot more. I resist buying yet another fridge magnet.
Onwards Back to Bristol
We’re back on the bus for the last time. The trip west to Bristol (#22) takes longer than expected thanks to traffic but I don’t mind. I’m enjoying looking out the window and thinking about the past four days.
For me, the highlights of the tour were the opportunities to walk in the countryside at sites such as Tintagel, Haytor, and Durdle Door, and visits to museums like the Tate St. Ives and the Lyme Regis Museum. I could have skipped Lulworth, Land’s End, and Jamaica Inn in favor of more opportunities to be in the countryside. However, a guided tour must make choices and people do need to be fed and have access to toilets.
Conclusion
Thank you to Rabbie’s Tours for a memorable four days. I recommend the tour for travelers who don’t want to drive and want to pack in as many sites as possible in a short period without sacrificing some memorable experiences. Kudos to our guide, Matt, for his patience and good humor.
Have you taken a Rabbie’s Tour? Share your comments and suggestions in the comments below.
Other Recommended Small Group Tours in England on Artsy Traveler
The Roman Baths in Bath, England, is the city’s foremost must-see attraction. If you only have time to visit one historic site in Bath, make it the Roman Baths. It’s small enough to enjoy in about an hour, includes an excellent audio guide, and is enlivened by numerous projections of Roman-clad people going about their bathing business.
In September 2024, I visited the Roman Baths for a third time and loved it just as much as I had in 2008 and 2018.
Arrival
I arrive outside the Pump Room that houses the Roman Baths to find quite a crowd gathered and signs indicating which time slot is currently being accommodated. Oh dear! I forgot to take my own advice and book in advance! I ask the person marshaling the crowd if I needed to book, and she promptly stands aside and motions for me to walk right in, bypassing the long line. I don’t stop to question my good fortune.
The admission price is a steep £27—and that’s the Seniors’ rate (a whole pound off the Adult rate). But that’s okay. I’m always happy to support museums that really deliver memorable visitor experiences.
Audio Guide
The price includes an audio guide with two tracks. The regular one provides the usual historical context in short and interesting installments. The children’s track includes first-person accounts by the many characters that wander across screens projected throughout the museum. I alternate between the adult and children’s tracks. Both are excellent.
Touring the Baths
The clearly signposted route starts at the walkway surrounding the baths. This structure and the statues of various Roman bigwigs are Victorian additions that were built atop the Roman ruins to house the museum when it opened in the late 19th century.
The walkway is a delightful space surrounded by warm Bath stone and with the façade of Bath Abbey looming in the background. Below are the deep green waters of the main pool. Bath has been a mecca for health-seekers for two millennia.
View of the main pool from the top walkwayView of Bath Abbey from the top walkway
Hot Springs History
I learn that Bath is the only place in the entire country that has hot springs—three of them. No wonder people have been coming here for millennia.
Before the Romans arrived, the local Dobunni tribe considered the site sacred and was where they worshiped the goddess Sulis. In those days, the heated natural spring was a bubbling, steaming pool surrounded by a thick swamp. When the Romans arrived, they incorporated worship of Sulis into their own pantheon and so transformed her into Sulis Minerva. The Romans were generally “equal opportunity” when it came to accommodating other religions, so long as the people practicing them rendered unto Caesar the necessary taxes.
The Roman legionnaires who first conquered the area must have been very happy to have found a place where they could soak their weary bones in warm water in the midst of a Great Britain winter.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Bath developed into one of the world’s most fashionable watering holes. Everyone who was anyone came here to take the waters. Jane Austen herself bathed here.
Museum Exhibits
The tour leads back indoors and descends through several rooms full of artfully displayed exhibits about the Romans. Enlivening the experience are screens projecting a selection of Roman people who would have frequented the baths back in the day. It’s a clever way to bring history to life and makes me feel like I’m witnessing it firsthand.
I listen to a blacksmith on the audio guide while watching a screen showing him hard at work making armor.
Projection of a Roman blacksmith
The Baths
The exhibits give way to a series of walkways leading across the remains of the various rooms in the Roman Baths. The Romans took their health seriously. There are rooms for getting massaged and plucked (apparently, the Romans weren’t keen on body hair), rooms for bathing in various water temperatures, and even a gymnasium where Romans got good and sweaty in humid air that still smells of sulfur.
Projection of Roman woman preparing to bathe
The ruins themselves don’t photograph particularly well. Here’s one room showing the bricks that would have been under the floor to supply the heating. The audio commentary provides details about the impressive heating and cooling mechanisms. The Romans certainly knew how to engineer.
Ruins of the heating system
Minerva Sulis
One of the most striking artifacts on display is the gilt bronze head of the goddess Sulis Minerva. It’s a rare and beautiful example of ancient craftsmanship.
Bust of the goddess Sulis Minerva
Outside next to the large pool sits a Roman-clad guide. She acknowledges me with a regal nod when I take her picture. I’m unsure if she’s meant to speak or if her job is to sit by the pool all day and have her picture taken.
A Roman watches the crowds go by
Rome Walking Tours
GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of city Rome!
Tours and Tickets
Here are some tours and ticket options to consider when touring Bath.
Conclusion
Ruins can be challenging to enjoy because they are, well, ruins. The Roman Baths manages to bring the stony vestiges of a once great Roman hangout to life with its thoughtful use of projections and audio commentary.
As you exit the museum, you can enjoy a cupful of the medicinal waters to give you energy for more Bath sightseeing.
In 2024, the Roman Baths are open from 9 am to 10 pm from July 20 to August 31, and from 9 am to 6 pm from September 1 to December 31. Buy your tickets online from the museum’s website.
Have you visited the Roman Baths? Share your comments and suggestions in the comments below.
Exploring the Area
Here are some GetYourGuide tours in southern England.
This must-see museum of thoughtfully curated exhibits showcases the history of life in rural England. Eight galleries and an impressive open storage area present artifacts and commentary related to the traditions and challenges related to food production in the English countryside.
I spent a wonderful afternoon at this museum in Reading with associate director Isabel Hughes, who graciously answered my many questions about the museum and then took me on a guided tour.
This place is a real Artsy Traveler find! And fair warning: this is a LONG post because there is just so much to write about.
Some Background
I lived in Reading for three years a few decades ago. During that time, I attended the University of Reading where I earned my BA in English Language and Literature. I hadn’t returned to Reading since I graduated, so on a recent trip to England from my home near Vancouver, BC, I decided to make Reading my first stop after landing at Heathrow.
I wasn’t sure what I planned to do during my one afternoon in Reading. I googled museums and discovered the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) run by my alma mater, the University of Reading. I had never heard of MERL, although Isabel told me the museum was established in 1951 and did indeed exist when I attended the university in the 1970s. In 2004, the museum moved to its spacious new digs in the former St. Andrew’s Hall, one of the student residences that was around during my time at the university.
Since its expansion, MERL has established itself as one of the United Kingdom’s premier destinations at which to learn about English rural life.
Why I Wanted to Visit the Museum of English Rural Life
I decided to visit MERL for two reasons. First, it’s a niche museum and as such is a perfect candidate for featuring on Artsy Traveler. Although I often write about blockbuster museums such as the Rijksmuseum, National Gallery of London, and the Uffizi, my heart beats particularly fast when I discover an off-the-beaten-track museum that my readers may not know about, and that fits with my interests.
The second reason I wanted to visit is because one of my novels titled Hidden Voices is partially set in Devon in the 1880s. Eliza, my main character, must move with her family from a bucolic rural life in Devon to the “dark, satanic mills” of northern England where most of the novel takes place. In the scenes set in Devon, I wanted to sprinkle in a few more details about rural life that I hoped to find at MERL.
And I wasn’t disappointed! This extensive museum dedicated to farming practices and rural life is a hidden gem—and admission is free or by donation.
Arrival at the Museum of English Rural Life
A few hours prior to visiting MERL, I land at Heathrow after a smooth eight-hour flight from Vancouver. Twenty minutes after deplaning, I’m standing, phone in hand, searching for my Uber. Most of that time has been taken up with long, long walks through long, long corridors, many rides up and down long escalators and a two-minute wait to go through the electronic customs kiosk.
Since my flight has arrived an hour early, I take the Uber to my hotel before heading to the museum. I’m staying at the Hotel Malmaison (#1 on the map) in downtown Reading, which I highly recommend. After freshening up, I decide to walk the 22 minutes from the hotel to MERL (#2). Here’s a map of Reading:
Along the way, I expect to take a few jaunts down memory lane, but alas, it isn’t to be. Nothing looks the same as I remember from the 1970s—not even close. The Reading skyline bristles with new buildings designed by architects who likely hadn’t been born when I was studying at the university.
When I lived in Reading, there was hardly anywhere to get coffee, much less enjoy a meal. We existed on copious amounts of strong tea; coffee bars were unheard of. And as for eating out, it just wasn’t done, or at least very rarely. Now, every other establishment in Reading serves food, or so it seems as I stroll past the cafes and restaurants in the downtown area.
Along the way, I cross over the Kennet-Avon canal which looks serene and well-groomed in the late August sunshine.
Kennet-Avon canal in Reading
When I arrive at MERL, associate director Isabel Hughes meets me and, over a very welcome cup of tea, we start our chat.
The Interview
Here’s a summary of my interview with Isabel Hughes, associate director of the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) at the University of Reading in England.
Carol
What is the purpose of the Museum of English Rural Life?
Isabel
The purpose of the museum is to present exhibits and objects that help visitors understand the human side of English rural life: the production of food, farming practices since the 19th century, and the changing countryside. We like to present the human side of rural life and really celebrate working people since the vast majority of people in the 19th century and into the 20th century either worked on the land or in mills, or were servants.
Farming practices began to change in the late 19th century because of the agricultural depression caused by wheat production in Canada.
Carol
That’s very interesting because in my novel Mill Song, my main character’s family moves from Devon because there is no more farm labor work for the men. I thought it was because of mechanization that jobs became scarce, but there was also an agricultural depression. It’s interesting that Canada was to blame! A lot of people, including many of my ancestors, emigrated from a rural life in the West Country to Canada during the 19th century.
Isabel
MERL was started by the Agriculture Department at the University of Reading in 1951. World War II had ended and there was a push to make agriculture more self-sufficient and productive with the use of insecticides and the development of large farms. But as a result, traditional farming practices were being lost.
The founders of the museum realized this and decided to collect items such as old wagons and hand tools. They went to agricultural shows and talked to farmers, and acquired examples of traditional crafts such as basketry, woodworking, and bodging (making things such as brooms and chairs out of unseasoned green wood).
In 2004, the museum moved to its present location in the former St. Andrew’s Hall of residence, helped in part by funding from Alfred Palmer, a well-known Reading businessperson.
Carol
I well remember taking my exams at Reading University in the Palmer Building! He was quite the benefactor.
What is your number one recommendation for touring the museum?
Isabel
We like people to have a wander and see it all. The huge collection of wagons is particularly impressive. We have wagons from almost every county in England.
One of the many wagons at MERL, this one from Dorset
People can explore the eight galleries and then go upstairs to view our open storage of the thousands of items the museum has collected over the years.
Attached to each artifact is a luggage label; these were the original labels affixed when the artifact was acquired by the museum.
A large collection of farm implements in the open storage area of the museum
Another thing that we want people to notice is the textile wall hanging created for the Countryside Pavilion at the Festival of Britain in 1951. It was one of several we acquired. The one on display depicts Cheshire and cheese production.
An enormous wall hanging featuring Cheshire and cheese production
Carol
What is your favorite exhibit and why?
Isabel
I think my favorite is a pitchfork that was grown in a hedgerow. A branch growing off the shrub was nurtured until it was just the right size and shape for a pitchfork.
It’s made by nature but guided by hand.
Isabel’s favorite, a pitchfork grown from a hedgerow
Carol
What are some of the hidden gems that visitors should check out at MERL?
Isabel
The display of friendly society pole heads is intriguing. A friendly society was a cooperative that workers bought into. If they had a rough time, then the cooperative could help to support them. The pole heads were elaborately carved and resembled pub signs. They were carried in processions such as church parades.
Some of the silver pole heads in the MERL collection
Carol
Is this place the only rural museum in England?
Isabel
It is one of the earliest museums but not the only one. There is a rural museum network that includes small community museums. Other large museums like MERL are the National Museum of Rural Life in Scotland and the St. Fagan’s National Museum of History in Wales. There is also the Weald and Downland Living Museum near Chichester, which is where Repair Shop is filmed. We like to think of MERL as the national rural museum for England, but it is not, officially.
Carol
What is the most popular gift shop item?
Isabel
We’ve had images from the wall hangings turned into merchandise such as mugs, pencil cases, notebooks, tea towels and bags. We also have tea towels depicting engineering drawings of farm machinery, which are very popular with enthusiasts who are interested in recreating rural farm machinery.
Carol
Are any new exhibits planned?
Isabel
We have quite a few artifacts related to the Roma people that are often not labeled as such. These include photographs of people working the land, and a gypsy wagon. We are starting to re-label these artifacts to feature the history of the Roma people in the English countryside.
A gypsy wagon
Carol
Anything else you’d like to share?
Isabel
At MERL, we have an extensive library and archives containing a wealth of stories. Of particular note is our archive of letters that children evacuees during World War II sent to their parents when they were evacuated from the cities to the countryside. Reading was one of the hubs for evacuee children. Some of the letters were positive, depicting the experience as active and fun, while others were from children who were upset and even mistreated.
The labels affixed to the children when they were put on the train to go into the countryside inspired Michael Bond to write the Paddington Bear books in the 1950s.
A group of children being evacuated from the city during World War II
Touring the Museum Galleries
After our chat, Isabel takes me around the museum. Seeing it after talking with her really brings it to life. Throughout the galleries are interactive activities for children. MERL has an active school program and welcomes over 50,000 visitors a year, likely a good proportion of them families.
I love the sheep clad in an Aran sweater in the first main gallery.
A large stuffed sheep wearing an Aran sweater greets visitors to the first large gallery
The size of MERL surprises me. The galleries go on forever, each one more chock-a-block with artifacts than the last. You can spend a lot of time here!
One of the very large galleries at the Museum of English Rural Life
Land Girls
I’m particularly taken by the collection of objects and photographs related to the Land Girls—young women who worked on the farms during World War II. Here are photographs of several Land Girls and the uniform they wore.
Land Girls in World War IILand Girls uniform in World War II
The Land Girls experience inspired Land Girls, a British TV series available on Netflix.
Traps
A sobering exhibit features various traps—both for animals and people. The two human traps are particularly horrifying. Anyone caught in one would likely die a very slow and painful death. These traps were placed to prevent poaching.
Human traps, fortunately outlawed in 1827.
We spend almost an hour roaming through the galleries and viewing the open storage collections on the first floor. I’m very impressed with both the size and the quality of the exhibits and am reminded how, in another life, I would have loved to have been a museum curator.
But being a novelist and travel blogger is also good—and MERL ticks the boxes on both fronts. I’m finding plenty of inspiration for the country scenes in Mill Song. The open storage collection of smocks, many beautifully embellished with traditional smocking, reminds me of what some of my characters may have worn. I can also imagine my main character wearing a bonnet, such as the ones displayed, while she helped with the harvest.
These smocks were likely worn for special occasionsBonnets in open storage
New Inspiration
To my delight, MERL sparks inspiration for a new novel based around the story of two evacuees in World War II. After my meeting with Isabel, I scribble several pages of notes about possible characters and plots. It looks like I’m going to have to return to MERL to comb through their extensive archive of letters written by evacuees during World War II.
I can only imagine what treasures await.
As the museum gets set to close, Isabel and I pose for a photo, I purchase a notebook that shows a detail from the Cheshire wall hanging, and say my good-byes.
Carol Cram with Isabel Hughes, associate director of the Museum of English Rural Life
I walk back to my hotel, enjoy an excellent dinner, and then, finally, turn the lights out at 9. My first day in the UK has been a success.
Exploring the Area
Here are some GetYourGuide tours in southern England. Most depart from London.
The Museum of English Rural Life is a specialty museum with broad appeal. Touring a museum dedicated to how food was produced back in the day reminds us of our rural roots–and everyone eats food! No matter where you come from, chances are good that at least a few of your ancestors had something to do with agriculture.
The opening times of Museum of English Rural Life are from 10am to 5pm daily and entrance is free. It is located at 6 Redlands Road in Reading, Berkshire. The museum’s extensive website showcases its many exhibits.
Have you visited this museum or another like it? Share your comments and suggestions in the comments below.
Have you ever considered going on a writers’ retreat? If you’re a writer—or want to be a writer—the top need on your writer’s wish list is very likely time. Without time, you can’t write. Without time, you can’t improve. When you give yourself the gift of time to think and create, you give yourself the gift of productivity.
In May 2024, I gave myself the gift of time by attending a week-long writers’ retreat in North Yorkshire. Called, fittingly, The Writers’ Retreat, the venue and program is the passion project of writer Jan Birley. Participants gather in a renovated 200-year-old pub in the tiny, picture-perfect Yorkshire village of Beal to write their hearts out in a peaceful and supportive environment.
About The Writers’ Retreat
The Writers’ Retreat runs retreats from one day to six days in duration, along with special events throughout the year. Check out their website.
At The Writers’ Retreat, you are provided with all your meals (even wine with dinner!) and can participate in a series of optional writing workshops and one-to-one mentoring sessions with a writing professional. Jan or her husband Tony even collects you from the local train station and takes you back again at the end of the retreat.
When you’re not eating, sleeping, or being mentored, you are free to write in any number of comfortable locations throughout the building—from the stylishly decorated bedrooms all equipped with writing desks, to tables and squishy sofas scattered throughout several lounges, to an outdoor terrace for days when the sun shines.
I chose the six-day retreat because I knew from experience that five full days of dedicated writing time was optimum for me to make significant progress on my WIP (Work In Progress).
Spoiler Alert: It worked and it was fabulous!
Here’s my account of the six days.
Day 1: Monday Arrival
The start date of my retreat in May 2024 corresponded with the last day of a five-week trip around Europe with my husband, artist Gregg Simpson. The purpose of our trip was to attend several exhibitions of his paintings in Italy and for me to research locations and get inspiration for new novels.
I discovered The Writers’ Retreat after I’d booked my European trip. Surely it was a sign from the universe that I had to attend when I found out that the dates aligned with the conclusion of my trip–and that there was just one spot left. I immediately rejigged my travel arrangements. My husband flew home from Paris while I flew to Manchester, took a train to Selby in North Yorkshire, and was picked up and brought to the retreat in the sweet little village of Beal.
Here’s my bedroom and the view from my writing table that would inspire for me six days.
Meeting My Fellow Writers
After getting settled in my room overlooking a pair of quaint houses with green and pleasant parkland beyond, I meet Jan and the five other writers with whom I’ll be sharing my week. Jan introduces herself and talks about what to expect for the week, and then we all share why we’ve chosen the retreat.
We are an eclectic lot consisting of academics, non-fiction writers, experienced novelists, and short-story writers. Here are brief bios supplied by some of the participants.
Sue
Sue is a Professor from the University of Edinburgh, specialising in developmental psychology. During the retreat, she worked on wrapping up a series of writing projects including a grant proposal, a couple of journal articles, an editorial and the introduction to a book about neurodiversity for teachers. Neurodiversity is gaining ground as a way to understand important aspects of how pupils learn and generally experience school. But lots of teachers aren’t clear what this model means for them and why it is supposed to be helpful to pupils. The book will have chapters written by a neurodiverse group of academics and educators with the aim of helping teachers embed this new theory into their classroom practice.
JoJo Stone
JoJo is a passionate new writer based in the picturesque landscapes of the U.K. From a young age, JoJo discovered a deep connection with the writing world and began crafting poetry that resonates with emotions. JoJo has published three novels and at the retreat worked on her fourth novel and some short stories. Check out her great website.
Ann
When Ann retired, she dipped her toe into various writing groups and also attended a short evening course in Creative Writing at her local university, all of which encouraged her to ‘get writing.’ She’s completed a number of short stories, some of which she intends to publish online. At The Writers’ Retreat in Yorkshire, she revved up her writing engines and hopes to publish her first novel in 2025.
Two writers from the United States also joined us to contribute their enthusiasm and good vibes.
First Evening
After introductions (and a nice glass of wine), we enjoy our first dinner together in the large dining room. Over the course of the week, the dining room becomes the hub for conversation, lots of laughter, food, workshop sessions, and a constant supply of coffee, tea, and cold drinks to sustain us when we aren’t being fed.
My Project for the Week
I retire to my room and get busy working on my project for the week—finishing my sixth novel. Called The Merchant of Siena, the novel follows headstrong Bianca as she learns how to survive and thrive in late 14th century Siena–a time fraught with plagues, famines, and vicious attacks by bands of roving mercenaries. Bianca’s journey from idealistic youth to one of the city’s richest merchants is a rags-to- riches story with a twist.
The first three chapters of The Merchant of Siena were recently shortlisted in the Ancient to 16th Century category for the Historical Novel Society’s First Chapters competition. This positive feedback has motivated me to finally finish the novel.
Day 2: Tuesday
Our first full day of writing stretches before me with delicious emptiness full of possibilities. Like everyone, I’m up early and down to the dining room at 8 am for a full English breakfast. I can’t manage the full meal deal and opt for two poached eggs and bacon—my go-to for the rest of the week. Cereals, yogurt, fruit, and juices are also available. But in case you’re interested, here’s a photo of another participant’s full English breakfast! That’s a hearty breakfast for sure!
After a productive morning, we all gather for lunch and are introduced to Clare Bamber, our mentor/workshop leader for the week. Thanks to Clare, my experience at The Writers’ Retreat is about to go second level. My mentorship sessions with her along with the fun writing workshops she facilitates make my week very special and fulfilling.
Meet Clare Bamber – Mentor Extraordinaire
Clare Bamber is truly a delight. She’s been a tutor and mentor in Creative Writing since 2020 and is passionate about encouraging writers of all levels to explore the craft in a supported, nonjudgmental environment. She states: “Supporting writers at The Writers’ Retreat UK this week has been so much fun. There has been so much diversity in the subject matter, but it’s great to see everyone being supportive of each other in their projects. What a wonderful bunch of people to have spent time with! I crossed the finish line of drafting my own novel whilst on a retreat here, so I understand the value of giving ourselves the space to write.”
Where to Find Clare Bamber
You can visit Clare’s website to check out her services for writers or visit her on Facebook.
Workshop: Character Creation
Clare’s first writing workshop is on character creation. The four of us most interested in writing fiction meet with Clare to learn valuable techniques for creating memorable characters. I very much enjoy the exercise that she leads us through. A highlight is listening to what everyone else writes. The level of creativity is astonishing!
Country Walks
After the workshop and on most days during the week, I slip out for a country walk. The village of Beal is situated in the middle of farmland with access to a public footpath bordering the River Aire. I have a grand old time snapping photos of the Constable-like skies, the sheep with their gamboling lambs, and a contingent of curious cows.
Lambs in front of The RetreatAnother view of the Aire RiverCowsView from the bridge on the River Aire Lock on the River Aire
Day 3: Wednesday
My writing is starting to click into high gear. I spend my mentorship session with Clare hashing out a plot problem. Together, we come up with some excellent strategies. I’m feeling energized and exhilarated. Writing retreats rock!
I skip the workshop (it was on point of view and I’m sure was wonderful!) only because I’m on a roll and want to get a few more chapters under my belt before dinner.
At 5, I take off for the only local pub in the village to sip some wine and continue writing before being joined at 6:30 by the rest of the group for a pub dinner. We continue getting to know each other amid much laughter as well as interact with the friendly pub staff.
Some of the Participants Hard at Work
So many work spaces are provided for participants at The Writers’ Retreat. I chose mostly to work in my room because I liked the view. Most of the others spread out among the many areas on the main floor of the converted pub.
Day 4: Thursday
Another mentorship meeting with Clare builds on my progress. She provides excellent and useful feedback about The Merchant of Siena. I’m finally starting to feel like this novel—which I’ve been writing on and off for about five years—is on its way to being completed.
Workshop: Writing Descriptions
In the afternoon, Clare facilitates a workshop on writing good descriptions. Thanks to her advice and prompts, each of us produces and reads two compelling pieces.
Day 5: Friday
Today, I share with Clare the first three chapters of Mill Song, my recently completed fifth novel. As I’ve come to expect from Clare, she provides me with thoughtful and useful feedback. I’m feeling more excited now about getting Mill Song out to the world.
Workshop: Writing Emotion
Our afternoon workshop is on how to effectively write emotion (no easy task). To my delight, I follow Clare’s prompts and end up writing a piece that I’ll be including in The Merchant of Siena. Talk about a win-win!
Day 6: Saturday
After a series of cloudy, wet days, the sun finally emerges on our last full day at The Writers’ Retreat. After five full days of solid writing, I start the final day feeling relaxed and much more confident in my ability to complete and be proud of The Merchant of Siena. I still have a few months worth of work to do before it’s ready to send to an editor, but that’s okay. I’m feeling motivated and confident—and that’s worth a lot!
After lunch, a few of us read a piece of our writing aloud to the group. I share a passage from The Merchant of Siena and am gratified by the positive response. One of our group is leaving, so after the readings, we troop out to the parking lot for a group photo.
The writers at The Writers’ Retreat with wonderful staff member Shane
Workshop: Writing Dialogue
Our final workshop with Clare is on how to write good dialogue (another challenging and useful topic). She has a knack for giving us just the right prompts to stimulate the creative juices. I’m amazed at the work each of us produces in a very short time. The creative process really is miraculous.
At the end of the day, we all retire to the pub for a farewell drink and dinner. I go to bed feeling tired but very satisfied with my progress over the week.
Should You Go On A Writers’ Retreat?
In a word, yes. No matter where you are on your writing journey, a writing retreat will help you. Having the time and mental space to do nothing but write and be creative is tremendously therapeutic. No cooking, no cleaning, no kids, no spouses, no day job—just you and your pen or laptop and the infinite possibilities roaming around your head waiting to be led to the light of day.
What could be better than that?
Conclusion
In March 2024, I went on another, very different, writers’ retreat with three other historical novelists. This one was based in sunny and warm Florida and was just as wonderful. Fellow historical novelist and retreatee Mary Tod wrote an interesting blog post about our experience in Florida.
I love the National Gallery in London! It’s small enough to enjoy in a few hours without getting exhausted (unlike the Louvre), and yet big enough to include an astonishing collection of masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the Impressionists.
Also, it’s free, which is amazing considering that every other major art museum in Europe charges at least 20 to 30 Euros.
I dropped by the National Gallery fairly late in the day and so only had an hour to spend before it closed. An hour is not enough, but if it’s all you have, you won’t be disappointed.
I wandered in a trance from room to room, eyes tearing up as every turn brought so many favorites before me. An impressive number of biggies are included in the sumptuous rooms.
I hadn’t visited London’s National Gallery for several years, and so was doubly excited to greet so many old friends and to discover several new pieces to admire.
In this post, I showcase some of the highlights.
Note that the images are downloaded from the National Gallery’s website, which allows display of its images for personal use, including blogs. I was glad to discover this because my own photographs are sometimes a bit crooked and ill-lit! Thank you, National Gallery.
Medieval Period at the National Gallery
Pieces by most of the major painters, including Giotto, Duccio, Lorenzetti, and Lippi, are included in the National Gallery’s medieval collection. One of the reasons why I love medieval Italian painting is because of how the artists depicted buildings. While perspective is generally lacking, the artists of this period captured the essence of medieval towns as a hodgepodge of arches and towers built at varying angles and heights. The arrangements communicate the feeling of a medieval town, rather than just a realistic representation, that still rings true today when you visit places like Siena and San Gimignano in Tuscany.
The Healing of the Man Born Blind by Duccio
I chose this painting because of how Duccio di Buoninsegna depicted the buildings behind the people. I love how the pastel colors of the buildings in the background contrast with the more vibrant robes of the central figures.
This painting is a small panel–one of 54 minutely detailed narrative scenes that was included in Duccio’s Maestà. A massive work, Maestà is considered one of the most ambitious altarpieces ever created. Most of the rest of the altarpiece is on display in the Museo dell’opera del Duomo in Siena. Read about it in my post about top cathedrals in Europe in which I include Siena Cathedral adjacent to the Museo. If you’re in Siena, the Museo dell’opera del Duomo (the museum of the cathedral) is a must-see.
When the Maestà was completed in 1311, it was carried through the streets of Siena. One of the characters in my novel The Towers of Tuscany reminiscences about seeing the procession when she was a young girl.
Duccio
The Healing of the Man born Blind
1307/8-11
Egg tempera on wood, 45.1 x 46.7 cm
Bought, 1883
NG1140
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1140
A Group of Four Poor Clares by Ambrogio Lorenzetti
Lorenzetti was active in Siena during the 1300s and likely died of the plague that hit Siena in 1348. I really like his work and so was delighted to discover this piece in the National Gallery. It’s a fragment of a fresco that was discovered under whitewash in 1855. I love the realism of the faces and their pensive expressions.
Ambrogio Lorenzetti
A Group of Four Poor Clares
possibly about 1336-40
Fresco with areas of secco, 70.4 × 63.4 cm
Bought, 1878
NG1147
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1147
Italian Renaissance at the National Gallery
So many masterpieces, so little time! I was rushed by the time I got to the rooms containing some of my favorite artists from the Italian Renaissance, most notably Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli, so I was unable to linger as long as I would have liked. Still, I managed to soak up the Renaissance vibe.
The Burlington House Cartoon by Leonardo da Vinci
I remember the first time I saw this piece when I was student at Reading University in the 1970s. Reading was only 40 minutes by train from London so I often went up to enjoy the art museums.
The Burlington House Cartoon is a large drawing made in preparation for a painting and is the only surviving large-scale drawing done by da Vinci. I like the contrast of rough and finished in the drawing. Some parts, such as the face of Mary, are beautifully detailed and evocative while others, such as the hand of Saint Anne (Mary’s mother) pointing heavenward, are barely sketched in.
Exhibited in a small, dimly lit room, the piece just glows.
Leonardo da Vinci
The Burlington House Cartoon
about 1499-1500
Charcoal (and wash?) heightened with white chalk on paper, mounted on canvas, 141.5 x 104.6 cm
Purchased with a special grant and contributions from the Art Fund, The Pilgrim Trust, and through a public appeal organised by the Art Fund, 1962
NG6337
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6337
Venus and Mars by Sandro Botticelli
I’ve been a fan of Botticelli’s work since discovering it while taking a first-year History of Art course in 1974. I’d forgotten that Venus and Mars–one of Botticelli’s most famous paintings–is in the National Gallery, and gasped out loud when I entered the roomful of Botticellis. Fortunately, no one noticed.
There’s so much to love about this painting! The look on Venus’s face as she coolly regards the blissed- out Mars is priceless. She’s clearly not all that impressed! And then there are the four mischievious nymphs trying to wake up Mars. One of them is even wearing his helmet.
Sandro Botticelli
Venus and Mars
about 1485
Tempera and oil on poplar, 69.2 x 173.4 cm
Bought, 1874
NG915
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG915
Flemish Masterpieces at the National Gallery
The National Gallery is particularly well endowed with masterpieces from the northern Renaissance. You’ll find several pieces by Rembrandt, two gems by Vermeer, and a famous van Dyck, among many others.
The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck
This is one of the most famous paintings in the National Gallery, and is considered one of the most famous and intriguing paintings in the world. There are so many details to examine, and all have significance. For more information about the painting (which was completed in 1434) and why it’s considered so great, check out this analysis on YouTube.
Jan van Eyck
The Arnolfini Portrait
1434
Oil on oak, 82.2 x 60 cm
Bought, 1842
NG186
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG186
A Woman Bathing in a Stream by Rembrandt
This is such a tender, beautiful painting by Rembrandt, and a bit of a change from his many portraits and self-portraits. The woman may be Hendrickje Stoffels, who came into Rembrandt’s household to look after his infant son after his first wife, Saskia, died. Hendrickje and Rembrandt became lovers but were unable to marry. There is a universality about the intimate moment caught in the painting that resonates with anyone who has ever taken off their shoes on a hot day to wade in a cool stream.
Rembrandt
A Woman bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels?)
1654
Oil on oak, 61.8 x 47 cm
Holwell Carr Bequest, 1831
NG54
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG54
A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal by Johannes Vermeer
The word exquisite always come to mind when I look at a painting by Vermeer. Detailed and delicate, this painting shows us a moment in time. The young girl is just about to play, but someone or something has distracted her. Whatever it is, she doesn’t look too thrilled.
One of the ways to appreciate just why Vermeer is considered so great is to look at paintings by his contemporaries. Most depict similar subjects, but you can tell right away that there’s something different about the Vermeers. The brushwork is finer, the light more skillfully depicted, the backgrounds more perfectly rendered. Vermeer didn’t paint many pieces during his lifetime, but what he did paint was pretty amazing.
Johannes Vermeer
A Young Woman seated at a Virginal
about 1670-2
Oil on canvas, 51.5 x 45.5 cm
Salting Bequest, 1910
NG2568
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG2568
ABoy and A Girl with a Cat and an Eel by Judith Leyster
I was super excited to come across this painting by Judith Leyster, who has been getting more recognition in recent years. The boy and the girl are definitely up to no good!
Judith Leyster
A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel
about 1635
Oil on oak, 59.4 × 48.8 cm
Bequeathed by C.F. Leach, 1943
NG5417
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG5417
The Four Elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Water by Joachim Beuckelaer
I had never seen these paintings before. They are not particularly famous, but they are interesting. I couldn’t stop looking at them.
Each painting depicts food according to its relationship to one of the four elements. In the Air painting, birds are being plucked and sold. Some impressive-looking vegetables are on display in the Earth painting. The Fire painting depicts game being butchered and roasted, and finally many different varieties of fish are ready for market in the Water painting.
The expressions on the faces of the people in the paintings are blank and dour. No one looks like they are enjoying themselves! But the colors and textures of the foods are so incredibly real. They almost look like they are about to spill out of the paintings onto the floor of the gallery.
Joachim Beuckelaer
The Four Elements: Air
1570
Oil on canvas, 158 × 216 cm
Bought, 2001
NG6587
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6587
Joachim Beuckelaer
The Four Elements: Earth
1569
Oil on canvas, 158 × 215.4 cm
Bought, 2001
NG6585
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6585
Joachim Beuckelaer
The Four Elements: Fire
1570
Oil on canvas, 158.2 × 215.4 cm
Bought, 2001
NG6588
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6588
Joachim Beuckelaer
The Four Elements: Water
1569
Oil on canvas, 158.1 × 214.9 cm
Bought, 2001
NG6586
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6586
Baroque Paintings at the National Gallery
Boy Bitten by a Lizard by Caravaggio
In a room full of great paintings, I was instantly drawn to this small painting by Caravaggio of a boy being bitten by a lizard. The expression on his face is so real and so relatable. The painting was completed in Rome in the mid-1590s and was considered innovative for the time. Apparently, it was unusual for a late-16th-century painting to show such a moment of action. Caravaggio, however, wasn’t worried about following artistic conventions. He painted directly on the canvas from live models
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Boy bitten by a Lizard
about 1594-5
Oil on canvas, 66 x 49.5 cm
Bought with the aid of a contribution from the J. Paul Getty Jr Endowment Fund, 1986
NG6504
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6504
British Painting at the National Gallery
The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner
My father bought a print of this painting when he first visited London in the 1960s. It was probably the first real painting I’d ever seen, and I remember loving to look at it when I was a child. When I saw it again in the National Gallery, I couldn’t help feeling emotional since my father has been gone for several years now and my mother passed quite recently.
Turner’s painting shows the final journey of the Temeraire, a warship that had played a distinguished role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, but by 1838 was ready for the scrap heap. It’s a poignant scene in its depiction of the age of sail giving way to the age of steam. Turner, of course, was most famous for his depiction of light, which is on full display in the magnificent sunset depicted in the painting.
The painting is one of Turner’s most famous and duly celebrated, but for me it will always remind me of my childhood home.
Joseph Mallord William Turner
The Fighting Temeraire
1839
Oil on canvas, 90.7 x 121.6 cm
Turner Bequest, 1856
NG524
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG524
Impressionists and Post-Impressionists at the National Gallery
The rooms displaying paintings by the Impressionists and post-Impressionists are generally mobbed at the National Gallery. So many famous pieces are included! Stand in the middle of one of the rooms and rotate slowly. If you’re a fan of this era and style of art, you’ll likely recognize just about every piece in the room, from the iconic Sunflowers by van Gogh to the massive painting of The Bathers by Seurat and the sublime waterlilies by Monet.
I’d forgotten just how rich the National Gallery’s collection of Impressionists is and spent my first few minutes in the rooms exclaiming (to myself), they have that? and that one? oh, my, and that one too?This is incredible!
I had to sit down a few times just to collect myself. I’ve picked out four of my favorites (but it was a tough choice).
Waterlilies by Monet
This luscious painting dominates one entire wall and is hard to get a full-on look at thanks to the throngs of like-minded visitors standing in front of it. This piece is one that was not included in the collection of large waterlily paintings in Musėe de l’Orangerie in Paris (check out my round-up of Nine of the Best Small Museums in Paris for more about the Monets in the Orangerie).
The waterlily paintings in the Orangerie include details of trees and foliage that anchor the viewer and give them a sense of location. But this painting in the National Gallery is completely free-flowing. You have no idea where in the pond you are; you’re immersed in a shimmering world of greens and pinks and purples. No photograph can do it justice; you need to stand in front of the real thing and just drink it in.
Claude Monet
Water-Lilies
after 1916
Oil on canvas, 200.7 x 426.7 cm
Bought, 1963
NG6343
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6343
Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh
This cheerful painting of sunflowers exuberantly clumped together in a plain vase signed by “Vincent” is probably the most famous of van Gogh’s works. It appears on a dizzying array of merchandise in the gift shop, from mugs to cards to t-shirts to umbrellas.
Why is this painting so famous? I think because it looks like sunshine on canvas. The varying shades of yellow and gold that van Gogh uses perfectly capture the feeling of a hot day in late summer when some sunflowers are still in bloom, others have just passed their peak and are starting to wilt, and still others have lost their petals completely.
This version of Sunflowers is one of five, the other four being on display in art museums around the world including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam (always worth a visit!). Apparently, van Gogh made the paintings to decorate his house in Arles in preparation for a visit from fellow artist Paul Gauguin.
Vincent van Gogh
Sunflowers
1888
Oil on canvas, 92.1 x 73 cm
Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924
NG3863
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG3863
Bathers at Asnières by Georges Seurat
The painting depicts regular people enjoying a day off at the river, the factories they work in visible in the distance, their focus on the feel of warm grass and cool water. It’s a snapshot in time. Each person is immersed in his own thoughts; each is alone, the exhaustion of a week at work still heavy on their shoulders even on their day off.
This massive painting is famous for its use of pointillism and was Seurat’s first major composition. He painted it at the age of 24 to make his mark at the official Salon in the spring of 1884. Unfortunately, the painting was rejected!
Georges Seurat
Bathers at Asnières
1884
Oil on canvas, 201 × 300 cm
Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924
NG3908
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG3908
Surprised! by Rousseau
This painting by Rousseau was new to me, and I just loved it! Look at the expression on the tiger’s face! Has he been frightened by the flashes of lightning and the sudden wind blowing the jungle foliage all over the place? Who knows? But it’s such a wonderfully lush moment. Surprised! was the first of about 20 jungle paintings that Rousseau produced. His jungles are entirely imaginary; Rousseau never left France.
He was an amateur artist who faced a fair bit of ridicule from the art establishment, but now Rousseau is considered a pioneer of “naïve art.”
Henri Rousseau
Surprised!
1891
Oil on canvas, 129.8 x 161.9 cm
Bought, with the aid of a substantial donation from the Hon. Walter H. Annenberg, 1972
NG6421
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6421
National Gallery Details
The National Gallery is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm and on Fridays until 9 pm. It’s located on Trafalgar Square and entry is free, although donations are welcomed. The nearest Tube stations are Charing Cross and Leicester Square.
Tours of the National Gallery
Every so often, I spring for a guided tour of an art museum and I’m never disappointed. Here are some options for touring the National Gallery.
Conclusion
Have you visited the National Gallery? What are some of your favorites? Share in the Comments below. Want more posts about art museums? Here are some posts about great art museums in Europe that I’ve visited and recommend:
Back in the day, industrial Birmingham did not have the best of reputations. I lived in England for four years in the 1970s and have been back many times, but never have I put Birmingham on my itinerary. I remember changing trains there in 1979 and walking quickly and a tad nervously between stations.
But over the last few decades, Birmingham has undergone a transformation.
Why I Went to Birmingham
While planning my solo trip to England in 2022, I put Birmingham on my list for one reason only. I wanted to visit a National Trust property called Birmingham Back to Backs. It’s not a grand country house like the vast majority of National Trust properties, but rather a nondescript collection of cramped houses built around a courtyard in the style known as back-to-back.
For over two centuries, millions of Britons (including some of my ancestors) lived and worked in this type of housing. I was writing a novel set in a mill town in Yorkshire in the 1890s and wanted to know how regular people lived. Since the Birmingham Back to Backs property is the only one of its kind left in England, I booked two nights in Birmingham to see it.
But I had zero expectations of what else I’d see and do while in Birmingham.
Birmingham Map
The map below includes all the locations mentioned in this post. I suggest staying in the Gas Street Basin area (see below). You can walk pretty much everywhere from there or grab an Uber.
I arrived at Birmingham New Street Train Station (#5 on the map above) at 7 pm after a wonderful day tootling around the Cotswolds on a Go Cotswolds tour (read my post all about it!) and took a taxi to the AC Marriott hotel located on the edge of the Gas Street Basin (#3 on the map above) in Birmingham’s bustling and refurbished city center.
The AC Marriott is located in Gas Street Basin in the building called The Mailbox
The second largest city in England, Birmingham appears to be booming. After checking in to the hotel, I emerged quayside to the Gas Street Basin to survey a plethora of modern architecture, colorful boats cruising along canals lined with posh restaurants and bustling pubs, and throngs of people out having a good time.
Birmingham apparently has more miles of canals than Venice. Who knew?
The city planners got things right with this area of Birmingham. It’s incredibly people-friendly with its canal-side walkways and aura of peaceful prosperity.
Revitalized Birmingham
A Full Day in Birmingham
While enjoying my first coffee of the day at a coffee shop on the main floor of the hotel, I tried to listen in on the conversation between two men sitting next to me. They were speaking English—I think. The famous Brummie accent really is just about incomprehensible, at least to me.
I needed to listen very, very carefully to hear more than a series of rumbles and mumbles with swallowed consonants and vowels and glottal stops. Clipped words emerged from throats that sounded like they’d been stuffed with cotton. I worried the men were choking, but no, they were just having a regular conversation. I’ve eavesdropped on French conversations and understood more!
So far, I’ve had to ask anyone I’ve interacted with to repeat themselves several times. Even a phrase like Anything else? asked by the coffee person comes out as noise.
And I thought the Scots accent was hard to understand! The Birmingham accent has it beat, hands down.
Birmingham Back to Backs
As mentioned, I decided to spend a full day in Birmingham to tour the Birmingham Back to Backs (#1 on the map above), a National Trust property that promises to let visitors experience 200 years of working people’s lives in the heart of Birmingham.
A hundred years ago, the Midlands and North of England were full of these brick structures built to accommodate the millions of factory workers needed to keep the industrial revolution ticking over.
I purchased my ticket a month prior (pre-booking is essential) and arrived at 10:30 am for the first tour of the day.
Entrance to Birmingham Back to Backs National Trust Property
For almost two hours, I enjoyed one of the most comprehensive and interesting tours I’ve ever experienced.
The National Trust is known for its stewardship of massive stately homes—domains of the 1%. I’ve visited many of these homes over the years and marveled at the art and architecture.
The Birmingham Back to Backs are at the opposite end of the wealth spectrum. That the National Trust also recognized the need to preserve the type of building in which a great majority of the population lived right up until the early 2000s is to its credit.
What are Back to Backs?
The Back to Backs are houses built, as the name suggests, back-to-back, with half the houses facing the street and the other half facing an inner courtyard. A collection of these houses is known as a court. Some courts included dozens of houses. The National Trust has preserved Court 15, a community of eleven houses thought to have housed over 500 different families over its 200-year lifespan.
The courtyard at the Birmingham Back to Backs
A very knowledgeable guide took our group into four homes and related the stories of the occupants from four time periods between 1840 and 1977. In our group of 9, everyone except me hailed from England.
One of the men, who was about my age, told us that his mum had been born in a Back to Back. I’m pretty sure my grandmother and certainly my great-grandmother would have lived in similar housing up in Yorkshire.
House 1: 1851
Each of the four houses we visit was decorated in the style of a different time period. The first was from 1851 and was occupied by the Levy family, a Jewish family who migrated to Birmingham from London. The house was surprisingly comfortable, even spacious, although certainly not luxurious. Lawrence Levy had been a watchmaker and had his workshop on the top floor.
We climbed up and down tiny twisting stairways numerous times during the tour. Handrails and grips were provided for safety, but the guide informed us that back in the day, none of the staircases would have had handrails. She asked us to imagine how agile a woman would have needed to be to mount the stairs while wearing long skirts and carrying a candle in one hand and probably a baby in the other. Apparently, accidents were common, and no wonder.
Even hanging on with both hands, I could barely make it up some of the almost vertical stairways!
House 2: 1860s
The next house we entered belonged to the Oldfield family who lived in one of the back houses in the 1860s. Eleven people lived in the house at that time—two parents, seven children, and two lodgers all crammed into three floors consisting of one room per floor that also included space for Herbert Oldfield’s workshop. He was a glassworker who made glass eyes for dolls and stuffed toys.
One of the double beds had four pillows—two at each end. Four children would have slept top to tail in the bed, with likely one more in the middle! The guide also showed us a bureau drawer in which the baby would sleep.
A curtain divided the children’s bed from another double bed slept in by two lodgers. A man and a woman (unmarried) shared the bed but apparently not at the same time. One worked the day shift and the other the night shift so they were two ships passing in the night. Their space was bare of everything except a bed and a high shelf on which was stacked a small collection of books. The entire room was maybe 12’ x 12’.
The overcrowding must have been horrendous—and yet very common. My great-grandmother with her twelve brothers and sisters would have lived in a similar place when she was young. She eloped in 1903 and emigrated to Canada in 1911 when my grandmother was five years old. The log cabin she inhabited in British Columbia with her four children and no running water must have seemed like paradise compared to the housing of her youth.
Entrance to the communal wash house at the Birmingham Back to Backs
House 3: 1830s-1935
Three generations of the third family—the Mitchells—lived at Court 15 from the 1830s, when water had to be brought from the well a few blocks away, until 1935 when the houses had basic plumbing and electricity.
The prevailing feeling in the small rooms was how cramped, dark, and uncomfortable they must have been to live in. The upper floors had no heat, and damp was a constant problem.
House 4: 1960s-2002
The final house was lived in by George Saunders who migrated to Birmingham in 1958 from St. Kitts in the Caribbean. By that time, the ground floor of Court 15 had been converted to shops with some people still living in the floors above. George was a tailor and the last person who worked in Court 15 before its closure in 2002.
Special Exhibition at Birmingham Back to Backs
After enjoying the tour (highly recommended), I toured the special exhibitions. The most interesting documented the Child’s Emigration Homes founded by John T. Milldemore in 1873. The Homes sent 5000 orphans and desperately poor children from Birmingham to Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia in Canada. Between 1922 and 1955, they sent another 259 children to Australia.
While some children thrived in their new homes, others did not and suffered terrible abuse. The pictures and commentary are both heartbreaking and compelling.
Photograph of Mary S., living in poverty in Birmingham in 1896 and allegedly better off in Canada in 1897George Before and After
Birmingham Back to Backs Practical Information
Operated by the National Trust, the Birmingham Back to Backs are accessible only by a guided tour that you must book in advance. Here’s the link. Tours are offered from 10:00 to 15:00 daily (closed Monday). Admission is free to National Trust members. Non-member prices are £9.50 for adults and £4.75 for children.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
After a lunch of leftover chicken wings from my dinner the night before, I set off for the Barber Institute of Fine Arts (#2). I had wanted to visit the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (#6) which is said to be world-class and have an excellent collection of paintings by the pre-Raphaelites. However, it was undergoing renovations, with almost all the galleries closed.
Housed in an imposing building on the campus of the University of Birmingham, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts was also reputed to have a fine collection so off I went. I took my first Birmingham Uber with a young man originally from Haiti who was very interested in learning all about Canada. We had a great chat as he drove me through the posh area of Birmingham with large houses and leafy avenues on our way to the university.
The Barber Institute Collection
The collection at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts was small but quite exquisite. I spent a happy hour wandering past works from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Here are a few highlights.
Dürer Special Exhibition
One room was dedicated to a special exhibition of etchings by Albrecht Dürer. I’ve had a soft spot for Dürer even since touring his house in Nuremberg on a trip to Germany in 2015.
Etching of a greyhound by Albrecht Dürer
Medieval Art
One of the first rooms included a good collection of medieval art (always my favorite). Here’s a piece by Simone Martini (1284-1344) of Saint John the Evangelist. Painted in Siena in 1320, the piece originally formed the right-hand panel of a triptych. Although there is no signature on the piece to prove it was painted by Martini, the refined use of color, the elegant borders to the drapery, and the decoration in the gilding are characteristic of Martini’s style, which was very innovative for the time.
Flemish Art
I am fascinated by the still life paintings common in Flanders during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Barber had several interesting examples, including the two shown below.
A Still Life with a Nautilus Cup by Jan Davidsz de Heem
I love how the objects have been arranged in this painting to demonstrate how well the artist is able to show the play of light on different materials–shell, pewter, leaves, fruit, etc., using only a few colors. Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606-1683/4) lived in Leiden, Holland.
A Still Life with a Nautilus Cup by Jan Davidsz de Heem
Still Life with a Garland of Fruit by Maria Tassaert
A woman artist! You don’t see many of them, although I noticed on my trip in 2022 that changes are afoot. In most galleries, I found a least a few paintings by female old masters as more and more of them are being rediscovered and given their due.
Maria Tassaert (about 1642-1668) lived and worked in Antwerp in Flanders. The painting is a celebration of Nature’s bounty and the artist’s technical skills in depicting a cluster of fruit that includes cherries, white peaches, white and black grapes, nectarines, raspberries, blackberries, and gooseberries in addition to ivy and fruit-tree leaves.
Still Life with a Garland of Fruit by Maria Tassaert
Impressionists
The Barber Institute includes a few beautiful paintings from the 19th century, including a very fine Renoir.
A Young Woman Seated by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
This work became know as La Pensée or Thought and was painted around 1876. The soft oranges, reds, greens, and blues are typical of the Impressionist pallette during that period.
A Young Woman Seated by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pre-Raphaelites
The Last of England by Ford Madox Brown
One of the Barber Institutes major works is The Last of England by pre-Raphaelite artist Ford Madox Brown. It’s one of the masterworks of Victorian painting and one of the very few pieces in the collection that I was not allowed to photograph. Thank goodness for Wikipedia Commons (see picture below).
The painting depicts a young family huddled together on an open boat on their way to a ship that will take them from England to a new life in the colonies. The resigned expressions on their faces as they leave behind their home is caught with painstaking detail.
Ford Madox Brown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Barber Institute of Fine Arts Practical Information
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is located on the campus of the University of Birmingham and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. Admission is free.
Strolling Around the Canals
I took an Uber back to my hotel and went for a stroll along the canals in the area immediately adjacent to Gas Street Basin (#3) where I was staying. Restaurants and upscale pubs line the canals which were teeming with people enjoying the Bank Holiday Sunday.
The prevailing atmosphere was prosperous, cheerful, and incredibly diverse. Everyone seemed to be under forty, many pushing strollers. People from all over the world have made Birmingham their home, which rivals London for the diversity of its population.
Birmingham CanalsBrummies at play in a Birmingham plaza
What Else to See and Do in Birmingham
With only a day to spare, I didn’t have time to enjoy all the delights of Birmingham. Here are some suggestions if you have some extra hours. I particularly recommend the walking tours.
Where to Stay in Birmingham
I recommend staying in the vicinity of the Gas Street Basin, preferably overlooking one of the canals. I stayed in the AC Hotel by Marriott and can recommend it. The room was spacious, the staff friendly and helpful, and the large bar very comfortable. Also, the location overlooking the Gas Street Basin can’t be beat. Right outside your door are plenty of restaurants and cafes.
I first visited Yorkshire in 1974 at the age of eighteen during my epic around-England-by-train journey with two friends (read about that trip!).
The wonderful town of York quickly became our favorite because there was so much to see and do, even back in the 1970s. It’s a tourist town with several noteworthy sites including the incomparable York Minster, the York Castle Museum, and the Jorvick Viking Centre.
York also makes an excellent home base from which to explore Yorkshire. As England’s largest county (by far), Yorkshire is otherwise known as God’s Country by the locals. I have a special affinity to Yorkshire. My grandmother was born in Masham in Yorkshire and often talked fondly of her early years there, and I’ve set my fifth novel there.
In this post, I detail what to see in York and describe two full-day, small-group tours I took in 2022. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere on Artsy Traveler, I’m a big fan of small-group day tours. The two I took from York were first-rate.
York
York Minster dominates the walled city of York. A tourist mecca with plenty of shops and services for visitors, it’s also small enough to walk around easily. I recommend staying for at least two nights (and preferably three).
While in York, I visited the Yorkshire Museum, York Minster, the York Castle Museum, and Jorvick Viking Centre. In addition, I took a shamble through the Shambles and enjoyed three excellent meals.
Here are a few other tours in York offered by Get Your Guide, a company I’ve taken tours with and can recommend.
Yorkshire Museum
The Yorkshire Museum is located in the Museum Gardens, which is about a 10-minute walk from the York Railway station next to the river and from the Bootham Gate leading into the ancient center of York where York Minster is located.
The museum itself is small and probably only worth a visit if the special exhibition interests you. When I visited, an informative exhibition about the Ryedale Hoard was featured. The Ryedale Hoard is a collection of bronze Roman objects discovered by detectorists in North Yorkshire in 2020. A small bronze bust of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is the centerpiece of the collection.
The small bronze bust of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, part of the Ryedale Hoard
The exhibition also includes other Roman objects and interesting descriptions of who might have buried the hoard—A priest? A landowner? A metalworker? And why? That’s the Ryedale Hoard mystery.
As well, the museum features a Jurassic exhibition and plenty of medieval and Roman objects. It’s definitely worth a quick visit if you’re into history, archaeology, and geology (and who isn’t?).
Yorkshire Museum Practical Information
The Yorkshire Museum is open Tuesday – Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is £8 online / £8.75 walk-up price for Adults and Seniors; £4 online / £4.40 walk-up price for children ages 5-16; and £7.20 / £7.90 walk-up price for Students/Young People. The website advises booking online prior to visiting the museum.
York Minster
The headliner in York is York Minster, and no wonder! The magnificent cathedral dominates the skyline of York for miles around. I’ve visited York several times, and I still got a thrill every time I turned a corner and saw the Minster’s towers poking the sky between the buildings.
You’ll pay an admission fee to enter the Minster, but it’s money well spent. A big reason for the entrance fee is that it apparently costs £22,000 a day to keep the Minster open and operating. If you have time, visit around 5 pm to enjoy Evensong during which the choir sings accompanied by the organ–guaranteed to give you chills!
One of the coolest things about York Minster is how the facade changes with the light. I took a lot of pictures during my three-day stay. Every time I was in the vicinity of York Minster, it looked different! Here are two views.
York Minster is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30 am to 4 pm and on Sunday from 12:45 pm to 3:15 pm. Online ticket prices are Adult/Senior – £12.50; Students (not studying in York) – £9.50; Child (16 and under)* – free with a paying adult; York resident/York student – free with proof of address. Check the York Minster website to buy tickets online and also to check times for Evensong.
York Castle Museum
York Castle Museum is one of my favorite all-round cool museums in Britain. You can spend hours here prowling through the many exhibits designed to bring history to life.
I particularly enjoyed the re-creations of rooms from past eras. Here are two of them.
17th Century
19th Century
Another favorite room features costumes dating from the early 19th century to the present day. I got a kick out of this coat from the early 1970s, which is very similar to one I owned in 1974 when I was a student at Reading University!
Throwback time!
I spent quite a bit of time watching videos that bring to life the differences between work in the “olden” days and now. Two people–one from modern times and one from the early 1900s–spoke about their jobs. A maid in a country house talked with a cashier in a modern supermarket; a bank clerk from 1900 talked with a modern office worker, and so on. I was fascinated and had to watch all of the variations! The nature and quantity of work certainly has changed over the centuries.
One area of the museum is devoted to displaying full-size recreated streets from the early 20th century. Costumed guides happy to share their knowledge staff many of the shops.
View of a late-19th-century street, a reconstruction in the York Castle Museum in York
York Castle Museum Practical Information
The York Castle Museum is open Monday from 11 am to 5 pm and Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is £13 online / £14 walk-up price for Adults and Seniors; £6.50 online / £7 walk-up price for children ages 5-16; and £11.70 / £12.60 walk-up price for Students/Young People. The website advises booking online prior to visiting the museum.
Jorvik Viking Centre
The Jorvik Viking Centre is touted as a major attraction in York and for good reason. It’s kind of cheesy, to be honest, but it’s still worth visiting to get a sense of what life was like back in the 800s when York was a Viking town.
After arriving at the Jorvik Viking Centre, I boarded a slow-moving, Disney-style ride (think It’s a Small World) and was whisked (slowly) away on a journey through a Viking town. Commentary is available in multiple languages. The dioramas and figures are life-like and give a pretty good sense of how the world might have looked back in the day. All that’s missing are the smells!
A viking with his dog
A viking making things out of antlers
I enjoyed the ride and the displays afterwards. Good-humored, costumed guides occasionally give demonstrations of various Viking crafts. A real Viking village was probably not quite so jolly.
Viking mum and child with vegetables
Jorvik Viking Centre Practical Information
The Jorvik Viking Centre is usually open from 10 am to 6 pm. Check the website for varying hours depending on the time of year. The Centre is a very popular tourist destination. Book your visit a few days in advance to select the time you want to visit and also avoid disappointment. Popular time slots sell out quickly. Admission is £13.50 for Adults; £9.50 for children ages 5-16 accompanied by an adult; £11.50 for students with valid student ID, and £11.50 for seniors 60+. Visit the website to book online.
The Shambles
The Shambles is a touristy but still fun street in York. Although only a block long, the street is one of the few remaining in Britain that retains its medieval character. Buildings jut out over the narrow street which is more like an alleyway.
Capitalizing on the Harry Potter franchise, the street contains several “magic” stores. The area is worth a quick walk through, preferably in the evening after the crowds of tourists have somewhat dissipated.
The Shambles in York
Harry Potter spin-off shop
Tours of York with Tiqets.com
Here are some tours offered through Tiqets.com
Yorkshire Moors Tour
I signed up for a full-day tour of the moors with Grand Yorkshire Tours. Called “Steam Trains, Whitby & the Moors”, the tour promises a full day with no more than seven people in a small minivan. Hotel pickup and steam train tickets are included.
At exactly 9 am, as promised, the driver pulls up in front of Jorvik House Hotel and I jump into the minivan where my six companions are already settled: a couple from Florida, a man from Colorado Springs, another couple from Cheltenham in the UK, and a woman from Tunisia who has lived for many years in the US.
And me, as usual the lone Canadian.
Our driver, Peter, is a Yorkshire native who takes us on a comprehensive tour through several of Yorkshire’s scenic hot spots. Yorkshire is so large that I book another tour for the following day that features the Yorkshire Dales because the itineraries are completely different.
Helmsley
Our first stop is the idyllic little town of Helmsley on the edge of the North York Moors National Park where our driver is from. He advises us to take the iconic shot of the church (see below), which I of course do.
Iconic shot of Helmsley in Yorkshire
With my touristic duty done, I take stock of Helmsley’s many scrummy-looking bakeries and tea shops. I try to resist the siren call of the scones, but in vain. I buy two. One is chock-a-block with candied fruit and the other packed full of cheese.
Both are achingly fresh and fluffy and buttery.
Yorkshire Moors
We drive up into the Yorkshire moors and learn about the history of the area—from Romans to Vikings to the Middle Ages and then the reformation which certainly caused a lot of damage to local monasteries and churches. The views are stunning.
I’m lucky to be visiting at the tail end of heather season. Clumps of vivid purple carpet large swathes of the brown moors. Every so often, a sheep wanders by. As Peter says, we are driving through their home since most sheep live on the moors year round.
Carol Cram on the Yorkshire Moors
I learn that heather moorland is rare compared to other types of land. One of the world’s largest continuous expanses of upland heather moorland is in the North York Moors.
Peter, the guide on Grand Yorkshire Tours, talk about moorland and heather
I also learn that the moors are actually man-made. The landscape looks so wild that it’s hard to believe it hasn’t always looked that way. But nope. As early as the Iron Age 4,000 years ago, people were wanting to farm crops and pasture animals.
They cut down the vast forests that had covered the area to make clearings for farms. As the population grew, the forests diminished until by the Middle Ages, most of the woodland had disappeared.
Here’s a video shot atop the Yorkshire moors. Spectacular!
Whitby
The seaside town of Whitby is a revelation. The only thing I know about Whitby is that it’s on the sea. As a result, I’m pleasantly surprised to discover a fabulous abbey perched high on cliffs overlooking the sparkling blue North Sea, a charming old town, the best fish and chips in the UK (their claim and it seems valid), a Captain Cook Museum, and a major connection to Dracula.
The seaside town of Whitby
Goths Rule in Whitby
Wander the streets of Whitby and you’ll eventually come across young women (and sometimes men) dressed head to toe in artfully tattered black clothes and wearing heavy black make-up and an earnest expression. You’ll be right to presume they are visiting Whitby because of the Dracula connection.
Twice I pass a family that makes me smile. Mum and Dad are typical middle-class English folks—the kind of conservatively dressed, comfortable-looking people you see every day. Their daughter, however, wears a long black gown (tattered, of course), carries a black parasol, and is wearing the most outlandish black eye make-up I’ve ever seen. The three of them wander around the Abbey ruins and then later I see them in the town enjoying fish and chips. The daughter’s appearance barely merits the occasional glance from passersby.
Bram Stoker & Whitby
Bram Stoker arrived in Whitby in July of 1890. The windswept headland and spooky abbey ruins combined with the atmospheric old town and North Sea views were ripe for exploiting by an over-active imagination (which Stoker had in spades).
Bram Stoker – Wikipedia
He hung around the town for a few weeks presumably enjoying the sea air before fate stepped in. Stoker visited the local library and discovered a book published in 1820 that recorded the experiences of William Wilkinson, a British consul in Bucharest. While traveling in Wallachia and Moldavia (now in Romania), Wilkinson learned about Vlad Tepes, a charming fellow known as Dracula, aka “son of the dragon.” He had a not-so-charming habit of impaling his enemies on wooden stakes.
Anyway, Bram Stoker’s imagination went into overdrive and 130 years later, heavily gothed-up young people take day trips to Whitby to wander the Abbey ruins, presumably with vampiric intentions, and then descend the 199 steps to the old town to enjoy fish and chips followed by teeth-breaking encounters with pieces of Whitby rock (an iconic hard candy with a vivid pink coating).
Whitby Abbey
Peter drops us off at the Abbey and advises us to walk down the 199 steps to the town and meet him two hours later at the train station. The weather obliges with brilliant blue skies against which the Abbey ruins photograph beautifully. I wander around the ruins for a while, dodging the occasional Goth girl, and have a quick look in the museum.
Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire
A stunning location for Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire
I read that on May 26, 2022, which is the 125th anniversary of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, 1,369 vampires showed up to celebrate. The event was billed as the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires in the world. Now that’s an event to really get your teeth into.
The first Whitby Abbey was a 7th-century Christian monastery that later became a Benedictine abbey. It was a major center of learning for about 800 years until it was confiscated and then destroyed by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries (1536-1545). Henry certainly was busy in the area.
Descending 199 Steps to the Old Town of Whitby
I am glad to be descending the steps rather than ascending. Many more people are climbing up and I’m a bit alarmed by the look of some them as, red-faced and panting, they struggle up the stairs.
Every few feet, I pause to snap yet another gorgeous photo until finally I’m walking along the narrow, twisty streets of the old town.
Looking out over a graveyard in Whitby
The Captain Cook Memorial Museum is nearby but, cognizant of the need to have lunch and then be on time for the bus, I reluctantly pass on it. I head across the bridge to the new town and buy a take-away of fish and chips.
Eating in Whitby
I’ve never seen so many fish and chips shops, ice cream parlors, and candy stores in one place in my life. And business is brisk. Although it’s the day after the Monday bank holiday, the streets are packed with holiday makers.
For just £8.50 (including a can of pop), my lunch is an amazing bargain. The piece of haddock is huge and absolutely the best I’ve ever tasted. Crunchy light batter coats a thick piece of meaty white haddock that tastes light and of the sea. Marvelous!
I settle on to a bench alongside the harbor and watch the world go by as I enjoy my fish and chips. Judging from the conversations I overhear, pretty much everyone is local. And almost everyone has a dog—from whippets and dachshunds to spaniels and labs and everything in between.
A medium portion of fish and chips in Whitby
Taking the Steam Train
After Whitby, our next stop is tiny Goathland station, made famous in the Harry Potter movies as the location of Hogsmeade station. Part of the tour includes a one-hour ride on the steam train that journeys along the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to the town of Pickering.
Unfortunately, an exceedingly dry summer has resulted in a ban on steam engines. Apparently, they pose a fire hazard. As a result, the carriages are drawn by a common-or-garden diesel engine which is a bit of a disappointment but can’t be helped.
Here is the train pulling into the station–a video that would be a bit more dramatic if the train was the regular steam train, but you get the idea.
The journey takes us through dark forests and across wide expanses to purple heather and dry yellow grasses. I marvel at the quantity of wild land in such a crowded country.
Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Pickering
Our last stop before driving back to York is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, a typical small parish church with a not-so-typical interior. The original Norman church was built around 1140 and then in 1450 a series of colorful medieval wall murals were painted.
Back in the day, the walls of most churches were filled with colorful paintings depicting Biblical scenes for the vast majority of parishioners who could not read. Come the Reformation and then the Civil War, religious types with different views whitewashed the paintings.
In 1852, the paintings were revealed; however, the vicar at the time apparently did not want the paintings shown, saying that “As a work of art [they are] fairly ridiculous, would excite feelings of curiosity, and distract the congregation.”
I’ll bet he wasn’t a lot of fun at a party.
He ordered the paintings be re-covered with a thick yellow wash that was finally removed in the 1880s and 1890s. The resulting paintings, while extensively damaged, are a fabulous example of how most church interiors originally looked. Unfortunately, only about five churches in the country still have their original murals, with the ones in St. Peter and St. Paul being of particularly fine quality.
A Hidden Gem
For the wandering Artsy Traveler, the paintings are a hidden gem. Peter tells us that almost no one knows about the paintings. One of the many benefits of taking small-group tours is the chance to explore such off-the-beaten-path sites.
Return to York
We drive back to York and I enjoy a first-rate pub meal at The House of the Trembling Madness. I love this place! The upstairs room in the medieval building dates from the 12st century and has all the heavy wooden beams and stuffed critters on the walls to prove it. I order the Yorkshire Platter and am in heaven.
A walls of heads in the House of the Trembling Madness pub
An amazing Yorkshire Platter
Yorkshire Dales Tour
I choose a different company for my second tour of Yorkshire—this time of the Yorkshire Dales with Mountain Goat Tours. Like the Go Cotswolds tour, the Mountain Goat tours use 16-seater minibusses which are small enough to navigate the tiny mountain roads we’ll traverse during the course of the day.
Mountain Goat Tours 16-seater bus
Matt, our guide and driver, is friendly, knowledgeable, and very enthusiastic about responsible tourism. He tells us that he’s doing his master’s degree in tourism management and has been conducting tours with Mountain Goat for several years. The company provides day tours in scenic areas all over the north including the Lake District, North Wales, and, of course, Yorkshire.
A Short History of Yorkshire
As we head out of York, Matt gives us a short history of the area, explaining how it was first settled by the Romans and then the Anglo Saxons, the Vikings, and the Normans in 1066. He tells us about the Harrying of the North, which I’d never heard of even though I lived in Durham, which is pretty close to York, for a year in the 1970s.
After conquering southern England, William the Conqueror turned his attention to subjugating the North. The people of the North were none too pleased and had the nerve to rebel against William. He retaliated with swift brutality by using scorched earth tactics to destroy the northern shires, particularly in the city of York. Even for the time, William’s viciousness was breathtaking.
Harrying of the North
After the tour, I go online to learn more about the Harrying of the North and read this account by Orderic Vitalis, a contemporary chronicler. In 1069, he wrote:
“Nowhere else had William shown so much cruelty. Shamefully he succumbed to this vice, for he made no effort to restrain his fury and punished the innocent with the guilty. In his anger he commanded that all crops and herds, chattels and food of every kind should be brought together and burned to ashes with consuming fire, so that the whole region north of the Humber might be stripped of all means of sustenance. In consequence so serious a scarcity was felt in England, and so terrible a famine fell upon the humble and defenceless populace, that more than 100,000 Christian folk of both sexes, young and old alike, perished of hunger.”
No wonder that to this day people in the north are often not terribly keen on southerners!
Masham
Our first stop is the town of Masham, a market town where the smell of beer brewing in the local breweries hangs in the air and the attractive town square is lined with stone buildings that look unchanged for a century or two.
Town of Masham
Typical housing in Masham
My grandmother was born in Masham in 1906 so visiting it has a special significance. Her family left soon after she was born (they moved a lot) so my grandmother likely never knew much about the place.
I stand in the middle of the market square and try to imagine my great-grandmother holding my grannie in one arm while she held the hand of my great-aunt. The town now is marketed as a good home base for touring the Yorkshire dales, but back in my granny’s time I think it must have been quite bleak.
Jervaulx Abbey
Matt takes us to lovely Jervaulx Abbey, a hauntingly beautiful place privately owned and maintained by the Burdon family. The Abbey, like all the abbeys in the area, was plundered and pillaged during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century.
The ruins are charmingly untouched, with wild flowers, shrubs and trees growing freely in a peaceful country setting.
Jervaulx Abbey
Bolton Castle
Another quick stop at Bolton Castle gives me just enough time to make the acquaintance of some wild boars who don’t look very wild. As I approach their enclosure, they barely twitch a whisker. And then I take out a bag of crisps and the sound wakes up several of them. They charge towards the wire fence, ears perked. I have to tell them no. After staring at me hopefully for a few minutes, they amble back to find the patch of dirt they’d vacated and resume their recumbent positions.
Boars at Bolton Castle
Bolton Castle
Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned in Bolton Castle along with a large entourage of servants (so she couldn’t have been too deprived) between 1568 and 1579. But her life went from bad to worse following her Bolton Castle stint until finally she was beheaded by order of her cousin Elizabeth I in 1587.
Aysgarth Falls
Next stop is a quick one to view Aysgarth Falls on the River Ure. It’s a spectacular triple flight of waterfalls made famous as the place where Kevin Costner as Robin Hood duels with Little John in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Hawes
We drive up hill and down dale to the village of Hawes in Wensleydale, home of Wensleydale cheese. Matt drops us at the Wensleydale Creamery where I sample several varieties of cheese and purchase a hunk of Wensleydale along with a package of oatcakes. After cheesing out, I walk down to the village and have lunch at a pub.
There’s not a whole lot to see in Hawes, but it is extremely charming, with the added bonus of being the target of the Hawes Yarn Bombers. The fruits of the crochet labors are all over the town and include a large tableau of crocheted characters from Shrek. I text pictures to my daughter Julia who is also a crochet artist.
Yarn bombing in Hawes
Butter Tubs Pass
Matt drives us up very narrow roads to enjoy stunning vistas of the Yorkshire countryside. What a place! We stop briefly at Butter Tubs Pass that crosses high moorland between Wensleydale and Swaledale. The limestone potholes known as the butter tubs are so named because farmers on their way to market would stop on hot days at the top of the climb and lower their tubs of butter into the limestone potholes to keep the butter cool.
Here’s a video taken at the top of the pass showing both the Yorkshire moors and the Yorkshire dales. Pretty darned spectacular!
Leeth
The picture-perfect little town of Leeth is our final stop. Matt advises us to get ice cream made at a local creamery. My cone of honeycomb and ginger ice cream tastes as good as it sounds.
I shoot this video while standing on the village green (and holding my ice cream cone):
Recommended Yorkshire Tours
I wholeheartedly recommend the tours I took with these two companies:
Both companies provided good value for money, excellent guides, scenic drives, and well-planned stops.
Conclusion
My two full days and three nights in York come to a close as I board the train for a quick trip north to Durham where I will spend three nights. Have you visited York and Yorkshire? What suggestions do you have for enjoying this glorious area of England? Please share in the the Comments below.
