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All aboard! Taking the Sleeper Train from London to Glasgow
Sep 2nd
by Sharon Whitley Larsen
“Is this your first time on a sleeper train?” asked affable David, the ScotRail lounge car attendant, as he poured me a glass of wine, the lights of a small town passing fleetingly by in the dark window.
I assured him that I had been on numerous overnight trains: from London to Edinburgh, Paris to Rome, St. Petersburg to Moscow, even from Los Angeles to Chicago.
I’ve always been partial to the overnight trains in Europe, and especially in the UK, which my husband Carl and I have taken on several occasions. (Our most scenic and memorable overnight train More >
A New Yorker’s Weekend in the English Country
Jun 13th
The quest for England’s best cheese
I am a New Yorker, and by definition (as much as I hate to admit it), I am occasionally afflicted with the “Me First, Out of My Way” syndrome. This usually involves eye-rolling and raging heart palpitations. Train travel in the United States provokes this behavior as I white-knuckle my way along centuries-old tracks while fellow passengers play unmuted games on their mobile devices. Imagine my surprise to discover that BritRail could transport me to the English countryside and I would arrive exactly when the schedule said. I even had time to stop More >
Day 14 – How much can you pack into one day in London?
May 31st
May 27, as I was commenting to a UK resident that there is just so much to do in London, he shared this great quote with me; ‘When you are tired of London then you are tired of life’ (Samuel Johnson). So no matter if you have a day or a week in London, you’ll find the list of attractions, shows, districts, activities, monuments, museums, galleries, restaurants, shopping etc… is infinitely exciting.
With our last day of this adventure upon us, we ventured out to try and conquer London in a day. An impossible feat but we covered quite a bit More >
Day 13 – Chicago The Musical in London: Lights, Sparkles & Jazz
May 30th
May 26, we boarded our last train ride of the trip from St. Ives to London, with a journey of approximately 5hr 30min. The views were once again spectacular as we made our way back up along the coast, Plymouth being another beautiful town to stop over if you wish to break up the journey.
After arriving in London and finding our way around the underground (which is really not as daunting as it seems, especially when traveling with an Oyster Card) we arrived at our hotel, freshened up and set out for our theatre evening in London.
The show…Chicago the musical! More >
Day 12 – A Day at the Beach, St. Ives England
May 29th
May 25, after a whirlwind of a trip touring around England, Scotland and Wales we were pretty excited to have a day at the beach, with no plans but to relax and enjoy. First order of business, wake up at 5:30am to see the sun rise over the ocean, because nothing is better! Second order of business, prepare a picnic, because no beach day is complete without a good picnic! Third order of business, stroll over to the beach and rent a few beach chairs to set up our spot for the day. Only problem, our beach day was cloudy More >
Day 11 – England’s Riviera Line to St. Ives, Cornwall
May 26th
May 24, with an early start to the day we were ready to continue our journey south from Cardiff, Wales to St. Ives, England. We had originally planned to stop in Bath along the way but were informed there was a service interruption – not a problem, as the beauty of traveling with a BritRail Pass is that you can be flexible and change your route on the go.
One of the reasons we wanted to venture to St. Ives was for the scenic journey along England’s Riviera Line from Exeter station onwards, where the train runs along the coast. From More >
Day 10 – Cardiff, Welsh Heritage and Foodie Haven
May 25th
May 23, after enjoying an early morning swim in Park Plaza’s stainless steel pool and spa facilities, we felt energized and ready to spend our first full day in one place, Cardiff. Departing from Cardiff Central’s train station are a number of buses, including service to nearby St Fagans, home to the National History Museum, Wales’ most popular heritage attraction. Entry is free and well worth the visit, as how better to learn about Welsh heritage than to see it with your very own eyes? The large grounds have a collection of old buildings that have actually been re-located to More >
Day 9 – Conwy Castle & Cardiff Bound
May 25th
May 22, we started the day with sunny skies in Llandudno and hopped on a short bus ride to the town of Conwy, which is beautifully set on the harbour, with castle views overlooking the water and a back drop of the hills of Snowdonia National Park. Conwy Castle is great to explore, featuring a total of 8 towers which you can climb and get great views overlooking the water, mountains and small town of Conwy. After, we walked through the town and saw some great gift shops, cafes and ‘award winning’ fish n chips; there is no shortage of More >
Day 8 – Lively Liverpool & Coastal Llandudno
May 23rd
May 21, we ventured out to learn all about the city of Liverpool with our very own Blue Badge guide, Sylvia, who offers a variety of specialty interest tours, namely all about the Beatles, architecture, history and much more. A quick summary about Liverpool – it’s a city based on music, fashion, architecture, maritime life and culture – and we absolutely adored it! Here are some great sights and facts not to miss on your next visit to Liverpool:
- About music: Liverpool is known as the home of the Beatles, where you can visit The Beatles Story museum attraction, pop into More >
Day 7 – Tour York and Savour Liverpool, oh my!
May 22nd
May 20, meet Ellie, The European Eagle Owl, housed along with other birds of prey on Swinton Park Castle’s grounds. After learning about all the resident birds, Ellie was released and invited to fly, and then land on each of our hands, with the help of pheasant meat bribes. Such a cool experience to feel the power of this bird’s flight!
After one last stroll around the castle grounds, it was time to make our way to the nearby city of York. We made use of the Yorkshire Sightseeing Pass beginning with a visit to the National Railway Museum, which houses a More >
