Where I Want My Kids to go to School: The School At the Bottom of Gold Hill

This was forwarded to me by a dear friend who happens to own a cottage on Gold Hill. It’s the most adorable video made by the students of the Abbey Primary School, which is located at the bottom of Gold Hill.

Hopefully, one day, our kids will get to go there!

Dispatches from the North: A Journey from Hartlepool to America

I was reading the local paper the Hartlepool Mail last week and came across this fascinating story. Anyone who has seen Titanic (which is just about everyone in the world, right?) knows that Liverpool and Southamptom were major shipping and transport hubs in the late 19th and early 20th century. What many people don’t know is that Hartlepool also used to be one of Britain’s biggest shipping ports. This story from the Hartlepool Mail reports the discovery of a century-old diary detailing a journey from Hartlepool to New York in 1881:

The journal was written in 1881 by a William Shirley Day who was setting out on a journey on the Elpis ship from West Hartlepool to New York in the USA.

The iron steam ship was built at the town’s William Gray and Co shipyard in 1878 for Ropner and Company.

It was launched in 1879, but reported missing at sea in 1903. Chris, a 56-year-old teacher and keen historian who lives in Reading, said the diary covers a journey from Hartlepool to New York and then overland to Texas.

To read the full story “From Pools to New York in 1881″ in the Hartlepool Mail, click here

It reminded me of a story I heard from a friend of mine, Fred. Fred is soon approaching his 85th birthday and has lived in Hartlepool his whole life. Before I passed my driving test in October Fred used to give me rides to choir practice and during these rides he would always tell me the most fascinating stories from his life. One that sticks in my mind was a story he told me about when he was working for one of Hartlepool’s shipping companies. As a young man he worked in the records office of the shipping company and his job was to run from ship to ship collecting fees.

He told me an interesting tale about going through some old record books from the late 20s and early 30s while at work one day and he discovered that during prohibition in the United States that this Hartlepool-based shipping company had a fleet of ships in the Great Lakes, all which had been aprehended and seized in the act of bootlegging and bringing alcohol illegally from Canada to locations all over the Great Lakes. It is amazing that he remembered this one detail from perusing record books so long ago and that at the time it was interesting enough for him to remember it, not knowing that one day he would meet a young lady from the very place those ships were operating in. Being from the Great Lakes region I grew up hearing tales of bootlegging all throughout the region and the unique role that Metro Detroit and Chicago played in the prohibition era and Fred’s story really brought those local legends full circle for me.

I would love to do some research and find out more about the transport routes between Hartlepool and America and also about other links between the Hartlepool shipping industry and the US. Sadly, I think much like this story many of the details were probably written down in old ledgers that are long since lost and these stories may only live on in the oral tradition of Fred’s generation.

Top Ten Things to do in Wiltshire England For Free With Pictures

Editor’s Note: I had the pleasure of spending some time in Wiltshire last November when we spent a day in Salisbury. There’s a lot to see and do in Wiltshire and according to this release from Visit Wiltshire, there’s a lot of things to do for free.

If money is tight but you still want a great day out then the county of Wiltshire offers plenty of free things to see and do for visitors of all ages.

1. Visit Avebury Stone Circle

Located in the centre of Wiltshire the impressive circle of stones in the village of Avebury is just as spectacular as its more famous counterpart, Stonehenge.

At Avebury visitors can walk around the huge circle which encompasses the entire village for free.

Forming part of the overall Avebury complex visitors can also take in West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill both of which are thought to be Neolithic burial chambers.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury

2. Get cultural at Fisherton Mill

Perfect for shopaholics and foodies, Fisherton Mill is the south of England’s largest gallery and perfectly located in the centre of Salisbury. Within the gallery space visitors can browse works from leading artists, furniture makers and sculptors, while the gallery shop stocks an array of unusual work.

There is a café on site selling a range of freshly prepared cakes, food and coffees, plus a specially designed healthy children’s menu. Special theatre and dining events are held regularly and details can be found on the website.

http://www.fishertonmill.co.uk

3. Learn about the history of the National Trust at Heelis

The central office of the National Trust in Swindon offers visitors an insight into unique English heritage sites.

Tours of this innovative and sustainable building take place every Friday lunchtime.

The shop and café are open daily.

Heelis regularly operates special events, especially those aimed at children during school holiday periods.

Check the website for details.

http://www.nationaltrust.org/heelis

4. Browse the pretty National Trust village of Lacock

A visit to the beautiful National Trust village of Lacock is like taking a step back in time.

The beautiful and fascinating cobbled streets are a delight and here visitors can find a range of traditional shops including the famous Lacock Bakery.

Other highlights include Lacock Abbey and Fox Talbot Museum.

Visiting the village is free, although admission charges apply for the Abbey and Museum.

Lacock is famed for being a location for numerous films and TV dramas including Cranford and Harry Potter.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock

5. Increase your knowledge at The Science Museum Library and Archives

Swindon’s Science Museum Library and Archives are part of the main Science Museum in London, housing internationally important books and journals on the history and development of science, technology, engineering and medicine.

Amongst the most famous items in the collection are pieces from Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton.

Admission is free by appointment only.

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/library

6. Learn more about our ancestors through from sites at Woodhenge and Durrington Walls

Not far from Stonehenge lies the site of Woodhenge and Durrington Walls. Woodhenge is approximately the same size as Stonehenge and is a Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age monument made up of a series of concentric circles of wooden poles.

The original poles no longer remain but markers are placed in the excavated post holes for visitors to envisage how it would have looked.

Just a little further north is Durrington Walls, a massive circular earthwork or ‘henge’.

Despite having been damaged by ploughing and roads the tall banks are still visible.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk

7. Trowbridge Museum

Located within a former mill, the history of Trowbridge, its people and cloth making are all told via displays of over 14,000 items at Trowbridge Museum.

http://www.trowbridgemuseum.co.uk

8. Take in the visitor centre at Wadworth Brewery

Wadworth Brewery in Devizes is Wiltshire’s main brewery with a history of producing fine ales dating back 125 years.

The visitor centre offers an insight into the brewery and an opportunity to sample the ale.

Furthermore visitors can also meet the Shire Horses which still deliver the beers in the old fashioned way.

Chargeable guided tours are also available.

http://www.wadworth.co.uk

9. Drive past the county’s White Horses

Wiltshire is famous for its white horses of which eight are clearly visible. The horses are dotted around the county’s hillsides and now VisitWiltshire has put together a special ‘White Horse Trail’ encouraging visitors to enjoy long distance walking between the horses.

10. Walk along the Kennet & Avon canal and past the famous Caen Hill Locks

In 2010 the Kennet & Avon Canal will celebrate its bicentenary.

The canal, which is Wiltshire’s main waterway, offers great days out for all the family including the fun of King Alfred’s Trail near Pewsey where visitors can collect brass rubbings of insects, plants and wildlife that can be seen on route.

The most spectacular section of the canal is that at Caen Hill near Devizes where a compact flight of 16 locks form part of the 29 locks which raise the canal 237 feet in just two miles.

http://www.waterscape.com

For more information about great things to see and do in Wiltshire visit http://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk

If you have your own suggestion for something fun and affordable to do in Wiltshire, feel free to leave us a comment!

Rick Steves in England: South England – Dover to Land’s End

When I was growing up the one show that really inspired me to travel to Europe was the wonderful – if a little hokey – travel show presented by Rick Steves on PBS.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, some of those shows are now available online and we can share them with you.

So, as part of an ongoing series, here’s some of Rick Steves’ shows from Britain.

Rick Steves’ Europe: South England – Dover to Land’s End

Anglophile Reviews: The Good Hotel Guide – Guide to Hotels in Britain

One of the hardest aspects of trip planning to Britain is find good and decent hotels. Many of the trip planning websites have reviews – but sometimes they are just a little hard to believe. There’s usually an extreme between people who loved the hotel or hated it and post disturbing pictures.

That’s why I love The Good Hotel Guide – it’s filled with hundreds of great reviews for hotels all over Britain and they’re written by professionals. They’re not biased based on one terrible experience and they judge hotels on many different sets of standardized criteria.

The book is definitely thorough with detailed and honest reviews of over 800 hotels, inns, guest houses and bed and breakfasts throughout Great Britain and Ireland. A hotel cannot asked to be review, they have to be recommended by someone and then a trained professional is secretly sent to evaluate the place (gotta be a hell of a job!) and write an honest assessment.

Each review gives you the basic information about the hotel, the detailed review and any specific notes about the establishment, such as if they allow pets, number of rooms, payment options and any other special requirements.

This book is not quite for you if you’re on a budget. Many of the hotels featured are high dollar hotels, but there are also a few budget hotels worth looking at. More often than not, when talking about British hotels, you get what you pay for. So, if you can afford a little more to splash on a nicer hotel, you’re bound to guarantee a better time.

My wife and I have stayed in some real crappy hotels on our many trips to England and after our last trip where we had the opportunity to stay at a Hilton, we’ve resolved to save more so we can spend more on much nicer hotels. Sometimes a broom cupoboard will do for a hotel room. But sometimes, a much nicer room can help you have a much more enjoyable vacation. And this book will certainly point you in the right direction.

The book some with £150 worth of vouchers for you to save money on your hotel booking, which will help offset the cost of some of these hotels. In the back of the book, there’s a very useful map that plots all the hotels so you can easily plan your holiday accordingly. The front of the book features a handy ‘hotelfinder’ that breaks down the best places to stay based on certain situations such as value, family, location, etc. Very helpful indeed.

My only complaint about the book is that there are absolutely no pictures, which is a real shame as it would be lovely to be able to visulize some of these really amazing sounding places. Thankfully, they do have a website with ample pictures.

If you’d like to buy a copy for yourself – it’s only £17.50 plus shipping – check out the Good Hotel Guide Website here.

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