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UK Travel Planning
The UK Travel Planning Podcast is full of practical tips and advice to help you plan your dream trip to the UK whether you are visiting England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Travel expert Tracy Collins shares years of knowledge and experience of travelling to, and around, the UK to help you plan your UK itinerary.
Listen to special guest interviews full of travel inspiration and practical tips for popular and off the beaten path destinations. Learn more about the best ways to travel around the UK (including by train), about British culture and history and much more!
Tune in and let us help you plan your perfect UK itinerary with all the places and experiences you have been dreaming of. UK Travel Planning - helping YOU plan YOUR perfect UK vacation.
UK Travel Planning
The Ultimate UK Trip Report: Train Journeys, Coastal Towns, and Hidden Gems with Deb Harsen
Returning guest Deborah Harsen shares the highlights from her sixth UK adventure, exploring the east coast from London to Edinburgh by train with her husband while sharing practical tips and magical moments from their journey.
• Deborah's lifelong love of the UK began with Twiggy and her grandmother reading Jane Austen to her
• Train travel shaped their itinerary along England's east coast with stops in London, York, Whitby, Newcastle, Alnwick, and Edinburgh
• Deborah splurged on special accommodations, including the Royal Horse Guards Hotel and The Cookie Jar in Alnwick
• Private tour with archaeologist Alex Iles through Lindisfarne and Bamburgh Castle was the trip highlight
• Billy Shiel's boat tour to the Farne Islands provided close encounters with puffins, arctic terns, and seals
• The Old York Tea Room in Goodramgate offers cream tea that Deborah rates as better than Betty's
• Magical unplanned moments included witnessing sunset and sunrise over Whitby Abbey from their hotel room
• For returning UK visitors, Deborah recommends exploring beyond London and trying different transportation modes
If you enjoy our podcast and want us to continue providing free UK travel information, please consider becoming a supporter. You can make a one-off donation or sponsor us monthly, like Deborah. Visit the link in our show notes to help us keep the podcast going.
⭐️ Guest - Deb Harsen
📝 Show Notes - Episode 156
🎧 Listen to next
- Episode #65 - Trip Report with Deborah Harsen
- Episode #32 - 4 week Scotland and England trip report with Deborah Harsen
- Episode #123 - Family fun in London [Trip Report with Cathy Stephens]
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planning a trip to the UK or thinking about going back? In this episode of the UK Travel Planner Podcast, returning guest Deborah Harsin shares how she crafted her most recent UK adventure, the destinations she explored and the key lessons she learned along the way. From planning smarter to making the most of every day. This episode is full of inspiration and tips you can use.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast. Your host is the founder of the UK Travel Planning website, tracey Collins. In this podcast, tracey shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation. Of UK travel. To help you plan your perfect UK vacation, join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.
Speaker 1:Hi everybody and welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast. This is episode 156, can you believe it? I just can't myself. And this week I have special guest Deborah Harsin on the podcast to talk all about her trip to the UK. Now Deb goes back to the UK over and over again. She's definitely a confirmed Anglophile and also I will give a massive shout out A few things that Deb does that really helps us out is that she's a moderator in our UK Travel Planet and our London Travel Planet Facebook group, so come over and join us.
Speaker 1:If you're not a member, Deb's in there helping us out there. And also Deb is a longtime supporter of the podcast, so she sponsors the podcast every month and we truly really appreciate that. And we know loads of you guys who are out there. You listen to us every week and you're big fans and we would just ask as well, please, if you would consider sponsoring the podcast.
Speaker 1:It's getting so much harder for us as a business to get this information out to you guys for free in the podcast on the getting so much harder for us as a business to get this information out to you guys for free in the podcast, on the websites and the Facebook group because of all the changes going on in the world these days with AI, and things are just getting harder. So if you want us to keep giving you all this information, we just ask, please consider supporting us. That could be a one-off, or you could do as Deb does and sponsor us monthly, and I will put a link in the show notes for that, please. So, as they say, that helps us massively. Right, enough of that. Let's talk to you, Deb. So tell us. Do you know how many times you've been to the UK? Just tell us where you live at the moment and then tell us about your kind of lifelong love of the UK.
Speaker 3:Oh, this will be easy and a long episode. Evidently no, I'm Deb Harsin. As Tracy said, this is my third podcast with you, so it feels like we're just chatting as friends, which I know we are over the years, which is fantastic. I've been to the UK six times three times with my husband, this latest trip with my husband, once by myself and once each with our oldest and our youngest daughters. My love of the UK is going to be an interesting full circle with the story I get to tell you about this trip.
Speaker 3:It started with Twiggy. So I was a very, very young girl, probably three or four years old, and I don't even know how I became aware of her, beyond perhaps magazines my mother had or television shows that she was on. But I literally had a paper clothing cutouts that they, you know, had for young girls to wear. I would wear them. I was very good at posing like her. We traveled extensively as a family when I was growing up, so there's tons of pictures of me in national parks throughout the entire United States posing as Twiggy, and from the faithful in front, yeah no, they're absolutely all over the place.
Speaker 3:So I grew up with that obsession and then I my one grandmother was an English teacher, a literature teacher, and I was an early reader and she actually was reading to me Jane Austen, canterbury Tales, I mean, these things that I didn't realize were great works of English literature. It just was time that we spent together where she was reading and that, of course, ignited everything, and of course she introduced me to Paddington Bear. You already know Paddington is a lifelong love because I now have a cat named Paddington, so it just grew from there. It's always been something of which I've been fascinated and loved, and I studied history and literature and really was focused on all things British, so it's just been a lifelong love.
Speaker 3:So, I've got to ask so when was the first time you actually managed to get over to the UK 2014,? My husband and I went for our 30th wedding anniversary and, you know, our kids had just all either graduated from college or were just starting. And it was sort of at a point in your life when you think, oh, I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to do this, if I'm ever going to be able to realize this. And my husband said, no, we're going. And so we did. And once I was there, forget it. I knew I was going back.
Speaker 1:Well, and that I mean, and you've just come back from your sixth trip, which is amazing In 11 years, years, that's fantastic. So you keep going back over and over, so you can you know that you're putting that love into action.
Speaker 3:They're absolutely for sure absolutely and it grows each time yeah, well, that's it.
Speaker 1:There's so much to do and see in the uk, honestly, and I'm just so pleased that you're you're doing that and going back and and seeing new things each time, so, so tell us about this trip. So you returned with your husband. This is the first time, the sixth time first and sixth time with your husband.
Speaker 3:Third time with my husband. The last time he was in 2019, he and I had gone, and I already knew I'd be going this year, but thankfully last year he mentioned I think I'll go with you, so which was wonderful. He wanted very, very much to travel by train, so Doug should just hop in on this conversation right now. That was something he wanted to do, and so that sort of pushed the narrative of how we planned our itinerary as well. We knew we wanted to travel along the east coast of England for the most part, and we knew that the ability to do so by train would be a little bit easier than, say, traveling into Wales or traveling throughout Wales, for example, or some of the you know areas that just aren't as consistently well served, unfortunately. So I said what about? You know we travel through here. We'll travel some places that I've been fortunate enough to visit before that he has seen before, and some new ones. And you know he said, yeah, absolutely that that sounds really good.
Speaker 3:So we did a lot of research at that point as far as where we actually want to overnight or spend several days and, based on his work schedule and how much time we could do, there's never enough time. So I wish I could just travel with you, tracy, and just be over there for quite a long time, but I knew this time would be a little bit more limited. So we were there just a little over two weeks and that's how our itinerary developed. It was just how are we going to travel with trains successfully hit places we want to see? Be able to stay in places that we're interested in and just sort of enjoy being there? Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So did you fly into and out of Heathrow?
Speaker 3:No, we flew into Heathrow, yes, but we flew out of Edinburgh yes, okay, and that's good.
Speaker 1:We get asked that a lot as well. See, you've got that ability to go in one airport and out another, which is also really useful.
Speaker 3:I think I've only had one trip where I have flown in and out of the same airport. I think I typically do fly opposite. It just gives you the ability to not worry about getting back to your starting point.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true. Not worry about getting back to your starting point. It is yeah, that's true. See, yeah, no, that's a good idea, because often I know we get asked about um, you know, there's somebody maybe in edinburgh on the last couple of days of the trip and then they've got to get back down to heathrow and they're wanting to do it in the morning and they've got a flight in the afternoon.
Speaker 1:We're like no no, no, that's, that's that's stressing us out, reading that so at night before, but flying out from there. There, it's absolutely perfect if you can do that, and obviously there's lots of we're talking before there's lots of jumping off points in the States that you can, you know, fly from Edinburgh, fly from London, so you've got options. Or even if you went over to Paris and wanted to fly back from Paris, that's we hear that as well or Dublin, that's also comes up quite often. Anyway, let's talk about, let's give us a brief overview of the places that you went to.
Speaker 3:Well, we flew into London Heathrow. We spent several days in London we did spend one of those days going to Jane Austen's home in Chawton and in Winchester, because those are areas of interest to both of us and then we went to York for a couple of days. From York we went to Whitby, then Whitby to Newcastle, newcastle to Annick, annick to Edinburgh, so all along the East Coast, and got to spend quite a bit of time in Northumberland, which is definitely an area that I adore and I know you're a little affectionate towards it as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's where I was born, so I'm always a champion for Northumberland and it's, you know, and often it's overlooked. And you know, we know that there's, you know, the London York Edinburgh route and that's a very, very well-travelled route by train. But it's like you also then pass through Durham County, durham, which is lovely, and then Northumberland. You've got two wonderful counties there that are absolutely worth visiting and you know, would recommend it, and I know you're going to be talking a lot about the things that you did in Soar and Northumberland, so that's going to be exciting to chat about. So you know, when you're putting together your itinerary, what sort of resources I'm sure you used our podcast and website.
Speaker 3:You know I used the podcast Once again. I'm going to put a feather in Doug's cap. I had purchased his train book oh my goodness, a couple of years ago, so I was reading it like it was, you know, a holy text, and trying to work out my confidence with the trains as well. I had listened to all the podcasts that you had done about the train travel. It didn't matter where it, just let me hear how it's done, from things like where do we put our suitcases to do we bring snacks, you know. Do we bring water? What happens on the train, you know. How do I know how this is, if this is my train or the other train going to York, you know. And how do I keep that straight and which train line to use.
Speaker 3:I had downloaded all the apps. You know that he recommended downloading and they were such a definite help. So those were more that's where I really focused a lot of attention. And of course, yes, I'm listening to the podcast weekly and I'm keeping up on what other people are writing and that helps inspire some ideas as well too. So those are where my main sources of inspiration were that and sort of our wish list of oh, I really liked it here. I'd like to share that with you. I'd like you to see it. Or we had both been to York before and just loved it, and oh, can we make sure to stop there? So it was a combination of a couple things.
Speaker 1:We were very lucky to have been before and then know somewhat of where we wanted to go and I will also just announce as well that doug's just put his first train video on our youtube channel. Uh, so, and that's all about actually getting from london to edinburgh and the three different uh train operators that you can use on that route, so he actually travels on each of them. He shows you a video of what you can expect on each of those trains. So that just went live this week. So do take a look at our YouTube channel. Please subscribe.
Speaker 1:It's Doug's first video, so he's very excited. There are a couple more to come out and he's working on even more. He did a lot of video when we were back in the uk and if there's something particular you want to see about train travel, um, let us know, because he'll he'll get on to that and, uh, he's very excited about doing it. So that's good, that's great, and I'm sure with the train book as well, which we update regularly, uh, and that and all the articles on the website, you know we help prepare you for train travel. So how was your train travel? I'm going to have to ask you now how did it all go?
Speaker 3:It actually went really, really well. We had. We did break a cardinal rule because originally when we were planning our trip we were going to be in London over Trooping of the Colour weekend and I said, no, I yes, I would love to see it, but no. So we moved it forward, or back a bit further into May. So we were there over the bank holiday at the end of May and unfortunately we had to travel to Whitby that Sunday. There was just no getting around it and there had been a huge rugby match, evidently, of which I was totally unaware until the trains were delayed because of it. But somehow we eked it out and even though we had to make a connection from York to Whitby, we made it just fine.
Speaker 3:So, I was holding my breath the whole time, thinking if this messes up, I had bus routes planned, I had all sorts of other alternative ways planned and prepared. I thought, but Doug's going to say I told you and he would have no other way to do that.
Speaker 1:Doug always says to people you know, sometimes we have to travel on Sundays by train as well. It's just sometimes it's totally unavoidable and that's how you do it and he just said it's an element of risk. So you take the risk that potentially on a Sunday there may be disruptions to train travel. There may not be. It's a risk situation.
Speaker 1:but he just says have a plan B and a C just in case, because we have had yeah, we've had, we have had feedback where things have gone wrong on Sunday travel and you know people have had to take a, uh, instead of getting the train to Bath from Cotswolds, uh, oxford or wherever the way, they had to get a taxi at vast expense because there was no trains on a Sunday. So things were cancelled or um, all sorts of things happen. I mean, actually we've got a podcast coming out, um in a couple of weeks time where Doug actually talks through kind of the top 10 or top 15. I think we did kind of top things we advise you don't do, or that we see people do that we can advise not to. And you know sunday travel is going to be in there, oh, absolutely but I'm excited too, and that's okay you know well it's to say it, it doesn't it never.
Speaker 1:We, we, we are firmly in the belief that we don't say to anybody, whether it's in a consult, whether it's through our videos, whether it's, uh, through the podcast, we don't ever say do or not do, um, because I, we're all adults and people can make their own judgments and their own risk. We just give you, we just give people advice and say you know, wait it up and decide if that works for you, because we're all different at the end of the day. And I, I personally find it really affronting when somebody said don't do this or don't go there, cause I'm like, well, you know, I'll have a look at it, I'll make the decision myself. So that's kind of how I operate.
Speaker 3:No, that's exactly right and the way to go. No, that's exactly right and the way to go. But, as you said, we had backup plans. We had plan b, we had plan c and I guess I would have learned to hike if we needed plan d well, certainly the whippy you said you would have been okay.
Speaker 1:So, um, I don't know. So let's talk about how you chose accommodation. So we'll talk. I think what we'll do is we'll talk about some of the kind of like those, those logistical things that you plan. So, like, we've talked about how you got around, let's talk about accommodation, and then we'll we'll start talking about tours and then I think we'll start kind of looking at the nitty-gritty of some of the places that you went to. But okay, so let's talk about accommodation. So you, you had your route that you knew you were going to take. So is that the point when you looked when? Okay, let's.
Speaker 3:We started looking Now this was about 10 months ago, so I'm going to tell you quite honestly, we splurged and yet, within the splurging, we made out wonderfully because we had booked so far in advance wonderful interactive map the Royal Horse Guards Hotel right there on Whitehall, westminster, beautiful room and, like I said, booking it nine or 10 months in advance, we got one amazing deal on it. We really did, and of course, we were there in May, so it's almost still shoulder season, and prices were a little bit less expensive than certainly they are now. Beautiful location and that's why we chose it. It was just a different place for us to stay and we thought we deserve it. The next place we stayed in York was the Grand York right, sort of above the train station. Once again, we had a suite that was bigger than our house not really, but it felt that way. We walked in going oh my, oh my, oh my, and. But so reasonably priced that I don't know how we did.
Speaker 1:I have to tell you that the staying at the ground in New York is kind of on my wish list. I'd love to stay there.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you which room you're going to request. Next. Then in Whitby, we stayed at I think it was called the Royal Whitby. It's where Bram Stoker stayed when he was inspired to write Dracula. It's right by the Whalebone Arch. It's going through some renovations now. It's a very old hotel, but lovely, very, very beautiful location. We had a wonderful room with views of the Abbey that could not be beat. So very, very nice.
Speaker 3:Newcastle we stayed in a place called the Vermont Hotel, also just very nice hotel, not far from the train station, which is why we chose it. Then we stayed at my favorite place in Annick. It's called the Cookie Jar. There's 11 rooms. It's a boutique hotel. That's how it sells itself. I had stayed at the Swan Hotel before and I knew that was nice, so we were looking at that. But this came up on a search and each of the rooms is named after something in the area. This building used to be a nunnery and you can see on the outside how it's connected to what used to be the church which is now the museum. So it has a really lovely history to it.
Speaker 3:We stayed in St Cuthbert's Cave Beautiful room, you know. Lovely bathroom, beautiful views of the castle. Just the people there were the nicest people I think I've ever come across in any accommodation. The food was stellar, everything about it. You just felt like you're staying at someone's home in the best possible way, and I just loved it. I will recommend that for the rest of my life as the place to stay. Then in Edinburgh we stayed at the Scotsman, which used to be where the newspaper was published, and once again very, very close to the Waverly Station, obviously for access for the newspaper and had a nice room. You know, I think we were on the eighth floor in that hotel, so you had city views out of the windows, very, very nice. But our big splurges, though, were Royal Horse Guards and the Grand York. Those were just really lovely. But, like I said, booking ahead, we were able to get some really wonderful deals.
Speaker 1:Oh no, it sounds good. Well, I will put links in the show notes to all of those, and I'm very interested in staying at the Cookie Jar Sounds great, Definitely up my street. And the Grand Inn in New York. As I say, it's been on my wish list for a long time, so hopefully one of these days I'll get in there. And then London there's so many amazing places. I Hopefully one of these days I'll get in there, and in London there's so many amazing places. I've not stayed at Horse Guards, though, so that sounds like one that I need to investigate next time I'm in London, for sure.
Speaker 3:It's really, really wonderful and the Royal Horse Guards too has a secret history and I don't want to delve too much, you need to go there to discover it. But one of the doormen our very first day there he had asked us how long we had been there. When we had arrived, you know, we just got chatting and he said and this is, oh my goodness, 9 o'clock at night. We arrived in London at 6 in the morning. So we've been walking the whole day, We've been exploring the whole day, we're staying up so we can go to bed and we get back to the hotel and he's like well, when you have time, I'll show you the secret parts of the hotel.
Speaker 3:And I said, oh, we have time now, we're no longer tired. We're no longer tired and we did. We spent probably a good hour, maybe an hour and a half, with him seeing. It's got a very rich history politically with World War II, especially with Winston Churchill, definitely, and potentially there are tunnels through its basement, which has always been used as a wine cellar, that are blocked off now for health and safety reasons, but the rumor is that they connect to the Churchill war rooms. So it's very, very intriguing and interesting there and well worth the visit and well worth making friends with the doorman it sounds like it.
Speaker 1:I think I need to send them an email. It sounds like definitely one that it would be of great interest to go and have a look at. I think, okay, let's talk about tours, uh.
Speaker 1:I know because we spoke before we started recording that you did some excellent tours, so hopefully we're going to find some new partners. I'm always looking for well, I'm always looking for recommendations and hopefully uh can reach out and uh and see if these guys want to come and uh and join us at uk travel planning, because they sound like they are definitely worthy. Because you know, we are very, are very strict about who we work with. We only work with the best and we only work with people that we know have, basically, are the best at what they do. So tell us about the best tour that you did. Tell us the tour that you just could go back and do again and again.
Speaker 3:So the very best tour, without a doubt, was conducted by a man named Alex Iles. He says the Scottish derivative of his name is Sandy, so I knew we'd be friends because that's a family nickname and he is an archaeologist. He's very well educated, he's working on his doctorate and he made the entire story of history, from Roman times up to modern day, fascinating, interesting, compelling and took time answering questions. It was just fantastic. We met him in Newcastle and he took us through Lindisfarne, holy Island and then, of course, up into Bamber. I had been to Lind's Farm before with my oldest daughter, emily, and when she and I had gone it had been very, very misty. And I know you said there's a word for it and I forget what the word- is oh, seafret, seafret, seafret.
Speaker 3:I think I could remember that now, but you literally couldn't see anything until it was right in front of you and it was very atmospheric and wonderful. We went with Alex, perfectly clear, and so it was like visiting it all over again in a different way. I will say. Of course the tides are the most important thing. As we know about Lindisfarne, we saw a car off to the left that had come off the causeway the night before and they were attempting to try to save it. I don't think they were successful because by the time we left it was still there and nobody was around it. So of course that was a little bit of that ha-ha moment, you fool.
Speaker 3:But we enjoyed Lindisfarne. We walked almost the entire island and you know we were able to see Bamber off in the distance, which was fun. We could see, of course, the castle, lindisfarne Castle. We had plenty of time to go through the abbey itself and the ruins and just explore, and Alex spent time explaining how Durham University had been there doing digs, what they had found, how they found it, what it meant for the research. You know where the original foundation was for the Abbey. I mean he just it was just fascinating. He's just superlative in his descriptions and bringing every aspect of that history to life.
Speaker 3:And then, of course, being mindful of the tides, we got back into the car and drove to Bamber and as we're crossing the causeway, you could see where the Pilgrim's Walk is already covered. And of course people were lining up at the end because they want to watch the water come in. And unfortunately we were a little bit more under time constraints and weren't able to do that, but it was interesting to see the Pilgrim's Cause already already covered. Um, so then we went to bamber and alex treated us to a nice lunch in their cafe.
Speaker 1:It's nice the cafes did you go into the?
Speaker 3:castle itself into bamber castle. Yeah, now, a friend of mine, you told me about a very odd feeling. You had gotten in Bamber years ago as a child. I never got that. I was really disappointed. But that aside, I loved viewing it and seeing it. And, of course, alex was full of information about the digs that had been done on the outside and how the actual sand wasn't there 300 years ago, you know, until horrific storms had gone through, and how much higher the water tables would have been at the time that it was built, and just the information was fantastic. So what I knew would be a great day was even better just because of the information he provided, and we just really, really, really. It was a full day. We enjoyed it completely and, you know, then he took us back to our hotel. So it was, it just was fantastic.
Speaker 3:I think he runs a variety of tours. They're all very history or archaeologically based, but the way in which he tells stories is something I could recommend to anybody. Whether your interest is there, whether your interest is just piqued, whether you study it, you're going to learn something from him, and he enjoys learning from the people he takes as well. He was very knowledgeable, but he also wanted to. What do you know and what can we share, and how can we share it and work on it together? So I was very impressed. His communication, too, was wonderful, and I was impressed with that. The night before our tour he had checked in this is the time you know, and then I don't remember if it was the evening of our tour or the next morning. Did you have any questions? You know he had follow up with it and if you need to contact me, here's my. You know the ways to get in touch with me. So, very impressive. He was absolutely the best tour.
Speaker 1:Sounds brilliant, and actually that's what you want, isn't it? You want somebody because then you can sit back, you can enjoy the day, you don't have to worry about getting from A to B because somebody is going to take you, but you also have the time in the car to chat as well, to learn more and to have those conversations. And then you're not, you're not rushed, which you know you can be. If you do even a small group tour, they still have a kind of you know itinerary you have to follow. But when you have somebody that you're with, that you have hired for the day private guide, somebody's driving you around.
Speaker 1:You've got that flexibility to to maybe spend a little bit longer, or to you know or, if you're less interested, to say, oh, let's go to the next place, you know it just gives you all of that all of that, uh, flexibility a bit more restricted with holy island, because you've got, you have the tides, so they govern when you can go over and come back again and that and that that those tides come in quite fast. Uh, so yeah, you really do have to. Uh, and I do say, if anybody's got northumberland, they want to go to Holy Island and you've only got a few days, you do need to look at the tides because you may miss out, because there's nothing we can do about it. It's about those are the tides and you either get over and back over at that time, or you're going to be stuck on the island or you can't get over there. That's how it kind of works, but yeah, bamburg.
Speaker 3:Castle.
Speaker 1:I actually did go back to Bamber Castle beginning of last year, I think, because I had not been since I was 11, because I found it a bit spooky. There was something about Bamber Castle that just gave me the shivers and I was like oh so, anyway, I went back at the 45 years later and it was fine, I didn't. I didn't have that same, but it's funny, isn't it? I was, I was probably 11 at the time and it still stuck with me for years. It was like, no, but yes, definitely. You know.
Speaker 1:Another advantage as well that you were with Alex is that you'd have to worry about parking, because parking can be a real problem, especially when you're going to the summer months because there's just less parking spaces you have to think about it, whereas you can get dropped off and then he can deal with the parking. It just makes life a lot easier. But, yeah, we highly recommend a tour. So, alex, when you're listening, hopefully by this point I've got in touch with you and you'll be keen to work with us, because I'm sure there'll be plenty of people who want to touch out to you and book some tours. What other tours did you do?
Speaker 3:We also two others. I'll mention quickly. Other tours did you do? We also two others I'll mention quickly. We did a Billy Sheil Interfarn Island tour from Seahouse, which was, oh my goodness, about an hour and a half on the North Sea, and he's pointing out, of course, the Grace Darling story and the lighthouse in her home and St Cuthbert's Chapel. The gray seals were out, the puffins were out, the arctic terns, the cuddy's ducks. The only thing I was disappointed in not seeing is I've been following his page. This entire spring there's been orcas and of course the orcas are there because the gray seals are there. But the gray seal population is so enormous that it's no wonder you know the orcas have shown up.
Speaker 3:So of course, course you know we didn't see orcas but we did get to spend another hour on inner foreign island itself and that was fun. You're sort of walking amongst the puffins and and all of the birds and you know they're warning us wear something over your head, because the arctic terns nest in the ground and if you get close to their eggs they're going to attack. And they did. But you know, you just kept going and and of course they're protecting them, but it just. That was an experience too. That island was just stunning and amazing and I'm very jealous.
Speaker 1:I have to just interject that I am very jealous that you did this because I have not. I've been in sea, how I've been to see houses since I was a child, literally. My dad used to take us that weekend anyway. But I've never done that boat trip and I've been out there before and it's just been the wrong time of year or the wrong weather or whatever. So that's another one that I really need to, and I've had other people say oh, I've been I like I've not seen the puffins on the Farne Islands, so yeah, I'm jealous.
Speaker 3:They were an enormous amount of fun. In fact, there was a couple on the boat, I think they were from Poland. They had been on the same tour the day before too. They loved it so much. It was like, yeah, we're going on it again and they were taking photos the whole time and, you know, with some really impressive looking cameras and so forth. But it was fun. It's not something I'd recommend for anybody who doesn't like being out on the water, because you are definitely on the boat being tossed that's the correct word. You know, left to right, backwards and forwards. You will get wet, you will need rain gear. But it was a blast. It was so much fun.
Speaker 1:I enjoyed it so much well, that won't be one for doug because he doesn't do boats, but uh, I'll definitely add that. I honestly consider I'm from northumberland. Maybe I feel a bit embarrassed to say that I have not done that, but I I will. I will, uh, definitely add that onto my list and actually I think there's a, there's a link in our guide to northumberland, actually to that Burley Shields boat trip anyway, so you can check that out. Yeah, and the third tour, the third one.
Speaker 3:Our third tour was Robbie's tour and we had booked it when you had the promo code for it as well. So we had booked that a while ago and we went to the West Highlands Locks and Castles. That was the name of that tour. It's just a one-day tour from Edinburgh, but we went to the town of Luss on Loch Lomond and we went to Inverary. We had the option to go into the castle or visit the town and we chose to wander about the town and just sort of enjoy the fishing port. It was very, very beautiful.
Speaker 3:We saw the ruins of kilchurn castle and he took us there because that and inverary were the campbell clan, you know, and just to show us the different places we went to. Um, oh, then he took us to see three hairy coos at a farm. I think it was honey hamish and, oh my goodness, I can't remember holly. So there were two bald ones and a ginger one and and they just were posing like they knew they were the stars that people wanted to see. And then we went to dune castle and we did go into there. They had an audio guide for it, but it's very much based on the holy grail, which was very interesting. I love that, but you know it, which was very interesting. I love that movie but you know I like castles and the history, so it was. I enjoyed the castle a lot, but not the audio tour as much, which you know that happens.
Speaker 3:Well yeah, but it was a great day out. And then on the way back we saw the Kelpies.
Speaker 1:you know in.
Speaker 3:Stirling Castle. They're lovely, yeah.
Speaker 1:Sort of yeah, it was just. It was just was a nice day, full day, but very, very, very nice day and there's some really good tours from Edinburgh. You've got such a lot of choice and Rabi's offer a lot of really good and a small group. You weren't in a massive, great big bus.
Speaker 3:No, we had 15 or 18. I can't remember which, but one of the two on our group. And no, it wasn't a large group at all, so you're not tied up waiting for, you know, 60 people to get on the bus or whatever. So it was lovely and our driver, martin, very, very affable and knowledgeable and tried to make time for all the people you know and answer all their questions. So it was a good day.
Speaker 1:Okay. So it's good to know that you did some great tours and, as I say, hopefully we'll, we'll reach out to Alex and hopefully he'll come on board. Come on, alex, and can I talk about food, cause I'm still, I'm still leaving your favorite experiences and places to last Cause I think that's a great I just I, I'm going to be very excited to ask that, but let's talk about food.
Speaker 3:What did you enjoy when you were there? What did you try? Let me tell you about the new place that we had cream tea In York. I had been following these two men who had bought one of the oldest, the oldest house in York. It was built in 1316. And they have run a tea house there for the last four and a half years and I've been following them and following their story and I told my husband we have to find this. So we knew where it was located and we went there our full day that we had in York and they were so kind, thomas and Tony so kind.
Speaker 3:We ordered the cream tea for two because right time of the day and this is what we wanted we had there's only because it's such a small building. There's the downstairs where they have a little kitchen and then their display of goods and you can get takeaway there. And then you go up the stairs and there's six tables, maybe eight, at the top of the stairs. We had the table right in front of the window that overlooked the street, which is really nice. They serve the cream tea on beautiful China. I mean just gorgeous, gorgeous setting Scones and your clotted cream. It was raspberry preserves and then fresh fruit and it was fantastic, superb, it just was fantastic.
Speaker 3:Everybody exclaims over Betty's and I love Betty's and I've been there and I enjoy it. I'm going to tell you they were better and better price too. And they also serve sandwiches for lunches or breakfast and that type of thing as well the most wonderful looking pastries and cakes. And I'm just just telling, if you're in York and you think, well, betty's has a line, I may not be able to get in queue up for this place, and you won't be disappointed.
Speaker 1:It was absolutely amazing okay, so so give them, give them another shout out okay, it's the old York tea room.
Speaker 3:It's in Goodrum, goodrum gate road and thomas and tony run it. The fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. The queue is worth it. We maybe waited 15 minutes and it's absolutely spectacular.
Speaker 1:So well I am, please. I'll just say well I'm. I'm gonna be going to go and definitely visit thomas and tony and have some of these cream teas next time I'm in York. For sure I'm adding those into my yeah. I do, I do, and it this sounds too good to miss up. So, yep, that's definitely in my itinerary, so I'll be looking forward to to meeting the guys and and checking out the tea rooms.
Speaker 3:It sounds fabulous it really and truly was. Beyond that, um, we we did have. Oh, we went to um magp's Cafe in Whitby, of course. In fact we ran into a man down at the harbor who grew up in the area and his grandparents had a house just on the East Cliff and he was talking to us how you know, have you been here often? I said it's just my second visit.
Speaker 3:He goes, it's about my 150th, and then he tells us of course his grandparents had lived there and of course he's still in the area, and so my husband asked what do you recommend for dinner? And he goes oh, magpies. Well, I know he was telling the truth because he was behind us in the queue. So within about he was waiting for his wife and within about 10 minutes of us waiting he was back there too, and so that was delicious and I'm glad that I got to eat there, because the last time I was in Whitby I didn't have the opportunity. So that was nice, a beautiful dinner. But one of the best fish and chips we had was actually back in York at a place called Drake's Fish and Chips, and it was just a beautiful little pub, beautiful meal. It was extraordinary. Um, beyond that, we tended to pick up, you know, jacket potatoes here or there or we, you know, we were on the go all the time so we didn't really spend a lot of time eating. If you will in in any, yeah big place.
Speaker 1:I don't know about you, but if we had a B&B then we'd have a good breakfast and then maybe later on in the day we'll get a meal deal. I'm just such a big fan of meal deals going and getting your sandwich, your drink, your piece of fruit or crisps or chocolate bar whatever you want at a good price. All of the Sainsbury's, tesco's, uh, marks and Spencer's you'll find all of them have got these offers and they're just worth popping in and, uh, they're really good for your budget as well, because everywhere UK is getting more and more expensive. Uh, but also, I'm also going to mention because you haven't said anything about sticky tofu pudding. I only had it twice because I know that you have a weakness for that.
Speaker 3:I love sticky, sticky toffee pudding. No, you're exactly right, and I only had it twice. So you know I controlled my urges much more this time.
Speaker 1:You were good. You were definitely very good. Okay, so let's go back to talking about some of it. So let's talk about your favorite experiences and the favorite places that you went, because you did cover quite a few amazing places. So I know I'm putting you on the spot here, um, but what were the? What were the standouts for you?
Speaker 3:well, I will tell you something that occurred to me because we've been talking about some of our favorite places. That was pure happenstance and it just because of the situation. It was quite magical the Chelsea Flower Show was going on in London while we were there um the day we arrived, unbeknownst to us, william and Catherine were having a tea party in Buckingham Palace. We're walking down the mall at I don't know 6 o'clock, 6.30, and these people are all coming towards us, all dressed up and they're beautiful fascinators. They're, you know, wonderful-looking suits and what on earth fascinators, their you know wonderful looking suits and what on earth. And as we got closer to Buckingham Palace, it had obviously just ended because more and more people were coming out the Kingsguard was marching back to Wellington Barracks. So that was sort of a fun experience, totally unexpected and just one of those things that we just happened to be there, unfortunately not to see William and Catherine.
Speaker 1:I I wish we had but to see the people that were leaving I was going to say next time I think you guys should get an invite. I I genuinely do I think we need to be reaching out and saying hey, uh, you know, william and kate, we need to get an invite to these garden parties. Seriously, we want to get inside and check it out and get, be able to dress up and get a fascinator. That would be cool, wouldn't it? Yes, let's just call it research, yeah, yeah, well, let's, let's see.
Speaker 3:You never know, you never know so no, you never know, that was fun and that was just by by chance. One of the things that my husband really enjoyed is, once we got to Edinburgh, we had um walked from one end of Princess Street Gardens to the other and just soaking. First of all, it's a gorgeous day, so everybody's outside, obviously, because the sun was shining and it was just beautiful, but it's a beautiful park anyways. But at the end of May all the flowers are blooming and the fountain that is there just has masses of gorgeous flowers and bushes around it, and just walking from one end to the other was just one of those moments that you're not doing anything but enjoying, and it really was a beautiful standout moment for us. We went to see the Devil Wears Prada at the West End when we were in and that was fantastic. That was, and I always think you know if you get a chance to go see a play or go see something. That was just awesome.
Speaker 1:That's on my list, but it's quite pricey. I did look last time and I went oh, I really want to go and see it and I was like, how much is that? So that'll be on another list, I think, but I definitely would like to go and see it. So worth it. Good to go.
Speaker 3:Oh, it was definitely worth it. Vanessa Williams was in the lead role and she was phenomenal. You know, you sort of forgot that. Meryl Streep played the character, and that's I love the movie, so it's no slam to that. It's just that Vanessa Williams owned it. And the casting for Nigel and for Emily was just superb. It just was one of those things where they cast so well and played their role so well that you just yes, I'm immersed, I'm involved. It was beautifully done and the music was fantastic. It just was a wonderful, wonderful night and a wonderful experience. So we really enjoyed that as well, too.
Speaker 3:Brilliant and any other standouts the other standout is another one of those just, we happened to be in the right place at the right time. In Whitby, our hotel room, as I mentioned, overlooked the Abbey and it had been very, very windy and as the night progressed, of course, it got cooler with that. So we went back to our room as you know, it got later and had made hot chocolate and we're sitting at our window just watching. We watched the sun go down, you know, and there's the abbey, there's the harbor, and it just was gorgeous. And by chance, my husband was awake at 4, 4.30 in the morning. He saw it come up, you know, and I woke up and so we have these bookend photos of the sunset and the sunrise and it's just wow, one of those moments that you look at and think how fortunate were we.
Speaker 1:It's funny how those moments stick in your brain. They're sticking in your mind. Those are the memories and it's, I just think it just made me think of a few years ago when dugout and orkney and I was awake at, I mean, it was light. It's light there. It was in the summer, so it's like it doesn't get dark, but, um, I remember looking out the bedroom window and we weren't very far from the ring of broadca and you could see it. It was really close, but this was, this was like in the morning like three o'clock in the morning or whatever, and it was really close.
Speaker 1:but this was in the morning, like three o'clock in the morning or whatever, and it was still light and it was just it's just so atmospheric and just I don't know really special. It just I can still think about it, I would close my eyes, I could still see it, and I was just like, oh wow, this is. You know, and it's those things that you remember and you kind of go, oh, the people you meet, the places, you kind of experience, and those, can I just say, those kind of more surreal kind of things where you're just in the moment, completely and utterly immersed, aren't you?
Speaker 3:You really are and you're so appreciative of just having that moment and having that time to appreciate where you're at and soak it in.
Speaker 1:So I know you'll be planning a next visit. I'm going to ask I think you know that, yeah, because I say ask your husband, yeah, so because you've been quite a few times to the UK. So if somebody's planning this and thinking like where would they go on a return visit, what would you, what would you recommend? Where I know you have certain places that you love, like northumberland, but where would you sign to say, would you say to people like, yeah, spend a couple of days in london but get out and go and see a bit more? Because that's what we say all the time yes, and but it's true, london is phenomenal.
Speaker 3:You cannot be bored in london, samuel, samuel Johnson was absolutely right you would never tire of London. But it's not the UK, it's not representative of the UK. I absolutely love going to Canterbury and Dover. That's a beautiful area. But the Lake District is a beautiful area. Yes, I'm, you know hop skipping. I think, oh my God, of course the Cotswolds and that's a beautiful area. But the Lake District is a beautiful area. Yes, I'm, you know, hop skipping.
Speaker 3:I think, oh my goodness, of course the Cotswolds, and that gets a lot of publicity, if you will, because it is so beautiful and you see it on posters and that's so well worth the visit. Bath is so worth the visit. My personal favorite too is Wales. I just adore Northern Wales. But to me and I don't know if you see this or not, if you would agree, but northern whales in Northumberland are very close to me, in kindred spirit, you know, sort of in the feel that you get People just pass through, they don't visit, they don't stay and they really should, because there's so much to see and so much to enjoy and the people are just so welcoming, and I think that's part of the attraction as well. Towns like chester, I don't think get enough publicity in there what it, what a find chester is and how chester's amazing yeah isn't it?
Speaker 3:yes, it really is so.
Speaker 1:So, yes, get out of london and and actually a lot of those places like Canterbury, you know, winchester, you mentioned Bath. They're very easy day trips, so you know you can jump on the train and go and visit.
Speaker 1:I'm glad you went to Winchester. It's a favorite of mine. I loved it. The cathedral is amazing. It's a lovely city to visit and explore, so I'm glad that you did that. Now I'm going to hop over to asking did you buy anything when you were there that you brought back? Because obviously you've been quite a few times, so I don't know if souvenirs is something that you go for or if there's stuff that you always buy when you go.
Speaker 3:So I have yes, I always purchase prints of ruins, cathedrals, you know that type of thing. This is the first time we're visiting castles, so we got to go to Holyrood House Palace, which I absolutely loved, and so I have a print of that that I'll frame in a black frame thing that I knew I was getting when I went over because we did go to Chawton, to Jane Austen's house was my copy of Sense and Sensibility. Now this is my fifth copy of this book, but this is the only one from her house and it's my favorite favorite novel of hers. It's even got the gold binding, I mean. So that was something that I knew I was getting. There's absolutely. You know, this is what I'm absolutely getting and I did get in Edinburgh I got a Princess Diana cashmere scarf.
Speaker 1:It's very nice. Yeah, it's a beautiful tart in that, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I, you know I looked at it on previous visits, never got it and it literally was a spur of the moment splurge. We were walking by and I said let's go in and look at it next thing. You know, I was walking out with it.
Speaker 1:I don't blame you. I have to admit I do keep looking at it because it's very pretty, it's really pretty.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's really pretty. So those are that's. That's pretty much what our souvenirs were. Oh, I got a little porcelain cat in, uh, one of the cat stores in York because we did the cat trail, you know, finding the cat. Yeah, I had to get a little one to put up on a shelf, but but I think that was pretty much, pretty much it. No, we don't typically go to get souvenirs unless there's something with intent, like my sense and sensibility was yeah, yeah, you know that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, we we're talking like we collect fridge magnets, which everybody loves that.
Speaker 1:But it's just that they're very small and it means we, if we're traveling multiple destinations, we can fit those in the in the suitcase. But I I have recently um started collecting prints as well, uh, because it's just such a lovely reminder when you come back. But I like the idea of buying a jane austen book at chawton. I think I might have to add that to my another add to my list when I'm back over in the uk, like hopefully later on the year if not early next year, for sure.
Speaker 1:Anyway, you know I always end the podcast with the same question. So what would be the one tip that you would share with somebody planning to visit the UK on a return trip so not for a first-time visitor, but somebody who's already been, who's thinking oh, I want to go back. What would be the tip that you'd share?
Speaker 3:I think my tip is to familiarize yourself with other modes of transportation and it's funny because I'd asked my husband the same question what would you say? And that's what he said. I already had it written down. And because I think, seeing the UK by, of course, if you're in London, you know it's easy to hop on the underground, it's easy to hop on a bus, it's easy to grab, you know, a black cab, and those are all wonderful modes and we should use them. Walk a lot, though, when you're're in places, because then you see things in different ways. But I would say search out, don't be afraid to do things like take a train, you know, to a different place, or a bus, for that matter, because I know the bus system throughout the UK is so beneficial to their travel as well too.
Speaker 1:So that would be my tip for returning visitors do something different in terms of transportation and just enjoy oh well, that's really actually handy, because next week's episode is all about, um, uh, we share tips for anybody planning a road trip, things that we recommend that you do consider. Again, recommend don't ever tell anybody you've got to do these things and the following, uh, then, two weeks after that is one which is, uh, 15 tips, like I shared about taking train travel, things that we recommend that you consider doing. So that fits in really really well. But, um, I can't believe this is the third episode with you, deb. It's great, I can't wait for there'll be another one and another one I'm sure every time you go back you need me to go over, I'm willing.
Speaker 1:But again I just want to say a huge thank you for for helping moderate our Facebook groups. It's amazing. A huge thank you for sponsoring the podcast every month. It's huge help. We really appreciate that and again thank you for coming on the podcast.
Speaker 3:Absolutely my pleasure, Tracy. Thanks for having me again.
Speaker 1:And I will link to the different places, the tours, the hotels, the cafes and different places that Deb visited on her time when she was in the UK in the show notes which you can find at UK Travel Planning forward slash episode 156. But that just leaves me and Deb to say at the end of this episode until next week, happy.
Speaker 2:UK travel planning.
Speaker 1:Yeah, bye, everybody. Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast. As always, show notes can be found at uktravelplanningcom. If you've enjoyed the show, why not leave us feedback via text or a review on your favorite podcast app? The show. Why not leave us feedback via text or a review on your favourite podcast app? We love to hear from you and you never know. You may receive a shout out in a future episode. But, as always, that just leaves me to say until next week. Happy UK travel planning.