ashleyg
Full Travel Member
Posts: 37
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Post by ashleyg on Feb 28, 2006 19:52:55 GMT -5
I have a couple days in between a tour in Scotland and meeting up with friends in Shrewsbury. I'd like to see something of the north of England, espeically the wall. Any suggestions on a good place to base myself? Is there anything to see in Manchester or Liverpool?
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Post by Jules80 on Mar 1, 2006 12:46:15 GMT -5
maybe york? its very beautiful and durham is nearby and also beautiful. leeds is cool, too. never been to liverpool, but manchester is pretty ugly and unspectacular. shops are good if you're into that. there's not much to see there. manchester is a product of the industrial revolution so there aren't very many old beautiful buildings or anything. there's one cool museum... i think on industry? memory is fuzzy but there were trains, textiles, planes....
Jules
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Post by crystal on Mar 5, 2006 11:19:22 GMT -5
Depending on what you are into why not try the Lake District - national park. Stunning scenery and a good place to chill out. And it's right on the Scottish border so it would be a good base for you.
I second both York and Durham both beautiful cities. Manchester has a brilliant nightlife if that's your thing but not a lot else. Not too sure about Liverpool. It's fairly industrial but maybe slightly prettier than Manchester.
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Post by crystal on Mar 5, 2006 11:32:46 GMT -5
Just seen that you mention the wall. I presume you mean Hadrian's Wall. Without sounding like the tourist board the lake district is ideal for this. The wall runs right across country and it's becoming popular for people to walk the new footpath that goes from Bowness on Solway (6 miles from my house  ) to Wallsend in the North East about 80 miles. There are loads of little hotels along the route. However you can't see much of the wall to the west of Carlisle or to the East of Corbridge near Newcastle. But if you just want a snap shot of the Roman forts you could try Birdoswald which has a muesum alongside the roman ruins or Vindolanda which probably has more remains. Not so sure about the stuff further to the East cos I've never been. To see the wall you could stay in Newcastle, Carlisle or Hexham. Manchester or Liverpool would be around a 3 hours drive from the wall. |
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ashleyg
Full Travel Member
Posts: 37
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Post by ashleyg on Mar 5, 2006 12:49:41 GMT -5
Don't worry about sounding like a tourist board - that's what I need! I like the idea of the lake district - I'm an avid hiker, so spending a day or two wandering there might be a nice break for me. Can you recommend any specific towns or hostels/cheap hotels?
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Post by crystal on Mar 5, 2006 13:33:07 GMT -5
I guess the main town for hiking would be Keswick. It's smack bang in the middle of everything but prices may be a bit on the steep side. This tend to be the main tourist and walkers base. Along the same lines would be Ambleside, Kendal or Windermere.
Prices get cheaper if you come just outside the National Park but you loose interest and beauty factors. You could try staying in Carlisle (local city not huge, plenty of roman history, nice castle, ok nightlife, not recommended for a long stay but good base for lake district) or anywhere along the coast - Workington, Whitehaven (Whitehaven probably nicer, not a lot here, couple of museums but will be cheap and easy reach for lakes) stay away from Barrow (Horrible place).
Let me know if you find some where and I'll suss it out for you. I live in Wigton which is 10 miles south of Carlisle but around 20 miles from Keswick.
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Post by crystal on Mar 5, 2006 13:41:06 GMT -5
Ooo just had a thought Cockermouth might be your best option. Nice, quaint country town - perfect base for walking. a lot nicer than Whitehaven. This is the town's site. It has a list of accomodation. www.cockermouth.org.uk/ |
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Post by Jules80 on Mar 5, 2006 19:00:08 GMT -5
if you like hiking, the yorkshire dales are nice, too. its about 45 min train from leeds to some trails so you can use leeds as a base.
jules
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) to Wallsend in the North East about 80 miles. There are loads of little hotels along the route. However you can't see much of the wall to the west of Carlisle or to the East of Corbridge near Newcastle. But if you just want a snap shot of the Roman forts you could try Birdoswald which has a muesum alongside the roman ruins or Vindolanda which probably has more remains. Not so sure about the stuff further to the East cos I've never been. To see the wall you could stay in Newcastle, Carlisle or Hexham.