Planning a trip to England w/my son

I have a good friend who lives there. We met when I lived in Sedona and she moved back to England about a year ago after her second bout w/cancer. She wants me to visit her and I want to see her, too, plus I've always wanted to see England and the usual tourist stuff and the places that only a native would know.

If you've been to England, maybe you can direct me to some hotels and restaurants. I don't need 5 star hotels; y'know, average priced ones. Also, if you feel that there are some things that I absolutely cannot miss, if you would be so kind as to either post it here or PM me, I would greatly appreciate it. My son and I will be going together but we've got quite a bit of time before we go. We're planning on June of 2010.

Any direction that you feel you'd like to share will be welcomed. :)

My Aunt and Uncle live in Cambridge, England. Uncle David was born there and my aunt moved over there 11 years ago after they got married to attend Cambridge University.

Where exactly in England are you going to be?

Mary, I dont have any advice, but I just KNOW how happy you are to get to spend quality time with your son. How memorable this trip will be!

I am so jealous, I have always wanted to go to England and Australia:o


And since it is so far from now, you will have plenty of time to save up and buy yourself whatever you want while there. ;)

I am so happy for you! Katie and kitties:love:

You've got plenty of time to plan, if you want to see the normal tourist stuff, Paul and I got "the London Pass" when we were there, and it was completely worth every penny. http://www.londonpass.com/

Where in England does your friend live?

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Originally Posted by Karen

You've got plenty of time to plan, if you want to see the normal tourist stuff, Paul and I got "the London Pass" when we were there, and it was completely worth every penny. http://www.londonpass.com/

Where in England does your friend live?

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She lives in Essex which, judging from the way she describes it, is a quaint countryside village. My son's friend lives in Bath.

I want badly to see Hampton Court, the Tower of London, Tower Square where Anne Boleyn was executed, y'know, the usual stuff. My friend would like to take me to the summer solstice celebration at Stonge Henge. She said that she would even take me to the pub where the prostitutes gathered during Jack the Ripper's time because she knows I'm fascinated w/that story.

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Originally Posted by kt_luvs_kitties

Mary, I dont have any advice, but I just KNOW how happy you are to get to spend quality time with your soon. How memorable this trip will be!

I am so jealous, I have always wanted to go to England and Australia:o


And since it is so far from now, you will have plenty of time to save up and buy yourself whatever you want while there. ;)

I am so happy for you! Katie and kitties:love:

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Yes, I need the time to save the money. It should be do-able barring any catastrophes. LOL I've been having a lot of improvements and upgrades done on my house but I've decided to cut back a little so that I can put more money away for our trip. I told my son that I realize the ideal vacation for him isn't going to England w/Mom but we're such good buds that we'll have a good time. He wants to go to Latin America, too, because he loves Latin women. I told him he's on his own w/that one. I'd rather not watch my son in action. LOL (He's a gentleman, though.)

You will for sure need a hotel in London. I remember last year Sara (Edwina's Secretary) staying at a very nice hotel in London at Lancaster gate which was not too expensive.
And the London pass- check out under www.londonpass.com
If you decide not to go for the pass you would buy an Oyster card for transport- you load it up and it's much cheaper than single tube cards.

Go to a place where there is a big English cathedral- they are different from the French and very impressive. Places in the South would be: Salisbury, Winchester, Canterbury, Wells.
Go to see an English garden, e.g. Stourhead or , now I forgot how Virginia Woolf's garden was called.

England is fantastic :) .. but I think if you're there anyway why not consider Scotland as well?

How exciting! I loved my trip to England, always planned to return.

I did a Cosmos tour, which was a great way to see a lot of things in a short time. I took the England, Wales, Scotland tour. Also spent a week in Lymington on the Solent, rented a car, and toured all that area: Beaulieu, New Forest, took the car on the ferry to the Isle of Wight.

I was there 3 weeks, and it was WONDERFUL!!

Clare, my English friend, called me this morning and when I told her that I would also like to see an English garden, she said "Well, that would be my Mum's". She said that her brother has a house there, too, and there's room enough for all of us to stay there. She also said that she'd pick us up at the airport so not to worry about cab fare, etc. and that as we get closer to the date she would look into hotels for us. Some of them may offer the London Pass at the hotel. It's a long way off and my stomach already has butterflies w/excitement!

Check online - I think you save money buy buying the London Pass ahead of time, rather than while you are there. And it does include a Tube pass, as well, so you get all your public transportation with it!

Great news!!! I would be floating on air. This is going to be wonderful. I hope you both have a fabulous time!!:)

You have to check out Covent Gardens, its a huge market where they have loads of fab street entertainers.

You will have a great time, and be sure to sample all the great beer they have!

Oh mary i am so excited for you, it won't take long for the time to come around, i had to plan my childrens holiday in the gold coast Australia for over a year, and the time just flew.

I hope all goes according to plan and i know you are going to have the best time ever, any chance you might venture on to Scotland,that is where i was born, and i have never seen it, alas i probably won't,but i love to hear of others who do.:)

Mary, I sent you a PM with some links, and here's some that explains the Oyster card. :)

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/oystercard.htm

http://www.visitlondon.com/travel/oyster/

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Originally Posted by Karen

Check online - I think you save money buy buying the London Pass ahead of time, rather than while you are there. And it does include a Tube pass, as well, so you get all your public transportation with it!

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Thanx a mil, Karen. I'll be sure to print this thread and all the PM's that I've received. I've already got a thick file started. Thank you all, my friends! :)

England is much more than London. I LOVE London but here's a link to other area's including Essex
http://www.picturesofengland.com/

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Originally Posted by kitten645

England is much more than London. I LOVE London but here's a link to other area's including Essex
http://www.picturesofengland.com/

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My friend lives in Essex and my son's friend lives in Bath. These pix are a huge help. Thanx. :)