So, we have a Senior Rail Card but with the current disruptions to train services, never knowing if train is going to run we have decided to use our Senior Bus Pass and travel for free.
This is our challenge. We will need to use the train to get to major cities, or we will spend to long getting to our starting point, all trips from there will be undertaken by local buses.
We are hoping to make these journeys as cost effective as we can, whilst doing our little bit for the environment.
We will be exploring the areas we visit. This will not involve walking miles. Everywhere will be within easy walking distance of a bus stop. Toilets are usually our first stop followed by cafes, so we will include information on those.
For us, the journey is as important as getting to our destination. We are hoping to travel along the most scenic bus routes around the country.
6.32 am – We catch an early train and head for Peterborough – this means I’ve been up since quarter to five! However, it was rewarded with 1st Class tickets on LNER to Edinburgh https://www.lner.co.uk/ with breakfast on the way with plenty of tea and coffee to sustain us. We always buy our train tickets well in advance to get the best price. This enables us to go 1st Class and with using our railcards https://www.railcard.co.uk/ it costs little more than standard rail travel. It also helps that we aren’t restricted by date or times of day.
On arrival at Waverley Station (this is an amazing place and full of atmosphere – I love a big railway station and imagining where everyone is heading to or back from). We eventually find our way out and buy a 2 day bus pass which will allow us to hop on/ hop off for the 2 days we are here. https://edinburghtour.com/ “Catch the green bus” he said. We walk to the bus stop and a very friendly man there tells us we could have caught the red bus ( as it pulls away from the stop). So we wait for the green bus and are about to board when we are stopped by a not so friendly bus guy who tells us we weren’t in the queue, so we have to wait for the queue to get on before we do. We had not even seen the queue – do we need glasses? Wait a minute, we have glasses – do we need stronger ones??
We decided to walk off our lunch wandering through Victoria Terrace – it’s amazing – 10 storey buildings, shops and walkways piled one on top of the other.
Victoria Street
We continue on to go and see The Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. https://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/ As we are buying tickets Tracy tells me it’s 98 steps to the top!! Help! We go straight up to the top. Breathless and after a few pauses on the stairs to gather strength, we arrive at the top of the building, the views are amazing.
Views from the top of the Camera Obscura
The time comes for us to go in and see the Camera Obscura and for Adrienne, our guide, to tell us all about it – which she does very well- she’s witty and informative, making a very scientific concept very accessible. The Camera Obscura itself is as mind blowing now as it was when it was first seen – even in this day and age when we are very used to moving pictures, it is definitely worth a visit. Making our way back down, we visit the exhibits and illusions on each floor. All amazing and challenging.
One of the illusions.
Back on the bus to find our billets for the night at the Premier Hub, after booking in, which was very easy – put your name in the machine and out pops your room card – time for tea. We find The Piggs tapas just up the top of the road, a five minute walk, https://www.facebook.com/piggswinebar/ and share a cheeseboard tapas style but with Scottish cheeses, oatcakes, pickles and honey. It’s really tasty and yet again very reasonably priced at £22.00 for the two of us.
A Scottish tapas with local cheeses and honey.
Next morning we seek out Baba Budan for breakfast. https://www.bababudan.co.uk/ There were three things we fancied for breakfast: pastries, cinnamon buns and doughnuts. All out on the counter, looking incredibly tempting. We opt for massive cinnamon buns and choose our tea from the tea menu. We eat in but there is a constant stream of takeaway customers too. It’s not hard to see why – it’s an inexpensive, simply wonderful breakfast, we cannot recommend it enough – if you’re in Edinburgh, go there – you won’t regret it.
Next up, we catch the bus out to see the Royal Yacht Britannia. https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/ We were so glad we made the journey out to see it. It’s such an interesting visit. You are guided round the ship with your own personal audio guide – meaning everyone goes at their own pace. I can understand why the Queen was so sad to see it decommissioned – though it was a palace afloat, it still feels like a home from home.
Back on the bus to the city centre and a short walk, uphill, to the Dovecot Studios. https://dovecotstudios.com/ They have a great cafe and we decide it’s time for lunch. It isn’t expensive but the food is really tasty. We had avocado and bacon sandwiches with two different salads – an absolute bargain at £6.50 each and very filling.
Then into Grayson Perry’s Julia Cope tapestries exhibition. Wow! I was blown away. I could have spent all day looking at them and still find things I hadn’t noticed before. We took the free tour with a guide around the exhibition and I was glad we did. She was able to give us a lot of background information. Just a shame there were no exhibition programmes left.
One of the tapestries from the Grayson Perry exhibition
Back to Waverley Station and homeward bound. We like Edinburgh – there is plenty more to see when we make a return visit, even though we have crammed a lot into two days here. We’ve eaten plenty – in fact we’ve eaten really well and inexpensively by staying away from the big multiples and opting to find smaller independent places.
It’s a great city and we recommend you go there and spend some time there. We will definitely be returning.
We spotted this wonderful engine in Waverley Station on our way home
Back on the Railcard today and it’s a Friday in late September.
We set out on the train to Ely – that is after we got the infernal ticket machine to work at the station. It didn’t want to play ball, taking ages to “load up” and decide to work!
Once we got to Ely, we walked by the river and picked up the Eel Trail near the Jubilee Gardens. There is a guide to this which you can pick up from the Tourist Information Centre at Oliver Cromwell House http://www.visitely.org.uk/visitor-information/tourist-information-centre/ which incidentally is No 1 on the Eel Trail map of places to see. Once you see the guide you will note we picked it up at No 17 – sounds about right for us – we never do things in the order suggested!!
The Eel Trail takes you through the heritage and architecture in Ely that shows it’s close links with the Eel. Eels were a major part of the local diet and are still caught today.
From Jubilee Gardens we walked along the river and up Fore Hill. Must be time for refreshments – isn’t it always? We found The Samovar Tearooms halfway up Fore Hill. http://www.samovarteahouse.co.uk
Tea was chosen from an extensive tea menu and we both opted for sourdough toast with smoked salmon which was delicious and very reasonably priced at £5.50. Tea was extra, around £2.50/£3.00 average per pot of tea ( from which there were easily two or three cups). So, not expensive, a quirky decor and friendly atmosphere – we’ll go again.
Following the Eel Trail around the market place and into the city centre we wandered on to The Tourist Information Centre. We didn’t have time to go around Oliver Cromwell House today, as there was a private tour taking place, but had a good look around the centre which was full of local interest books and gifts to buy. We spoke to Lin who was pleasant, welcoming and chatty. We both felt they were pleased to see us and welcome us to their city.
Walking through Ely there are many plaques to take note of.
The inscription for the cannon on the green outside Ely Cathedral placed there after the Crimean War.
The Dispensary stone, marking the entrance to the old Ely Dispensary built in 1865.
Kenneth Wallis, born in Ely, died in Dereham. He flew 28 bomber missions during the Second World War, later becoming one of the leading experts in autogyros.
The Old Bishops Palace, now King’s Ely 6th Form Centre, was once part of a much larger building. It has been used as a prison for Catholics by Elizabeth 1 and a Red Cross Hospital in 1940. (A History of the Bishop’s Palace at Ely : Prelates and Prisoners by Francis Young).
Billet Glenn, was the last surviving soldier of the 1848/49 Punjab Campaign. He moved to Ely as a master at Needham’s School. By 1883 he was teaching part time at Mr Trigg’s Commercial Academy in Fore Hill, Ely and was still teaching there in 1914/15. When he died in 1917 he was given a funeral with full military honours, a three volley gun salute and the playing of the Last Post.
Back on the trail and through Palace Green, along the Gallery and under Ely Porta, round to the rear of the Cathedral and out onto Fore Hill, going down this time. We had a pit stop at The Royal Standard http://www.theroyalstandardely.com/ for a drink and then back towards the river for lunch at Peacocks Tearooms. http://www.peacockstearoom.co.uk/
This was yummy – and it’s not hard to see why. I chose Butternut, Stilton and Red Onion Marmalade Quiche, Tracy had Carrot and Ginger Soup, priced at £11.75 and £6.75 respectively. The tearoom has an atmosphere of a quintessentially English tearoom. It’s cosy, welcoming and puts a smile on your face. While waiting for your meal you see things, you have not ordered arrive at neighbouring tables, and wish you had!
Time for home and we take another stroll along the river back towards the station and catch the train home. Ely is a city you have to remind yourself, yet it has the feel of a small country town, friendly and welcoming. A hard trick to pull off, yet Ely manages to do so.
Bridge of Sighs, joining Hertford College over New College Lane
A very early start in mid August to catch www.harrodscoaches.co.uk bus trip to Oxford for the day. T and I meet at 6.45 a.m. at their depot just outside Downham Market to catch the bus leaving at 7.00 a.m. I have had a few reminders to get out of bed when the alarm goes off this time!
Paul was our bus driver and after a pleasant journey we were dropped off at 11.00 in Beaumont Street, near to the Ashmolean Museum. We had until 5.00, when we would be collected near St Giles statue. We have approximately 6 hours to “do Oxford”. Obviously not enough time, but we will do our best.
We walked further into the centre of Oxford, passing the Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera, Sheldonian Theatre and the nearby colleges. Gosh this is a beautiful city and all these places I want to spend more time in – especially the Bodleian, but I’m not allowed- too short on time.
Neither can I go in Blackwells Bookshop ( oldest bookshop in the U.K.). I really want to go in here but T says no, she will never get me out. She’s probably right! There is talk of a train link from Cambridge to Oxford – they need to make this happen as then we could return and spend more time in each place.
By now it’s time to eat. It’s too early for lunch, so we have brunch at Vaults and Garden www.thevaultsandgarden.com in Congregation House.
We both choose Oxford Cheese Rarebit with a selection of salads. For £7.95, this seemed very reasonable. The salads were lovely, well seasoned and dressed – on my plate there was rice with capers and olives, dill, green salad with parsley and some coleslaw. Congregation Hall dates from 1320 and was the first central university building where the Ruling Council or Congregation met. It’s a beautiful fan vaulted room and makes you feel like you are eating in the refectory at school, but not in a bad way! There are also some tables outside in the garden but we chose to stay in as it was very hot out there. Visiting the loo before leaving was interesting – they are absolutely tiny. You need to be a contortionist to get in and shut the door!
Next we opted for the City Bus Tour, www.citysightseeingoxford.com/ which is always a good way, if you have limited time, to see most of the city and listen to a commentary on the way. We got off at the Westgate Centre for a little retail therapy at www.seasaltcornwall.co.uk. We then walked a short distance to Alice’s Shop aliceinwonderlandshop.com. It’s the only place in Oxford that Lewis Carroll gave a name check to in his book and it is a charming little place.
Alice’s Shop. Everything sold is related to Alice in Wonderland
A little further on we visited the covered market which T says is very different to how she remembered it. Her father was a policeman and his beat covered Oxford City Centre and the covered market. Back then there seemed to be a lot of greasy spoon cafes – it’s definately not like that now!
After leaving the market we decided to stop again for a late lunch/ early tea at the Plough at No 38. where we could have 2 courses for £14.95. We had been drawn in by “ unrivalled views from 1st floor” ( which was basically a view down Ship Street – very quaint ). We couldn’t sit in the window seats but we did have a very nice view of the kitchen and our meal being prepared! The food was very tasty, well presented and reasonably priced. T had chosen soused mackerel to start, whilst I had pork terrine. We both had fish and chips to follow.
Time to wander back via Magdalen Street and wait for the bus. We had a little time left so we went into the Ashmolean for a cup of tea and something to takeaway to eat on the bus home. We had a wander round the gift shop and went into the cafe. We chose a couple of muffins to take with us and a pot of tea. It wasn’t the best experience to end our visit to Oxford. The cups were dirty and had to be changed and the tables weren’t cleared or cleaned regularly. When we decided to eat our muffins on the way home neither of us finished them – they were dry and stale. I expect they had been there since early morning and we bought them just before the museum closed so maybe it wasn’t a wise choice!
5 o’clock and we are all back on the bus for the journey home. Harrods do lots of these trips all over the country, year round. The buses are always comfortable, the drivers friendly and well informed. I expect we will do many more trips with them in the future.
From first to latest – following on from our first trip, I’m going to tell you about our latest venture, which actually did involve a trip on the Coastliner Bus (renamed last year after being taken over by another bus company). It’s a bit of a skip from 1st to last but there is a link………
In Wick, I teased T about setting off far too early to catch the train home. This backfired on me on our recent bus trip to Cromer!
We had arranged to meet and walk up town to catch the bus in Hunstanton around 8.30 a.m. I woke up at 8.04 a.m. I’d set the alarm on my phone and turned it off when it woke me initially at 7.00 a.m. I should have got straight out of bed then, as T pointed out to me, but I decided there was no hurry and the next thing I knew it was 8.04. Oh my god! This was not a good start to the day – I have never got up and dressed so quickly in my life. I picked T up in the car and drove nearer to town and parked up for the day leaving a shorter walk to the bus station to save time. We had a speed walk to the bus station, but the bus wasn’t there. The next bus was 9.28 a.m. we’d missed the bus and it was my fault – oops!
Hunstanton
As I’d missed breakfast we decided to have tea and toast in Hunstanton at The Copper Kettle. Time to breathe and relax a bit, drink tea and eat hot buttered toast – things were starting to look up.
T had prepared a list of places of interest etc and we chose to look for Jarrolds. https://www.jarrold.co.uk. This is well worth a visit – it’s a satellite of the Jarrolds independent department store in Norwich and like its mother ship, it’s well stocked and very easy to while away time and be tempted to buy – make sure you take a large bag when you visit !
It was more than 2 hours since breakfast, so next up it must be lunch! T’s research suggested the Crab Pot Cafe. https://www.crabpotcafe.co.uk. I love crab so liked the sound of that very much. It’s a small cafe which has a lovely welcoming atmosphere and on the day we visited was very busy. We took the last available table. We both chose crab mornay with sautéed potatoes and tea. The tea was served in a lovely coastal themed pot, which made us smile.
The crab mornay was absolutely delicious and thoroughly recommended.
After lunch we had another wander around the town on the way to the pier. We window shopped all the way and both thought it was a place to return to in the autumn to browse and do some shopping in the small shops selling among other things ceramics and art.
We had a short visit to the pier – it was raining by then and we were getting very wet! If we had longer, we would have watched the show on https://www.cromerpier.co.uk. I popped into a local shop and bought a couple of brollies – they were doing a roaring trade !
Time to return home and on our way back to the bus stop our second visit of the day to the Crab Pot Cafe to buy some cake to eat on the way home. This turned out to be a bit messy but yummy – well mine was – I chose sticky, gooey carrot cake. T was more sensible and chose millionaires shortbread which turned out to be a lot easier to eat on the bus. Both cakes were delicious.
Back on the bus and back in Hunstanton, a more leisurely walk back to the car than we had this morning. It was apparent that I would not live down my tardiness this morning anytime soon, there being constant references to it throughout the day! Ah well, what goes around comes around – that will teach me to tease T about being too early in Wick!
When I was asked if I’d like to go Wick on a train I couldn’t think of a reason to say no. A flurry of emails and WhatsApp messages ensued and the train and hotel were booked. At least a small forest of trees was consumed to print the numerous rail tickets, as we had to change trains several times and off we went.
Seventeen hours later we arrived in Wick – not that we could see a lot – it was 11pm and very dark! A taxi had been booked and a few minutes later we were dropped off at http://www.nethercliffehotel.co.uk/, checked in and 💤.
This map shows our eventual destination, right at the top of north east Scotland. I don’t think either of us had actually appreciated quite how far it was!
After changing to http://scotrail.co.uk/ at Edinburgh we still had a further 10 hours to go.
It was March and though the wind was bracing the next morning, it was bright and clear. We had a hearty breakfast and set off to explore, on our one day there, before catching the train very the next morning for the return journey to Norfolk. As someone from Scotrail said to us on the way, “All the way up to Wick for an overnight stay, one day and then another 17 hours home? Madness, utter madness. “
Our first visit on the ‘ list of things to see and do’ was the museum. From the displays in the window it looked very interesting. We couldn’t say anymore about it than that as it wasn’t open until Easter, which was another 2 weeks away! Note to selves – check opening times whilst doing research of list of things to do and see 👍🏻
We walked around the harbour area before going to Huddersfield Street and the Pulteney distillery on a tour.
We both enjoyed our to visit to https://www.oldpulteney.com Our guide was very well informed and though she must do it day in, day out, she made it feel freshly organised just for us. I particularly liked the warehouse and the barrels of whisky staked nine high – the aroma was heady, intoxicating and unforgettable! Then to the tasting – T doesn’t like whisky, but I do, so I drank mine and hers as well. It’s a tough job but I was more than happy to do it. Hic! I definitely like Old Pulteney whisky!
Barrels at Old Pulteney
After the alcohol, some lunch was needed. We went to the Pulteney Centre http://www.pppwick.org.uk which, conveniently, was right next door. We were both impressed. It’s a light, airy modern building, housing a cafe/ restaurant which serves everything from sandwiches and cakes to hot meals, jacket potatoes and homemade soup. We both chose Leek and Potato soup which was served with a bread roll. It was delicious and very reasonably priced. It was busy and several people were also having lunch – mostly local but after all, what tourists would be in Wick, in March? 😳😳
We wandered back towards the hotel and spent ages looking for the smallest street in the U.K. Just before we found it, T was the recipient of the lucky droppings of an overhead seagull. She didn’t find it very amusing or lucky but I did. 😂
For the record , the street was Ebenezer Place, Wick and it is in the Guinness Book of Records, measuring 2.06 metres.
Back to the hotel, dinner and an early night as we had to catch the train at 6.18 am. T was worried about the time we would need to walk from the hotel to the station the next morning. So, to allay her fears, before dinner we did a trial run. It took 8 minutes – I figured we’d need to leave the hotel about 6 in the morning which would allow more than enough time. T didn’t think so, wanting to leave much earlier – after a bit of bargaining we agreed we would set off at 5.45. She was dressed, packed and ready to go before 5.30 am. We were at the station before 5.45. At least we were able to get on the train and wait for the train driver to arrive! We left at 6.18 on the dot and set off on our 17 hour return journey to Norfolk.
We both enjoyed Wick and it’s rugged charm, but more than that it’s sense of community and common identity. It’s definately worth a visit and we’d do it again but stay for a bit longer than one day between the two marathon train journeys!
Next time, we said, maybe we would actually get on the Coasthopper Bus and visit somewhere in North Norfolk!!
We both have holiday homes in Hunstanton. We have busy lives but do not go out to work anymore. Our families are grown up, so we had the idea that we should “survey” the area – specifically the Norfolk area -trying out coffee shops, tea rooms, restaurants etc and report our findings.
So……………….Given our “”area” is Norfolk, where did we go for our first adventure? Wick. Yes, Wick – right at the North Easternmost tip of Scotland and about as far from Norfolk as we could get on mainland U.K.!
We are of a certain age and since then, we have both acquired Senior railcards and travelled on trains, buses and are now planning a ferry trip.
We have done several trips since that first visit to Wick and we have taken the surveying of eating and drinking establishments very seriously – we hardly go more than 2 hours before needing a snack or ice cream! We have also widened our remit to include visits to local museums, galleries, places of interest etc, otherwise we would be the size of a house if all we did was eat and drink! A comprehensive list of possible venues is prepared in advance. We now pay particular attention to when they open – when we were in Wick we couldn’t visit the museum as it was closed until Easter, two weeks after we were there! However, it didn’t spoil the day as we spent the extra time in the Old Pulteney whisky distillery where one of us did all the tasting, as the other doesn’t like whisky, and consequently was a bit squiffy for the rest of the afternoon. If I close my eyes I can still smell the stacked barrels maturing in the bonded warehouse – mmmmmm, lovely!
Our original plan of using the local Coasthopper bus and pottering along the North Norfolk coast from time to time, has morphed into hiking all over the country, seeing things we’d otherwise have missed, eating and drinking and giggling like a couple of schoolgirls most of the time . It’s been hugely enjoyable and from now on as we travel, you will to. Also, we will retrospectively catch you up with our back catalogue of journeys from time to time .
Our next venture is a short bus trip to Oxford. T wanted to go as her father was a policeman and his beat was Oxford City, E has never been but always wanted to……
Travels on a Senior Railcard 