Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Trip Itinerary

Wednesday April 30th (Day 1; Ottawa, Air)

· Arrive at Ottawa Airport (YOW) by 5:00pm

o Depart via Direct Flight AC888 @ 6:40pm

Thursday May 1st (Day 2; Olney, Bedford, Cambridge, Bletchley)

· Arrive Heathrow Terminal 3 @ 6:25am (England Time)

· Pick up rental car – Alamo @ 7:00am

· Drive to Bletchley

o Eat breakfast and visit with Aunt Shirley and Uncle Sam

· Drive to Olney to see chapel where William Carey preached

o Cowper and Newton Museum
· Continue on to Bedford

o John Bunyan Museum

· Drive to Cambridge University

o Eat snack at Market Square

o Possible Cambridge University Sights: See Eyewitness guide for map

§ Kings College and KC Chapel

§ Queen's College

§ St. Mary's Church

§ Bridge of Sighs

§ Botanic Garden

§ Christ Church

§ Radcliffe Camera

§ Martyrs Memorial

§ Bridge of Sighs

§ Market Square

§ Punt on the Cam

· Overnight at Tudor Guest House in Cambridge
Friday May 2nd (Day 3; Thirsk, Harrogate, York)

· Leave Cambridge by 9am (after breakfast)

· Drive to York

· Spend day sight –seeing in York

o Potentially use Hop-on, Hop-off sight-seeing tour bus starting at Exhibition Square

· Possible Sights in York:

o Yorkminster Cathedral

o Guildhall

o St. Mary's Church

o York Castle Museum

o Merchant Adventurous Hall

o York City Art Gallery

o Cliffords Tower

· Drive 40 minutes to Thirsk and stay at Glen Free B&B
Saturday May 3rd (Day 4; Thirsk, Yorkshire Dales, Haworth, Penrith)

· Drive to Thirsk

o Visit "World of James Herriot Centre"

§ Thirsk Church

§ Eat lunch in town

· Continue on to Penrith via Western edge of Yorkshire Dales

· Check in at resort in Whitbarrow Village

· Get groceries for next few days

· Relax/sleep

Sunday May 4th (Day 5; Penrith, Whitbarrow Resort)

· Worship at Church in Penrith

· Relax at Resort remainder of day

Monday May 5th (Day 6; Penrith and area)

· Drive in to Pentrith

o Visit Penrith castle

o Hutton-on-the-Forest House

o Drive to Castlerigg Stone Circle

· Continue on to Eskdale

o Visit Hardknott Fort

· Ravenglass

o Muncaster Castle

· Return to resort for evening relaxation

Tuesday May 6th (Day 7; Edinburgh, Glasgow)

· Edinburgh

o The Lothians

o Castle – take free tour

o Royal mile

o Museum of Childhood

o David Livingston Museum

o Lunch - or spend day here in Edinburgh

· Glasgow (If we are feeling up to it)

o St. Mungo's museum of religious life and art

o Culzean Castle

o Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

o Supper

· Return home (2 hrs 2 min)

Wednesday May 7th (Day 8; resort)

Thursday May 8th (Day 9; Northumbria, Hadrien's Wall, Durham)

· Housesteads (best preserved fort)

o 4 miles from Bardon Mill

· Vindolanda

o Vindolanda - A69 - leave following signs for Vindolanda (near Village of Bardon Mill). Circa 13 miles from Hexham, Circa 35 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne (A1), Circa 35 Miles from Carlisle (M6). Alternative Scenic Route: Vindolanda can also be reached from the B6318.

· Hexam Abbey

o 9:30am-5pm – Suggested Donation £3

o Choral evensong 6:30pm Wednesday and Thursday

o Crypt open 11am-3:30pm

· Hexam Museum of Border History

· Carlisle

o Norman Castle

o Tullie House Museum

o Birdoswald Roman Fort

Friday May 9th (Day 10; resort)

Saturday May 10th (Day 11; Stoke-on-the-Trent, Bath)

· Visit the Potteries (2 hrs. 19 min)

· Lunch at Stoke-on-the-Trent

· Continue onto Bath (2 hrs. 25 min)

o Find Blair Austen Guesthouse (B&B), check in

o Walk around in evening

Sunday May 11 (Day 12; Bath)

· Drive to Bristol

o Worship at church in Bristol

o Visit John Wesley's Chapel – The New Room

o St Mary Redcliffe Church

o City Museum and Art Gallery

· Return to Bath

o Visit Roman baths

o Bath Abbey

o Roman baths museum

· City sightseeing begins at High Street near Bath Abbey

· Overnight in Bath

Monday May 12th (Day 13; Stonehenge, Oxford)

· Near Salisbury

o Stonehenge
  • Possibly: West Kennet Long Barrow, Silbury Hill, Avebury Stone Circle, Old Sarum

· Drive to Oxford (1 hr. 15 min)

· See The Kilns, and the Child & Eagle Pub

· Overnight in Oxford @ Newton House

Tuesday May 13th (Day 14; Oxford, London)

· City Sightseeing bus tour starts at Rail Station

o Go to Oxford University Press Bookstore

o Depart by 5pm

· Drive to London

o Drop off car Heathrow – Alamo 7:00pm
Return to Princess Hotel in London

o Rest

Wednesday May 14th (Day 15; London, Paris)

· Arrive at St Pancras station at 6am

· Depart 6:30am for Paris

· Arrive 9:50am

· Check into Hotel du Louvre (or drop off luggage)

· Get vouchers at Paris Vision Terminal

o 214 Rue de Rivoli

· Hop-on-hop off bus

· Louvre

· Other museums

Thursday May 15th (Day 16; Paris, London)

· Paris

o See above

· Depart 21:13 (9:13pm)

· Arrive 22:34 (10:34pm – time difference)

· Check into hotel (be sure to phone to tell them we will be arriving late for check-in)

Friday May 16th (Day 17; London)

· Visit

o Wesley's Chapel and Museum (across from cemetery)

o Bunhill Fields Cemetery

o Gardens

o Downtown sights

· Overnight in London

Saturday May 17th (Day 18; London)

· Bus Tour Begin at 11am

o Trafalgar Square

o Eros statue

o Piccadilly circus

o Marble arch

o Buckingham Palace

o Big Ben and Houses of Parliament

o Westminster Abbey

o London Eye

· Handel House Museum

· Thames River Cruise

· Overnight in London

Sunday May 18th (Day 19; London)

o Use last hours of bus pass

o Worship at St. Paul's Cathedral

o Visit Tower of London (10-5:30)

o Shakespeare's Globe

o The Monument

o Tower Bridge

o Millenium foot bridge

o Wrap up day – visit anything we missed during previous 2 days

Monday May 19th (Day 20; London, Montreal/Ottawa)

o Arrive Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 @ 11:00am

o Depart via Direct Flight AC889 @ 1pm

o Arrive Ottawa Airport @ 3:35pm

Magna Britannia


After months of planning, watching A History of Britain documentaries, and pouring over travel guides, we are on our way...well almost. Keith, Isaiah (our 10-month old) and I will be heading over to Great Britain for a 3 week trip of a lifetime :) The last few days have been spent printing off maps, cleaning, and packing but we're almost ready.


How did this trip come about, you may be asking yourself? Well, Nearly 2 years ago now, Keith's Granddad decided he wanted to help us out with a trip to England as our wedding gift. We were expecting to take the trip the following summer but 3 months later I found out it wasn't the only thing we were expecting :) We had no idea when we'd be able to take the trip with Keith in school and me home with a newborn, but with the generosity of Keith's family and the blessing of income tax returns we were able to plan for this Spring!


Please pray for us as we travel - especially as we try to get out of Heathrow airport in our rental car. Isaiah as flown with me before and did extremely well so hopefully that will continue. We thought some of you may be interested in our daily itinerary so I will post it for you. I will be trying to update the blog most days with the details of our travels and maybe even post a few pictures for you too!


Cheers,

Darcie