THE NORWOOD FAMILY PAGE

I traveled in England and Scotland in 1994; and in England, North Wales, and the Isle of Man in 1996. I had a wonderful experience and good accomodations both times. Both trips we used mainly B & B's. I am told that British housing standards are not always up to American expectations but we had good luck both trips. In 94 we did our bookings in advance with a small agency in the Seattle area that, oddly enough, books B & B's in the Seattle area and in the British Isles. They try to only use B & B's that they have some first hand knowledge of. They will do up itineraries for those that are clueless about where they want to go. But, I chose general locations I wanted to be in, dates we wanted to be there, and general price range. They got back to me several selections in each area & I chose. I paid the travel agency in advance & did not have to worry about the cost of rooms when there. Of course, the agency took a cut, but prices were reasonable. I have found that in England with the proper guidance, you can get nicer accomodations at B &B's than you can in hotels for more reasonable prices. When traveling with a family of 4 with very specific room requirements, I felt most comfortable with the travel agent's guarantee that on the off chance something happened (ie. B& B went bankrupt without notice before our arrival) they would guarantee and underwrite the cost of a new last minute booking-- and help find it. (Never had to make use of this guarantee, though.) If you want to do the bookings yourself and avoid the middle person, there are good books on B & B's out. I have no idea if the travel agency we used is still in business, but if anyone is interested, I can check on this one.

When asking for something in Kent, we asked for something in the vicinity of Canterbury. Not knowing what things would be like in Canterbury we chose a rural option. Having seen Canterbury, I think the options in the "city" would have been just fine, too. The place we stayed outside Canterbury (in Pett Bottom, Upper Hardress) would only be accessible if you had a rental car. It was an easy drive to Canterbury and surrounding areas & gave new meaning to the word rural. It was definitely a pastoral, agricultural area. As we approached it, the paved road narrowed to the width of a typical US country road and then narrowed again several times--to the point where 2 horses would have difficulty passing side by side. As in any agricultural area, houses were on their own plots of land with acres between them. But oddly enough, the house we stayed in was half of a solid old duplex out there in the middle of nowhere. It was also just down the road (within easy walking distance) from a quaint little pub with good food called the Duck Inn. (It was the only commercial establishment in the area.) Most of the B & B's we stayed in were business establishments with all the comforts of home but never the feeling you were invading someone's home. (Host living quarters were usually separate.) The place we stayed in here was run by a young couple with a child who were earning extra income by housing overflow bookings from the Mother-In-Law's B & B. I did not see the Mother-in-law's place. This one was clean and pleasant, & the host and hostess were warm and helpful, but you were definitely sharing space in a family home. They invited use of the TV in the living room, etc. But you knew you were sharing them with a family. The only other trick here was water pressure for hot water for showers. When the local irrigation systems were turned on, water pressure dropped, much to the host's chagrin. It is a problem they were working on changing, but who knows.... The bath was down the hall, not en suite, but they only had 2 rooms they rented out, so it was just our family using the bathroom (I think the host family must have had their own separate bath.)

Five-year-old contact info on this one is:

1 Broxhall Cottage,
Pett Bottom,
Upper Hardress,
Kent, CT4 5PE,
Telephone the hostess at Walnut Tree B&B: 022787-375

On this trip we chose to book B & B's at a central location for touring & use them as a base of operation for several days. We were down to just 2 nites here & trying to squeeze a lot in. So, we did not explore the Isle of Sheppey as thoroughly as we could have, but distances fom Pett Bottom made it easy to drive to on a Sunday AM, attend a service, or explore a bit, catch parishioners as they left the service, photograph brasses, and talk with the historian while the choir practiced. (Unless you're really into the authentic thing, you need no longer bug anyone to expose the original brasses under the carpet. Full sized framed copies (under glass) hang on the wall, & a second set of full-size duplicates are mounted to planks and available for tourists to do rubbings of, etc. These are the ones we photographed. The historian said there were a few minor inaccuracies in these duplicates, but they were good enough for my purposes.) Anyway, with a rental car, there was time enough in a single Sunday to drive from Pett Bottom to Minster, spend a rather leisurely Sunday morning there, and head on to Canterbury for a lunch, a full afternoon of strolling and dinner. There were lots of places to eat in Canterbury. On our last day in the area, we had to make a choice between another family history site (Cranbrook, church of a vicar in my Eddy line; not from my Norwood side of the family) & Maidstone. So, Leeds Castle still awaits my exploration. But, either was an easy day trip, with a few stops along the way, from the Canterbury area. (I loved the walled city of Canterbury, by the way, and the cathedral is amazing.)

I have no deep need to connect with royalty & it's a good thing since it looks as if my line does not. But, if you happen to have Norwood lineage that actually does tie into royal lines it gives you family sites all over England. That can be fun! You'll find that the church in the old walled city of York is the place where Edward III was married. And, if you come down from Edward the III's son John of Gaunt, you can meet a life-size funeral effigy (or whatever the technical name for it is) of his brother "The Black Prince" in Canterbury Cathedral. Sterling Castle in Scotland (a really good castle to visit; not as crowded as Edinburgh but equally impressive) had some interesting historical moments for Edward I (putting you on the unpopular side in the Brave Heart Saga of William Wallace and the Scots versus the English royalty). Westminster Abbey is of course steeped in royal history, and Windsor Castle is a wonderful place to visit, whether or not you have family connections there. (We used Windsor as a place to stay when visiting London. It was an easy day trip by train to London & the train we took dropped us off within walking distance of the famed view of Parliament and Big Ben across the Thames from the Westminster Bridge.)

Northern Wales claims a series of explorable ruins of castles constructed by Edward I--including Conway, Caernarfon, and BeauMaris across the Menai Strait on Anglesy Island--as he worked to subjugate the Welsh people. (If you have a royal connection to Edward I, don't announce it too loudly here.) But the ruins and history are fun so soak up--especially on a sunny day.

My 5-year-old recommended list of places to stay in England and Scotland is:

The Topps Farm,
Fintry Road,
Denny,
Stirlingshire,
Scotland FK6 5JF
(Jennifer and Alistar Steel proprieters)
Telephone: 0f324 822471

This is a very rural B&B and home-dining-room sized restaurant in farmhouse setting surrounded by sheep covered hills; southern edge of the Highlands; near Stirling--just north and east of Glasgow; rental car a must here, but it's an easy day trip drive to Stirling Castle, Edinburgh, Callendar, Inverary, etc. Many restaurants are available from Denny to Sterling. The rooms here are simple, no frills. They are not a destination in themselves but are clean and comfortable, many with ensuite facilities. The real draw here is the food. They try to offer traditional Scottish items. But Alistar is a gourmet chef and even things you might not be sure about trying are worth the venture here. You can get the "Traditional English" breakfast with eggs, ham-like bacon, a broiled tomato, etc. But you will find even that standard fare to be a notch above what you will find elsewhere. Scottish (finely ground) oatmeal is available. And there are also breakfast items like Scottish trout--a pink-fleshed, mild fish that tastes like salmon (probably kin to our steelhead). You could also order evening meals there if you wished. They were not inexpensive but these meals were definitely a tourist destination in themselves. You usually had a selection from several entree items and all were done to gourmet perfection.

White Doves,
20 Claremont Terrace (off Gill gate),
York, England YO3 73J (Check postal code)
(David & Pauline Pearce)
Telephone: 0904 625957

Toward the end of a little deadend side street just outside the walls of York; clean, comfortable, pleasant surroundings, within easy walking distance of the sites of York; Host and hostess very helpful.

The Mill House,
Berwick St James,
Salisbury SP34TS,
Wiltshire,
England
(Diana Gifford-Mead proprietor) Telephone: 0722791 331

A few miles from Stonehenge. (This many not fit on the ancestral tour-- at least not traceable ancestors--but certainly you have some blood going back to stoneage England.) Only accessible by car. Berwick St. James is a very small village. Taking the main East-West highway that runs past Stonehenge, you go just a few (2 or 3) miles west of Stonehenge. Berwick St. James is then just a stone's throw south of this highway. The "village" sports a tiny post office, general store, and a pub without meals. Toward the far end of town sits the Mill house built on several acres of land with a stream, old mill, and incredible gardens on the premises. This may cost a tad more than the other sites but it is a destination in itself, a place to luxuriate and relax. The rooms we stayed in were large, comfortable, and very pleasant to spend time in, -- decorated with antiques. If a day of real R & R is needed in the midst of a hectic schedule, this is a good spot to do it. Someone can easily read or nap in the pleasant rooms while someone else may choose to stroll in the gardens or relax on a bench there. The setting and the pleasant rooms are a destination. The breakfasts are adequate, no-nonsense cooking (not gourmet but adequate) and served in a very pleasant dining room. There is all the traditional English breakfast fare (toast, homemade marmalade, eggs any way--probably cooked in bacon fat & a tad on the greasy side), bacon, etc. The hostess is a wealth of information and can point you toward some excellent restaurants and top notch pubs in the area for dinner. Easy day trips include Avebury, Bath, and Salisbury. (Stonehenge could be combined with a day of R & R or with some other side trips.

From the 1996 list:

If you do the Stratford (very crowded)/ Warwick Castle (Warwick was less crowded and very interesting as a town, too), There are a number of B & B's in Warwick. I stayed outside of town--another auto-accessible stop --at a very pleasant place with pretty rooms and pleasant grounds:

Shrewley House,
Telephone: 01926 842549.

The only thing within walking distance was a busy pub with simple fare.Exellent restaurants, antique shops, etc. in Warwick.

On the way to North Wales

Green Gables,
Chester
Telephone: 01244 372243
(Pleasant and comfortable)

North Wales Sites included:

Eyrath Station in Ruthin, Wales
Telephone: 01824 703643

Another beautiful rural setting (with a pleasant over-the-stile, past- the-stinging-nettle, thru-the-field walk to the nearest pub; took the walk; pub looked smokey and advertised entertainment for the evening: American Country & western singing! Took the walk back & drove to Ruthin for dinner). The rooms here are beautifully decorated and the common areas including the window-wrapped dining room are very nice. The yard of this converted railroad station has a small pleasant swimming pool enclosed by a small rose garden. Beyond this little yard stretch endless rural fields & rolling hills. Here, a Traditional Welsh Breakfast is among the menu items (looked strangely like the Traditional English Breakfast to me...!) If you're into doing the tourist thing, reservations can be made, if I recall correctly, thru the B & B proprietor for a Medieval Banquet at Ruthin Castle (may be only certain nights of the week). I am told that this is one of the more reasonable and more authentic of such available events. True to Medieval tradition, you are served a multi course meal with only your fingers and a sharp knife for utensils. The entertainment, done by the people who serve you has a touristy feel but was fun. The good native Welsh singing voices were delightful to hear. The gardens--complete with peacocks--around the castle were fun to wander before dinner. (The castle also has lodging. If I recall it was not inexpensive; did not see the rooms.) Ruthin is an interesting little market town. We used it as a jumping-off point for visiting the yearly international music competition (Eisteddfodd) in Llangollen.

For visiting Edward's Castle Ruins, we stayed at:

The Country Bumpkin in Bangor
Telephone: 01248370477

It was in a pleasant rural area but surrounded by a paved area and all the trappings of a small construction business. We were there over the weekend, so there was no early morning worker noise, but I don't know what it would be like on week days. The rooms were beautiful and well appointed. The hostess was delightful.

There. That's a starter! This turned out to be a pleasant trip down memory lane. If anyone tries the phone #'s I hope they work. Some are old, and having copied them several times (with a tendency toward reversals), there are no guarantees!Have fun planning your trip. I hope you share your discoveries with the rest of us!Connie Baesman

Return to The Travel Homepage

Return to The Norwood Family Page