Brian's Place

Some Places To Enjoy Life... In England

My American cousin's daughter enjoying life at the Hare Inn, Scawton, near Helmsley, North Yorkshire

• Bedfordshire - Wrest Park (English Heritage)
• Cornwall - Helford Estuary, Near Truro
• Cumbria - The Lake District
• Devon - Bearslake Inn & RHS Gardens, Rosemoor
• Forthcoming sections (links only at present):
• Audley End House & Gardens (English Heritage)
• Epping Forest
• Marlow-on-Thames
• Midhurst and The South Downs

• If you follow the links in the right hand panel, you will hopefully find a lot of useful or interesting information. The first (reddish-brown) link will take you to a map of England marked up with our favourite sites, restaurants, hotels etc.
• Links in that panel will generally open in a new window.

Bedfordshire - Wrest Park

This is Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, one of the less well known English Heritage sites, and one of our favourite walking and picnic spots.

Click the picture to see my SU photoblog of Wrest Park (it will open in a separate window).

Cornwall - Helford Estuary, Near Truro

I visited Cornwall for the very first time at the end of March this year (2007). My wife and I were invited by our in-laws to join them for a long weekend at one of their favourite places, the Budock Vean Hotel.

I'm very glad that we went! Cornwall seems to me like Devon, only more so. Although it is part of England it has its own language and a separate identity (in the same way that Brittany does in France).

I can strongly recommend the hotel, particularly at this time of year when it is still off-season but so many flowers and blossoms are out.

The hotel itself has large, attractive grounds sloping down to the Helford Estuary, a quiet (at this time of year), secluded place ideal for walking and boating. Within walking distance of the hotel there is a pub on the beach and two public gardens, of which we think Trebah Garden (see the picture below) is the best. We were also lucky enough to be able to visit the gardens of Penwarne Manor on one of the rare occasions that it is open to the public (but I understand that you can see those gardens if you stay at Penwarne Lodge).

The hotel has its own golf course, free to residents, and a very pleasant indoor pool, sauna and health spa, as well as an outdoor hot tub. It also has one of the best hotel restaurants that I have ever experienced, serving excellent local produce (and thankfully not presenting the food in the over-pretentious way that seems fashionable nowadays).

It's a long drive to Cornwall. If you want to break the journey (either for a meal or to stay the night) we can really recommend the Bearslake Inn, just off the A30 near Okehampton (see below).

Cumbria - The Lake District

This photo by Steve Carter was taken about 200 yards from the Kirkstile Inn by Loweswater in Cumbria, looking towards Crummock Water - reproduced here by kind permission from Steve.

The Lake District National Park covers a surprisingly small area (only 880 square miles), but contains some of the most beautiful and interesting terrain in England, ranging from the beautiful lakes and lush green farmlands to the wild grandeur of the open fells.

One of the charms of the Lake District is that so much of it can only be reached on foot. Like many people, my wife and I came to know it on walking holidays, spending each night in a different youth hostel.

It is easy to underestimate the mountains. Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England and in the Lake District, is only 978 metres (3,209 feet), but climbers familiar with the crags of the Lakeland fells will understand why Himalayan mountaineers train here.

For some good general information about the Lake District, go here.

If you have not visited the Lake District before, then I would strongly recommend this selection of maps and travel books available from Stanfords.

If you like walking, then Andrew Leaney's site provides guided tours of a very large number of walks in the English Lake District (and some other places too). Each tour takes the form of a photoblog and excellent notes, accompanied by annotated large scale maps. Even if you can't get to the English Lakes, this site is a real treat for the armchair traveller!

We visited the Lake District in September 2008, after an absence of many years. If you click the picture below, then you will be taken to the start of my SU photoblog of our trip.

The photoblog is in several parts; you can either follow the links when you get there, or you can go straight to individual sections of the photoblog:

We visited the Lake District again in April 2009. If you click the picture below, then you will be taken to the start of my SU photoblog of our trip.

The photoblog is in several parts; you can either follow the links when you get there, or you can go straight to individual sections of the photoblog:

Devon - Bearslake Inn & RHS Gardens, Rosemoor

This is the wonderful Bearslake Inn, on the edge of Dartmoor, where we break our journey on the way to Cornwall. It's a great place to have a drink, or a great meal, or to stay the night, or any combination of these!

One place that you can reach easily from the Bearslake Inn is the RHS Garden at Rosemoor. Rosemoor is a particularly beautiful and peaceful place, with natural woodland walks and replanted wild meadows, as well as some formal gardens.

Click both pictures to see my SU photoblogs of these places (each will open in a separate window).