Looking for some advice from the UK viewers here!!!

[Kenski]

As I am RAPIDLY approaching my vacation to the UK, we leave Saturday, I have been watching the 10 day forecast for the UK and I'll see is rain, rain, rain.... :( Now, Is this like Seattle or Florida where is just rains everyday at certain times or are you guys just expecting a bunch of rain to come through!!!! We are flying in the Manchester and Staying in Lancaster but we will have a car and plan on traveling through the UK so we are going to try and avoid the rain as much as possible, if we can....

BTW, Any suggestions on what to do????? We will be in town from 26 March to 2 April.... I like getting suggestions from the locals and not reading them from the travel books because they are paid for! Any good places to eat are a plus!!! :) oh, and good PUBS too!!!

[Ben]

I live in Manchester, and when they say it's going to rain that usually means uninterrupted rain. Sorry.

[tommykjensen]

I am not from UK. But I can tell You that when travel agencies in Denmark advertise for trips to UK they ALWAYS somehow manage to put an umbrella in the comercial ie bring an umbrella or raincoat ;)

[Wendy Lilygreen]

I live in Manchester, and when they say it's going to rain that usually means uninterrupted rain. Sorry.
Come down to Wales boyo, not only can we play rugby but we have better weather and some stunning landscapes, good pubs too! (Rugby is a type of football played by big men with funny shaped balls)

Wendy

[griff2]

It can depend, but usually rain means it will rain intermitently all day. However, we've had some very unusual weather of late - one minute heavy rain or even snow, the next bright sunshine, then back to the rain, then sunshine again - all within the spate of an hour or so.:confused:

Here is the long-range forcast for the next month from the Met Office:

Valid for 14 March 2005 to 10 April 2005
The dry spell looks set to come to an end with wetter than average weather expected to dominate. Northern parts will have extensive rain during the first week, with the southeast remaining drier than average. It will then become more unsettled everywhere for the rest of the month, with the southwest being particularly wet. However, with near average sunshine expected in most places, much of the rain is likely to be showery in nature. The south looks to be more cloudy during the second half of the period. Apart from a cold start in the far north, temperatures should be near or slightly above the seasonal average, though falling away a little during the final two weeks.

If you go north, visit Newcastle, It's got an amazing nightlife, and some very good restaurants - oh, and a not bad footbal team too. Then, you can check out Northumbria and head to Scotland.:D

[condyk]

Manchester is known as the rainy city, but please relax as the weather forcasts are inevitably wrong where-ever you are in the world. It's unusual for rain at this time of year to last too long. April showers are funny tho' ... the weather can seem fine with blue sky's and then rain clouds will appear and you get drenched for 10 minutes and then it's fine again.

A great thing about UK of course is the history and even if it's raining there is always lots to see and do indoors.

Enjoy yourself ... and don't miss Bath if you're heading down South West.

[Seveneer]

It's commonly believed by us Southerners that it rains so much in Manchester that the locals have webbed feet ;-)

[bigrob]

Come down to Wales boyo, not only can we play rugby
Wendy

They win once in 27 odd years an it goes to their heads :lol: (only joking you deserved to win).

Anyway don't worry about the weather it's not going to rain that much - only a bit of drizzle now & again.

Hope you have a good time.

[chris.bailey]

In the last two weeks we have gone from Snow to Barbeque weather so I would pay little heed to forecasters, they are seldom right!!! Famously they missed out on the countries strongest winds ever that did millions of pounds worth of damage suggesting it might be a little breezy!

In general the North West of the country is wetter than the South East but that is based on statisticians who seem to have the same view of truth as weather forecasters. The UK is not based on tropical weather patterns. If its raining in the morning, its normally still raining in the evening.

If you in that part of the country you have to do the Lake District, which was still snow capped when I flew over it on the way to Ireland last week. If you get some nice weather its a photographers paradise and not too crowded as this time of year.

Enjoy your trip.

[Kenski]

It's commonly believed by us Southerners that it rains so much in Manchester that the locals have webbed feet ;-)

hahahahah

Thats a good one....

We plan on doing quite a bit of site seeing of the enitre country. I have not been to England before, My wife spent several months there while attending college, I have visited mainly most of the Med. countries....

[Wendy Lilygreen]

Youare gonna love it here where ever you go and whatever the weather.


Have a good trip.

[griff2]

Just to whet you appetite, here's a picture of Jesmond Dene here in Newcastle:

http://www.griff2.co.uk/pictures/bridge_and_waterfall4.jpg

[Phil V]

Usually you can tell when you're in Manchester, because of the constant precipitation. However I've just looked at the Met Office site and although the warm spell (last week) has ended, there's not that much rain.:shock:

The Lake District and North Wales are both within fairly eay driving distance, both provide some stunning landscapes. The only decent chance of light is probably early morning. However it'll probably be too cloudy.:confused:

[malla1962]

As I am RAPIDLY approaching my vacation to the UK, we leave Saturday, I have been watching the 10 day forecast for the UK and I'll see is rain, rain, rain.... :( Now, Is this like Seattle or Florida where is just rains everyday at certain times or are you guys just expecting a bunch of rain to come through!!!! We are flying in the Manchester and Staying in Lancaster but we will have a car and plan on traveling through the UK so we are going to try and avoid the rain as much as possible, if we can....

BTW, Any suggestions on what to do????? We will be in town from 26 March to 2 April.... I like getting suggestions from the locals and not reading them from the travel books because they are paid for! Any good places to eat are a plus!!! :) oh, and good PUBS too!!!looks like i live the nearest to lancaster.50 miles.what kind of things are you in to and i will look in to it for you.
malcolm

[Buttkicker]

Hi Kenski

just picked up on this thread and I live in the North of England -- just looked at Metcheck for the period you are here and it does not look too bad at all
http://www.metcheck.com/14dayforecast.asp?lat=53&lon=-2&locationID=38

are you staying in Lancaster for the duration of your trip or just setting off from there.. anyway from Lancaster you are very close to the Lake district area of England which is really a photographers paradise have you any more info as to your planned route or are you looking for suggestions ?? Keswick in the Lake district is a must see place as is the city of York in yorkshire

If you need help with which roads to take etc all you ned to do isd give me some kind of planned route and I will do the best i can in offering advice as to which is the best route and Photo type locations for you to see on your trip

[iwatkins]

I actually work for the Met Office. But I've no idea what the weather is going to do. ;) :D

[bigrob]

I actually work for the Met Office. But I've no idea what the weather is going to do. ;) :D

PMSL :D

[Andy D]

PMSL :D

Me too :)

[sGu]

Manchester's been getting some sun for the past 2 days, so get here quick!

If you have time, be sure to visit Newcastle, though I've only been there once, photo opportunities are countless! :D

http://Gu.smugmug.com/photos/16680204-L.jpg

[Kenski]

Lets see, where to start, We will be staying at the Thurnham Hall resorts in North Lancaster, We will have a car so we plan on visiting as MANY places as possible and yes, the lake district is one place I do want to visit, another place I do wish to visit is portsmouth to visit the Naval Base well, because, I'm in the Navy and I'm trying to find someone who could get us on the base and on a ship.... That has been hard, don't think getting on the base is going to be hard, getting on the ship is.... We do plan spending one day in London also but besides that, we really don't know what to do.... We rented a ford focus and willing to travel!!!! starting throwing out ideas!!! :) lol

[marti]

Lets see, where to start, We will be staying at the Thurnham Hall resorts in North Lancaster, We will have a car so we plan on visiting as MANY places as possible and yes, the lake district is one place I do want to visit, another place I do wish to visit is portsmouth to visit the Naval Base well, because, I'm in the Navy and I'm trying to find someone who could get us on the base and on a ship.... That has been hard, don't think getting on the base is going to be hard, getting on the ship is.... We do plan spending one day in London also but besides that, we really don't know what to do.... We rented a ford focus and willing to travel!!!! starting throwing out ideas!!! :) lol

Hi Kenski,

1. Lake District - The most beautiful place in England.
2. York - One of the most interesting Cities outside London, and not too far from you.
3. Portmouth - HMS Victory - Nelsons flagship is available for the public to visit (the 200 year anniversary of the greatest ever naval Victory will be celebrated thisSummer). As for current RN ships, I doubt if you'll get a look in - even to get onto the base (security is just too tight). It might help just a little if you take your US Navy ID card with you, but I still very much doubt it.
Marti.
ps My Daughter is in the RN stationed at Portsmouth, and even I have difficulty getting onto the base in my car with her inside (dropping her off every so often like a good dad does). Without her in the car it would be simply impossible.

[psk4363]

If you're prepared to travel by car (and in a Focus at that :eek: !) from Lancaster all the way to Portsmouth, then you'll find the short 'hop' to the Highlands of Scotland (The Trossachs, and Glencoe in particular) a breeze well rewarded by better landscapes than even The Lake District (and time to stop off at a local distillery and sample real maly whisky) :cool: .

Then there's the Yorkshire Dales National Park with historic and beautiful York an absolute 'must' ;) .

Further south you should visit The Cotswolds where time has stood still in some of the villages (and so have the sheep in some of them - for the benefit of the lonely inhabitants :p )

But as you're driving take extra care not to exceed the speed limits - especially in Lancashire (where Lancaster is) as the local police give very little lee-way to offenders, e.g. 34 mph in a 30 area and you'll get caught (as I was and I'm a traffic cop in a neighbouring area:evil: !). Being a visitor you can't receive points on your licence so the courts tend to substantially increase the fine:rolleyes: .

Hope this helps,
Barry

[Huckaback Photo]

Come down to Wales boyo, not only can we play rugby but we have better weather and some stunning landscapes, good pubs too! (Rugby is a type of football played by big men with funny shaped balls)

Wendy

Hi Wendy, We've met
However I'm a little concerned about the big men with funny shaped balls.

Kenski.
I agree with sugestions above the lake district would be great place to visit as its not to distant from Manchester .
also worth considering is to get to North Wales, Conway, Snowdonia, make sure you visit Port Merion
http://www.portmerion.com/

http://www.portmeirion-village.com/en/links.php?offset=1&linkID=25

on the second link page you will see, Snowdon mountain Railway which is wonderful.
also if your in the Lake District most car parks are run by the National Trust & does not take long to clock up substantial parking fees when touring around ,often worth joining , just visit www. National Trust or any property owned by them.
Travelling from north to south a great place to take in would be Stratford upon Avon (famous for William Shakespear of course )

http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/

The Cotswolds is another lovely area to visit.

http://www.cotswolds-calling.com/

I live in South Wales in the Wye Valley and theres some wonderful scenery around here.

http://www.wyevalleytourism.co.uk/

We actually are involved with the Wye Valley Tourism as we run a shop visit
www.huckaback.co.uk (http://www.huckaback.co.uk/) you will see where we are.

Hope this is enough to get you going.
Have a great break

Regards
Martin (Huckaback Photo)

My Gallery http://www.pbase.com/huckaback_photo

[Kenski]

Whhhoooaaa, 30mph.... What are the typical speed limts on the highways, or whatever you call them over there..... I'm just curious on how long of a drive it is going to take from Lancaster to London and wondering if Easter Sunday would be a good day to go there or not??? Don't know how the holiday affects everthing over there.....


From what I understand, there is a US Naval Hospital somewhere in the portsmouth area because of the US Naval Detatchment so getting on the base is no problem with my ID, getting on to a RN ship, gotta know someone..... ;)

[Huckaback Photo]

Kenski
Lancaster to London 240 miles
Motorway M6 / M1 Max speed 70 mph
the sunday is not ussually as bad traffic wise as the bank holliday monday,
also a lot of people go away on the friday eve so traffic is high and same on the monday eve.

Martin

[KennyG]

In the north it has to be - Lake District, Borders, Northumberland and the Yorkshire Dales. You can do that in a nice loop heading up through the lakes and coming back down the east coast (stopping off in Newcastle of course).

Heading south is long and uninteresting due to our boringly long highways with very little scenery. London is fine, not as nice as NY IMHO, but don't let them know that. The further towards the south coast you go the better it gets for temperature and the choices of places to visit.

We northerners are a hardened bunch and anything above 5 degrees C is regarded as sunbathing weather.

[dewmuw]

First off I hope you have a good time and thanks for coming!

If you visit the Lake District I would recommend the Drunken Duck Inn for food/beer.
www.drunkenduckinn.co.uk

I would also suggest having a look at Tony's website as he updates with new pictures of the Lakes every day:
http://www.lakelandcam.co.uk/

Lancaster is a nice town - you'll find plenty to do there.
Chester is an amazing place - you can walk the Roman Walls right around the old town and the centre is well worth seeing. My friends from Oregon loved it - and we had lunch in The Crypt which is a 1,000 year old building!
I will put in a good word for Liverpool - especially the museums, art galleries and the cathedrals.
If you are interested in wildlife then there are plenty of nature reserves close by - Martin Mere, Leighton Moss, Formby Point, etc (mail me if you want more information)

If you are heading for Portmouth them you may as well take a winding route via North Wales, (http://www.pbase.com/dewmuw/caernarfon) Warwickshire (Stratford-on-Avon) and the Cotswolds.

Scotland is just a wonderful place - depends on how much travelling you want to do though. I'd put in a claim for the Highlands for the stunning scenery. My mates from Vancouver did Chester to the Highlands and back when they were here and said it "wasn't that far" (about 330 miles)

It isn't the same, but you can get on a couple of navy boats in dock in Birkenhead - including a salvaged WWII U - boat. www.historicwarships.org/

From a photographic point of via - whatever rings your bell is here to be seen! Looking forward to seeing the results when you get back.

[Kenski]

Well, we thought about taking a ride on the Northen Belle but they are only offering two departures for the week we are there, the day we arrive, and the day we departe.. doesn't do us any good.... SOOOOOOO, we need to come up with something else.... The Snowdon mountain railway looks REAL GOOD and I think that might be a real possibility!!!!

[psk4363]

Walking Snowdon is far better than the wooden train!

Barry

[Kenski]

Hmmmmm, Right now I can't view the website here at work but I will look at it again at home and consider it.....

Man, UK weather is just as bad as Chicago weather.... It is CONSTANTLY changing!!!!!!! I have been watching it through several sites because I like to get the opinion of several guessers ;) and I have checked it twice a day on at least three different sites each time it has changed.... Each time for the better though..... Temps are up and the rain is going away.... Looks like we are going to make it to London on Easter Sunday....

You guys have given me some GREAT tips.... Still looking for some FOOD tips :) I love to eat.... My wife doesn't eat seafood and I'll eat anything for the most part....

[psk4363]

Food eh? A subject close to my ........belly!:lol:

In the Lake District sample the Cumberland Sausage;:D
In the Scottish Highlands go for Haggis served with tatti n' neeps;:D
In Wales their spring lamb is wonderful;:D
In The Yorshire Dales a traditional Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding;:D
In the South-West you must have a go at a Cornish Pastie with scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam to follow;:D
Come to Manchester and go on The Curry Mile in Rusholme - fantastic Asian cuisine, washed down with a few pints of 'Boddies' (Boddingtons):D :D :D
'Traditional' London fare includes 'Pie n' Mash' - but stay clear of Jellied Eels:cry:

That's got me hungry now - woman! where's my meal?

Barry

[Kenski]

Food eh? A subject close to my ........belly!:lol:

In the Lake District sample the Cumberland Sausage;:D
In the Scottish Highlands go for Haggis served with tatti n' neeps;:D
In Wales their spring lamb is wonderful;:D
In The Yorshire Dales a traditional Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding;:D
In the South-West you must have a go at a Cornish Pastie with scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam to follow;:D
Come to Manchester and go on The Curry Mile in Rusholme - fantastic Asian cuisine, washed down with a few pints of 'Boddies' (Boddingtons):D :D :D
'Traditional' London fare includes 'Pie n' Mash' - but stay clear of Jellied Eels:cry:

That's got me hungry now - woman! where's my meal?

Barry


Oh man..... Saturday can not get here fast enough.... That is one thing I do miss about visiting foreign countries is the food.... Italy by far has been my favorite with Turkey coming in a close second.... I will get REAL scones now.... and REAL pudding.... I know my wife has been talking NON STOP about these damn cookies that she ate while she was over there and she plans on bringing some back.... Don't remember what ones they are but that is all she keeps talking about..... ;)


BTW, are Jellied Eels exactly what I think they are????? Yuck......

[Buttkicker]

If you are definatly visiting the Lake district my 3 suggestions would be around the windermere area Ambleside and Grasmere, places with real charm and lots to Photograph along wit Keswick

from there I would head south to York and I guarantee you will love the place steeped in History and Loads of things to shoot at.. the Jorvik Viking center is just about the biggest attraction in York -- the national railway museum is here as well -- the City is of York is surrouned by a medieval wall (very Pretty place)

from there head south to Cambridge which is also a great place to Look round and photo

from here London Bound.. the parking of your Car is going to be the biggest problem in London -- Driving in central London is a daunting task as are most huge citys... when we travel to London from here in the North of England -- I park my car about 10 miles outside the center -- its nearly impossible to find an empty car park, and get the Tube train into central london its easy to use -- buy a ticket hop on and away you go.

after London its south again to your Naval town -- cant advise you about it as I have never been

heading back North Wales and Snowdonia is just wonderful.. really stunning scenery and very easy to drive around... although the Hotels get pretty much full as its the mountain bike capital of the UK..

a good cheap place to stay in the Snowdonia area is a town called Dolgellai which is really pretty little town.. and the big pub in the Square does a great Steak cheaply

heres a a few of Little Hotels that are very reasonable with the prices but I know they get very busy
http://www.enjoyablestay.com/view.accommodation/2241/Clifton%20House%20Hotel.html

http://www.tanyfron.co.uk/location.html



hope these help a little

[Claire]

Food eh? A subject close to my ........belly!:lol:

In the Lake District sample the Cumberland Sausage;:D
In the Scottish Highlands go for Haggis served with tatti n' neeps;:D
In Wales their spring lamb is wonderful;:D
In The Yorshire Dales a traditional Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding;:D
In the South-West you must have a go at a Cornish Pastie with scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam to follow;:D
Come to Manchester and go on The Curry Mile in Rusholme - fantastic Asian cuisine, washed down with a few pints of 'Boddies' (Boddingtons):D :D :D
'Traditional' London fare includes 'Pie n' Mash' - but stay clear of Jellied Eels:cry:

That's got me hungry now - woman! where's my meal?

Barry

I should have had this list when I lived in the UK. I do recall trying British food, but the stuff I tried (maybe the wrong!) wasn't my thing. Whenever I do think of London though, I miss "Nando's", China Town and Indian food. Gosh, Indian food would be so nice right now!Or dim sum...

/Claire

[johndm]

Lets see, where to start, We will be staying at the Thurnham Hall resorts in North Lancaster, We will have a car so we plan on visiting as MANY places as possible and yes, the lake district is one place I do want to visit, another place I do wish to visit is portsmouth to visit the Naval Base well, because, I'm in the Navy and I'm trying to find someone who could get us on the base and on a ship.... That has been hard, don't think getting on the base is going to be hard, getting on the ship is.... We do plan spending one day in London also but besides that, we really don't know what to do.... We rented a ford focus and willing to travel!!!! starting throwing out ideas!!! :) lol

At Portsmouth you can go on Nelsons flagship 'Victory' and 'HMS Warrior...see here

http://www.flagship.org.uk/welcome.html

Not far from there is a good submarine museum

http://www.rnsubmus.co.uk/

National motor museum located in the New Forest

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

Pop to the Isle of Wight on a car ferry

http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/

and see OSBORNE HOUSE where Queen Victoria lived

http://www.touruk.co.uk/houses/househamp_osb.htm

Aircraft maybe? see here http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/

And you simply MUST pop in here

http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cambridgeshire/MadingleyUSACemetery.html

Bring lots of petrol money too, 1 gallon here is approx $7.50
A cheap steak meal for 2 will cost $95


What else are you in to?

[psk4363]

Kenski,

Yes Jellied Eels is a 'dish' which is exactly as it sounds! :o

There is another 'speciality' particularly in Manchester and Liverpool and they are their 'Chinatowns' - stunningly superb Chinese food! :cool:

Barry

[Huckaback Photo]

Kenski
There enough info in all these links to keep you researching for the rest of the year,
Well done everyone I say.
I think the nice bit about this is it has all come about through our interest in Photography & indeed this Forum.
Difficult to guess the sort of places that would appeal to you, But I did look at your gallery and thought your Architecture shots were great, so maybe some Castles here in wales might suit.

Just picked up you message will respond soon

Martin

[Kenski]

Ahhhhh, Yes, an air museum.... I was actually looking for maybe an Avenger or any other type of WWII plane that gives rides but there aren't that many that I can find online.....

The one link you sent me has the link for the HMS Belfast which is in London... GOOD!!!! we can go visit her... There is some REAL GOOD history aboard her....

Wow, Did not know about the Cemetery, I will have to stop there......

[johndm]

Ahhhhh, Yes, an air museum.... I was actually looking for maybe an Avenger or any other type of WWII plane that gives rides but there aren't that many that I can find online.....

The one link you sent me has the link for the HMS Belfast which is in London... GOOD!!!! we can go visit her... There is some REAL GOOD history aboard her....

Wow, Did not know about the Cemetery, I will have to stop there......

Afraid you won't get a warbird ride in the UK, but at Duxford Air museum you can fly in a De Havilland Rapide.. http://www.goliathres.com/res_website.asp?supplierCode=cla100&page=home

One of the tours flys over Madingley Cemetery.

Belfast is cool....wore her guns out on D Day.....expect you already know that?

Cemetery is a must when you visit....a very special place indeed

Glad to be of some help

Have a peek here too for Aircraft museums..

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/mus/uk/ukmus-home.htm

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/links/museums.html

regards

John

[dewmuw]

If you take the advice and go to Grasmere pop into Tweedies bar and have a pint of Jennings! As Homer would say - droooooooooool!

Also visit the Heaton Cooper Gallery in Grasmere - great painter.

[Andy D]

I have got to agree with the recommendation for Duxford! The best a/c museum in Europe and it is a working one! So you will see the guy's working on restoration as well as maintenance of real flying Warbirds. Duxford is the home to the most famous Mk9 Spitfire - MH434, usually flown by Ray Hanna (Ex Red Arrows) who is regarded as the greatest Spitfire display pilot. Duxford is the home of the "Old Flying Machine Company" as well as "The Fighter Collection (TFC)". TFC Boasts a flight of Grumman Cats, as well as a P47 ("No Guts, No Glory") and many others. Also at Duxford they have the USAAF Museum, which houses a grand collection of USAAF a/c as well as a memorial to the US aircrew that made the great sacrifice in WW2.

A shameless plug for my portfolio on another site ;) the majority of the pictures were taken at Duxford during a display, but you will get a flavour of the type of a/c they have. (Red Arrows are not based at Duxford, sorry :( )

http://www.ephotozine.com/user.cfm?user=11440

[dewmuw]

Just received this press release and it is my home town - so put in a detour and visit!

Birkenhead identified as a one of the Northwest’s key historic towns
Tourism experts have identified Birkenhead as one of five ‘Historic’ towns and cities in the Northwest to be the focus of further study that will look into the town’s potential to benefit from its wealth of cultural heritage.

Birkenhead was identified in recognition of its superb industrial and maritime heritage - hailing its collection of warships, museums, green spaces and stunning architecture.

Birkenhead has the greatest number of Grade One Listed Buildings outside London and its park was the inspiration for New York’s Central Park.

[Kenski]

Yea, we thought about heading up in that direction anyways.... I would really like to see the Plymouth....

Where exactly is the Belfast????

[Andy D]

HMS Belfast is moored in the River Thames, close to Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and the London Dungeon (well it was in 1993!)

[Kenski]

Yeah, I found a map finally where it shows it and it is right where you say it is!! You damn british folk and your addresses!!! :) I still can't figure them out!!! lol

[johndm]

Yeah, I found a map finally where it shows it and it is right where you say it is!! You damn british folk and your addresses!!! :) I still can't figure them out!!! lol

Get a good road atlas...your gonna need it over here..;)

Our network will be a nightmare for you......no easy way to explain, but our road numbering system will have you well confused after about 10 mins..:lol:

And you can't turn left (right) on a red. Also beware of speed cameras, they are everywhere.

Only overtake on the right on motorways

Pump gas first...pay after.

Beware of parking restrictions, read any signs carefully. If you overstay or park in an incorrect place you will find a wheel clamp attached to your car quicker than you can say 'excuse me sir'

Not much time for any more advice.....you'll love it here though..

Me...well, I drive a 84 T/A here, and holiday over your side...:D

[Brands]

At Portsmouth you can go on Nelsons flagship 'Victory' and 'HMS Warrior...see here

http://www.flagship.org.uk/welcome.html

Not far from there is a good submarine museum

http://www.rnsubmus.co.uk/




plus the Mary Rose, also in Portsmouth

[Kenski]

Well, I will be heading to the airport in about an 1.5 hours and to fight the spring break crowds... My plane doesn't leave for 6 hours though.... I will wait in the USO lounge...