Dear list members My husband and I are finally going to plan the trip to England we have always wanted to take. I would like some help, in the way of tips, suggestions and advice,that would help us make the most of it. We are not rich americans but just working people and don't want to wipe out a big portion of our savings. The only real tourist -y thing we will do is probably two days in London, Stonehenge. We want to spend most of our time in the northeast. I don't think we want to stay in Hotels but prefer small Bed and Breakfasts or guest houses, because I understand that that is much cheaper. The idea is to stay where native's stay when they visit other parts of Britain, as that would give more of a flavor of the place and the people. We want to see Ryhope and Tunstall in County Durham, Earsdon, and Murton in Northumberland and Kirkmampton, Burg-by Sands, Kirkandrews and Beaumont area in in Cumberland. These are the areas that my husband's family came from. I would like to know if any of you can reccomend such accomodations in these areas? A friend of mine told me that although you can book ahead of time from here in the states, that she found that if she had waited till she got over there and booked it would have been cheaper. We haven't decided if we should take the railpass or rent a car. If we get a railpass can we get to the areas we want to by bus real easy? I would like to know other peoples experiences with these ideas. ( Peter - I am looking forward to a few long e-mails from you.) ( Ann - I think you can help me in your area.) Please feel free to send me anything you want to that you think would help, off list is just fine- probably preferable. I thank you very much for your time and input. Sincerely Sandy Pensylvania U.S.A.

Hello Sandy: If you've never driven in the UK before, I certainly would recommend the train pass. I've used a train pass the last 2 summers and found it very convenient. It's much more convenient than if you lived in the UK and had to buy tickets. There are no restrictions on when and where you travel (except by country so if you plan on being in Scotland or Wales, you'll need to buy a different pass). There are also a lot of suburban trains that could suit you too. There is a branch that runs between Thornaby and Newcastle which has stops in Sunderland (for Tunstall) and Seaham Harbour (for Ryhope). I believe that trains are every hour or maybe every other hour outside of rush periods. It's very easy to check schedules on the internet. You have to consider how to get around between trains. I think bus and/or taxi in Co. Durham is practical and relatively cheap. And even inter-city buses are inexpensive. Last year I travelled from Sunderland to Manchester on a bus at a cost of 9 GBP (about $17). For country areas you'll need to rent a car but you might do that on an ad-hoc basis for day trips and the like. I can't help with specific B&Bs in this area because I always stay with relatives but the plan is a good one. This is what I do rather than a hotel. It certainly has its charms - I've stayed in some very interesting places including a 17th century farmhouse in Yorkshire. It's usually quite easy to find places and book when you arrive although you have to be careful if there's a local event which might fill up local accomodations. You might consider pubs too. Some pubs run a small hotel business on the side, so to speak, and I've had good experiences so far. Remember that a lot of the County Durham area you are interested in is post-industrial and only now starting to regain it's natural beauty. There have been attempts at restoration which are beginning to have an effect. There's a hiking trail along the cliffs from Sunderland to Blackhall (I think) and the views are spectacular. The whole trail is about 11 miles, I believe, but you could certainly do the section which includes Ryhope and Seaham. There are magnesium limestone cliffs down this coast line and it's quite impressive. I hope this helps, Irene Marlborough In Texas where it's currently sleeting and freezing!!!

Hi Sandy Pleased to hear that you are going to make your trip over here. I live about seven miles from Ryhope and Tunstall and would suggest that you find a B&B in Sunderland as your base while you are in the area. There are umpteen buses out to Ryhope and Tunstall, in fact they run every few minutes from the bus interchange, and the daily bus tickets are reasonably priced. So you shouldn't need to hire a car while in this area. As far as B&bs are concerned I have a couple of links that should help you to decide. http://www.southshields-sanddancers.co.uk/places_to_stay/sunderland_accommodation.htm http://www.touristnetuk.com/Ne/northumberland/accommodation/ac-serviced/sunderland.htm Hope this is useful for you. Susan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gar W Davidson" <gwdlehigh@rcn.com> To: <DUR-NBL-L@rootsweb.com>; <CUMBERLAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 12:52 AM Subject: [DUR-NBL] England Trip - O.T. > Dear list members > > My husband and I are finally going to plan the trip to England we > have always wanted to take. I would like some help, in the way of > tips, suggestions and advice,that would help us make the most of it. > We are not rich americans but just working people and don't want to > wipe out a big portion of our savings. > The only real tourist -y thing we will do is probably two days in > London, Stonehenge. We want to spend most of our time in the > northeast. I don't think we want to stay in Hotels but prefer small > Bed and Breakfasts or guest houses, because I understand that that > is much cheaper. The idea is to stay where native's stay when they > visit other parts of Britain, as that would give more of a flavor of > the place and the people. We want to see Ryhope and Tunstall in > County Durham, Earsdon, and Murton in Northumberland and > Kirkmampton, Burg-by Sands, Kirkandrews and Beaumont area in in > Cumberland. These are the areas that my husband's family came from. > I would like to know if any of you can reccomend such accomodations > in these areas? A friend of mine told me that although you can book > ahead of time from here in the states, that she found that if she had > waited till she got over there and booked it would have been cheaper. > We haven't decided if we should take the railpass or rent a car. If > we get a railpass can we get to the areas we want to by bus real > easy? I would like to know other peoples experiences with these > ideas. ( Peter - I am looking forward to a few long e-mails from > you.) ( Ann - I think you can help me in your area.) Please feel > free to send me anything you want to that you think would help, off > list is just fine- probably preferable. > I thank you very much for your time and input. > > Sincerely > Sandy > Pensylvania U.S.A.