Guest house in Cambridge
Travel bag and souvenir
I know that like everything else prices on Guest Houses and B&Bs in England are going up, but it still seems to be a good deal compared to the cost of most hotels. And besides, who wants to stay at a big hotel? The greatest advantage of the B&B or guest house is that you get to interact with the hosts and other guests. In almost every case, that was a very pleasant experience.
The rooms we stayed at all seemed to have some things in common:
(besides a great breakfast in their dining room)
(besides a great breakfast in their dining room)
- Electric teapot
- Instant coffee and tea and real Cadbury hot chocolate packets
- Something resembling a cookie
- TV that gets a couple fuzzy channels (so we felt right at home!)
Bear in mind that we don't travel to England so that we can watch cable TV. I'm just sayin' that even budget B&Bs or guest houses are usually very nice and certainly adequate.
Our two favorite couch potatoes which we met at a Cirencester B&B
(The woman was not a couch potato.)
(The woman was not a couch potato.)
Dudley, happily underfoot at breakfast time - at a B&B in Thirsk
A holiday cottage in Sutton-on-the-Forest
This was the best deal of all. We rented a cottage for a week and split the cost with our daughter and son-in-law, making the per night cost very low, lower than a budget B&B room. And it was VERY fun.
From our window at a guest house in Leyburn
The only thing that could have made this better was to see a sheep in the yard and a castle or abbey in the background.Actually, Bolton Castle is not far away!
The only thing that could have made this better was to see a sheep in the yard and a castle or abbey in the background.Actually, Bolton Castle is not far away!
Smiling faces in the barn at a B&B north of Skipton
Scottish Blackface/Yorkshire cross sheep
Scottish Blackface/Yorkshire cross sheep
View from the back window at a guest house in Bath
The big mystery: Not sure what the Brits have against a central spigot.
I mean, if you need hot water, that's great. If you need cold water, it's there. But when you want to wash your face with 'warm' water, you must race from one faucet to another, alternately scalding or freezing your hands. For me, it always conjures up images of a John Cleese skit.
Outside the guest house in Cambridge
This place is so conveniently located, just a quick walk to King's College
and to the bus terminal.
and to the bus terminal.
Behind the B&B at Thirsk
Dudley, taking that familiar border collie posture
Mother and pups at a B&B near Cardington
(yes, I know you saw that a couple weeks ago, but it gives you a clearer picture of the type of B&B we like to stay at)
(yes, I know you saw that a couple weeks ago, but it gives you a clearer picture of the type of B&B we like to stay at)
From the window of the guest house in Cambridge
And in London? A great little B&B/hotel near Victoria Station. Wonderful hosts, 12 teeny rooms, but extremely clean, terrific location, at an unbeatable price. Besides, who goes to London to spend their time in a hotel room anyway? So much to see and do!!
No dogs - or sheep.
If only I had known that the Obamas were going to be in London this week! I highly recommend Cherry Court for anyone who's working with a tight budget.
Check out my handcrafted soaps at Soap'n'Such
17 comments:
You always make me want to go back to Europe when I view your pictures! How fun is that?
By the way, I went to my PC, which I rarely use, and my blog was perfectly available! Who knew?
What a great idea to rent a cottage for a week! I'll have to mention that to our married lovely who loves to travel in Europe! She's been twice- once to visit friends and once on her honeymoon. Me? I haven't been one single time. Doesn't seem fair, does it? LOL
Thanks Judy, now I really don't want to go to work today... I want to hop on a plane and go to England!! :)
When/If I go back, I want to try these B&Bs. When I went with the high school kiddies, we kind of went the B&B route with breakfasts usually served in our hotel, but I want a more cozy feeling next time. Loved the sheep pics!
Oh these Friday posts just kill me....Skipton! Did you see Calendar Girls? And those 1950 taps! Makes me so homesick even though the two tap thing made me slightly crazy most mornings.
Enjoy your weekend!
That cottage sounds heavenly! I love the B&Bs in England. We stayed with such lovely people each time. These photos make me feel as if I'm there right now! I have especially fond memories of the home we stayed in while visiting the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth. The most delicious breakfasts at the beautifully set dining table next to a window overlooking gorgeous scenery. AND a gorgeous red tabby cat roaming the grounds! (Don't be jealous, Lionel. He couldn't hold a candle to you.)
For someone who yearns to have a better photo library on these subjects, It never ceases to amaze me how you always dig out an interesting Friday post. I've lost count of the rooms I've stayed in that look like picture 2 although I have had variations recently on what to expect in the room.
As you may have guessed, this is one of my topics and I love this post. In my experience, despite most people wanting to sample the major tourist cities and rightly so, the interaction and homeliness although good in these places, is usually better elsewhere in smaller towns and the country even down to the pets that they may own.
Hopefully as Digital TV replaces analogue ( all area completed by 2012), the fuzzy TV's that we have experienced will be a thing of the past & it is noticeable that some standard B&B's are upgrading this equipment with these changes gradually as the expectation from guests these days is greater. I always find it helpful to watch a bit of BBC breakfast TV where I can get an accurate weather forecast from the regional bulletin news.
I can sympathise with your bedroom views as you are never quite sure what to expect. I once stayed at a seafront location in Weymouth and never expected to get a view that over looked a back lane full of bins !!
Your analogy of the taps is funny although it stems from the days when people used to have time for putting the plug into the sink and fill the basin using both taps !!
I think that B&B's are so full of charm. It is a great way to travel. I also like the farm animals! You won't find that at the Holiday Inn. Ha! I always love all the pictures you take in your travels. Have a great wekend my friend!
Mama Hen
What a fun post! Love it! Definatly going with B&Bs when I go. The dogs are so cute!
That Cottage kitchen was beautiful! Love those cabinets!!!
I've never stayed at a B&B but I've always wanted to! Love the pictures!! I especially like the ones of the dogs and sheep!!
Have a great weekend!
:)
Rach
Your Friday posts make me want to hop on a plane bound for England, Judy. We have fond memories of walking along the Cam and a wonderful balloon festival in Bath that we just stumbled upon. Traveling is fun and educational, isn't it?
Thank you for sharing. Great ideas for a trip to England! We have a big jar we toss our change in for a trip to England. :-)It may take several jars!
Just so you know...We enjoyed ALL the views from our B&B rooms. Whether it was stone walls or hills or the backs of other stone buildings, all of them were different from what we have at home - and in my opinion were beautiful and interesting. :-) Besides, in my opinion, travel is to find things different than what you have at home. If I had castles and abbeys and old pubs and Scottish Blackface/Yorkshire sheep and drystone walls at home, I wouldn't be wanting to travel to England.
I love the picture of the little hotel in London! It just looks so homey with the flowers and plants. You know I enjoyed the picture of the sheep!
Glad you enjoyed your trip to England. I specially love your shot of Leyburn. I think the idea of the hot and cold tap is that you fill the wash basin and can put just the right amounts in. Yeah, okay, that doesn't make sense :) More likely it is just conservatism, because the Victorians could only do separate taps, so why change !
Just stumbled by here from Artful Aspirations blog, and am loving this post on B&B's. Years ago when my daughter and I were in England we stayed in the same one near Victoria Station that you have pictured here. I would definitely want to stay there again.
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