Though having an increasingly rough time thanks to Brexit, Britain is still a treasure trove of travel treats, from England and Cornwall to Wales and Scotland. And across to Northern Ireland, too, of course!
Cover photo: Trey Ratcliffe
The Great Orme Tramway is a vintage charmer in Wales
At just 206 metres (680 feet) above sea level, the Great Orme (below) might be thought of as rather a slight hill. But it looks as imposing as a far greater eminence, as it overlooks the seaside resort of Llandudno, on the north Welsh coast about a 4½-hour drive or train ride from London and just over an hour's drive and two hours by rail from Liverpool. It’s a limestone headland about two miles long and a mile wide where, back in the Bronze Age, copper was mined (but they only…
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Comments
Northeast (do you mind if I call you North?),
I've noticed a change in travel coverage. I used to see sidebars that listed a range of hotel prices in a city: high-end, medium, budget. I don't see that anymore. Is that because we, the writers, don't supply the options or because the editors have cut that space? Or was it just something that fell by the wayside without anyone noticing?
15 years ago I stayed at a property which, with currency conversion, charged $110 for breakfast! Guess what? It was packed!
One destination told me that I was in their files as the only travel writer they ever hosted who asked for a downgrade in accommodations. I write for both the individual and corporate traveler. When I got the itinerary for that trip and saw where they had me booked I asked for something less business-oriented. The business crowd weren't my readers for that article so it was pointless to have a $500-a-night room. $500-a-week was more the budget for that reader. It worked. It was realistic. Everyone was happy.
Thats what I meant when Is said ridiculous
Fantastic breakfast up here in Masham, Yorkshire, quality products as well for £6.75 pp. You can also get theatre tickets here for a good price as well
Angela is spot on. Across the UK, it is perfectly possible for travellers to enjoy good food and accomodation - whatever their budget. I would suggest that every capital city in the world has hotels and restaurants that cater only for the ultra rich and perhaps the occassional travel journalist! I was once charged £15 for a coffee in Venice which puts a £23 breakfast in perspective.
Angela, the hotel price was ridiculous in which direction?
Allan, your observations are spot on. But wouldn't more people trust travel writing (as opposed to Tripadvisor) if travel writers had a better sense of value -- that is, what a particular service costs?
I think most travel writers don't pay attention to price since we either travel for free or are heavily subsidized. As for Lonely Planet and the BBC's observations, I'm not impressed. Every destination has places which are "overpriced or lacking in quality". Not everything is overpriced to everyone. Depends on how deep your pockets are. But like you when I'm in London I see lots of people who obviously don't have a lot enjoying themselves. I love London, but no one puts a gun to your head to go there. So find it's up to each person to find a way to make it work for them.
Two weeks ago the editorial director of a major magazine bemoaned how expensive the airfare was for a family (his) to get to the UK from NA. I gave him some travel options that he hadn't considered and which made it affordable. It's not the way his readers would travel, but it fit his budget.
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