Reflections on Northumbria: Part II

Two weeks have now passed since our return from our trip to England. My husband and I are still bemoaning the fact that public transportation is so poor in the States. In fact, I was just commenting on how lovely it would be to hop on a train to make our afternoon trip to Columbia for Jamie and Jonathan's wedding rehearsal. I've volunteered to watch baby Jonathan while the family is busy figuring out what they are supposed to do during the ceremony taking place tomorrow night. I am really excited about seeing this wedding. Actually, it's the blessing of a civil ceremony since the couple was wed last year before Jonathan had to go out to sea. Now they are going to have the marriage blessed and baptize their child in the same liturgy.

One thing we did while in England was to not allow our lack of a car to hamper our movement in any way, shape or form. Instead of bemoaning what could be our restricted freedom, we took the bus, train or taxi, or simply walked where we wanted to go. Automobile transportation gives Americans a lot of freedom to go where they may want to go, but it also has many negative sides--not the least of which is seen in our continuing struggle with climate change. In the UK, one can catch a bus, and with a little patience, master the bus schedule so that the mundane tasks of life: going to the market, having dinner in town, going to church are possible as well as seeing the countryside or going on holiday to many of the various tourist sites in the area. Public transportation is simply not seen as the transportation option for the poor.

I have to admit that I experienced some trepidation on making arrangements for our trip. I've never done an entire two week's trip to England without some kind of tour company to back me up. This time we were totally on our own making arrangements and deciding what we wanted to do, and how we were going to do them. In 2007, Michael and I went a tour with some folk from church and stayed behind, and we relied on public transportation for that trip as well. All worked out to our advantage except getting back to Heathrow. There was a lot of luggage-hauling up and down steps when we made station changes, but that was the only negative we experienced.

So, here's some things we learned from our foray into Northumbria. First, rely on a taxi if you cannot figure out the bus schedule or if you need to get someplace at a particular time. We chose to go by taxi to the bus station for the trip to Holy Island, for example, so that the wait would not be too long, and we could be sure to catch the appropriate bus. We also used a taxi to go to church on Sunday morning. The taxi cost the five of us five pounds (about $8), so we ended up paying one pound each. Compare that to the short trip from JFK to the Marriot in Queens on our return that cost us $20.

Another tip we picked up is to look for discounts where they are applicable. Because we used the bus, we got a 10-20% discount at every attraction we visited, including Barter Books. Those discounts were applied to all admissions to the castles we visited as well.

Look for the smaller often "hidden" places to eat. Don't be shy about asking the locals for their opinions. We had a lovely lunch at a tea shop in Warkworth that was very reasonably priced. Our dining experience included smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches, fish soup (loaded with shrimp, crab, etc.), and in Alnwick we found a restaurant called Lilburn's. Lilburns is a family run business based on Paikes Street Alnwick Northumberland (http://www.lilburns.co.uk/index.htm). We also ate at Carlo's Fish and Chips (http://www.carlosfishandchips.co.uk/), and we had tea at Barter Books (http://www.barterbooks.co.uk/). That afternoon was truly lovely, and in spite of the rain (the only day we were somewhat hampered by rain), hanging out in a bookstore was medicine for my soul.

We also took the bus to Bamburgh for a day. We visited the castle, St. Aidan's Church, and the village. We had coffee in the afternoon, but the highlight for me was walking on the beach. Of course, it was too cold and windy to get in the water, but the breeze and the views were amazing. The Farne Islands are nearby, and with the castle for a backdrop, against the incredibly blue skies, the day was just about perfect. Arriva Buses has a route called Castles and Coastlines. One can purchase a weekly pass and travel on any bus for any amount of times during that week. This route stopped in all the little villages, and there was much to see as it meandered along the coastal highway.

As far as places to stay in Northumbria, there are many B&B places in the villages, but the option we chose was a cottage on a farm. A large number of farmers have had to convert part of their property to rentals, and we stayed at Alnydyke Farms. It is a working farm, but the cottage was fenced off from the barns and outhouses. The setting was incredibly lovely--rolling hills, lots of barley in the fields, and cows lowing morning and evening. The walk into town was a little over a mile, but of course, we waved the bus down any number of times, and hopped on board.


I would like to add one other note about the hospitality and graciousness that we experienced while in the UK. We went to St. Michael's for Sunday liturgy, and we were very surprised and pleased at the warm welcome from the congregation. There were any number of people who wanted to talk to us and who went out of their way to make us feel welcome. They had a number of children who participated in the liturgy, and they had a very nice coffee hour afterwards. The present church has been been on this site since 1464! I am really looking forward to returning to that part of the world next summer. It was truly a blessed pilgrimage.