Brit Trip Rabbit Trails


Brit Trip Rabbit Trails


Ermine Street

  • London -   Scotland Yard -  Join us as we start our trip and follow the Roman road Ermine Street for 200 miles from London to York. Our adventure will begin with some detecting at Scotland Yard if you’re following the Mystery route or something set in London if you aren’t.


  • Cambridgeshire - located 50 miles north of London and well known for the University of Cambridge.


  • Huntingdonshire - declared as royal forest by Henry II – which basically meant that it was reserved as a royal hunting grounds.


  • Bedfordshire - the birthplace of John Bunyan author of Pilgram’s Progress.


  • Northamptonshire and Rutland - the English counties that George Washington’s ancestors emigrated from. More importantly it’s the location of Princess Diana’s childhood home.


  • Nottinghamshire -  Famous home of everyone’s favorite outlaw and an interesting connection to the Pilgrim fathers.

  


  • York - Famous for its walls, Roman history, Viking history, and War of the Roses.




Dere Street

  • North Yorkshire - The next leg of the trip runs along Dere Street starting in North Yorkshire. Dere Street runs north towards Scotland and the Romans used it as a travel route for their legions stationed on the borderlands and along Hadrian’s Wall. Lots of things to explore in Yorkshire from the beautiful scenery to animals and authors (James Herriot)


  • Durham - has been the home to an incredible number of famous and talented people - from St. Cuthbert to Hugh Walpole to Mary Stewart to the beloved Rowan Atkinson.


  • Tyne and Wear - located on the Tyne River and on the North Sea making it historically a large center of shipbuilding for centuries.


  • Northumbria - End the second leg of our Brit Tripping in Northumbria, previously known as the Kingdom of Northumbria, which has been an Angle, Danish, and Norwegian kingdom. Now it encompasses the northern tip of England and southeast of Scotland.




  •  

Icknield Way

  • Isle of Wight – the  third leg of the trip starts on the Isle of Wight, famous holiday destination favored by the Victorians including Queen Victoria herself who died on the island.


  • Dorset - Famed as one of the most beautiful locations of England, Dorset is located on the English Channel and was the birthplace of the novelist Thomas Hardy and poet William Barnes.


  • Hampshire -  the largest county in England by population and size. Famous birthplace of novelists Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Airforce, and for the railway and bridge enthusiasts among us, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.


  • Berkshire - Famous for the Royal residence at Windsor Castle and its tech industry in modern days. Historically it is well known for its famous battles including the Battle of Newbury during the Civil War.


  • Buckinghamshire - Situated just outside London, Buckinghamshire is known for its scenic beauty (Grand Union Canal and Chilterns) and high property values with a long and distinguished list of residents. During WWII it was the home of the codebreaking at Bletchly Park.


  • Herefordshire - One of most rural counties in England and is well known for its famous cattle breed, the Hereford and was home to Elizabeth Barrett Browning for a time.


  • Essex  - Located between London and the North Sea and when it united with the other Anglian and Saxon Kingdoms it created the single country that is now England. It is home to the oldest recorded town in England, Colchester (Camulodunum).





  • Norfolk – End your travels on Icknield Way in Norfolk, the historic home to Boudica, Celtic queen who waged war on the Romans, and Edith Cavell, a nurse who aided prisoners escaping from the Germans during WWI.





Fosse Way

  • Cornwall -  Located in the southwest corner of England it is surrounded by beaches and is one of the sunniest locations in England. Not surprisingly it also has a higher than average percentage of retired people as its population. It is also the setting of the English fairy tale Jack the Giant Killer.




  • Dorset – Second visit to Dorset. During WWII its location allowed it to be involved in the preparations for the Normandy Beach invasion.


  • Gloucestshire  - The picturesque home to the Cotswold towns and villages. The area is also the country residence of Princes Charles at Highgrove.


  • Leicestershire - holds an interesting spot as being the origins of things we think of as classically English– fox hunting, Taylor’s Bell Foundry, stilton and red Leicester cheese, and pork pies. It is also where King Richard III met his Bosworth.


  • Derbyshire - Primarily a rural county that boasts being the location of many pop culture references including – the home of Pemberly, the location for Georgette Heyer’s novel The Toll-Gate, and the filming location of The Princess Bride.


  • Lincolnshire - Sir Isaac Newton was born and educated in Lincolnshire at Woolsthorpe Manor.


Akeman Street


  • London – The fifth leg of the journey brings you back to London again.


  • Oxfordshire -  One of the most visited counties in England. It’s home to Oxford College and a place we literary ladies can all be jealous of – The Eagle and Child, famous for being the meeting location of ‘The Inklings’.


  • Wiltshire - Has an interesting history with canals as a method of transportation, the predecessor to trains for mass goods transportation.







          Watling Way

  • Kent -  Another jewel of England with a rich history of peace and war. It’s the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England. On clear days possible to see France from the cliffs which led to it being the site of the Battle of Britain during WWII.




  • Surrey - One of the wealthiest counties in England, it has the highest GDP per capita and the cost of living is as high as inner London. That might explain the reason that Harry’s Uncle Vernon settled there with his family.


  • Spooky London - It is a Book a Week tradition to celebrate all things Spooky in October! Join us as we explore the dark and mysterious side of London.


  • Worcestershire - J.R.R. Tolkien’s aunt lived in Worcestershire and it likely is the inspiration for The Shire in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.  Also known for this sauce.


  • Warwickshire - Home of a fairly well known playwright - Shakespeare.




  • West Midlands - A center of industry since the Middle Ages and the growth of the area exploded during the Industrial Revolution.


  • Staffordshire - Has a history of being a significant pottery center for centuries.




  • Cheshire - Has a long industrial and transportation background as it was the largest train manufacturer in the 1800’s and also claims the invention of Cheshire Cheese, first stagecoach run, and the first neighborhood watch program in the UK.


  • Merseyside - Has produced one of the biggest musical cultural icons for the 20th Century – The Beatles.


  • Manchester - In the early 1800’s Manchester grew substantially as people immigrated there from Scotland, Wales, and Ireland to work in the growing textile industry. The large influx of working class people gave rise to poverty and discontent and has an interesting history as the meeting place of Marx and Engles.


  • Lancashire - Lancashire was not recorded in the Domesday Book which makes it one of the younger counties in England. 



  • Cumbria – A beloved vacation spot with its beautiful Lake District .


  • Christmas in London - Spend the holidays in London. Thank you for joining our travels!

          Rabbit trails: Christmas Dinner  Magical London Christmas  Victorian Christmas Victorian Christmas Feast Victorian Christmas Traditions Pop ups   Christmas Markets  Lights

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for your kind comments.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)