Visiting Old Friends in the UK

As someone who’s fortunate enough to have made a career as a writer and editor, it’s always fun when the fates conspire to provide an opportunity to mix work with a bit of pleasure. That was certainly the case with an extended visit I made to England recently. On an assignment for a new luxury travel website, I managed to make time to visit some of my oldest and dearest friends, all of whom were very accommodating when it came to not just putting me up but putting up with me, too.

I’m also extremely lucky in that these wonderful folk are located close to some of the best places to visit in the UK. And not one of them seemed to mind my dragging them off on detours to get in some sightseeing and research.

First Stop: London

As anyone who has ever done a “red eye” flight across the pond will tell you, gin, melatonin, and an uncomfortable upright doze can only do so much to alleviate jetlag. Sure, the initial adrenalin rush of excitement at being back in “Blighty” and enjoying a hearty full English breakfast helps, but they only go so far in offsetting that sleep deficit. My long-time friend Ade and his partner, Jennifer, are always there for me in those first few days after I cross the Atlantic, providing a much-needed rest in their home in South London, as well as a place to lay my head for a few days while I adjust.

Refreshed after a nap, I spent that first afternoon getting re-acquainted with one of my favorite places in London: Greenwich Park. This must-visit 183-acre Royal Park on the south bank of the River Thames is home to numerous historic attractions. Just opposite Canary Wharf, sightseeing here includes the National Maritime Museum (where friend Ade works), the legendary Cutty Sark, and perhaps most famously, the Royal Observatory, one of the oldest in the world and home to the Prime Meridian, the reference point from which the time of day (Greenwich Mean Time) has been measured since 1884.

The next few days were a whirlwind of walking to and around London’s top attractions, visiting some for the first time (Tate Britain and Tate Modern art galleries) and getting reacquainted with others (Imperial War Museum, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London). The highlight, though, was catching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace with Ade in tow before carrying on our exploration of some of the city’s oldest pubs, including the wonderful Lamb and Flag. Nearly hidden in a back alley near Covent Garden near Soho, this cramped watering hole was established in 1623 and was once a hangout of thieves, murderers, and, allegedly, even Charles Dickens—a fitting place to end a tour of London if ever there was one.

To Kent, The Garden of England

From London, the City of Rochester is an hour's train ride south through the Kent countryside, where I was to meet an old school pal, Toby. He and I had attended King’s School Rochester together. The world’s second oldest school, King’s, was established in 604AD with the founding of the city’s original cathedral, which was replaced in 1079 by the current 1000-year-old Rochester Cathedral. It was good to revisit this beautiful structure along with neighboring Rochester Castle, as well as to wander the surrounding streets and parks that were once also walked by Charles Dickens, who lived here for many years in the 1800s.

With Toby and his wife Alison (also a friend… I was best man at their wedding!) now playing host, we spent a wonderful week exploring Kent, where I’d grown up. Known as the Garden of England, it’s the southeastern tip of the UK and just 21 miles away from France, which you can even see from places like Folkestone on a clear day.

Joined by another school friend, Jonathan (they actually took turns chauffeuring me around) we clocked many a mile seeing popular tourist destinations like Canterbury Cathedral, the seat of the Church of England; Dover, home to famous Dover Castle; and pretty much the entire Kentish Coastline from Dungeness, home to the country’s oldest nature reserve and a vast desert-like shingle beach, all the way to Margate, a quintessential English seaside town that was a favorite of landscape artist John Turner.

The highlight of my Kent visit? Hopping aboard the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. Dubbed the world’s “Biggest Smallest Railway,” this superb 15-inch light railway has operated incredible miniature steam engine rides for 13 miles along the Kent coast since 1927, with the opportunity to stop for that ultimate British experience: classic fish and chips. I drag my ever-indulgent friends along for this most memorable scenic train ride whenever I visit, and while they may say otherwise, it’s an experience that never grows old.

West Country Bound

It’s incredibly gratifying knowing that family can also be friends. So it is with my cousin Sarah. She and her partner, Chris, had invited me to join them at their favorite holiday rental near Lyme Regis in Dorset. I jumped at the chance as my mom had lived in England’s West Country, and I was keen to see it again. From Coppers Cottage, it was a pleasant two-mile walk (downhill!) to the seafront, which was alongside the pretty River Lim. And Lyme, as the locals call it, was as lovely as I remembered.

The town was given the title “Regis” (meaning Royal) in 1284 by King Edward I in return for its having served as a safe port for his fleet during England’s wars against the French. That protection came in the form of the Cobb, a formidable breakwater built in the 1200s that continues to shelter fishing vessels and small pleasure craft from storms in the English Channel. It’s also famous for its role in the romantic drama The French Lieutenant's Woman, with its iconic scene of Meryl Streep standing on the storm-battered Cobb, something I’ve done myself. It’s an incredible experience, though not for the faint of heart as the waves rolling in from the Atlantic into the English Channel can get pretty powerful.

The Cobb and Lyme’s waterfront area is a delight to explore on foot. I followed a fun self-guided “fossil walk” that took me to Monmouth Beach, where it’s easy to spot small ammonites like those fossil hunter Mary Anning collected here in the early 1800s. I carried on east along what’s now known as the Jurassic Coast, walking the wonderful Lyme Regis Sea Wall before joining my cousin for a delicious Sunday lunch at The Royal Lion, still going strong after more than 400 years of serving weary travelers like me.

North to Yorkshire

The UK boasts a magnificent rail network, and I used it a lot during my eight-week adventure, including to get me to the beautiful City of York, where I was to meet university friends Simon and Debbie. With a few days on my own to explore first, I revisited my favorite spots in this magnificent old cathedral city, starting with York Minster, which I was lucky enough to have a view of from my room at the wonderful Principal York. Built in 1878, this elegant old hotel was steps away from York Railway Station (it was and still is perfect for rail travelers) and only a short walk from the sprawling National Railway Museum York. A first-time visitor to both York Minster and the train museum, I spent the best part of my first day here exploring these two fantastic attractions.

York is also famous for its remarkably well-preserved medieval architecture, the best of which can be found in and around the Shambles. This narrow cobbled street features many old timber-framed buildings with their unique jettied floors hanging over it, some of them dating back as far as the 1300s. Named after the former butcher shops that were once housed here, these days it’s a busy tourist area, so try to get there as I did soon after sun up for the best (and people-free) photos. I also took my customary walk along the tops of the more than two miles of perfectly preserved York City Walls. Introduced to me by my friends on a previous trip, from these 13th-century walls, the longest in England, I was able to get many incredible views not only over the Shambles and other historic landmarks but also of the Minster.

With York well and truly walked (the UK’s many wonderful towns are all easy to explore on foot), it was Simon and Debbie’s turn to put up with me. And put up with me they did, spending a wonderful few days with them exploring the same stunning Yorkshire scenery that’s been immortalized in countless books and films. With that in mind, my hosts introduced me to what was undoubtedly the star attraction of my trip up north: Castle Howard. This magnificent stately home and its sprawling grounds in North Yorkshire were used as the backdrop for the classic Brideshead Revisited film. A classic English film from my youth, finally seeing Castle Howard in the flesh, was a bit like visiting another old friend in the UK, too.

The Final Word

Mixing work and the company of old friends is something I’ll do as often as I can when traveling. Not only is it a wonderful opportunity to catch up after gaps of time that usually span a few years, but nobody knows an area better than the folks who live there. And in all honesty, I feel incredibly privileged to have the kind of wonderful friends who think nothing of going out of their way to satisfy my professional and personal curiosity. Will I continue to do it? You bet… so long as they’ll have me. In the meantime, to each and every one of you, I say a hearty “Cheers, mate!”