High street fashion describes mass-market retail style - the sort of clothing you will find in the chain stores. The more cutting edge and directional a retailer is, the faster it will interpret designer fashions for the high street.
And here's one last bit of confusion -- a town's high street may not be called "High Street" and a street with that name may not be the high street.
There are frequent trains to Lincoln Station from London Kings Cross. The journey takes betweem 2 and 3 hours depending upon the specific train service. Round trip advance fares start at £24.
UK Travel Tip National Express offers a limited number of "funfare" promotional tickets that are very cheap (£6.50 for a £39.00 fare, for example). These can only be purchased on line and they are usually posted on the website a month to a few weeks before the trip. It is worth checking the website to see if "funfare" tickets are available for your chosen journey.There is one direct trip between London Victoria Coach Station and Lincoln City Bus Station each day, in each direction. The journey takes 4 1/2 hours. There is also a once a day London to Lincoln service stopping in Leicester. That trip takes 5 hours and 40 minutes. Either costs about £29. Bus services can be booked online. There is usually a 50pence booking fee.
Lincoln is 145 miles north of London via A roads (usually divided highways that become motorways for short stretches). It takes about 3 hours and 10 minutes to drive. Keep in mind that gasoline, called petrol in the UK, is sold by the liter (a little more than a quart) and the price is usually more than $1 a quart.Read more about London and Aberdeen.
East Coast offers direct London to Aberdeen services and connecting services through Edinburgh with First Scot Rail. Trains leave from London Kings Cross to http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/abd/details.html Aberdeen Station throughout the day. The journey takes about 7 1/2 hours and costs from £95.50, round trip, when purchased as two one-way, advance-fare tickets. National Express Coaches from London to Aberdeen take between 12 to 13 1/2 hours and cost £38.50 (2011 price) round trip. Buses leave Victoria Coach Station in London for Aberdeen Bus Station twice a day, morning and night.Bus tickets can be purchased online. There is usually a 50pence booking fee.
Edinburgh is 545 miles northeast of London, using the M1, M6 and M42 motorways in England and the M74, M8, M9 and M90 motorways in Scotland. In perfect conditions, it can take about 10 hours to drive but conditions are rarely perfect and this journey should only be taken by car as part of a multi-day tour or by alternating drivers.Keep in mind that gasoline, called petrol in the UK, is sold by the liter (a little more than a quart) and the price is usually more than $1 a quart. Parking in Bath Centre may also be expensive.
Frequent trains leave for Nottingham Station from London St Pancras Domestic. The journey takes under 2 hours with round trip advance fares starting at about £20.
UK Travel Tip National Express offers a limited number of "funfare" promotional tickets that are very cheap (£6.50 for a £39.00 fare, for example). These can only be purchased on line and they are usually posted on the website a month to a few weeks before the trip. It is worth checking the website to see if "funfare" tickets are available for your chosen journey.There is a regular bus service between London Victoria Coach Station and Nottingham Broadmarsh Bus Station. The journey takes about 3 hours 40 minutes, with round trip tickets costing about £24. Tickets can be booked online and there is usually a 50pence booking fee.
Nottingham is 128 miles north of London via the M1 and the A543. It takes about 3 hours and 40 minutes to drive. Keep in mind that gasoline, called petrol in the UK, is sold by the liter (a little more than a quart) and the price is usually more than $1 a quart.Who's there? Every kind of music imaginable. In 2009 - Bruce Springsteen, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Lily Allen, Blur, Nick Cave, Regina Spektor, Kasabian, Status Quo, Franz Ferdinand, Jarvis Cocker, even Tom Jones!
Find UK Public Holidays through 2014
The banks are still closed on UK National holidays but not much else is. If you are planning a trip to England, Scotland or Wales that includes a national holiday, here's what you can expect: Banks are closed - obviously, so are Post Offices and other government offices and departments. Most office businesses, including travel and booking agencies are closed. Motorways are clogged. Queues at popular family attractions are longer than usual. Rooms may be harder to book or slightly more expensive during bank holiday weekends. Most, but not all, of the larger shops are open. This is a bit hit or miss. Some businesses hold big, bank holiday sales events while others shut their doors. The only exceptions are Easter Sunday and Christmas Day when the law requires the larger shops to close. Trains, buses and the London Underground operate reduced services so it is important to plan Bank Holiday travel on public transportation carefully.As in the other countries, the popularity of long holiday weekends in the UK has meant that few Bank Holidays fall on exactly the same dates from one year to the next. New Year's Day January 1 or the Monday immediately following January 1 Good Friday Easter Monday May Bank Holiday First Monday in May Spring Bank Holiday Last Monday in May Summer Bank Holiday Last Monday in August Christmas Day Or the Monday immediately following if Christmas falls on a weekend. Boxing Day The day after Christmas, or the Monday following if 26 December falls on a weekend.If both December 25 and 26 fall on the weekend, the following Monday and Tuesday are Bank Holidays.
Northern Ireland celebrates two additional Bank Holidays: St. Patrick's Day March 17 or the nearest Monday if it falls on a weekend. Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) July 12 or the nearest Monday if it falls on a weekend.Scotland does not celebrate Easter Monday as a bank holiday, although many people do take that day off. In addition, since 2007, St. Andrew's Day (Nov. 30 or the following Monday)is an optional bank holiday. Banks have the right to close but employers don't have to give their employees the day off. So far, it is too early to tell how that day will be observed.
Find UK Public Holidays through 2014
Trains to Exeter St. Davids leave from Waterloo and Paddington several times a day. The journey takes about 3 hours though some very early services can take about 4 hours. Round trip advance fares start at about £24.
UK Travel Tip National Express offers a limited number of "funfare" promotional tickets that are very cheap (£6.50 for a £39.00 fare, for example). These can only be purchased on line and they are usually posted on the website a month to a few weeks before the trip. It is worth checking the website to see if "funfare" tickets are available for your chosen journey.Buses from London to Exeter take 4 to 5 hours and cost about £36 round trip. There is a regular bus service between Victoria Coach Station in London and Exeter Bus and Coach Station, Paris Street.
Bus tickets can be purchased online. There is usually a 50pence booking fee.
Exeter is 196 miles west of London via the M4 and M5 motorways. It takes about 4 hours to drive. Keep in mind that gasoline, called petrol in the UK, is sold by the liter (a little more than a quart) and the price is usually more than $1 a quart.This handy guide will help you figure out what to shop for in the different department store groups around the country. Look here for what you can expect to find and what you can expect to spend.
Tell us how you shop: scroll down the page and vote in the Shoppers' Poll
Harvey Nichols, made world famous as Harvey Nicks by the BBC's classic comedy Absolutely Fabulous, is a must visit department store for supermodels, celebrities, fashionistas and Sex and the City-style shoppers. Glamorous, trendy and expensive.Prices? If you have to ask, wait for the sales.
All over the world, people who have heard about shopping in Britain have also heard about Marks and Spencer. This department store chain is so fully enmeshed in British life that it is hard to imagine a decent sized town or village without one.The company specialises in budget to modestly priced, high quality clothing for men, women and children. Most Englishwomen, no matter what their social status, have at least some M&S lingerie or underwear. And separate food departments, selling M&S own label food products and prepared or ready to cook foods are very popular.
Prices? Inexpensive to moderate and invariably good value.
On my first trip to the UK, I wandered cluelessly into a country pub, on my own, expecting some friendly conversation and an ice cold beer with a frothy head spilling down the sides of a chilled glass.
Of course, I got none of those things. Having misinterpreted decades of British tourist publicity and old movies, I suppose I was expecting "Cheers" with an English accent. The experience put me off going into pubs on my own for years.
Nowadays, I find British pubs altogether less intimidating. Could be they've changed, but probably I have as well.
If you're a pub beginner, this guide will:
help you find a pub you'll really liketip you off on what to order and how to order itexplain how Brits order and drink their beerfast track you through the mysteries of British Pub etiquetteensure that you enjoy your experience of the Great British Pub.Different kinds of pubs attract different kinds of crowds. First off, know what sort of place you're planning to amble into.
The City Pub - Pubs in city centers tend to attract people who work nearby. At key times during the day - lunch, right after work - they'll probably be very crowded with groups of workmates unwinding from their jobs or meeting up with friends after work. Noisy and bustling, they are places where people gather to drink and have a laugh. Depending upon where they are, they may close when the last of the office workers head home, or stay open for the busy times before and after shows and movies.So how do you choose? The easiest way is simply to walk in and see how you feel about it. If you find a pub uncomfortable or below par for any reason, find another. With more than 50,000 pubs in the UK, you're bound to find one nearby that suits you.
Pubs sell beer, wine and spirits (whisky, gin, etc), along with soft drinks (usually at least Coke and Diet Coke), bottled fruit juices, cider and perry (more on these last two in a minute). Fizzy water from a pump is usually free.
A variety of beers and ales, including bitter, and pale ales are available on tap. There may be one lager on tap as well, but most lagers are sold as bottled beers. If you want a cold beer, you'll have to order a bottled beer. Brits don't think you can appreciate the flavor of a beer if it is icy cold.NEXT: More Pub Drinks,How to Order, Pub Manners
Once the exclusive domain of rich landowners and aristocrats today, whether owned and managed by the National Trust or in private hands, most are open to the public for at least part of the year.
These are some of the best.
Chester, Derby, York and Edinburgh compete with each other for the title of Most Haunted Place in Britain - or even Europe. What with haunted inns, ghostly Roman Legions, headless Queens and mournful ghostly brides, they've all got a pretty good claim to the title. And there are more haunted destinations.
Here then, the best ghost walks and haunted places in the UK to scare yourself silly.
Ferne ArfinShakespeare's home town has been one of England's biggest visitor attractions for hundreds of years. The guest list in the woodframed house that was Shakespeare's birthplace reads like a who's who of English literature from the 17th century onward. Curious spirits visit regularly and practitioners of magic and Wicca like the place too, so there are plenty of attractions for anyone who enjoys a good skin crawling, hair raising halloween frightfest.Eerie evenings at the Tudor World Museum take place in the Shrieve's house, which reports daily sightings from the spirit world. And, of course, as restoration works are planned, you might want to worry about the curse on Shakespeare's grave.
Facts and Figures About UK National Parks
Stone wall meanders over a fields of heather, gorse and bracken on Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District National Park.
Unlike the national parks of North America, the 15 National Parks in the UK are not large, virgin wilderness areas owned by public bodies. They are, in fact, populated places, with much of the land in private ownership, where people who farm the land or settle in the towns and villages take part in preserving Britain's wild and worked landscapes.
Early on, it was decided that in many areas, British farming and village life had shaped its characteristic landscapes and should be preserved - even in relatively remote and wildly beautiful landscapes. So, while the national parks in the UK protect some of the most breathtaking wildlife and scenery in the UK and provide access and facilities for their enjoyment, they also protect buildings and places of architectural and historic interest and maintain established farming use.Within the UK National Parks, visitors can find a mixture of privately owned land and land owned or controlled by the the National Trust,The Forestry Commission, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and central and local government.
There are mountains, moors, woodlands, marshland, pasture, lakes and coasts. Most UK National Parks have numerous nature reserves that shelter rare species - native red squirrels, wild ponies, orchids and ospreys. At least 331,000 people live in the National Parks of England, Scotland and Wales. There are at nearly 4,000 ancient monuments in the UK National Parks. The UK National Parks contain more than 350 Conservation areas which are protected areas of special architectural interest. England's National Parks cover 7% of its land area. In Wales, the National Parks cover 20% of the land. National Parks cover 7.3 per cent of Scotland. 7,842 square miles are included in UK National Parks. The largest National Park is The Cairngorms in Scotland, covering 1,467 square miles. The oldest National Park, The Peak District, was founded in 1951. The newest National Park is The South Downs, established in April, 2009.The Cairngorms National Park 1,467 square miles of wild, dramatic peaks in central Scotland. Ben Macdui, at 1,309 meters, is the highest peak within the UK National Parks - though not the highest in the UK. Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park 720 square miles of west central Scotland, this is Rob Roy and Sir Walter Scott country with the largest freshwater body in the UK. Northumberland National Park 405 square miles of virtually empty land in the North East of England. It has a total population of about 2,200 and includes the Cheviot Hills, 31 sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), 3 National Conservation areas and a stretch of Hadrian's Wall, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lake District National Park 885 square miles of landscape carved out by glaciers about 15,000 years ago. It has England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike; about 50 lakes and tarns, including England's biggest and England's deepest, and connections with leading literary figures, including Wordsworth, Coleridge and de Quincey. The Yorkshire Dales 680 square miles of dramatic hills and woodlands that straddle the Pennines in the North of England. Very popular with walkers. The North York Moors 554 miles of heath and moorland, as well as 26 miles of dramatic North Sea coast in England's North East. This is Wuthering Heights territory. The National Park also protects more than 800 ancient monuments. The Peak District National Park 555 square miles in the heart of England, it has more than 450 protected monuments. One of its principal towns, Bakewell, is home of the famous jam and almond Bakewell Tart (Make your own with this About.com recipe for Bakewell Tart). Snowdonia National Park 840 square miles of North Wales, this famous National Park includes castles, coasts, ancient monuments and rugged, dramatic peaks. Welsh is the mother tongue of 68% of the population. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Of the 240 square miles of this West Wales park, a remarkable 260 linear miles are coast - and some of the most dramatic coast and beautiful beaches in all of the UK. The Brecon Beacons National Park 519 square miles of South Central Wales. Its massive, open hills are popular for riding and hunts, hang gliding and sheep rearing. The Norfolk Broads 117 square miles of wetlands, marshes and fenland in East Anglia, in the East of England, with, remarkably, only 1.7 miles of coast. The dry land is dotted with windmills that pump out water to keep it that way. Popular with birdwatchers, the reeds of this waterworld are harvested for thatch. Exmoor National Park 267 square miles and thirty four miles of stunning coastline in South West England. The park's varied landscape of woodlands, river valleys and a rolling patchwork of fields is popular with walkers, birdwatchers and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. A beautiful place. Dartmoor National Park 268 square miles of moorland in Devon, South West England, is a wild rolling landscape, famous for bleak, windswept tors and once treacherous, fog bound roads. Nearly half is open moorland, with about 10 per cent covered by forests and woodland. Most of Dartmoor is privately owned land but there is extensive public right of way. A large part of it is managed by the military for training. Range danger areas are, remarkably, open to the public and only closed during live firing. Most of the time, it is available for riding, hiking and grazing livestock. The New Forest. Despite its name, it was actually created by William the Conqueror in 1079 as his "new forest" for deer hunting. Modern New Forest Commoners, occupy land, owned by the Crown, with "commoning" rights to graze their livestock in the forest. New Forest ponies are the most famous inhabitants. The South Downs After a 60 year campaign, England's chalk desert in the sky became a national park in 2009.
UK Trains - Where to Buy a British Rail Ticket and How to Pay
First ScotRail Ticket Office at Aviemore, Scotland
If all this has you reeling, don't worry. The National Rail Enquiries website includes an excellent trip planning tool and staff at the manned railway stations can suggest best fares.
You can buy a UK train ticket for most off-peak journeys minutes before you board, but some discount tickets are available in advance for longer journeys so it's a good idea to check the National Rail Enquiries online tool to see the range of fares available. If you see a really cheap, advance fare and you're sure you will take that trip - buy it online or at the ticket office. The cheapest fares don't last long.
Buy a Standard Open, Cheap Day Return or Saver ticket:
Online: Choose journey and fare and let the National Rail Enquiry tool guide you to a train company to buy your ticket, using a credit or debit card. You'll get an email with a confirmation number.Print and save it.Get your ticket:
By mail if purchased four or five days in advance from a UK address. At a fastTicket machine at the station. Bring the credit card you used to pay for the ticket, along with the confirmation number you've printed out and saved, and follow the directions on the machine. At a manned ticket booth. If fastTicketing isn't available at the station, or if there's no time for mail, present credit card and confirmation at a manned ticket window.At the station: Tickets are available on the day or in advance from manned ticket windows at mainline stations or from ticket dispensing and fastTicket machines.Smaller stations may not be manned all the time. If you board at an unmanned station, you can buy a ticket on the train. But make sure because if staff is available and you board without a ticket, you may be fined or have to pay the highest available round-trip fare.
Insider Tip: National Rail Enquiries' How to Get There is a list of key UK visitor attractions, cathedrals, parks and zoos with links to more websites for detailed addresses and maps.
