England 2010Guidebook corrections:Please note: The following corrections were submitted by readers and have not yet been confirmed by Rick. Check updates from Rick for the latest.  Whenever the guidebooks say a walk is 10 min, it usually takes me 20 min. And I am not a slow walker. Swan in Napa , CA USA 10/03/2009 When buying Eurostar tickets online from Eurostar.com you are now able choose your seats and print your ticket at home. Clarice Hoffman in Monterey, CA USA 09/15/2009 Salisbury: Harper's restaurant is closed Monday also. Chipping Campden: Huxley's appears closed. Reya in Carson City, NV USA 09/01/2009 Your guidebook says that going from Waterloo station to Windsor Riverside requires a change at Staines but the train website says that it does not require a change. I am assuming they are correct. Can you confirm? Margaret in Ottawa, ON Canada 09/01/2009 Stow-in-the-Wold: we stayed at Number Nine which was a great B & B but perhaps it should be mentioned that parking is a problem and could be impossible at the height of the season as there is only street parking. We were there at the end of May. Also in London, we stayed at the Lime Tree Hotel. We had to catch an early train to Paris and had great difficulty getting a taxi. The hotel receptionist stood on the street for a good 15 minutes before one came to the hotel opposite to drop off a passenger. I was about to walk down to the Victoria bus station as it seemed that all the full taxis were heading that way. Anne Ayre in Bowen Island, BC Canada 07/19/2009 We traveled England by car with a Garmin GPS. A lot of the sites in the book didn't have a full addresses or even a postal codes. If you included the postal codes for the major sights, it would make them easier to find with GPS units and make the guide easier to use. Mike Flaherty in St Louis, MO USA 06/13/2009 The National Trust has an Overseas Visitors Touring Pass, similar to that of English Heritage with similar prices: 20 GBP/7 days, 25 GBP/14 days, discounts for couples and families. Susan Allen in Williamsburg, VA USA 06/03/2009 Bakers Hotel in London. Amin Jamani was not there and his replacement while appearing helpful was in my estimation doing a little London empire building. I felt snookered. David Bean in Portland, Or USA 05/22/2009 On page 61 of your England guidebook, it says that Westminster Abbey is open Mon - Sat 9:15 - 16:30. The Abbey's website says 9:30 every morning and on Sat. the closing time is 14:30 (last entry 13:30). Otherwise there would be tourists in the Abbey for the Sat. 15:00 Evensong. Thanks! Kathy Link in Encinitas, CA USA 04/04/2009 The small book "Exploring the Cotswolds by Bus" no longer exists - it is a set of free paper timetables now. You can also look up the time tables on the internet. On the map of Moreton-in-Marsh the footpath from the train station to the Kymalton House no longer exists (it is a subdivision). Dave W. in Seattle, WA USA 01/20/2009 No, we will never travel again without buying a Rick Steves' book first. On target every time. Very precise, usable information. The only screwup we had was when we got stuck in Bath overnight and all your recommended places were full. Man, did we get a dog of a hotel! LTC Larry Frost in Minneapolis, MN USA 10/14/2008 Rick suggests taking an Evan Evan's tour to get to Bath via Stonehenge. My suggestion is to delete this advice. The Evan Evan's tour titled Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Roman Baths (http://www.evanevanstours.co.uk/windsor-stonehenge-bath.htm) was changed due to traffic the day I went--and perhaps all the time now. This tour is intended to be a day tour from London, not transportation to Bath. I had to abandon the tour in Bath, where I had a hotel booked already, and then had to take another tour from Bath to see Stonehenge, which I already paid for with Evan Evan's tour. Please don't suggest this plan in future editions. It sounds like a good idea, but if they switch the route of the day tour, you end up paying more for transportation back to Bath or paying double for an extra tour to Stonehenge. It is better to take day tours from either London or Bath. Mad Max offered a great tour from Bath to Stonehenge and Lacock. Travel between London and Bath is cheapest from www.nationalexpress.com where you can get cheap bus tickets. Mine was only 5 pounds. [Editor's Note: Thanks for the feedback. We still mention the "London to Bath day tour" idea but now warn readers to doublecheck the tour's exact order of sightseeing to avoid the very problem you encountered.] Elizabeth MI USA 10/07/2008 Of the three companies listed in the 2008 England guidebook for tours in the Lakes region, Touchstone told me they only do walking tours now, and Mountain Goat said they no longer start tours in Keswick. Verna Reamy in Columbia, MD USA 09/26/2008 My husband and I tried making reservations through the London House Hotel (off the Bayswater tube stop) which is recommended in the England 2008 RS book. When the woman wrote back to me, she quoted a much higher rate. When I politely wrote back and questioned her on it - citing the RS book as my reference to her hotel - she told me she had no idea who "Rick Staves" was, and maybe I was using an outdated edition from when they used to be a hostel. Anyway, we ended up going with a different place, and I thought you should know that things have apparently changed hands there. It seems you are promoting their hotel, but they don't know who you are. Thanks! [Editor's Note: FYI, we no longer recommend the London House Budget Hotel in our 2009 edition.] Heather in SLC (soon to be London resident - student), UT USA 09/15/2008 1.In your 2007 England guidebook, you’ll love the typo on page 343, Warwick Castle—"fornifications" instead of "fortifications." Oops. 2.In Greenwich, the Cutty Sark will be closed for refurbishing until 2010! On our visit, a double whammy, the Gipsy Moth is on an around-the-world tour! (Maybe we’ll get a chance to see it back home in LA.) We thoroughly enjoyed the museum and standing on the Mean Line. 3.Maybe it was just us or maybe just the one roon, but the Duke of Buckingham Pub, Portsmouth (p. 213), was lacking. We had a family room for a good price but with only one lamp for four people, no chairs (one or two is customary) and a bathroom door that did not latch. The food was good, though. And we loved the Portsmouth dock and ship tours. [Editor's Note: The Warwick Castle description is NOT a typo. It's been in our books for many years and is one side of Rick's unique sense of humor!] Patti Brugman in Pasadena, CA USA 06/29/2008 We were in and around Broadway for three days and never saw the buses or crowds you referenced. It is a great stop with much to see. David Krein in Schaumburg, IL USA 05/25/2008 1) Regarding Portsmouth, I do believe it is misleading to describe Southsea neighbourhood as a "park", when there are so many vital areas inland from the seafront and Common. I sincerely recommend Albert Road for eating, shopping, and nightlife, and its traders could benefit from your mention.
2) It is very confusing to distinguish Old Portsmouth from Spice Island from The Point, etc, but Spice Island (aka The Point or Portsmouth Point) and the Camber (commercial port) were quite distinct from the Naval Dockyard and the Old Portsmouth residential neighbourhood. Spice Island was so wild (as depicted on the cartoon mural on the side of The Bridge Tavern, visible on the Millenium Walk) that it was walled off from the residents' Old Town, complete with armed guards. I think that this is a colorful story that will bring the area to life for the reader. Brian McIntyre in Portsmouth, United Kingdom 04/16/2008 It would be so helpful to include a mileage chart (between cities). It's hard to find the info. otherwise, and hard to plan a trip (with children) without it. Thanks [Editor's Note: Try using Google maps. Click on "Get Directions" and enter British town names, followed by the abbreviation UK. It will give you mileage and driving directions in either miles or kilometers. FYI, UK road signs still use miles but almost everything else is metric.] Denise Perreault in Boulder, CO USA 02/15/2008 On the Manor House Hotel's (Moreton-in-Marsh, the Cotswolds, p. 363) website, it says that the hotel was unfortunately flooded out in July of 2007; they hope to reopen in Spring of 2008. Best of luck to them, the hotel looks like a beautiful place. Andrew Horn in San Jose, CA USA 01/09/2008 Crestow House, a B&B in Stow-on-the-Wold,(page 256 in the 2008 edition) has been sold and the new owner will not be offering accomodations. Christine P. in Steamboat Springs, CO USA 01/04/2008 Repairs continue on the rail lines and (right now) on the Victoria tube line. Weekends are mostly affected on train lines, and evenings and weekends can be affected on the Tube. Printed info and public announcements are available to prevent surprises, so you need to pay attention. At Tube stations there are printed instructions for finding bus/rail/tube connections in that area. Very useful if you read them. I figured out that in the Victoria area, sometimes the bus is better than the Tube. Swan in Napa, CA USA 10/29/2007 The Cotwolds bus tour leaving from Stratford-upon-Avon has since closed. They have temporarily renamed the Other Place theatre in Stratford to the Courtyard Theatre while the RSC and Swan are being demolished and rebuilt! It was sad to see them getting the wrecking ball while I was there. Luckily I got a picture before! But the Courtyard is the quick-protype of the stages of the 2 being rebuilt and eventhough there is plywood on the wall and it smells like it was built just yesterday and they are constantly making changes to test the features I can honestly say there is not a bad seat in the house...even those with "restricted views" you can move the chairs as they are not "nailed" down. Leslie Hickman in Tulsa, OK USA 10/19/2007 In Bath, England, the "Wife of Bath" restaurant appears to be out of business and the "Yak Yeti Yak" restaurant is moving to that location. James Jackman in Troy, NY USA 09/19/2007 Canterbury: the Three Tuns Pub has changed hours of operation to close at 1700 every day. The Canterbury Tales Pub no longer serves food, ever. Our visit was in July 2007 Deb Tung in Newark, OH USA 09/13/2007 Minor detail--I booked a stay at the Airden house in York and asked if I could use the 10% discount for our two night stay and mention of the B &B in the book. It seems that this discount can only be applied to specific rooms. John Hunter in Fresno, Ca USA 08/22/2007 The Fashion (Costume) Museum in Bath was quite a disappointment. It seemed poorly organized and did not cover the history of fashion, just some highlights. No way should it be a 3 triangle spot; at most a 1 triangle or just mentioned as an alternative. Tom and Deb in Arlington, TX USA 08/21/2007 England 2007, page 343. I'll bet I'm not the first to correct this one. I know it's not a real word, but the description of "fairy-tale fornification" at Warwick Castle certainly conjures up images other than stone wall "fortification". Oh well. [Editor's Note: Congratulations on spotting one of Rick's oldest jokes! Yes, it is a deliberate misspelling.] David Moore in Houston, TX USA 08/03/2007 The crypt cafe at st-martin-in-the-fields is closed for renovations until October 2007. The Jubilee Hotel in London used to serve a full english breakfast now only serves a continental breakfast. Nathalie Carette-Meyers in Tacoma, wa USA 04/30/2007 In the England 2007 guidebook, the James House and Cartref House are listed as nearly identical places both run by Derek and Sharon James. However, per their website, Derek and Sharon have sold the James house. They now only run the Cartref House, and their new website is www.cartrefhouse.co.uk. The old website currently has this information as well as the promise that details on the James House and its new ownership will arrive soon. Kellie in Oshkosh, WI USA 04/13/2007 For Bed & Breakfast at #12 in Durham, the correct email for Jan Metcalfe is janhanim@aol.com. (Not jan.hanim as in the book). Kathryn Riester in Indianapolis, IN USA 03/23/2007 When calling for accommodations in Durham, England for a trip next summer, I learned that the Castledene B & B is no longer available as the owners have recently retired. Kathryn Riester in Indianapolis, IN USA 03/22/2007 IN your 2007 guidebook, p. 236-237, you list car rentals. I am having trouble renting a car in Bath and dropping it off in Cambridge. Thrifty says it does NOT have a location in Bath, National & Alamo say their locations in Cambridge are closed. Help - Any suggestions? Margaret McArdle in Sarasota, FL USA 03/17/2007 |
