Home > Rick Steves' Guidebooks > Guidebook Updates

Rick Steves' England

Updates since the 2010 edition:

The website for the Jurys Inn chain of hotels is www.jurysinns.com.

Updates since the 2009 edition:

General

The US office of Visit Britain no longer answers questions over the phone, though it does take requests for printed brochures via an answering machine at (800) 462-2748. For questions, contact them via email at travelinfo@visitbritain.org.

London

See the update page for our London guidebook.

Greenwich, Windsor, and Cambridge

Greenwich

The TI is temporarily located at 46 Greenwich Church Street. It is due to reopen in spring 2010 back at its usual location, but as part of the Discover Greenwich Centre.

Conservation work on the Cutty Sark clipper ship, which was delayed by a May 2007 fire, has resumed. From a shop adjacent to the conservation site you can view some of the work via an observation window. The shop can be closed at short notice, so call 020/8858-2698 if you'd like to confirm opening times.

Some parts of the National Maritime Museum, such as the Nelson's Navy gallery, are closed for renovation until 2012.

Windsor

Access to Eton College is now by guided tour only, with very specific tour times and days of week (entry-£4.20, 1-hour guided tour-£5.50, tours available late March–early Oct daily at 14:15 & 15:15; grounds open daily late March–mid-April and July–Aug 10:30–16:30, mid-April–June and Sept–early Oct 14:00–16:30, closed early Oct–late March and about once a month for special events, so call ahead; no photos in chapel or museum, no food or drink allowed, tel. 01753/671-177).

Cambridge

The Museum of Classical Archaeology is closed for remodeling, with plans to re-open in spring 2010.

Canterbury

The Three Tuns pub, on Beer Cart Lane and Watling Street, has closed and will not reopen as a pub.

Portsmouth

The Mary Rose Ship Hall at the Historic Dockyard, where visitors can view the hull of this salvaged, early 16th-century wooden warship, will close in late summer 2009 for several years for an ambitious redesign of the exhibit. The Dockyard's separate Mary Rose Museum, which interprets the ship's history, will remain open throughout the construction phase.

Bath

The Termae Bath Spa is open only to people 16 and older. The Cross Bath, across the street, is open to anyone 12 and older.

The Woodville House B&B has closed.

Near Bath

Wells

If, while attending evensong at Wells Cathedral, you miss the 17:43 bus to Bath, you can catch the 18:15 bus to Bristol, then take a 15-minute train ride to Bath, arriving at 19:35.

The Old Farmhouse B&B has a new website: www.wellsholiday.com.

Avebury

Parking is now only possible at the National Trust parking lot, which charges a flat fee of £5 (£3 after 15:00).

Salisbury

Harper's Restaurant has changed its name to "Charter 1227."

Oxford

The Christ Church College's Picture Gallery does not have a collection of Lewis Carroll sketches, but it does have a rotating exhibition of drawings and sketches by Old Masters such as Albrecht Dürer, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael.

Mrs. Williams' B&B at 14 Holywell Street is now Holywell Bed & Breakfast. Its new owners, Stuart and Carrie, offer free Wi-Fi (tel. 01865/721-880, info@holywellbedandbreakfast.com).

The Coach & Horses Inn has a new website and email address: www.coachandhorsesinn.com, mail@coachandhorsesinn.com.

The Tower House Hotel has a new email address: reservations@towerhouseoxford.co.uk.

Stratford

The email address for Emsley Guest House is now mel@theemsley.co.uk.

Warwick

Warwick Castle now charges an extra £7.50 for admission to the dungeon, which is run in the same tacky, gory style as the London Dungeon.

The Cotswolds

Marnic Cars & Taxis is no longer in business, as Mr. Marnic has retired.

Chipping Campden

The Noel Arms Hotel now longer offers the 10 percent discount for our readers, as it's under new ownership (but is still recoomended).

The Old Bakehouse B&B has a new website: www.chippingcampden-cotswolds.co.uk.

The Dragon House is now charging £68 for double rooms in its B&B, and now offers free Wi-Fi.

Alexiou's Restaurant has changed its name to "Michael's."

Huxley's Tea Room on the High Street has closed.

At the Snowshill Lavender farm, the café is now closed.

Stow-on-the-Wold

The TI no longer sells bus or sightseeing tickets, and no longer books rooms. They also no longer arrange local walking tours with the Cotswold Voluntary Wardens. The TI may move in late 2009.

Cotswold Garden Tea Room B&B has closed.

The Crestow House B&B has closed.

The Pound B&B has a new email address: patwhitehead1@live.co.uk.

Moreton-in-Marsh

The Manor House Hotel's email address is info@manorhousehotel.info.

Northleach

The post office no longer sells permits for brass rubbing at the church.

Cirencester

The TI has moved to inside the Corinium Museum (same hours as museum, cirencestervic@cotswold.gov.uk).

Ironbridge Gorge

Blists Hill Victorian Town has changed its phone number to 01952/601-048.

Severn Lodge B&B has closed.

The Bridge House B&B has closed.

The Coalbrookdale Hostel now only accepts groups.

Blackpool

The TI is no longer on The Promenade, but has moved to 1 Clifton Street, about 50 yards directly inland from the North Pier (Easter–early Nov Mon–Sat 9:00–17:00, Sun 10:00–16:30, closed off-season, tel. 01253/478-222, www.visitblackpool.com). The TI's Heritage Trail booklet is no longer available.

The Sandcastle Waterpark is no longer closed Mon–Tue during the season. For exact 2009 opening times, see www.sandcastle-waterpark.co.uk.

Liverpool

There is now a TI at Albert Dock (daily 10:00–17:00, inland from the Beatles Experience, tel. 0151/707-0729).

National Trust tours of John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's childhood homes no longer leave from Conservation Centre, but from the Jurys Inn in the city center (in the morning; afternoon tours still leave from Speke Hall).

Magical Mystery Tours no longer leave from the TI. They now leave only from the Albert Dock, at the Gower Street stop just inland from the Beatles Experience, at 14:30 (daily; in summer and weekends year-round also at 12:00).

The correct email for the Cocoon Pod Hotel is info@internationalinn.co.uk (same as the upstairs hostel).

P&O Irish Sea Ferries has a new telephone number: 0871-664-4777.

Lake District

North Lake District
Keswick

The Parkfield Guest House has changed its email to susanberryparkfield@hotmail.com.

South Lake District

The Wordsworth Trust's Tuesday poetry readings have moved to St. Oswald's Church in Grasmere Village.

York

York's main tourist information center is moving in fall 2009 to 1 Museum Street (a block south of the Minster, still near Bootham Bar).

The Yorkshire Wheel has spun for the last time.

The new website for the York Food Festival is www.yorkfoodfestival.com.

The Ardmore Guest House does not have a website.

Abbeyfields Guest House's 2009 prices are as follows: (mid-week Sb-£45, Db-£72; Fri–Sat Sb-£49, Db-£82; doesn't price-gouge during races, free Wi-Fi, 19 Bootham Terrace, tel. 01904/636-471, www.abbeyfields.co.uk, enquire@abbeyfields.co.uk, charming Al and Les).

St. Raphael Guesthouse's 2009 prices are as follows: midweek Db-£76, £88 Fri–Sat (family rooms, free Wi-Fi, 44 Queen Annes Road, tel. 01904/645-028, info@straphaelguesthouse.co.uk).

Durham and Northeast England

Durham

The correct email for the Victorian Town House B&B is stay@durhambedandbreakfast.com.

The correct email for Durham Castle rooms is durham.castle@durham.ac.uk.

The food is the same in Durham's popular Italian restaurant on Elvet Bridge, but the name has changed from "Emilio's" to "Melanzana."

Hadrian's Wall

The correct mobile phone number for the baggage-courier service Hadrian's Haul is 07967-564-823.