Tips and tidbits for travel and for fun
WITH THE POUND DISCOUNTED more than 25 per cent since last summer, now may be the time for regular travelers to Britain to do some of that shopping they have deferred over the last few years.
Great bargains once again can be found, for instance, in Scottish woolens, particularly at the Edinburgh Woolen Mill, which now has a presence on almost every significant tourist High Street. Blankets, sweaters, skirts and all manner of woolen outerwear are a good value now, not only at EWM, but at a variety of retail and factory outlets. Huge discounting and a temporary cut in VAT bring down prices, too.
That pound goes much further, as well, at the duty-free shops at Heathrow and Gatwick. If you are planning to take back anything from whisky to silks to perfume, the duty free may well be the place to buy them now—especially since you do not have to lug the goods around Britain until you fly home.
The general rule of thumb for shopping in Britain remains: London is expensive. The further away you get from London, the less expensive things become. If you are doing some traveling, it pays to window shop in London and then pick up in the less expensive provincial towns. Woolens and Wedgwood, an antique silver spoon or a bottle of single malt are all going to cost less in Colchester or Carlisle than they do on Piccadilly.
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The British Heritage PUZZLER
Last issue we queried: “I was the fourth largest city in Roman Britain. Later, as the capital of Powys, I might have been the capital of the historic King Arthur. Today, I am in the care of English Heritage. Where am I?”
It was the city of Viroconium, which as capital of the Celtic kingdom of Powys in early post-Roman Britain may have been the original site for Camelot. Now, it is Wroxeter Roman City, just a few miles east of Shrewsbury. The story is told by Jim Hargan in British Heritage, May 2008, p.34.
And now, for something completely different. This one is more challenging. In Dickens’ scathing novel indictment of Victorian industrial society, the grimy mills of Manchester are set in what fictional city?
Come on, be a Puzzler player. Let us hear from you. Post a card or e-mail to [email protected].
Sites for the Savvy
- www.visitBritain.us Britain’s official travel and tourism on-line guide
- www.london-discount-hotel.com A one-stop site for reasonable London accommodations
- www.visitScotland.com How to make the pilgrimage to Iona yourself
- www.visitYork.com York makes an easy rail destination from London
- www.nationalrail.co.uk Where to go and how to get there by train
- www.nationaltrust.org.uk Plan visits and save on membership with the National Trust
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