Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

I'll help you out here, all areas of the UK are lovely, it's just that some areas are more lovely than others and that can be down to preference :lol:

NYjoe Loc: US/UK

Graham....your photographs say more than words can describe.

J.

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

Eleven years ago, when my first wife passed away, I made a firm decision not to travel abroad anymore, but to explore and photograph every nook and cranny of England.

I started in the West country, and it took five years to record some beautiful scenery and villages, moved to the South for four years and then to the Southeast. I am about to begin my ascent to the Midlands, and I have my passport ready for crossing the Watford Gap.

The South East has proved to be quite disappointing, much of a muchness with some notable exceptions.

The close proximity of new major roads and housing estates have swallowed most of the countryside, many hop fields and orchards have long gone, and even the forests have diminished in size and some even include golf courses in what used to be common and unspoilt land.

Kent in particular used to be the Garden of England, now it is rapidly becoming just another built up area.

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

I made much the same decision many years ago, why travel abroad when there are so many delights in the UK.

PS: If you are ever in the Cambridge/East Anglia area give me a shout.

Graham

viscountdriver Loc: East Kent UK

Searcher, I am sorry but you are wrong. I live in Kent and I could show you stunning rural countryside, acres of fruit trees.Sure, some has been built on and sure there are no mountains or great forests but we have our super villages;. remember, The Last of the Summer Wine? There are also great towns such as Canterbury,Sandwich to name just a few.

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

I am glad you disagree with me on this. Sandwich is one of my favourite places, and figures into my notable exceptions.

You have confused me with "Last of Summer Wine?" are you thinking of "Darling Buds of May" at Bethersden?

John Stanier Loc: Driffield UK

If you are in York, try to see the National Railway Museum, also the stunning Castle museum, with it's authentic Victorian street.

Manchester, Leeds York are nearly in a straight line! You do need a day in York though. York is VERY expensive!

Have a fantastic holiday. There is so much to see, but the distances, (unlike the USA), are relatively short.

On the M62 near Leeds there are 'average speed' speed traps!

viscountdriver Loc: East Kent UK

That's what becomes of being old.yes I confused them. Incidentally I ought to have put we have some great beaches.Where I live in Thanet are milesd of super beaches with Broadstairs a real old time seaside.

steve_icbinb Loc: nr. Rochester, UK

Hi, I have a couple of suggestions that cover scenic and quirky:

How Stean Gorge (inexpensive)

Brimham Rocks (access free, car park cheap)

Matlock Bath (parking limited, avoid weekends as v busy)

(suggest googling images for them)

first two are fairly close - easy 'do' both in one day from Manchester. Chester is fun too - park all day @ the racecourse for £5. cross the road and you're in the town centre.

I'd be wary of trying to go further east of York - much as I love the NY Moors & east coast (mmm Thornton Le Dale) it's a long drive back to Manchester after a day trip.

hope you have a great time and the sun shines!

deneke

Joe, There some basic issues to consider when planning a trip anywhere in the UK. Consider going right after USA Labor Day because the Americans are gone home, crowds are down and tour buses few. Before you go, buy an England atlas at a good book store and the Michelen Green Guide to England. Make only reservations for the first two nights at the same place near York. Get to know and use the Information Center in each town. They are also the place to make reservations for B&Bs each day for day trips surrounding each town and theet are sources for local sights. Some cynical Americans consider England the World's greatest theme park. You won't find spectacular scenery in England but it is the architecture that most really see and come to know what England is all about. Do lots of research on your planned route, on cities, towns, villages and hamlets. Google places. Nearly every settlement in the UK has a web site. That's where your info is.
Get a 3" three ring binder note book to keep trip research and add to it on your trip. At Info Centers, check out their post cards for shooting ideas and go there. Market day at county towns are colorful with produce, people and colorful umbrellas. Cathedral towns are particularly rich for places and things to shoot. Go into the cathedrals and be awed. Shoot the west, north and south stained glass "rose" windows. They will be the highlight of your slide show back home. In cathedrals also shot the roof groin vaults by putting your camera on delayed shutter release and placed on its back on the floor, aligned with the main aisle and walk away and let it do its thing. You'll need a wide angle lens here in the f/21- f/28 range. A number of cathedrals will have their interiors adorned with colorful banners for your edification. York is one of the few walled cities of Europe remaining. Walk on top of its perimeter 8' wide wall and shoot down into its streets and buildings particularly thru the flying buttresses of ts Minster. Capture the gargoyles spitting out roof water after a rain on the Minster. Visit the chapter house too from inside the cathedral. I indorse Knaresborough too and its urban scenery from the commuter RR bridge shooting up the deep river gorge to the hills beyond and the boat liveries lining the river's edge. Take the river walk in the morning; there's much to shoot. On your way west visit Little Morton Hall. It's a moated half-timbered manor house with its moat filled with mallards dating from the early 1500th century, and wraps around a court yard and is owned by The National Trust but is closed on Wednesdays. Look out for closings of NT bldgs. A quintessential English city to visit is Chester near the Welsh Border south of Liverpool and Glouster. Its CBC is lined with multi storied half timber structures with black painted timber frames with white painted stucco infill, in honor of Queen Victoria whose favorite bird was the B&W magpie. A truly "quirky" town, on the east side of England is Lavenham with leaning and twisted houses and buildings all along High Street, but it is south of York. I could go on and on, but I always felt there was something interesting to see and shoot ever five miles, so choose your poison accordingly. England has castle ruins everywhere dating back to the medieval era which are themselves captivating and picturesque. The color, imagination and primary interest of Brit folks is their gardening. Every major cathedral, castle, school, town hall and square has its garden. Another big deal with the Brits are their doors in primary colors. Brit blue doors are every where too. A favorite of this Anglophile are its thatch roof buildings, particularly its rural, vernacular churches with flint walls and litch gates.

DENEKE~ from SE Michigan, USA

NYjoe Loc: US/UK

Deneke....thanks for your valuable travel tips. You should write a travel column! And thanks to everyone...I'm looking forward to ecperiencing and shooting all of your great suggestions.

NYjoe

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

Another tip I often give, look on Google Earth (Make sure you have checked "Photos" in the Layers Panel). Where you see the biggest concentration of photos will be the "best" places. And it gives you the bonus of knowing where each picture was taken.

deneke

Hi Joe, again,
Since my previous email, a few new ideas for you jumped into my head. I gather you will be flying into London, renting a car, then driving to the north country. How long are you planning to be in England? I would suggest you establish some photo themes. Since the Brits are such avid gardeners and your going in May, consider one theme to be gardens. I mentioned where you may find them. A specialty within that theme is "knot gardens." To learn about these, Google "Knot Gardens" and select their Whipepedia(sp.?) site. These are square, formal geometric gardens and there aren't very many of them. Another fun self assignment would be "Pub Signs." The Brits are creative folk with a good sense of humor. Look for trade signs on trucks too. I've seen "Plug & Socket" for an electrical contractor, "Brush & Pail" for a painter, "Hammer & Saw" for a carpenter, and "Faucet & Drain" for a plumber. The big thing in garden color in May are Blue Bells, a low growing blooming plant, even wild in woodlands for great landscapes. Pubs are the place for lunch and dinner, but a nice lunch are "Take-away" shops for sandwich fare for a lunch on picnic tables in nearby town squares and small parks. Do plan to have a lunch at Little Morton Hall, but Google it to see some pix of the place, its history and specific location. It may be hard to find since it's out in the country. Plan to take in a coastal town for great boat scenes. Whitby, on the east coast, would be a great one. Shoot its colorful row houses on the urban canal at high tide. A must see region at any season are the Cotswolds, and in May they will be spectacular with their heavy thatch roofs, window boxes and bright colored doors. Their town squares and business districts with trout streams running thru them are something else to wonder about. Cats and dogs can be expected in pubs too, and a cat in your lap for a nap in a pub is common. Liverpool is a busy industrial city and may be a let down for you unless you are a Beattles' fan. Time and the pounds may be your decision makers, and take a small pocket calculator to help, and count your charge and change after a petrol fill up. All Brit roads roads tend to be narrow with occasional lay bys to allow an on coming car to pass. Opt to rent a small car for convenience and fuel mileage. There's a lot too see and shoot in Britain, and don't try to do it all in two weeks particularly for a photo outing. Good photography is a thief of time. Don't take a tripod and long focals, count on a good monopod and/or a vibe control cam or lenses, and keep your lenses few, three at the most.

Deneke~

NYjoe Loc: US/UK

deneck,

Thanks again...great suggestions and tips. Unfortunately, I won't have the time I would like...5 days! That's why I checked in here at UHH ..an attempt to home in on the best places for day trips from Manchester. Yes, my wife and I are landing at HR airport and picking up a car for the drive north, and hoping it doesn't rain...this will be my tenth visit to the UK so I am familiar with some of what you report..but I've always kept to the south as Manor Park in London was my family home prior to WWII after which they moved to the USA. It's nice to hear your description of so many places that seem to have maintained their Englishness. I stopped visiting London a few trips back because it no longer seemed to be very English...a postcard of itself at best. I was quite shocked at the way the simplest of activities had a price usually collected by a machine and monitored by a camera. I hope its not too much like this up north...but I'm already cringing at the options for parking our rented car. At any rate, I know England is out there somewhere...driven into hill and dale by the march of time. I guess we can't expect time to stand still...same over here I suppose yet somehow less concentrated. So thank you again for your clear and concise observations and ideas. It's nice to hear from a true fellow anglophile. (On my last trip I surprised my wife by purchasing a London Taxi!.......OI!)

NYjoe Loc: US/UK

Oh..one more thing. I just traded up to a Nikon d800e with Tamron 24-70 VC lens from my Canon 5D. It arrived as I was reading your post! Wish me luck.