Brighton

chandelier

We made a day trip to Brighton to check out the Royal Pavilion, the beach, and a little of the town. About an hour by train from London if you get the express.

Greenwich

Cutty Sark shrouds

Greenwich is an area of London that has always interested me but I’d never made it over there. This trip we made it. It was a nice day trip. I liked the Cutty Sark and found the observatory more interesting than I thought I would.

Skipton

Skipton Castle

We ended up with only an afternoon in Skipton so we didn’t get to see much. What we did see was pleasant and relaxed.

Carlisle Castle

inside Carlisle Castle

Carlisle Castle is both the oldest and the best maintained castle we saw on this trip. It was in active use for much longer.

Carlisle

old tower in Carlisle at dusk

We stayed in Carlisle just to catch the Settle-Carlisle train but we enjoyed the castle and cathedral while we were there. A rail strike added an unplanned day here but also meant we didn’t have to go out in the rain.

Walk around Buttermere

sheep near lake

Buttermere is another beautiful and mostly flat, easy walk around a lake. It’s easily reachable by bus from Keswick, though the bus did get crowded.