England, Day 10 - On to Scotland
September 1st, 1998 by Jim Clark
After we checked out of our hotel in Stratford (the day before yesterday), we visited a flea market they had set up along the Avon river outside of our hotel. We did a bit of shopping and then drove on up to Nottingham.
And here’s the thing… I’m a sucker for stupid tourist stuff. I guess I’m a dumb yank, but I’ve always wanted to visit the places that Robin Hood lived and fought and all that. When I was a child, Erroll Flynn was England to me. I wanted to join his merry band and eat mutton legs and laugh a manly laugh like manly men such as they.
But I have to say that it was a bit disappointing. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. First we visited the “Tales of Robin Hood” museum in downtown Nottingham. It consisted mostly of Disneyland-like rides that told the story of Robin Hood, and it was probably more appropriate for kids than for me. Nottingham castle was smaller than I expected.
We drove about 10 minutes out of town to what’s left of Sherwood forest. All that remains is a very small woodland park, and the surrounding area is farmland. We wandered around in the woods for a bit. I wish there was more of it still remaining.
We drove up to York that night and stayed at a great hotel called The Judge’s Lodging. The next morning we did some shopping in York and then went to see the York Dungeon, another interesting museum with lots of presentations about disease and torture. Yummy.
Then we got lost driving to Thirsk, the home town of James Herriot. We showed up on Market Day and wandered around the booths but didn’t end up buying anything. We got to see James Herriot’s surgery from the outside only — they’re renovating the inside to make a “World of James Herriot” attraction that’s going to open up next year. It was a neat little town. I’m such a fan of Herriot’s books that I was compelled to come here and I’m glad I did.
The drive to Scotland was a long one, but we drove along the coast and it was very scenic. And windy, and rainy, and cold.
Last night we stayed at the Balmoral hotel in downtown Edinburgh. This place is very fancy and comfortable. And expensive… you’d think their adult film selection would be better.
