This year, Britrail introduced a whole range of new discounts, making their cost-effective BritRail Consecutive and FlexiPasses an even greater value. These great bargains are not available in the UK, so you must purchase them before you leave home:
- BritRail Senior Pass -- 60+? Treat yourself...you've earned it! You qualify for a generous 15% discount on the first class BritRail or BritRail FlexiPass of your choice.
- BritRail Youth Pass -- 16-25 years of age? Take advantage of the whopping 25% discount for standard class travel or a substantial 15% discount in first class.
- BritRail Party Pass -- Traveling together with a group of friends or family in a party of 3 to 9 people? When the first two people pay the regular price for any BritRail Pass or BritRail FlexiPass, the third to ninth people in the group pay just 50% of the regular price for the same pass.
- BritRail Family Pass -- Kids ages 5 through 15 travel free when they travel with an adult or senior who has purchased any BritRail Pass or BritRail FlexiPass. Each child gets a pass of the same type and duration free.
BritRail is the official global representative of the National Railways of Britain. For additional information and to take advantage of these fabulous savings, place your order for a BritRail Pass. Contact BritRail on 866/BRITRAIL or check out www.britrail.com.
Bedford
In 2004, the little town of Bedford celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the famous 1940s band-leader, Glenn Miller. It was on December 15, 1944 that pilot Miller took off from Bedford's Twinwood Airfield and was never heard from again. The town celebrated the bandleader's life with swing music and 1940s nostalgia. But for those who missed the party, there is the Twinwood Airfield's Glenn Miller Museum at Clapham Village, just north of Bedford on the A6. Bedford itself is 52 miles north of London. To mark the occasion, the Control Tower at the airport, where Miller and his band performed in concert, along with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, was restored and opened to the public. On the ground floor of the museum, you can see mementos of Miller and view a room dedicated to the RAF, later seeing the Control Tower that has become a virtual shrine for Miller fans.
South Downs
The countryside of England's South Downs begins 20 miles south of Gatwick Airport. It's a land of thatched cottages, tiny village churches, and stone barns, everything set against the backdrop of chalks hills and ancient forests. More and more visitors are making their way to the National Trust property of Uppark (tel. 01730/825415; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/places/uppark), which lies 5 miles southeast of the town of Petersfield on B2146 and 11/2 miles south of South Harting. Garden history tours have been added to the 2004 schedule, introducing visitors to the landscaping around this 17th-century house where H.G. Wells' mother was once the housekeeper. Restored are the complete servants' quarters in the basement that are shown as they were in Victorian days. With its magnificent Georgian interior, and its panoramic view of the sea, the house is open for inspection, with its paintings, antiques, and precious ceramics.
Amberley
England is known for its industrial museums, and more and more visitors are discovering the Amberley Working Museum (tel. 01798/831370; www.amberleymuseum.co.uk), which lies near the thatched village of Amberley on the opposite side of the South Downs from the castle at the much-visited town of Arundel. The 36-acre site is dedicated to the industrial heritage of the southeast and is staffed by volunteers. Exhibits range from transport to industry-based exhibitions such as the print workshop and wheelwrights.
Liverpool
Still dining out on its long-ago link with the Beatles, the Guinness Capital of Pop is also embarking on a £2,000,000 ($3,300,000) cultural led-Renaissance. A staggering £400,000,000 ($660,000,000) worth of projects have been launched. The landmark Liverpool Museum and Walker Art Gallery is being refurbished. New projects to be inaugurated include an Archive Heritage Centre, a spacious Arena on Kings Dock, an International Space Centre (across the Mersey River), and a multi-media FACT Centre. In 2005, a new cruise liner terminal at Pier Head will be launched.
South of England
From April to October a new program of steam-train services will carry passengers to places of historic interest in the south of England. Visitors can climb aboard such locomotives as The Excalibur Express, The Royal Wessex, or The Golden Arrow. Departures are daily from 8am to 11am from such London rail terminals as Waterloo Station, Kings Cross, Liverpool Street Station, and Paddington Station. Return is at 9pm on the same day. Tickets cost from £55 ($91) and brunch or dinner are served aboard, with à la carte prices. Visit www.wessex-trains.com for information on the trains.
Cotswolds
In the hamlet of Blockley, outside the much-visited Moreton-in-Marsh, The Old Bakery, High Street (tel. 01386-700408), enjoys its status as Bed & Breakfast of the year for 2003. Built of honey stone, the two centuries old property was tastefully converted from a quartet of former wool merchants' cottages. The mellow décor is filled with antiques, and there is grand comfort throughout, with dinner offered in an elegant dining room. Doubles with a full English breakfast cost from £70 ($116).
Stafford
Author Charles Dickens described The Swan Hotel, 46 Greengate Street in Stafford (tel. 01785/258142; www.theswanstafford.co.uk), as "the Dodo in the High Street, with nothing in the larder and soap with no more lather in it than the Elgin marbles." The Victorian author would not recognize the newly reopened and completely refurbished 25-bedroom inn today. With its fashionable bar and bistro, it consists of two houses built on the site of an old monastic college and harmoniously joined together. If Hans Christian Andersen were around, he'd view it as his ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan. One thing the restoration didn't get rid of: one room is still haunted.