I'll try again, just lost my reply
Returning to the following three b&b's in Oct. and Nov.
www.bfhiestandhouse.com in Marietta, Pa. A lovely high queen anne style Victorian 1887 home. The hosts Pam & Dallas are outstanding. May sound corny, but you come as strangers and leave as family. Pam is even making me a b'day cake for my trip in Oct. and a family party (with her family). The rooms are spacious, clean and the bed is one of most comfortable I've experienced. There is a mini-fridge filled with soft drinks in the upstairs hallway, no charge. Little extras in your room. Lancaster is just down the road and I would say you are within a 30 min. drive to other Amish villages. Breaky is at your convenience, the only b&b I've experienced this in. Pam is an excellent cook so breaky is yum. We had dinner at Mclearys Pub an easy walk from the inn, I'm looking forward to sampling it again this trip. We ate two of our meals at Dienner's family restaurant run by an Amish family. I think it was us$7.45 for lunch and dollar extra for evening meal, which doors close at 6pm so early dinner. There is soup/salads, breads, hot/cold food and great sweets included in price. There were Amish families eating there so it must be real pennsylvania dutch food. My friend on last yr's trip is into quilts/materials so we went to three stores on the farms which made it another real experience. We drove past the kids walking home from school. Back to the inn, I'm not a dog person, but the 11 month old lab. Quincy definitely added to the experience. The home doorbell sounds like the bell from the tv Adams family. Quincy would run and jump and just has so much fun when it rings. Him racing you upstairs is also another fun experience. This is the first b&b I've stayed in that ran as a business while at same time you knew a family lived here. The hosts are so friendly and helpful without being intrusive. It is a day car trip to D.C. which we didn't do, no driving in that traffic for me. Driving from Philadelphia to Marietta was enough for me, especially that I did a dumb thing and entered more freeways in the gps. I thought I was going to get whiplash going from one freeway to another. I won't be making that mistake this time.
Another fave b&b is
www.littlelangford.co.uk very close to Salisbury. I think the family have managed the dairy farm for either an earl or lord for many years. Topsy is the hostess here and although it is run as a business she is very warm and eager to assit with sights to see, etc. I love the room i stay in, full of chintz and cute little this and that. The toilet rolls were kept in a wicker basket in the shape of a duck, may not be everyone's idea but appeals to me. Again, the tea making facilities in the room. The train track runs behind the property and there is a bay window in the room I stay in, just adds to the whole thing for me. The back road behind the property have some small villages full of white painted homes with thatched roofs, just like the movies, all very picturesque. There is a pub we went too on the back road that is what one thinks of a village english pub. opened at 6pm. duck your head as you enter, very small front room with dining room on other side, fireplace and the locals chatting along. a shame we got lost coming back so only went once. this time, my hire vehicle will have gps so plan on going. The salisbury cathedral is full of history. I try to pretend I'm part of where I visit so being there on market days add to the experience.
The next b&b is
www.beyton.com A suffolk longhouse of 15th century. Original beams still in areas. We had a nice room facing back of property and were able to lie in bed and watch a squirrel scamper from one side of the garage roof to the acorn tree on the other side and scurry back. we don't do squirrels where i live so neat experience. The hosts here are also pleasant and eager to make your experience a good one. The village is tiny, with probably a few homes and couple of pubs. There was no street lighting last there and the host give you a torch to walk across the green to the pub for dinner. There is a family of geese that think they own the little village and have right of way, just adds to the atmosphere. We did a day trip to Cambridge. Another day was just wandering around the area and we spent some time in the medieval village of Lavenhamm, this is real history. I love exploring the churches in each area. Beyton is close to Bury St Edmunds which I will explore this visit. I had another nice experience chatting to an interesting lady at Gainsborough Museum House in Sudbury. While the art was good, chatting to this lady who was a young girl in ww11 and talking abt. her life and then as a young housewife in the area riding her bike doing shopping again added to the local experience for me.
Another favourite b&b in England is
www.welfordpark.co.uk in dartmoor nat'l park. I won't be going to this area this trip but I can recommend it. The host Tim has a real sense of style and the b&b reflects this. Each time I would sit and just relax I would seem to see something different. We ate breaky at the smaller room one morning and I think the curtains in the room came from the queen mothers home. There is a great pub just a hop and skip from the inn that served great food. B&b is close to village of Chagford. I like to take b roads when I can and get off the beaten track. On one of the roads in the area, the road had high hedges either side and as we were getting to a curve, a local came barrelling along and nearly we had a closer up and personal experience than I would have liked, no crash, another real experience.
Travelling on my own on this trip so will be another experience trying to keep up with gps and manage the traffic. cheers.
