Too much travel

November 24, 2006 3:43 PM

I'll be coming back from work in central asia in a couple weeks. Enroute back to the States, I'll be in England for 4 days. What should I do?

I'll have about 8 hours in London and then I'll be on a train up to Hull for some conferencing with our office there. I don't know anyone in Hull or London, and I'm trying to think of some stuff to do in the evenings. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

posted by quadrinary to Travel & Transportation (11 answers total)

Have you ever been there before? Eight hours in London would be enough to get the tube from the airport to the city, wander around for a few hours, then get back. Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus can all be covered on foot.
posted by twirlypen at 4:10 PM on November 24, 2006

evening in london: soho pubs such as the french house?
posted by londongeezer at 4:28 PM on November 24, 2006

The Humber Bridge is pretty cool. More than can be said for the rest of Hull which should be rhyming slang if it's not already.

You'll change trains in Doncaster (my home town). Doncaster has a "vibrant" night life if you want to see the kind of thing the Arctic Monkeys sing about (though they're from down the road in Sheffield). Get a taste of the binge drinking we're famous for.
posted by TrashyRambo at 4:44 PM on November 24, 2006

Response by poster: to clarify, i'll be taking a train from heathrow to kings cross or something, check my bags in at left-luggage, then hike around the city for a while then take a train up to hull. it's been about 5 years since i've been to London (and i've never been to Hull), and it's such a compressed time that i just needs some ideas! thanks!
posted by quadrinary at 4:50 PM on November 24, 2006

Hull is actually not at all bad nowadays. Like a lot of industrial/port cities it has been through bad days, but the town centre has revived, has some lovely Victorian architecture and some nice new development including the Aquarium. The people are friendly and welcoming. It has a big university which gives the city a buzz.

Nearby - by train - is Beverley, a lovely small town with a beautiful Minster cathedral. And pubs. Also York, one of England's finest cities. I think you can find things to do that will interest.
posted by A189Nut at 5:20 PM on November 24, 2006

I visited the USSR before the wall fell. Once out I had an irresistible craving for fresh fruits, vegetables, and good food. Maybe somebody can hook you up with good restaurants or produce markets (preferably not "English cooking").
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 5:21 PM on November 24, 2006

"I visited the USSR before the wall fell."

Hull would seem eerily familiar, then.

If the OP is in London on a weekend, I'd suggest popping up the road to Camden Market. Yes, it's not what it was 18 years ago, but it's still a very interesting trip if you don't have 18 years ago to compare it with.

Otherwise, the British Museum is a shortish walk from Kings Cross. Also nearby there's Dummond Street NW1 about 500 yards west for the best Indian food in Europe.

Important tip: don't count on the continuing existence of left luggage facilities anywhere in central London. Every time someone at the Home Office wants to stoke up another "security" pantomime, they all get closed for a month.
posted by genghis at 5:55 PM on November 24, 2006

Response by poster: Unfortunate about the left luggage; I'd hoped to just rent a car and drive up to hull myslf, but the train's cheaper for the company - and what's cheaper for the company, the company uses! Great suggestions folks! Anything else would be appreciated.

If I have evenings free in Hull (after the work day is over) what's best for night life, etc?
posted by quadrinary at 7:52 PM on November 24, 2006

The Hull Truck is a fairly renowned northern theatre that punches above its weight, mainly thanks to the work of resident playwright John Godber, whose comedies are usually less twee than they might look at first glance. It appears to have a full December programme.

Also, for a really fun happy smiley night out, Philip Larkin's grave.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 2:13 AM on November 25, 2006

ps, while Genghis is right about left-luggage lockers and the mad authoritarians of Downing Street, I think there still are privately run left-luggage facilities at Paddington (where the Heathrow Express terminates) and King's Cross, run by Excess Baggage, who charge five or six pounds per 24 hours. Anyway, here are the numbers so you can call ahead and check.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 2:21 AM on November 25, 2006

Spurn head is about an hour from Hull by car. No other way to get there. But if the weather is good, it is a remarkable sight. Wiki link.

In Hull town centre there are some very famous public lavatories (I shit you not) background here. And some nice pubs - I can't remember the name but the one near the waterfront is particularly nice.
posted by handee at 9:31 AM on November 26, 2006