OUR WEEKEND IN DERBY

Last Saturday, September 17, 2016, we (with husband) went to Derby for the weekend and I love it! We took the National Express from London Victoria Coach Station.  This was our second time to book with National Express, what's great about this coach is if you book your ticket well in advance you get a great deal off your ticket.  We stayed in the Premiere Inn (Cathedral Quarter) and it was awesome.  The room clean, the bed was so comfortable and the best part of the room was the view of the Silk Mill and the river Derwent from our hotel room window perfect.

What I would like to have done differently was arrive Friday afternoon instead of Saturday in order to get inside Derby Museum and Art Gallery to visit the world's largest collection of Joseph Wright's paintings and Derby Silk Mill.

Here are the reasons why I love Derby and why it's a must visit.

1.  Derby Pyclet Parlour

I love these flat crumpets!  I think they are better than crumpets in my humble opinion.  Paul tried it with salmon and horseradish cream and he loved it.  I tried it with Stilton, honey and walnuts, and even though I'm not a big fan of Stilton, the combination of the three was so perfect that I'm now converted. I love it. Great news you can now order online at  http://www.pycletparlour.co.uk

2.  Derby Cathedral

This magnificent cathedral dates back from 14th century and one of Derby's dominant and majestic landmarks.  I love the tower and it's cathedral bells.  Each day the bells played out different tune sounding out nine in the morning, at noon and six in the evening.  We were so pleased to attend the Cathedral Eucharist on Sunday.  The service was beautiful and the choir was excellent.  For more information visit their website at http://www.derbycathedral.org

3.  Silk Mill Ale & Cider House

I highly recommend this place and make sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment as the place was busy.  We walked in and we were lucky to get a table.  The food was great and the staff friendly.  We both ordered from the fish menu.  Paul had Brixed Grill and I had Port Issac and we both loved our choices.  For more information visit their website at http://www.thesilkmillderby.co.uk

4.  Cathedral Green, Derby Silk Mill and river Derwent

In 2009, the whole area of the cathedral green leading to the river Derwent was beautifully landscaped at a cost of £4.2 million.  At the banks of the river Derwent stands Derby's stunning Silk Mill and is the gateway to the UNESCO world heritage site.  The Silk Mill is open Thursday 3PM - 9PM, Friday and Saturday 1PM - 5PM and Sunday 11AM - 3PM and entrance is Free.

Statue of Bonnie Prince Charlie at the Cathedral Green

Derby Silk Mill and River Derwent

View from our hotel window

5.  Cathedral Quarter Free Audio Tour

Explore the Cathedral Quarter by downloading these tours onto your MP3 player or by accessing them on your mobile phone through the i-tags on the signboards in the streets.  I suggest doing this tour first thing in the morning when there are not many people around.

http://www.derbycathedralquarter.co.uk/media/

i-tags on the signboard

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Please leave me a comment on what city in England  I will do next.  Happy travels.

#ChallenJing40

MY VISIT TO THE CATHEDRAL CITY OF PETERBOROUGH

Hello everyone!  So today, my husband and I visited Peterborough, the second city in England I visited as part of my challenge. We took the Cooks coach from Basildon, Essex.  We arrived in Peterborough at 1130 AM and had 5 hours to spend in the city.  So we headed straight to the Cathedral because I booked a 2 PM Cathedral tour and to be honest we are hoping to catch the tower tour which starts at 1130 AM but when we got there obviously the tower tour already started right on time. They had another Tower tour at 1:45 PM but it conflicts with the 2 PM Cathedral tour we booked.  So the Cathedral volunteer suggested we can just add £2 each on top of our prebooked Cathedral Tour to join the Tower tour at 1:45 PM.  And then purchase a Cathedral pocket guide for £3 to walk around the Cathedral on our own.  Since we had plenty of time to spare due to the rainy weather and we can't explore the city without getting soaking wet we decided to do just that.  It was a brilliant idea at that time until we got up to the tower.  I forgot that I have a fear of heights and the steps leading up to the towers were very steep so WARNING it's not for the faint-hearted.  We understand now why we need to sign a disclaimer form.  I survived it but I was holding the rails for dear life!  But you'll be rewarded with a spectacular view of Peterborough on a bright, sunny day.  For us not so spectacular as it was raining.  But still a great experience I will never forget.

Entrance to the cathedral is free but if you want to take photographs or films you will need to purchase a camera permit for £3.  But since we booked a tour, the camera permit is already included in the price.  There are 3 tours you can book in advance online before you get there or you can pay at the cathedral shop. £8 (£6 concessions) for the Cathedral Tour (2 PM Monday to Saturday), £10 (£8 concessions) for the Tower tours (selected date only) and £8 (£6 concessions) for the Precints tours (selected date only).  They have a special price when you book both the Cathedral tour and Precints tour for the same date for £13 (£10 concessions).   For more information you can check out their website at http://www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk

I highly recommend you to visit this magnificent cathedral.

After we visited Peterborough Cathedral, we only have time for a late lunch so we went to Argo Lounge.  They are located just right outside the cathedral along Bridge street, right next to Natwest Bank.  I love this place, the food were great, the atmosphere was pretty relax and they have a vegan and gluten free option.  For more information you can visit their website at http://thelounges.co.uk/lounges/argo-lounge/

Despite the rainy weather we enjoyed our day trip to Peterborough.