Joni from Illinois

Okay, I now know I am going to be in the Sheffield area for a few days, then on to Oxford, continuing on to Devon and Cornwall.

Has anyone ever stayed at the Gurnard's Head near St. Just?

How about the Luttrell Arms in Dunster at Exmoor?

Any info about the Sheffield area?  I am interested in seeing a soccer match, but don't know if my hosts are!  Is it completely impossible to get tickets to Manchester U?

All help appreciated!

Hello Joni and welcome to POE. I can't say that I would recommend Luton for a visit (appologies to anyone in POE with Luton roots!). It is not particularly visitor friendly and is, IMHO, rather dreary. This is from personal  experience--many of my father's maternal ancestors were involved in the straw hat industry in Luton, employed as hat blockers and straw-plaiters. I have a number of close relatives still living there and have visited Luton several times for that reason. Frankly, I'm quite sour on the town, though I have met a number of very lovely people there.

My wife and I live in Michigan, so I guess that makes us neighbors!

When I asked my English friends about man-utd, and abbreviated it that way, they didn't know what I was talking about!  LOL

They must not have been footy fans...

Ahhh, well...maybe just the museum and shop for me then, yes?

Now that I've looked at the map a bit, and talked to the girls a bit, I believe the plan is for my friend in Luton to visit me in Oxford.

Michigan.  Yes, neighbors...but a thing you must know:  I am Buckeye, 'til the day I die!  (yes, an alum!)  I bleed scarlet and gray, so if you bleed maize and blue, we may have to agree to disagree on at least that one thing!!  LOL

Joni--Since I don't have any particular interest in college sports, I don't have any animosity toward your Buckeye loyalties--I'm neither a Wolverine nor a Spartan fan! I have Ohio ties through my children who both live in the Cleveland area (they both received degrees from Oberlin College, whose principal claim to sports fame is their ultimate frisby teams, the women's Preying Manti and the men's Flying Horsecows!--http://www.oberlin.edu/stuorg/obult/index.html).

Ron's right, I think that you will really enjoy Oxford. There is so much to see and do there! Will you be staying in the city or somewhere nearby?

I'm planning on staying in the city, as I will not have a car.  My friend from Sheffield plans to deliver me there (she has a friend to visit there as well) and I will probably take the train from there on to Devon and Cornwall.
Where did you stay?
Oberlin is, of course, a lovely Ohio college with an excellent reputation.  I have friends who attended Oberlin.  My parents live about 2 hours south of Cleveland, and I visit as often as I can.
So glad your not a fan of "that team up north"!  LOL  I give away my age by referring to it as such, don't I?  But I did grow up on Woody Hayes football...
I have lived in Illinois about 20 years, but I'll always be a Buckeye girl.  I am going to the game this weekend, when Illinois hosts Ohio State, to celebrate my birthday!
What part of Michigan are you in?  And what parts of England have you visited?
I have been just to the Kent/Sussex areas, and London.  We were there when Bush visited the Queen.  Excellent for us, although he really stole our thunder!  Our visit was relegated to the back pages of all the papers!  LOL

Joni--My wife and I live in the middle of the "Mitten," half-way between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. My son was a vocalist in the Music Conservatory at Oberlin College and my daughter, though she has a beautiful singing voice and once sang in a small ensemble of Oberlin College Choir women with the Cleveland Orchestra, opted for a degree in Studio Art (painting and sculpture).

As for England, I've been just about everywhere in the country. My research in Gothic church architecture has helped, since I often receive research stipends and small grants to pursue this work. My favorite parts of England include the Welsh Borders (especially), Somerset, West Sussex, East Anglia (particularly Suffolk) and Cumbria.

While you are in Oxford, make sure to have at least one lunch in the lower vault restaurant of the church of St. Mary the Virgin across from the Radcliffe Camera. The food is all organic, reasonably priced and delicious! Here is their website: http://www.vaultsandgarden.com/.

Picture by Lena Moore

(Radcliffe Camera with St. Mary the Virgin in the background)

Also, you should plan on a visit to Christ Church, the cathedral of the Oxford Diocese (formerly the priory church of St. Frideswide):

Picture by Lauren Daniells

I have never stayed in Oxford proper because I generally prefer to stay in the country or small villages. I have stayed near Oxford in various 16th-18th c. cottages in Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire and also with one of my dear friends in NE Wiltshire (a 15th c. thatched longhouse--about 35 miles from Oxford). I always rent a car since I have to often pay visits to rural, sometimes very remote parish churches.

Since you are going to Devon, I would recommend a visit to Exeter to see the cathedral there--one of the finest in the country:

Picture by Stephen

Also, if you get the chance, try to get out to see Dartmoor, a lonely, wild and extremely beautiful area:

Picture by Rob Faleer

You also mentioned Dunster in Somerset--a gorgeous town and an interesting castle looming over it all (much of it an 18th c. re-build):

Picture by Graham Rains

You might want to seriously consider staying at the Old Priory, a 12th c. house attached to the priory church of St. George, set right next to the graveyard! I have stayed in this house, part of which is now a self-catering cottage and part of which is a B&B. You wouldn't regret staying there! (http://www.theoldpriory-dunster.co.uk/index.htm)

Well, must run.