YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q We are attending a wedding in Knaresborough, in Yorkshire, next month, taking the ferry to Holyhead with our old camper van. We would like to stay for a week to 10 days. Where would you recommend we stop and camp on our way to and from the wedding? We would quite like to go to Haworth and maybe on the steam train on the North York Moors. We like bookshops, walking, nature and cinema and would like to see real English pubs. We might also like a night or two in a guest house or hotel.
HC, Dublin
One of the nicest parts of England is the Lake District (golakes.co.uk), northwest of Yorkshire. Much of the area is National Trust property – thanks partly to Beatrix Potter, who donated her farms and estates – and so is well preserved. Once you’re in England you could loop north and then south, along the edge of the Yorkshire Dales to Knaresborough, through some beautiful countryside. The Lake District is also Wordsworth country; the museum at Grasmere is worth a visit; you can walk from there to the poet’s former home at Rydal Mount.
The Lake District has a good selection of camping areas, many amid spectacular scenery. It is also a great place for walking and nature. You can see a campsite selection on enjoyengland.com. Expect to pay about €15-€25 a night.
Haworth is famous for its link with Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë, who wrote most of their novels at Haworth Parsonage – now a museum owned by the Brontë Society (bronte.org.uk).
Keighley Worth Valley Railway (kwvr.co.uk) is an eight-kilometre mainly steam railway in West Yorkshire. You might recognise it from the film of The Railway Children.
For a break from camping you could consider the Pheasant Hotel (thepheasant hotel.com) in Harome. The village’s Star Inn (thestarat harome.co.uk), owned by the same people, has held a Michelin star since 2002.
From here you could also visit Castle Howard (castlehoward.co.uk), where Brideshead Revisited was filmed. The city of York is also well worth a visit – the huge Gothic cathedral of York Minster (yorkminster.org) is a must-see. Yorkshire.com can give you more ideas.
Q I am flying to Canada in July for a wedding. We have booked flights to Montreal via Philadelphia with US Airways, so will have a seven-hour stopover on the way out. Will I be able to leave the airport and visit Philadelphia, and what are the visa restrictions?
EH, Cork
As you are a transit passenger through the US you will have to apply for an Esta, or electronic travel authorisation, at cbp.dhs.gov/esta. You might as well use the stopover time to see Philadelphia. The airport is not far from the city, and your flight arrives in the early afternoon. It would be worth taking a city tour to see some of the highlights, such as the Liberty Bell, rung to celebrate the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, and the city art museum, where the Rocky steps scene was filmed, and to eat some of the best cuisine in the US. Visitphilly.com has tourism information.
Q My husband is Egyptian, and has his visa by virtue of his marriage to me. I would like to go to Paris or Barcelona for our wedding anniversary. He has never been to mainland Europe. As a European citizen I thought I was free to bring my spouse with me, although he may not be free to travel on his own. Can you offer any advice?
HG, Dublin
If your husband does not have an Irish passport he will need a visa to travel to France or Spain. He can apply at their Dublin embassies. His passport will need to be valid for at least six months and he will need a return ticket, proof of funds to cover the trip and, perhaps, insurance. He will also need to allow up to three weeks for the application to be processed. The French embassy is at 36 Ailesbury Road, D4 (01-2775005, ambafrance.ie); the Spanish embassy is at 17a Merlyn
Park, D4 (01-2608066, emb.dublin.vis@maec.es).
Where should we stay during a week around Yorkshire?
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com.