The Diary Room

[canadian_turtle]

Have you been to the Dickensian Christmas Festival in Rochester? I've always wanted to go, it looks lovely!

London will have Christmasssy plays of course, and there's also the musical Scrooge which is going into the Palladium for a limited season.

No I haven't but it looks lovely and thanks so much; I am now looking how to get from Manchester to Rochester.

Can I join you?

[Diane65]

Have you been to the Dickensian Christmas Festival in Rochester? I've always wanted to go, it looks lovely!

London will have Christmasssy plays of course, and there's also the musical Scrooge which is going into the Palladium for a limited season.

No I haven't but it looks lovely and thanks so much; I am now looking how to get from Manchester to Rochester.

Can I join you?

You most certainly can

[canadian_turtle]

I was only kidding, but I just looked on National Rail and Rochester is only 1 hour from my house! Would you mind telling me what you meant with the cheap train fares before? I need to look into this Thanks!

[brettie]

I am not so sure, some are too complex for someone to make overnight and they would need to have a great knowledge and nohow of complex patterns in order to get the angles and lines right, also in the fake ones the stems are snapped, whereas a genuine one will have stems bent as if blown over in the wind. The one I saw (first one I add) yesterday was amazingly complex some squares had no route in, so how could they have been done without damage; where people have accessed some of the squares you could see where they have stepped or brushed through due to damage into square. Some of the comments section is well dodgy though. link below:

http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2012 ... 2012c.html

Wow that is stunning! Can you see anything of the patterns at all when walking through it or is that only seen from above?

you can figure out the arrows when inside and see some of the pattern from the centre but it is a bit of a maze and I had the page open on my phone to find my way to centre. Great place to have a picnic, individual little pockets that can't be seen over when sat in. I heard voices but took a while to find the owners who were cosied up in on of the arrows.

[Diane65]

I was only kidding, but I just looked on National Rail and Rochester is only 1 hour from my house! Would you mind telling me what you meant with the cheap train fares before? I need to look into this Thanks!

They release cheap train fares 12 weeks in advance so that's the perfect time to book to get the best deals - I'm also thinking of Edinburgh for St Andrews weekend and the fares have just been released today so its £32 return plus I have the Red Spotted hanky £10 vouchers (unfortunately not in the same account) but will still be able to do it for £12 return plus as its St Andrews weekend lots of places including the castle have free entry. If I also book a cheap Travelodge I can have a weekend in Edinburgh for the bargain price of £27 each - it will be me and my youngest daughter, OH can't be doing with all this rushing around (you sit on a train and it takes you there (he creates obstacles which aren't there - good job he doesn't read this) and then you go and have a nice time - how hard is that ).

[Ms Thrifty]

I was only kidding, but I just looked on National Rail and Rochester is only 1 hour from my house! Would you mind telling me what you meant with the cheap train fares before? I need to look into this Thanks!

I recommend Rochester, though it's quite small and compact - which could be a good thing in December. Really attractive and well-preserved old high street, much-used for film locations. I spent a weekend there last autumn and there was LOTS to see and do in the area, most things accessible on foot or by public transport. Not sure about winter opening but there are two castles, for a start (Rochester and Upnor); a regular farmers' market; a Cineworld over the river at Strood, for those in need of a fix; boat trips on the Medway, etc.

[canadian_turtle]

I was only kidding, but I just looked on National Rail and Rochester is only 1 hour from my house! Would you mind telling me what you meant with the cheap train fares before? I need to look into this Thanks!

They release cheap train fares 12 weeks in advance so that's the perfect time to book to get the best deals - I'm also thinking of Edinburgh for St Andrews weekend and the fares have just been released today so its £32 return plus I have the Red Spotted hanky £10 vouchers (unfortunately not in the same account) but will still be able to do it for £12 return plus as its St Andrews weekend lots of places including the castle have free entry. If I also book a cheap Travelodge I can have a weekend in Edinburgh for the bargain price of £27 each - it will be me and my youngest daughter, OH can't be doing with all this rushing around (you sit on a train and it takes you there (he creates obstacles which aren't there - good job he doesn't read this) and then you go and have a nice time - how hard is that ).

Oh I see, so it just means that the best ones are still available and not that there is any special offer? :) I just checked for the Dickens weekend and December 1 is already listed on on National Rail!

That sounds like a wonderful deal for you and your daughter by the way :)

[canadian_turtle]

I was only kidding, but I just looked on National Rail and Rochester is only 1 hour from my house! Would you mind telling me what you meant with the cheap train fares before? I need to look into this Thanks!

I recommend Rochester, though it's quite small and compact - which could be a good thing in December. Really attractive and well-preserved old high street, much-used for film locations. I spent a weekend there last autumn and there was LOTS to see and do in the area, most things accessible on foot or by public transport. Not sure about winter opening but there are two castles, for a start (Rochester and Upnor); a regular farmers' market; a Cineworld over the river at Strood, for those in need of a fix; boat trips on the Medway, etc.

Thanks :) I have been before (during the Summer) and I remember going to Rochester Castle and a few of the museums (was very impressed with how old fashioned the town still looks, very cute) but that was 6 years ago!

[Diane65]

I was only kidding, but I just looked on National Rail and Rochester is only 1 hour from my house! Would you mind telling me what you meant with the cheap train fares before? I need to look into this Thanks!

They release cheap train fares 12 weeks in advance so that's the perfect time to book to get the best deals - I'm also thinking of Edinburgh for St Andrews weekend and the fares have just been released today so its £32 return plus I have the Red Spotted hanky £10 vouchers (unfortunately not in the same account) but will still be able to do it for £12 return plus as its St Andrews weekend lots of places including the castle have free entry. If I also book a cheap Travelodge I can have a weekend in Edinburgh for the bargain price of £27 each - it will be me and my youngest daughter, OH can't be doing with all this rushing around (you sit on a train and it takes you there (he creates obstacles which aren't there - good job he doesn't read this) and then you go and have a nice time - how hard is that ).

Oh I see, so it just means that the best ones are still available and not that there is any special offer? :) I just checked for the Dickens weekend and December 1 is already listed on on National Rail!

That sounds like a wonderful deal for you and your daughter by the way :)

Its brilliant what you can get - but you do need to check the prices fro the previous week as they are listed 13 weeks in advance but the cheap fares are 12 weeks in advance. Yikes the ones to Rochester from Manchester are so expensive If I do an 8 hour one through the night its OK - I will have to stick with London or stay up north.
Thanks to MsThrifty too and I hope that you have had a lovely break.

[canadian_turtle]

Many thanks for that quick train fare lesson, very useful information. I too have some red spotted hanky vouchers left so I'll definitely be booking a journey for the Dickens Festival soon :) Hope a good offer comes along for you too!

I don't understand why your journey has to be so expensive though. Mine's £12.10 return and I'm travelling from Hither Green (about 10 minutes from London Bridge), which should mean that there should be no more than that on top of your Manchester-London ticket.