Uk Christmas Market sort of holiday

pollypenny

Manchester Christmas market is lovely on a week day, too crowded at weekends.

We hate the Birmingham market, as it was strung along the streets, rather than in two squares like Manchester.

in_need_of_direction

Belfast has a Christmas market in city hall grounds. You'd need photographic ID to fly but it can be drivers licence. Or you could coach and boat it.

Murphybear

Agree about Bath, walking around the market was a nightmare. Winchester is a nice place

essex_boy

duchy wrote: »

Rochester in Kent
Easy to get to by road or train.
It has a special Christmas Dickens weekend in early December complete with Dickens characters , bands, loads of stalls in the market, victorian carollers and if there's no snow there is artifical snow. It is in the (still cobbled) main street which also has a castle and a cathedral and if after all that Victorian cheer you want to finish your Christmas shopping 21st century style the massive Bluewater shopping centre is in easy reach.

The market is on for a couple of weeks but the best time to go is the first weekend in December when the festival is on too http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9577/

I'll be going there with my eldest Grandson on 6th December
Coach leaving Southend 9.30am leaving Rochester 7PM back in Southend around 8.30PM

pleasedelete

Rochester is a bit (well lot of a dive) though. Not sure where you could stay but it is not the most upmarket of towns. There are some doss houses on star hill but no decent hotels. Maybe commute in ?

essex_boy

pleasedelete wrote: »

Rochester is a bit (well lot of a dive) though. Not sure where you could stay but it is not the most upmarket of towns. There are some doss houses on star hill but no decent hotels. Maybe commute in ?

I'm looking forward to mixing it with the commoners.
Makes a nice change living in a posh place like Southend

Bournecrazy

Hi,

We are going to York this year (our first Christmas market) we are going the last weekend before Christmas. We was looking around at hotels to see where would be the best place to go. Found a travelodge just outside of York and was gob smacked at the price.

It was £31 a night for a family room for the 19th Dec - 22nd which I thought was a great deal for saying how close it was to Christmas.

So my aim for this year is to have everything done before the 19th and have a nice peaceful break away before the madness starts

pleasedelete

Bournecrazy wrote: »

Hi,

We are going to York this year (our first Christmas market) we are going the last weekend before Christmas. We was looking around at hotels to see where would be the best place to go. Found a travelodge just outside of York and was gob smacked at the price.

It was £31 a night for a family room for the 19th Dec - 22nd which I thought was a great deal for saying how close it was to Christmas.

So my aim for this year is to have everything done before the 19th and have a nice peaceful break away before the madness starts

The York Christmas market is the last weekend in November- St Nicholas Fayre?

Nile

duchy wrote: »

Rochester in Kent
Easy to get to by road or train.
It has a special Christmas Dickens weekend in early December complete with Dickens characters , bands, loads of stalls in the market, victorian carollers and if there's no snow there is artifical snow. It is in the (still cobbled) main street which also has a castle and a cathedral and if after all that Victorian cheer you want to finish your Christmas shopping 21st century style the massive Bluewater shopping centre is in easy reach.

The market is on for a couple of weeks but the best time to go is the first weekend in December when the festival is on too http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9577/

essex_boy wrote: »

I'll be going there with my eldest Grandson on 6th December
Coach leaving Southend 9.30am leaving Rochester 7PM back in Southend around 8.30PM

pleasedelete wrote: »

Rochester is a bit (well lot of a dive) though. Not sure where you could stay but it is not the most upmarket of towns. There are some doss houses on star hill but no decent hotels. Maybe commute in ?

I went to the Dickensian Christmas Festival (6-7 December) at the weekend. I stayed in the Premier Inn at the Medway Valley Park. The bus stop is close by, I caught the 170 bus to the Festival and the 151 bus back.;) The bus drivers are very friendly and helpful.:)


I enjoyed watching the Main Parade - with characters from Dickens novels and a marching band. Chocolate coins were handed out to children and I got a bag of lavender.


There are interesting small independent shops on the High street and Christmas stalls around Rochester Castle.


Rochester Christmas Festival is smaller than other Christmas markets I've been to but it has a lovely atmosphere with lots going on. The Dickens characters were great, my favourites were Miss Havisham and Bill Sykes with bullseye the dog.:D