UK flyer - thanks for the recommendations and the wonderful trip report. Sounds like an interesting journey all the way up to Scotland, hopefully we can take that sometime too. Do you think I can make a 12 or 12:30 train out of KGX with a 10:00 LHR arrival?

stut - yes, heading up to visit my fiancee's Dad who has just moved to Guisborough (alternate spelling Gisborogh ). I have not been to this part of the country, so I'm looking forward to it. I've heard of a couple of the places you mentioned, I hope we have a chance to get around some. This is actually a whirlwind friend and family visit: train to Middlesbrough, hire car to Manchester, fly to Plymouth and hire car back to London. Like the old John Candy movie, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles". We get over about twice a year, I enjoy it no matter where we end up going