Christmas Market anyone?

nice list, we will probably catch a couple this year.



Last year we went to the Bristol and the Bath ones and met Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69 in the hotel we stayed at.

If you want further afield I can recommend Berlin.

Went to Lincoln last year and it was a good weekend, this year we are going to a Christmas Fair at Shugborough (both hotels though and not van)

I can recommend Winchester market. Stayed at Morn Hill CC site. Park at Winchester South Park & Ride (there are dedicated motorhome bays), catch bus into city, costs £2.50 return after 10.30 for all occupants of van (up to 7 people). If you go on a weekend, the street market is on as well. The Christmas market is within the cathedral grounds and there's also an ice-rink.

http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/home/christmas-at-the-cathedral/christmas-market/

We are doing London this year, visiting Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park and the Southbank Christmas Market, staying in van at Abbey Wood.

Winchester is now on our list, but the first one for us will be the Tate Modern (London) one.

We're going to Grassington Dickensian Market. I went last year and the atmosphere is really good. Staying ontheCaravan* Club site in walking distance.

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is brilliant, unfortunately I'm not able to go this year.

Nora

dbroada wrote:nice list, we will probably catch a couple this year.



Last year we went to the Bristol and the Bath ones and met Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69 in the hotel we stayed at.

If you want further afield I can recommend Berlin.

We did both Christmas markets in east and West Berlin in 1970, with the exchange rate in our favour, we came back with lots of Christmas goodies ,example external Christmas tree lights for 54p.Cheery brandy 45p a litre.
Boaby

burlingtonboaby wrote:We did both Christmas markets in east and West Berlin in 1970, with the exchange rate in our favour, we came back with lots of Christmas goodies ,example external Christmas tree lights for 54p.Cheery brandy 45p a litre.
Boaby

I never got to the divided Berlin - it has changed a lot since then!

We went one year to take in the Christmas Markets and had about 20 to choose from all within easy transport reach. We managed most of them(!) but had to limit the gluhwein to only one in any before dusk.

dbroada wrote:

burlingtonboaby wrote:We did both Christmas markets in east and West Berlin in 1970, with the exchange rate in our favour, we came back with lots of Christmas goodies ,example external Christmas tree lights for 54p.Cheery brandy 45p a litre.
Boaby

I never got to the divided Berlin - it has changed a lot since then!

We went one year to take in the Christmas Markets and had about 20 to choose from all within easy transport reach. We managed most of them(!) but had to limit the gluhwein to only one in any before dusk.

Spandau used to have a really nice local Christmas market with lots of local produce,, remember bringing back a suitcase of cuckoo clocks one year.
Must go back one year and see the city without the border, first winter there was very cold.
Boaby

burlingtonboaby wrote:first winter there was very cold.
Boaby

my first time there it was quite cold. somebody in our group had cheap burger and the fat that oozed from it solidified before it hit the ground.

What venue's have you on the cards this year? We often go to the French Christmas markets and our last trip took in Belgium, Holland and France.

We hope to include Germany to our list depending on the tyres that are fitted to the new van.

Good grief, we've not even had Easter yet

Mind you I did see some Christmas things in the local sell 'em off cheap shop, but I'm hoping they were last years leftovers and not this years in rather early.

nuevoboy wrote:Good grief, we've not even had Easter yet

Mind you I did see some Christmas things in the local sell 'em off cheap shop, but I'm hoping they were last years leftovers and not this years in rather early.

I'm getting familiar with the group and as this is one of the events we take part in each year I was just curious, beside...chocolates are fattening.

I'm already planning the 2017 summer holiday so I don't mind talking Christmas markets.

I've not got my AutoSleeper yet so I've never had a "winter" van and only done the markets by train or car. Last year we went to a small one near the Tate Modern soon after it opened. Not a wise choice. No atmosphere and I wasn't impressed by the stalls, although Heather did manage to find some jewellery to buy.

We also went to Winchester which was nice and Heather managed to find some jewellery to buy. We had booked two nights in a hotel expecting to spend two days in the market but it wasn't big enough so we got the train to Southampton for their market before returning to London.

Somehow the British markets seem to lack something compared to the continental ones. I'm not sure which but I think its because you can understand the stall holders. I get the impression that this month they are selling "Christmas" good, next month it will be apples and the month after computer bits. Not knowing what the continentals are really saying I can imagine them sitting in their little workshops all year and coming out in to the light just to sell me some little knick-knack - or jewellery!

All the German markets have a different "feel". Our own favourite is Rheda Wiedenbruck, a town close to where I used to live (Gutersloh). It is a very "old fashioned" market with oompah band getting progressively further out of tune as the empty beer glasses pile up. It was the first market I took Heather to and the snow put in an appearance at just the right moment to make it magical. We haven't been back just in case the memory is better than the reality.

We did go to one in the Netherlands that is in a cave. This one is Heather's least favourite - possibly as she didn't find any jewellery to buy or possibly as our hotel was above a curry house.

Know what you mean, Dave, about the British Xmas markets somehow lacking that certain something - atmosphere for one I think.

We've been to a number of German markets, Hameln, Koln, Munster, Erlangen, Nuremberg, Aachen, Soest, Remagen, Ahrweiler to name some.  Thoroughly enjoyed them all.  We're planning to go again this year, haven't been to them for about 5 years now.

Went to one in Birmingham, and that really didn't have any atmosphere IMHO.  Did like Lincoln though, but I think that was due to the surroundings more than anything.  Bee to the one at Grassington last December, on the last weekend, which was very lucky, as it was the only one that hadn't been cancelled due to the rain.

The one in the Netherlands is Valkenburg; know it well as I'm Dutch and my parents actually met each other there!  Agree about the cave market though, I'm not impressed with that one really either, and you have to pay to get in!

TravelKat wrote:We've been to a number of German markets, Hameln, Koln, Munster, Erlangen, Nuremberg, Aachen, Soest, Remagen, Ahrweiler to name some.  Thoroughly enjoyed them all.  We're planning to go again this year, haven't been to them for about 5 years now.

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The one in the Netherlands is Valkenburg; know it well as I'm Dutch and my parents actually met each other there!  Agree about the cave market though, I'm not impressed with that one really either, and you have to pay to get in!

I think we have each been to different markets looking at that list.   We have been to Nuremberg a couple of times in the summer - there's a car race there I enjoy - and keep promising ourselves to go back for a market but haven't done so yet. Is it worth the trip?

Yes, Valenburg. I had forgotten that you had to pay to get in. (Its funny, out least favourite Berlin one had an entrance fee.) I just pointed this thread out to Heather and she felt that one was like an indoor market. Not special at all.

Is it worth the trip?  Yes, we've been a few times and always enjoyed it.  Last time we went we stayed on a few stellplatze along the Moselle: Bernkastel, Zell and Cochem.  We do take our bikes with us and were very lucky to have good weather; a bit like today: sunny but cold.  After the Moselle we went to Remagen, which is a lovely little town anyway and we just happened to be there the weekend of the Xmas market.  From there we also cycled to Ahrweiler, again, a lovely little town in its own right.  After that we ended up at Koln, with its 7 markets and from there to Aachen.  I think a lot of the towns which have the markets have old, medieval centres, which to me really makes the market.