A Winter Visit to Yorkshire – Part 1

Back in early January, with the Christmas and New Year chaos over and done with, we decided to have a few days away from home somewhere in the UK. North Yorkshire ended up being our destination, with a little cottage on the edge of the North York Moors National Park being our home for a few nights. As it turned out, the start of our mini break coincided with a snowstorm hitting the UK and so on the morning we were driving north, we woke up to a blanket of snow covering large parts of the UK.

BFS to LTN easyJet Economy

Christmas market visited, good food eaten and new city explored, our day in Belfast had been a success, however it was sadly time to head home. We’d once again be flying with easyJet, reversing our route from the morning as we flew from Belfast International to London Luton. I’d tried to get a flight home from Belfast’s other airport, Belfast City, just to see how it compared to its larger competitor, however unfortunately the timings didn’t work. Therefore, we ended our time in Belfast as we started it, at Grand Central bus station.

Belfast – Northern Ireland’s Capital

Having arrived at Belfast International Airport on an easyJet flight from Luton, it was time to head into Belfast itself to do some exploring. Two express bus routes, the 300 and 300a, provide an every-15 minutes connection to the city, with the journey to Grand Central bus station scheduled to take around an hour. In reality, our rather packed journey into the city took around 45 minutes, although I’d recommend waiting for the second bus at the airport, as the one that arrived at Grand Central shortly after us was pretty much empty.

LTN to BFS easyJet Economy

With Christmas market season well underway, and my previous trip to Düsseldorf beginning to feel like a distance memory, it was time for another trip. Beth had a spare day’s leave and with me being on my rostered week off, we decided to have a day out to visit a Christmas market that is supposedly one of the best in the UK and also visit a new city for us, Belfast. So, on a Monday in December, we had an early start to get to Luton airport, ready to catch an easyJet flight across the Irish Sea to Belfast International.

BRU-STP Eurostar – Standard Premier

My arrival into Brussels from Düsseldorf marked the start of the last leg of my brief adventure into Germany. All that was now left was the journey back across Belgium, the top corner of France and under the Channel to London, a journey that can only be made with Eurostar. As with the leg from Düsseldorf to Brussels, I’d decided to upgrade on this two-hour leg and would be travelling in Standard Premier between the Belgian and British capitals.

DUS-BRU Eurostar – Comfort

Having had around 44 hours in Düsseldorf, exploring it and the surrounding area, it was time to start making my way back to England. This journey would essentially be the reverse of my journey out, with me first catching a train to Brussels, before changing onto another that would take me through the Channel Tunnel back to London. As with the journey out, the entirety of the journey back I would be travelling with Eurostar, however for the trip home I had upgraded to Standard Premier.