The United Kingdom - looking back on our trip

Vital Statistics

The exchange rate was about £1 to $2.
We took 6,700 photos and loaded 1,300 on to the blog.
We averaged 14,500 steps per day for the 42 days, biggest day was 27,000 steps.
Travelled 9760 kms (230/day) and spent $1260 in fuel.
Cost of fuel – about £1.35/litre ($2.70/litre).
Stayed in 18 B&Bs sourced through AirB&B at an average cost of $100/night for 42 nights
Airfares were about $3000.
Car hire $1400.
We had a VW Golf, great little car for all those narrow roads around the UK
All other expenses (SIM cards, fuel, parking, meals, attractions, parking tickets, strawberries and cream, Pimms, etc) $6500 ($150/day).
****** For those who may be mathematically challenged, that would be about $15,000 for the 6 weeks in the UK. ******

The Experience

The roads are generally very good, our statnav was a bit adventurous so we saw some roads that hadn’t been driven on for years. The drivers are very patient and polite in the country, the city drivers are in a bigger hurry so we had to be a bit cautious.

The internet and phone coverage is atrocious, we were mainly in the more remote areas of the country but we thought the coverage would be much better and there were only a couple of B&Bs where their internet was equal to our ADSL speeds.

The weather is outrageous, walk out the door and it’s sunny and fine, cross the road and it’s cold and windy, drive to the corner and it’s raining. The locals admit that if you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes and it will change. Never mind, we were only really inconvenienced on one day when we missed a walk in Wales, so on the whole we got lucky.

Smokers drove us crazy, the UK have made strides in limiting its impact but smokers, although not allowed to smoke inside public buildings, get to sit in the alfresco areas of the pubs and smoke while they eat, it forces us inside which is a pain. There are more stringent rules coming.

The people with dogs (especially in the south) were very annoying, some had four dogs they’d walk. Barking dogs in peaceful national parks was not the best feel. Lots will also pickup after their dogs, and then when no one is looking they’ll fling the bag into the undergrowth. Beaches can have huge signs, ‘NO dogs on the beach’, totally ignored as dogs roam freely.

The people are very friendly, all the hosts we met, the shop assistants and people we got to talk to on our walks and in queues around the place are all talkative and happy.  Couldn't believe how pleasant, patient and polite the drivers were on the roads.  With so many challenging single width roads/lanes on our trip we found all the drivers to be very accommodating.

The wildflowers all over the UK were stunning.  Mainly along the roadside and on roundabouts, there were white and yellow daisy's, red poppies, purple heather and hundreds of other colourful displays along public lanes and in many gardens.

We joined The National Trust and the English Heritage organisations. The National Trust is a yearly membership (£120 per year for a couple) and covers lots of national parks and also covers parking costs in many of those parks. English Heritage is a 16 day pass (£60 for a couple) and covers mainly castles, palaces and art galleries. We visited Dover Castle and Stonehenge which meant we got value from the English Heritage but the National Trust pass was much better value (as an added bonus it is reciprocal with the Australian National Trust so our 12 months membership can be used in Australia).

Great Britain has a long history of encouraging B&Bs, this is certainly evident with the quality of our accommodation.  We chose to book mainly fully self contained units which meant we had kitchen, lounge area and bedroom.  This enabled us to make our own breakfast which is a great advantage.  One of the most interesting rules for B&Bs is that the first £7500 ($15000) is tax free. This gives a fairly decent second income from the family home or a supplement to the pension

Despite the current Brexit problems the economy seems to be going along quite nicely. From the south of England to the north of Scotland there are lots of new houses being built and lots of renovations happening.

We sort of winged it a bit because we didn't have too much time to make detailed plans.  Lots of decisions about where we'd go the next day were made the night before over a quiet drink.  Pam would research the guide books and we'd leave about 8am and get back about 7pm.  We did most of the 'Scotland 500' which is a great route to follow for a very good overview of that country.  We could have spent more time in all the locations we stopped at; Wales needed a bit more time and looking back on our map when we got home we realised we missed lots of central England.  We spent more time in national parks and along the coast and avoided many of the castles and cathedrals.  It's easy to get overdosed on the castles and cathedrals and they are not really our top priority.

When planning the daily drive with the satnav/google maps - take little notice of the miles to be travelled; note the time taken to drive those miles.  The roads are so different on every drive and we found the elapsed time was pretty accurate whereas if we looked at the map and thought we could drive 120 kilometres in 1.5 hours we were always way out in our estimate.

The scenery is stunning, from the farming land in Kent, the coastline of Cornwall, the ruggedness of remote Scotland and the mountains of Wales; it was a feast for the eyes. We thought doing this big trip was the best way to get to see as much as possible. Now we have done it this way, if we ever go back we would stay in a few locations for a week at a time so we could get a more in-depth look at the surrounding region. The tough part would be picking which region. Everywhere we stayed deserved a much more in-depth look but there is so much to see and so little money in the bank!!!!  Maybe a year in the UK could do it justice?

United Kingdom –Mileage/fuel

First day - 28th May 2019 - 7880 miles
31st May - £44 @ £1.36 - 8299 miles
3rd June - £47.01 @ £1.33 - 8723 miles
6th June - £57.34 @ £1.35 - 9223 miles
9th June - £43.59 @ £1.31.9 - 9597 miles
11th June - £29.02 @ £1.36.9 - 9879 miles
12th June - £41.89 @ £1.34 - 10277 miles
15th June - £34.85 @ £1.26 - 10642 miles
17th June - £41.40 @ £133.9 - 11018 miles
20th June - £25.38 @ £130.9 - 11282 miles
21st June - £33.16 @ £129.9 - 11582 miles
23rd June - £40.59 @ 133.9 - 11984 miles
26th June - £42.37 @ £131.9 - 12452 miles
29th June- £41.29 @ £132.9 - 12864 miles
1st July - £37.10 @ £135.9 - 13215 miles
3rd July - £47.03 @ £1.43 - 13674 miles
Last day - 8th July - £29.93 @ £1.49 - 13945 miles

Windsor Castle and Eton

It’s our last day in the UK today, the plane is scheduled to leave at 9.50pm so we had some time on our hands to see a couple more things before we drop off the car and go and wait at the airport for the long trip home.

Looked at the map and found Windsor Castle was only about 15 miles from Woking and from there it was only 10 miles to Heathrow.  Windsor Castle here we come.

Left the B&B at 9 and arrived early in Windsor, by the time we parked the car and walked to the castle the gates were opening.  Wandered through the grounds, it’s very grand, first built as a fort in 1076 and added to, renovated and rebuilt till we have the castle as we see it now.  Walked through the state rooms and the chapel, in 1992 St.George’s Hall was destroyed by fire after a curtain was draped over a halogen spotlight and caught alight.   Lots of damage to the hall and surrounding rooms, all renovated since and beautiful now.  No photos allowed in any of the state rooms so you’ll have to look it up!!

Watched the changing of the guard on the parade ground, not as ostentatious as the palace guards but still very ceremonial. 

After spending a couple of hours in the castle decided it was coffee time.  Next door to our chosen coffee place was the information centre, went in and thought a boat trip on the Thames River was in order.  Did the 40 minute trip, learnt a little history of the place (which was lucky because we were clueless!!)

Windsor and Eton (of the college fame) are on either side of the river so after the boat ride we took a stroll through the streets of Eton, all very posh and traditionally English.  It’s all a very rich area and the housing, streets and attractions are all very well maintained.  After a late lunch decided it was time (even though we’d be 5 hours early) to get to the airport.  Returned the car, they were very efficient, then caught the Europcar shuttle bus to Heathrow, dropped our bags, through security then time to wait.  Better to be early than stuck in peak hour traffic!!!

I’ll do one more blog entry, maybe when I get home and my brain has a chance to rest!!  It’s been a great trip, Pam was an excellent travelling companion, and all she needs now (according to her) is a break from my sparkling personality and charming wit??!!!

Scenes from Windsor castle

The original fort built on the hill overlooking the district

St Georges Chapel

Changing of the guard

The exit

The old train station, now a shopping centre with the train lines now below ground

A Lego guard for the kids

Couple of swans and geese on the river

Our boat and a few scenes from the trip

The lock and weir

The castle from the river

Looking across the river to Eton

Lots of flowers everywhere

Eton College Chapel

Various scenes of Eton College

Must be nice having a pub named after you Chris??

Looking towards Windsor Castle from the Eton side of the river

Last look at the castle before we kiss the UK goodbye

London Town

Slow start for our last day in London.  We were here for a week 10 years ago so we didn't need to do too much tourist stuff.  Drove to the Woking shopping centre, bought a new suitcase (all those extra raincoats we had to buy!!)  then got the train to London city centre.
Walked past Westminster Abbey again, no visits on Sunday so head to Trafalgar Square.  Reading the news this morning they estimate there were 1.5 million people in this area for the Pride Parade yesterday, thankfully not quite as crowded today.  Leisurely walk from there to Piccadilly Circus, spent a bit of time in souvenir shops then found a little pub (The Three Crowns) in one of the back streets and had a little drink and a late lazy lunch before heading for home.  Got home about 5 and packing suitcases was on the agenda.

Front door of Westminter Abbey

Crowds all gone from Trafalgar Square

Lots of people in Piccadilly Circus but still easy to get around

Lots of souvenir shops

 

Hundreds of statues in London, never ending!!

This is where they hold the Trooping of the Colour.

Due to the threat of terrorism there have been hundreds of streets lined with bollards.

They are very tastefully made and don't impinge on the landscape.

So good to find our train station so we can make our way home.