26 September 2014

This is the last for this trip.  We are safely ensconced in the Admiral Club at Heathrow having gone through the new security regime.  I am glad we got here very early and I would not like to be going through that process when the hordes descend.  No upgrade this time.

I have been asked to provide some ideas on where one might go if travelling to the UK.  So here are some of my random thoughts based on the experience of this trip.

• First consider what it is you want to see.  We decided that for this trip our attention would be given to the countryside, places off the normal tourist route, to stay in places for several days to get the feel of the area and an avoidance of the big cities like London.
• Our approach on this trip was to spread our time in four areas, spending about a week in each.  The places we visited were Derbyshire and the Peak District, the Scottish highlands and specifically the western islands, the York district and finally Gloucestershire and the Cotswold area.
• Next time we would probably visit the Lakes District, Cornwall, the northern parts of Scotland and maybe the Portsmouth area.
• I would also repeat our approach of staying in self catering cottages preferably within walking distance of a village (pub) and for the time when you are travelling distances, B&Bs.
• Rent a 4 cylinder, diesel, compact car with a manual transmission.  Driving those country lanes is a lot of fun.
• Bring your unlocked iPad and buy a data only SIM.  Great for research, bookings and navigation.
• Chat with the locals.  Our most memorable conversations were with the maintenance guy at York Minster (he’d been there for 40 years and had all the stories), two chaps who were doing a 100 mile walk in the Hadrian wall area; one argued that Durham Minster was the best and the other argued for York, so we had to visit both; the guy in the coffee shop out of Mallaig was very articulate about the vote for independence, as was the guy walking his dog in the Forest of Dean.  Of course Eddie Groves, our host at Riber must be included in this list.  Eddie is a sculptor, biologist and a man who has travelled all over Britain.     These conversations made the trip and provided us with lots of material for the where to next Things we didn’t see but should be on the list:
  • Governor Lachlan Macquarie, the first  governor of NSW and maybe the father of Australia is buried on the island of Mull.  His mausoleum is maintained by both the Scottish and Australian governments.  We drove past the sign but didn’t have time to stop, ferry timetables and all that.
  • Check out the island of Gigha.  It’s just off  Kintyre and is described as the Bahamas of Scotland.  Seems it has palm trees and sandy beaches, something to do with gulf streams.  Of course the Scots are prone to exaggeration and regardless of the comparison I would not trust the water temperature.
  • Check out Whitby, lots of Jimmy Cook stuff here.
• Some random thoughts on the places we saw and would recommend and other just random thoughts:
  • Visit the Peak District and for your walks start at Fox House, where all the best walks start.  Also check out the industrial revolution history in the area.
  • Go to Bakewell on a Monday  (its market day) and visit the cattle auction, full of characters who speak in strange grunts and inflections.  Try a Bakewell pudding (it’s better than the tart)  but be sure to go to the bakery next to NatWest bank.  Park outside of the village because in the village parking is impossible.
  • The Scottish highlands are amazing.  Be prepared to walk and maybe invest in trekking poles – they help the knees and back.
  • Nothing like a Minster to get you questioning what you forgot from history lessons at high school.
  • Visit in September – the kids are back in school and the weather is at its best.
  • We thought joining the National Trust would be the go, free entry and all that.  Seems there are two organisations in town  The National Trust and British Heritage.  After we bought National Trust membership all the sites we wanted to visit were British Heritage!
  • Remember to pace yourself, the distances may not look far in Australian terms but driving in the UK is different.
  • Read the websites closely.  If you are allergic to cats read the detail about the B&B, the owner might be cat crazy.  I’ve said enough.
  • Over 60s get at least £1.00 off entry, everywhere!
  • If you a railway buff this is the place for you.
• Be prepared to be surprised, the British are exceptionally intuitive.  To my amazement I could walk into a pub, order a pint and the bar man or woman would say, What part of Oz are you from?  How do they know that?  It’s got to be intuition, ESP or maybe it’s the fairies that tell them.
• When driving through the western islands of Scotland it’s important to have the right music.  We found the soundtrack to the Shipping News worked as did the music to Braveheart.  The music needs to match to landscape.  Australian country and western or any C&W would not work.  BBC2 Radio has great interviews but listening to Jimmy Hendrix this morning didn’t match the Gloucestershire scenery.
• Do not get drawn into the badger issue its more controversial that Scottish independence.
• Remember the mantra of all visitors / travellers you can’t see it all.  This can be difficult to accept but it is reality.  The more you uncover the more there will be to explore and even if you lived there you won’t see it all in a lifetime.

That’s it.  I hope you have enjoyed these ramblings.  I am now looking forward to 26 hours of flying (not) and then dealing with 6 weeks of mail (not) but seeing Jess and Emily will be something to look forward to.