A BRITISH ADVENTURE-DRIVING AND WALKING

Driving on the left side of the road can be challenging in its self, but for a real adventure add narrow roads and a 60 mph speed limit.  That’s the speed limit on most rural roads that aren’t otherwise posted.  That means nice two lane roads with ample shoulder (rare), nice two lane roads with no shoulder (more common), and narrow single lane roads that carry two way traffic at high speeds (the most common).  To make things really fun, a 60 mph speed limit and oncoming cars, trucks, semi trucks, and lots of really big tractors.  Even the tractors cruise along at 45 mph.  So we’re tootling along at what would be an acceptable speed for us of about 35 mph with hedgerows on each side so close that the dashboard alert keeps beeping warning you that your too close.  Before you know it there is some guy in a Jaguar bearing down on your rear who, realized at the last moment that my 35 mph doesn’t coincide with his 60 mph and slams on his brakes.  I find the nearest break in the hedgerow and pull into it so the guy can get to where ever it is he’s going. 

On coming cars, trucks tractors speed around blind corners and we only avoid a collision because my speed around corners is a safe 2 mph.  Why is it that I only meet oncoming cars at corners?  So one of us has to back up to the nearest unsuitable spot for passing, which usually means a place where one lane becomes 1-1/4 lane.  There is enough room for passing if you can drop a shilling out the window sideways as you pass and it just makes it to the ground.  That’s generally enough.  And this is not just with cars.  It’s also with big ass tractors with wheels that are 10 feet tall, I kid you not!  The dash board warning buzzer’s screaming causing more distraction as you squeeze by.  It’s no wonder this rental car had two pages of previous damage on the rental contract.

FOR THE ENGLISH THIS ROAD IS FOR FREEWAY SPEEDS

But you know, it’s different on the motorways as the freeways are known in these parts.  You don’t see many speeders as there are speed cameras EVERYWHERE.  They call their motorways, Smart Motorways.  There are variable speed limit signs which change with the traffic conditions.  If there’s an accident, or obstruction ahead, the signs tell you and tells you which lane it’s in and give you plenty of warning.  Like 5 miles warning.  We witnessed this and the traffic merged out of the effected lane well in advance of the obstruction.  And the British don’t use that lane, even if your sill a couple of miles from the actual closure.  No trying to get ahead by using the closed lane till the last minute.  Very orderly.  Of course those cameras are watching.

We have been decompressing from the excitement of driving by walking.  Walking is the national past time here. Everywhere there are pathways that crisscross the countryside.  Many of this paths are part of the National Trails which follow designated right of ways and may go from point A to B. But many are permissive rights of ways where landowners allow one to pass.  So you end up crossing farmer’s fields where you share the path with sheep, cow and horses.  There are designated entry and exit points with a gate allowing you to pass, but keeping the animals in.  These “gates” take many forms.  Traditional type gates one would expect, but others that allow you to pass over a fence or wall.  They make allowance for dogs too.  Look out for the sheep shit as there is plenty of it.  So we’ve been walking these pathways most every day so we can work off some of the massive English Breakfasts provided at every B&B we are staying in. Of course most of these pathways pass through small and large towns where one can stop at the local pub for food and refreshment so you can pack those calories right back on.  But that’s what travel is all about, isn’t it?

MOST EVERYBODY WALKS HERE

SELF CLOSING GATE

MOSTLY WELL MARKED

GOTTA WALK TO GET THE BEST VIEWS

UP AND OVER

THROUGH THE WALL

FOR THE DOGS

FOR THE HUMANS

BOTH DOGS AND HUMANS

A BRITISH ADVENTURE-A COUPLE OF STORIES

Two stories from our trip:  We stayed in the very small village of Maulds Meaburn for one night.  So how did it get it’s name you ask?  Well, “meaburn” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon meaning “meadow stream”.  The “Maulds” refers to a story of murder and treachery.  Lord of the Manor, Hugh de Morville, was one of the knights who murdered Thomas Becket in Canterbury in 1170.  As punishment, part of the manor was confiscated by the King and the remainder was granted to Hugh’s sister, Maud, hence Maulds Meaburn.  The portion for the King was named King Meaburn, and both still are villages just a short distance apart. You can read about it here: The Murder

MAULDS MEABURN TODAY

Our second story is more recent.  The Lake District, where we now are, is a National Park.  Unlike our National Parks, there are cities, towns and peoples homes within the boundary of the park.  But if you own a home within the boundaries, there are rules, much like a HOA, only worse because it’s run by the government.  So there was this lady who wanted to do some renovations on her home.  She submitted all the paper work and plans to the local council for it’s approval.  They denied her request and she appealed.  This back and forth continued for several years with her request always being denied.  In her research of the regulations, she discovered that there was no requirement for the color of the house.  So to stick it to the council, she painted the house purple. Since the color purple wasn’t forbidden the house remained purple.

As years past, the woman moved and the house was left abandoned but still purple.  Eventually someone set it on fire and it burned to the ground.  The property was eventually sold and the new owners built a new house that met all the rules of the council.  In keeping with the “sticking to the council” attitude, the front door of the new house is purple.  Also in the spring when the flowers in the front of the house bloom, they too are purple. 

A BRITISH ADVENTURE-WINDSOR AND YORKSHIRE

After the fiasco with the criminals at the car rental, we drove a short distance to Manor Manor Cottage, our home for the next three nights.  We were greeted by our hosts, Richard and Jan who gave us the tour and got us settled in.  As some of you may have heard, the Queen died and as it turns out our B&B in Old Windsor is just down the road leading into Windsor Castle.  Being one of the Royal Family’s homes, and almost every British Citizen wants to pay their respects, many chose to use the road in front of  our B&B to get there.  It’s busy to say the least.  But not to worry as we are a stone’s throw from the Themes River where you can walk along it’s course, and many restaurants within walking distance.

We did walk to Windsor with the throngs of well wishers, and it was actually a good way to get past any lingering jet-lag.  It was impressive to see Britons of all ages making their way to the castle gate to leave flowers for the Queen.  The powers to be closed all the streets in Windsor to accommodate the thousands upon thousands making their way to the castle.

Our plan all along was not to spend time in and around London as we have been there done that.  So we headed North to Yorkshire to the small village of Crayke and Hazelwood Farm for the next 4 nights.  Netty the owner and I have stayed in touch since our first visit 9 years ago and it was good to catch up.  One of the benefits of making friends with Netty was to be invited into the inner sanctum and having dinner with Netty and her husband Eamon.  But we didn’t just hang around the B&B, but each day we ventured out exploring the North Sea Coast and countryside.  We managed to get in a couple of hikes, called walks here in the UK.  There is a completely different language here for geographic directions when one walks in the fields and mountains.  The following is from a blog post from a previous trip to England:

The Lake District, is also known as the Walking Capitol of the UK.  So, not being familiar with the area we rely on directions given to us either by the tourist office or in the case here in the Lake District, directions given to to us by our hosts David and Marilyn.  Now both of them are avid walkers and they are a wealth of knowledge about the area.  So we asked if they could suggest a 5 or 6 mile hike, oops, I mean walk, that we might enjoy. We soon learn that a glossary is needed to help decipher the directions.

So here's the directions to our first walk.  Walk on the track and go over the beck.  Turn right and make for for the bottom.  When you get to the second farmhouse, take the track that goes behind the barn to the trig point and keep going over the fell. You'll pass a lovely force, then climb the tor to the water.

Are you lost yet?  Well,  we were lost in the directions before we started walking.  So after learning what these terms mean, here is a glossary for future reference,  not in any particular order.

BRITISH WORD                                                          WHAT IT MEANS

Hill Climbing                                                                      Climbing big hills
Rambling                                                                           Walking
Walking                                                                             Hiking
Beck                                                                                  Stream
Bottom                                                                               Lower part of a Valley
Dell                                                                                    Valley
Glen                                                                                   Valley
Spout                                                                                 Waterfall
Force                                                                                 Waterfall
Trig Point                                                                            A concrete survey marker
Water                                                                                 Lake
Great Wood                                                                       Forest
Plantation                                                                            Forest or Tree Farm
Pike                                                                                    Sharp well defined peak or mountain
Fell                                                                                     Mountain or hill
Tor                                                                                     Hill
Pen                                                                                     Hill
How                                                                                   Hill

Naturally there might be some confusion with these terms, so in clarification a hill could be a mountain or a hill, it could be steep or not so steep, it might be tall or short but it all likely hood it is up hill from where you are standing.

Now that we’ve got the directions figured out, here are some photos of our walks in Yorkshire

ROBIN HOOD’S BAY

ROBIN HOOD’S BAY

THE CLEVELAND WAY 109 MILE NATIONAL TRAIL

RIEVAULX ABBY





We had made plans in 2018 to walk the Cleveland Way but the trip got cancelled due to a pilot strike at British Air.  So this time we decided to walk the beginning couple of miles and the same at the end.  The two sections are beautiful with the beginning crossing farmer’s fields and walking in forests and the ending on high bluffs above the North Sea.  We’ll have to go back and complete the entire 109 miles of the trail.

ABOVE FILEY BEACH

FILEY BEACH, THE END OF THE CLEVELAND WAY

One last little story for this post.  We were out to dinner and I thought I might order Fish and Chips at least once.  I said to Cathie that I hope they wren’t greasy like most that I have had.  The two ladies at the next table overheard me and chuckled, probably because they are always greasy.  Anyway, one of the ladies was probably our age and the other perhaps in her early 80’s.  We started up a conversation with them and it turns our they are mother and daughter.  The older of the two said they were there celebrating her 100th birthday.  After congratulating her, I asked her if a shot of whisky a night was her secret for her longevity. No, she said, it’s walking.  Maybe there’s hope for me yet.  When she left the restaurant, she walked out without a cane or any assistance from her daughter.

BRITISH ADVENTURE-GETTING THERE

Getting there is always an adventure, some trips more so than others.  Because our new home in Arizona is 2 hours away from the nearest international airport (Phoenix), you can get there by a short hop flight from the local airport for $400 each round trip.  Well that’s not happening.  Or we could drive there and pay over $1000 for one month in long term parking at the airport, not happening either.  You could ask friends to drive you to the airport, but they won’t be friends for long.  The best alternative is to take the local shuttle bus.  It is the best option for the budget, but the worst option for comfort.  A little over 2 hours in a seat with less room than on the cheapest budget airline economy seat.  Cramped no where comes close to describing the conditions.

But we made up for it on the flight to London.  A couple of days before our departure, I got an e-mail from British Air offering an up grade to Business Class for a ridiculously low price.  Without telling Cathie, I jumped at the offer.  So because our original tickets were paid for with points on our credit card, we were now flying business class for a couple hundred bucks each out of pocket.  Upon our arrival at the airport, Cathie noticed that we were in the fast lane for baggage check in, but I lied and told her it was be cause we were in the frequent flyer’s club.  Once through security, we waited in the posh first class lounge upstairs from the cheep seats.  With free drinks and food it was a nice change from downstairs.  Once on board, Cathie was finally onto my trickery.  The only downside will be that Cathie will be expecting the same treatment on future flights.

Upon arrival we breezed through the airport at Heathrow, with no waiting a passport control and only a short wait for our bags.  Next up was an unpleasant experience dealing with the rental car.  On all of our trips to Europe and the UK we have rented cars from a stateside consolidator called Auto Europe.  I have discovered that they find the best deals and if a problem arises, like an overcharge, they fix the problem for you.  This time the best deal was with Europcar.  So we arrived at the counter with our voucher in hand and guy behind the counter said he had to check to see if our car was available.  He came back with a set of keys for an upgraded car that he commenced to pressure us to agree to for an greatly increased price.  I had to tell him several times to get me the car I wanted.  Next was pressure to buy their insurance.  He insisted that my coverage provided by our credit card was not valid.  Again I had to tell him several times that I didn’t want their insurance.  Then it was that we needed coverage for roadside assistance as though if the car broke down they wouldn’t come get it.  I finally told him to cut the B.S. and give me the car we had paid for.  Turns out the keys to the car I ordered were in his pocket.  I overhead other employees using the same tactics on other customers, some of which were falling for the up-sale.  They we trying to scam every customer.  A bunch of criminals in my opinion. After the fact, I read some Google reviews about the Heathrow Location……mostly all bad with the same experience.

We didn’t drive the car much the first couple of days, but when we drove north to York, I noticed a metal to metal sound when applying the breaks.  When we arrived in York, I went to the local Europcar car office and requested a new car.  This office couldn’t have been more accommodating.  They didn’t even question my diagnosis of worn out brakes, and provided us with a new car.  While we were waiting for the car to be washed, we spoke to another woman who told us she had been ripped of by another rental car company, with an upgrade charge of $7200 for a three week rental.  So, just beware, there are lots of crooks out there that will gladly take advantage of you.

WE'RE OFF....FINALLY

 

As the title and picture suggest, we're finally going somewhere.  Having suffered through the lockdowns, canceling trips, and having to put up with all the unnecessary B.S (my opinion anyway) we are finally able to travel to an overseas destination.  Where to, pray-tell?  Well, most of you detectives out there have probably figured it out with the picture of a big airplane, and you're right if you picked the United Kingdom, England more specifically.  We've been there before in 2013 and enjoyed it immensely.  At the time we promised ourselves we would go back.  Now we're keeping that promise.  We are going back to some of the same places that we visited before, but not to worry, we didn't see it all the first time.  So if all goes according to plan, it was go something like this:

In one week fly direct to London from Phoenix via British Air.  Some of you may remember that We've had problems with them before, lost my trekking poles, cancelled a flight due to a strike and another because of Covid, trying to get a refund.  In short their land based customer service sucks.  But they are the only way to fly non-stop from the west side of the country and their on-board service beats any US airline in Premium Economy.  Separate cabin, wider, almost full reclining seats with foot rest, lots of leg room and a much better food selection.  Once on board, I've never had a complaint.  I bought the tickets back in January before airline tickets went through the roof and we had amassed enough points on the credit card to pay for the tickets.  The real sticker shock happened when I went to rent a car.  Prices for rental cars are over the top.  We will spend a month heading to our favorite places staying exclusively in B&B's, most of which are on working farms.

We're not heading into London, having spent a week there on our previous trip.  First we'll spend three nights in Old Windsor before driving north to York.  When we were there before we lucked out and found one of the best, if not the best, farm B&B's.  And we're going back.  On our first stay we hit it off with Netty, the owner (we're both blog writers) and after a couple of false starts we managed to book a room at  Hazelwood Farm  Not and easy task mind you, as rooms are booked a year in advance.  Netty, Pictured below was a bundle of energy, expertly taking care of us and her other guests, treating all of us like royalty.  I am sure in the ensuing 9 years she hasn't changed a bit. 

NETTY

From York we will head to the Lake District for a week and explore some of numerous trails that the Lake District is famous for.  Next, back south to the Cotswolds for another week of exploration, again on the vast network of walking trails.  Our last stop will be in the south of England in Cornwall where we just might get a little beach time.  In an attempt to make the trip a little more relaxing, we will be staying close to a week in most places.  This also gives us more of an opportunity to explore a region a little more in depth.

Anyway, follow along as I will try to keep the blog updated as we move from place to place or when something exciting happens.