UK Travel Tips

Thought it was about time that I gathered together all the posts about travelling the UK.

As we were restricted from travelling overseas during 2009 by the big bad UK Border Agency, we have travelled throughout the UK extensively, trying to squeeze out some fun from all those secret squirrel places.

I’ve made a couple of discoveries.

1/England is very very pretty. Coming from NZ I didn’t expect to be wowed by England’s beauty, but I have been. From the bluebells in Spring to the crisp frost, and icing dust snow in December, it’s a stunning place.

2/England is very pretty, but Scotland is stunning! Scotland reminded me of parts of the South Island of New Zealand and I cannot wait to go back there to see more.

3/Always take wet weather gear when camping in Blighty. Always. The country doesn’t get so green by magic y’know.

4/It’s not a cheap place to travel through. I think the UK is an expensive place for tourists. There’s no such thing as free car parks, every house has an entrance fee, and even the beauty spots (like Cheddar Gorge) seem to be difficult to get to without paying something! Food on the road is expensive, and typically stodgy, and although extensive and generally efficient transport systems are also -sing it with me – expensive. You can’t even get out of it by driving yourself because petrol is like liquid gold and costs as much!

5/The motorway systems throughout the country are superb. I’ve been amazed by the seemingly never-ending stretch of motorway that can whisk you along at a decent 75 mph (or so) from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Even more convenient are the Services placed every couple of miles along the way. The Services are a collection of shops, food outlets, hotels and rest areas, almost a destination in themselves. The kids love them!

6/Never plan to be within 40 miles of London’s Greater Metropolitan area at 1500 on a Friday afternoon. Never. Ever. Well not without a decent supply of Xanax.

7/Take pooch along for the ride! Many hotels quite happily accept your pet dog. Amazingly, even four star hotels will accept them, as will cafes and pubs and many beaches. Britain is a great place for pooches.

8/If it looks like snow make sure your car is fitted with blankets, a spade, and emergency heat blanket. Britain is not very well organised in blizzards and if you’re caught in one you could be stuck in your vehicle for many many hours. In last year’s snow storms some folk were stuck in the mud snow for over ten hours!

9/It can be cheaper flying from Bournemouth to Benidorme than to get from Basingstoke to Bournemouth airport. Whilst some great cheap flights can be had flying out of Britain, getting to the airport or indeed parking your car at the airport can completely overwhelm your budget.

10/Britain is quaint and chokka with history but there are many, many secret spots in this ancient land. It’s not all London! If you’re planning to travel Britain have a read of the following pages about some of the special secret places we’ve discovered, on the following pages.