Travel to Great Britain - 7 days driving tour... please help
clone.o...@gmail.com
recommendations and feedback. Thanks!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/england/discuss/107608/#comment920318
cloneofsnake says:
Please provide friendly advice to travellers to the UK.
I have found this "Escorted and Self Drive Vacations" site -
www.brendanvacations.com/ireland.asp?id=3
Can anyone suggest any good sites for hotels, B&B, vacation packages...
etc?
Thanks
Posted at 10:51pm, 22 October 2005 EDT ( permalink | edit )
-------------------------------------------------------------
craig_352 Pro User says:
I've used this site quite a few times:
It gives a wide range of places throughout the UK for a wide range of
prices.
Posted 32 hours ago. ( permalink )
-------------------------------------------------------------
Wyrd Pro User says:
Which part(s) of the UK will you be visiting? Also, what sort of
vacation do you want - cities, sightseeing, countryside, seaside?
Posted 32 hours ago. ( permalink )
-------------------------------------------------------------
john© Pro User says:
Tourist info is the best place to start, England
(http://www.visitengland.com/)
Wales (http://www.visitwales.com/) and Scotland
(http://www.visitscotland.com/)
Posted 32 hours ago. ( permalink )
-------------------------------------------------------------
cloneofsnake says:
Thanks... with this new info, I don't think I'll buy the self-drive
package from brendanvacations... Craig, have you rented cars from
s-h-systems.co.uk? I'll rent from Nov.19 morning when we arrive at
Heathrow till Nov.27. Group A ~ D will costs 18.5 ~ 24 Pounds/day.
Seems to be far more expensive than what I can find on yahoo.co.uk...
I'll be booking hotel/B&B with that site though.
I'm interesting in sightseeing, some cities/town and countryside. Both
my girlfriend and I have been to London before, so we're just going to
spend the first day there, since I'll be driving from Heathrow, I'm
thinking it'll be cheaper to book a hotel / B&B in the outskirts of
London, (Isleworth? Wembley? http://www.s-h-systems.co.uk/50.html),
drop off the car and luggages and ride the train/tubes to London.
(Shopping, London Eye, Millennium Bridge, Swiss Re Headquarters... any
other suggestions?)
>From the 20th to 26th, we'll do the road trip. I think I'll drive North
from London toward Cambridge, Leeds, York/Yorkshire, then up to
Edinburgh, Glasgow, then back down South & West to Wales (not sure
where go to in Wales), then down to Bath and Stonehenge and Oxford,
then back to London. So many places, only 6 days...
I am not too familiar with GB, I just looked at the maps, does my
planned route make sense? Is there enough time? Should I give up on
going too far North? (No Scotland?). Please also kindly recommend some
good places to visit, and I'll do more research. I've bought the Lonely
Planet Great Britain guide book and Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small
Island".
Thanks for all your help!!
Martin Rich
>I am not too familiar with GB, I just looked at the maps, does my
>planned route make sense? Is there enough time? Should I give up on
>going too far North? (No Scotland?). Please also kindly recommend some
>good places to visit, and I'll do more research. I've bought the Lonely
>Planet Great Britain guide book and Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small
>Island".
Instant reaction is that you are trying to do too much. Edinburgh or
Glasgow is a fairly full day's drive from London. If you're
determined to see Scotland either go by plane or train as a side=trip
and consider renting a car separately if you want to go outside
Edinburgh or Glasgow (you don't need a car within either city), or
drive there and back with stops on the way and stick to stopping in
places which are fairly close to a straight line between London and
Scotland
Martin
Jack Campin - bogus address
Filled mainly with intense boredom... Watford Gap, Doncaster,
Scotch Corner... not so bad if you take longer over it and see
some the Lake District or use the A68 through the Borders, but
really the only way this trip can ever be interesting is if you
put it together from a lot of short journeys, like H.V. Morton's
travels.
In fact, an "In the Steps of H.V. Morton" trip could be good.
Where can you hire a Morris Ten?
============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
<http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557
Mimi
<clone.o...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1130645953.2...@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I am not too familiar with GB, I just looked at the maps, does my
>planned route make sense? Is there enough time? Should I give up on
>going too far North? (No Scotland?). Please also kindly recommend some
>good places to visit, and I'll do more research. I've bought the Lonely
>Planet Great Britain guide book and Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small
>Island."
Why don't you use one of the mapping programs to check out driving times and
distances--like www.multimap.com. But you're going to spend all your time in
the car.
You could do Cambridge in a day trip from London. It's out of the way from
the rest of your (many) destinations.
Marianne
Martin Rich
<bo...@purr.demon.co.uk> wrote:
<following up my earlier post>
>> Edinburgh or Glasgow is a fairly full day's drive from London.
>
>Filled mainly with intense boredom... Watford Gap, Doncaster,
>Scotch Corner... not so bad if you take longer over it and see
>some the Lake District or use the A68 through the Borders, but
>really the only way this trip can ever be interesting is if you
>put it together from a lot of short journeys, like H.V. Morton's
>travels.
>
I think if you have three full days to spend over the drive there are
quite a few interesting places to spend time without going too far
from a direct route: the Peak District, the Northumberland coast, and
Durham, are all possibilities. However including both Scotland and
Wales in a six-day road trip from London is trying to do too much: the
original poster would spend all his time driving and see nowhere of
interest.
If he's determined to make it to Scotland by car, it would make more
sense to drop the car in Scotland, then get a train or plane back to
London - or even better to see whether he can arrange an open-jaw
flight home from there.
Or perhaps choose one area outside London - it could be Scotland, or
could be Bath/Stonehenge/Salisbury or Yorkshire - and concentrate on
that.
In terms of calculating routes and distances, I find the AA route
planner at http://www.theaa.com/ gives reasonably accurate driving
times for the UK outside London, so long as you bear in mind that
these are best possible times and don't include either any times for
taking a break along the way, or delays due to traffic.
One other important point for the original poster: plan for short
daylight hours in November: it will be dark just after 4pm in London
when he is travelling and signficantly earlier in Scotland, which will
limit the scope for sightseeing, and mean that he may be doing a lot
of driving after dark
Martin
Keith W
recommendations and feedback. Thanks!
> I'm interesting in sightseeing, some cities/town and countryside. Both
> my girlfriend and I have been to London before, so we're just going to
> spend the first day there, since I'll be driving from Heathrow, I'm
> thinking it'll be cheaper to book a hotel / B&B in the outskirts of
> London, (Isleworth? Wembley? http://www.s-h-systems.co.uk/50.html),
> drop off the car and luggages and ride the train/tubes to London.
> (Shopping, London Eye, Millennium Bridge, Swiss Re Headquarters... any
> other suggestions?)
Forget having a car while you are in London. Hire it when you want to
leave
>From the 20th to 26th, we'll do the road trip. I think I'll drive North
> from London toward Cambridge, Leeds, York/Yorkshire, then up to
> Edinburgh, Glasgow, then back down South & West to Wales (not sure
> where go to in Wales), then down to Bath and Stonehenge and Oxford,
>then back to London. So many places, only 6 days...
Thats too much driving, you'll spend all your time looking at the
car in front on a congested highway and I wouldnt bother
with Leeds unless you have a really special reason for going there.
Personally with only 6 days I'd suggest you stick to a route
thats basically London-Cambridge-Oxford-Bath and I would
use public transport for most of this trip
The train service from London to Cambridge is a fast
service that only takes a little over an hour. From Cambridge
to Oxford there's a fast and inexpensive express coach service
that runs frequently (the X5 Service) .
From Oxford the train to bath takes around 2 hours with a
change at Reading. In Bath I'd hire a car to get you to
Stonehenge , Avebury etc
Keith
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Retired
"Martin Rich" <M.G....@city.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:tkoam1dmk406d3li6...@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 11:43:50 +0000, Jack Campin - bogus address
> <bo...@purr.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> <following up my earlier post>
>
> >> Edinburgh or Glasgow is a fairly full day's drive from London.
> >
>>
> could be Bath/Stonehenge/Salisbury or Yorkshire - and concentrate on
> that.
......................
For day trips to Windsor, Oxford or Cambridge, for example, don't
drive... it will take you hours to find your way in the Town Centre and
then expect problems with parking (in Oxford, maximum 2 hours).
Have look at coach/bus services from London
www.gobycoach.com
or then go by train, usually more expensive
www.thetrainline.com
retired/uk.
The Reid
>> I'm interesting in sightseeing, some cities/town and countryside. Both
>> my girlfriend and I have been to London before, so we're just going to
>> spend the first day there, since I'll be driving from Heathrow, I'm
>> thinking it'll be cheaper to book a hotel / B&B in the outskirts of
>> London, (Isleworth? Wembley? http://www.s-h-systems.co.uk/50.html),
>> drop off the car and luggages and ride the train/tubes to London.
>> (Shopping, London Eye, Millennium Bridge, Swiss Re Headquarters... any
>> other suggestions?)
>
>Forget having a car while you are in London. Hire it when you want to
>leave
Its only the one day, so he might as well use the car to get his
luggage to wherever the hotel on the outskirts is, then he will
be able to make an early start on the drive north, rather than
wait for the car to arrive and lose hours. Starting early driving
to Scotland is a good idea.
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap
Photos of both "http://www.lawn-mower-man.co.uk"
The Reid
> However including both Scotland and
>Wales in a six-day road trip from London is trying to do too much:
Yes, that's not viable unless its a driving for driving sakes
trip.
Alan S
<don...@fell-walker.co.uk> wrote:
>Following up to Martin Rich
>
>> However including both Scotland and
>>Wales in a six-day road trip from London is trying to do too much:
>
>Yes, that's not viable unless its a driving for driving sakes
>trip.
A lot depends on your interests, your driving ability - and
whether you enjoy driving.
When you are used to driving in Australia, the UK seems like
a tiny place. We picked up the car in Edinburgh, and a week
later returned it to Oxford. In between, we stayed overnight
in Linlithgow, Kilmarnock (via Stirling and Loch Lomond),
Carlisle, Preston (via that Lakes District), Loughborough
(via York), and Frome for two nights (via Shrewsbury, Wales
and Bath). Then to Oxford via Stonehenge.
It sounds like we rushed - but we didn't. We just sauntered
on, looked for a while in each interesting town on the way,
and wandered on when we'd seen enough. Somewhere in that lot
we saw Hadrian's wall, wandered through lots of castles,
ruined Abbeys and manors, ate in lots of country pubs, went
to markets etc etc. We just let it happen and kept on
wandering.
The place is tiny - driving was breeze - and they're even on
the proper side of the road.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
Martin Rich
>On Tue, 01 Nov 2005 08:30:42 +0000, The Reid
><don...@fell-walker.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>Following up to Martin Rich
>>
>>> However including both Scotland and
>>>Wales in a six-day road trip from London is trying to do too much:
>>
>>Yes, that's not viable unless its a driving for driving sakes
>>trip.
>
>A lot depends on your interests, your driving ability - and
>whether you enjoy driving.
>
>When you are used to driving in Australia, the UK seems like
>a tiny place. We picked up the car in Edinburgh, and a week
>later returned it to Oxford. In between, we stayed overnight
>in Linlithgow, Kilmarnock (via Stirling and Loch Lomond),
>Carlisle, Preston (via that Lakes District), Loughborough
>(via York), and Frome for two nights (via Shrewsbury, Wales
>and Bath). Then to Oxford via Stonehenge.
>
The original poster is still proposing something more ambitious than
this: he wants to do something like your itinerary, but continuing by
car to London. And at the beginning he wants to drive London *to*
Scotland with stops in Cambridge and Yorkshire. And all that in six
days - not a full week - and also in late autumn when it's getting
dark just after 4pm
Martin
The Reid
>A lot depends on your interests, your driving ability - and
>whether you enjoy driving.
I enjoy driving and drive fast. I wouldn't do it.
>When you are used to driving in Australia, the UK seems like
>a tiny place. We picked up the car in Edinburgh, and a week
>later returned it to Oxford. In between, we stayed overnight
>in Linlithgow, Kilmarnock (via Stirling and Loch Lomond),
>Carlisle, Preston (via that Lakes District), Loughborough
>(via York), and Frome for two nights (via Shrewsbury, Wales
>and Bath). Then to Oxford via Stonehenge.
You did Edinburgh and zig-zag south to Oxford, if I read it
correctly the OP wants to do London - Edinburgh - Wales - London
in six days, over twice the distance. Its physically possible if
you don't want to actually see anything much more than the view
from a main road. If you want to appreciate somewhere like the
Lake District you want to get out for a decent walk away from the
roads or at minimum drive some of the minor roads and stay
overnight, visit a remote pub or something, especially given the
weather there, you need at least a couple of days to get any idea
of the place. Out of interest, what did you do, turn off the M6
and drive down through Ambleside/Windermere and out again to
Preston? BTW what was the appeal of Preston, I've never been
there!
Alan S
<don...@fell-walker.co.uk> wrote:
>
>You did Edinburgh and zig-zag south to Oxford, if I read it
>correctly the OP wants to do London - Edinburgh - Wales - London
>in six days, over twice the distance.
Actually, not quite twice; if he goes reasonably straight to
Edinburgh the rest isn't vastly different to my itinerary (I
vaguely remember it was about 1100 miles) - but I take your,
and Martin's, point. The two things that would really make
it a squeeze is that extra at the start, taking at least a
day, the lost day at the end, and the short evenings. We did
it in summer and enjoyed those long evenings, sometimes to
drive on and others to explore the towns.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
Nick
enough. See http://www.flickr.com/groups/england/discuss/107608/ .
Can anyone name some good discount car hire sites in the UK, (like
"hotwire.com" in the US, I can usualy get $29/day rentals here in NYC
and it's usually Hertz or Avis.)
Thanks.
JohnT
"Nick" <clone.o...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1131054373.6...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
You could try http://www.holidayautos.co.uk/
.... and you do know that, in Europe, most cars have manual transmission and
that you would have to make special arrangements for one with automatic
transmission?
JohnT
Nigel
"JohnT" <johnhillr...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:3svklsF...@individual.net...
Also, if you have a driving licence (say) issued in the USA for driving an
automatic transmission would you be permitted to hire a manual transmission?
I have friends visiting from the USA next year and this is a question that
they asked.
Nigel.
Go Fig
<nigelow...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
In the U.S., licenses are issued by the individual states... I don't
know of a state that has a distinction for types of transmission
permitted to operate.
jay
Thu Nov 03, 2005
mailto:go...@mac.com
>
> Nigel.
>
Nick
That's gonna be exciting! :D (I know how to drive a stick but I
haven't driven one for quite a few years now, heck I don't even drive
that often anymore since moving to NYC 4 years ago.)
OK, getting more specific now. First of all, I'm looking at my guide
book and it says: "In north Wales and the hills of northern England,
roads can sometimes be closed by snow." So this means I need to have a
back up plan.
I was think of this:
11/19 Arrive, London (Ealing stay)
11/20 Drive A1 North to Leeds, York (York stay)
11/21 A59 west, stop at Harrogate, Clitheroe (small unknown Lancashire
market town), Blackburn or Preston (for typical Lancashire towns) (Stay
at outskirts of Liverpool or Manchester)
11/22 If weather permits, then drive West to Caernarfon Castle, then
round south to drive by Snowdonia and come back East to meet M6. If
not, then I can stay in Liverpool for a day. (Stay at same outskits of
Liverpool.)
11/23 Manchester, then South to Cardiff.
11/24 Cardiff. (2nd night)
11/25 Bath, Stonehenge, Winchester (stay at Winchester)
11/26 Winchester, Oxford, London
11/27 Leave London in the morning.
How's this sound? Any small town along the way that I must stop by? I'm
willing to spend less time in Liverpool/Manchester in exchange for the
small town charm... but only if the weather is nice enough and things
stay open... (The guide book is scaring me!)
chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy
[]
> Also, if you have a driving licence (say) issued in the USA for driving an
> automatic transmission would you be permitted to hire a manual transmission?
My US license (PA, then later MA) didn't specify- I'm not aware of any
states that do. The UK hire company will not care- but if you don't
drive manual, it's worth checking in advance that the company you hire
from offers automatics- not all branches will have them, and some others
are limited in choice.
--
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
http://homepage.mac.com/davidhornecomposer http://soundjunction.org
Martin Rich
You need to ask (and pay more) for an automatic transmission and might
need to shop around to find a rental company which stocks a suitable
car as an automatic: special arrangements is putting it a bit strongly
Martin
Keith W
>I know, it'll be manual and I'll be shifting with my left hand too!!
> That's gonna be exciting! :D (I know how to drive a stick but I
> haven't driven one for quite a few years now, heck I don't even drive
> that often anymore since moving to NYC 4 years ago.)
>
>
> OK, getting more specific now. First of all, I'm looking at my guide
> book and it says: "In north Wales and the hills of northern England,
> roads can sometimes be closed by snow." So this means I need to have a
> back up plan.
>
> I was think of this:
>
> 11/19 Arrive, London (Ealing stay)
> 11/20 Drive A1 North to Leeds, York (York stay)
Unless you have very specific reasons for visiting Leeds
I'd suggest heading straight up the A-1 to the A-64 turn off
and then go East into York and avoiding the city
That said the Royal Armouries in Leeds is well worth a visit
http://www.royalarmouries.org/extsite/view.jsp?sectionId=2222
> 11/21 A59 west, stop at Harrogate, Clitheroe (small unknown Lancashire
> market town), Blackburn or Preston (for typical Lancashire towns) (Stay
> at outskirts of Liverpool or Manchester)
This leg is one of the more likely to get snow but its unlikely
to be closed in November
> 11/22 If weather permits, then drive West to Caernarfon Castle, then
> round south to drive by Snowdonia and come back East to meet M6. If
> not, then I can stay in Liverpool for a day. (Stay at same outskits of
> Liverpool.)
> 11/23 Manchester, then South to Cardiff.
> 11/24 Cardiff. (2nd night)
> 11/25 Bath, Stonehenge, Winchester (stay at Winchester)
> 11/26 Winchester, Oxford, London
> 11/27 Leave London in the morning.
>
> How's this sound? Any small town along the way that I must stop by? I'm
> willing to spend less time in Liverpool/Manchester in exchange for the
> small town charm... but only if the weather is nice enough and things
> stay open... (The guide book is scaring me!)
>
I'd suggest staying in Chester rather than Manchester/Liverpool.
Its a much nicer small walled city with a good selection of restaurants
and is small enough to walk around.
Keith
jeremy...@yahoo.com
> Also, if you have a driving licence (say) issued in the USA for driving an
> automatic transmission would you be permitted to hire a manual transmission?
>
> I have friends visiting from the USA next year and this is a question that
> they asked.
Yes - a US license doesn't specify that it is for automatic
transmission [1].
G;
[1] At least mine - MA and TX - didn't
jeremy...@yahoo.com
chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h
offy a écrit :
> Nigel <nigelow...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>
> []
> > Also, if you have a driving licence (say) issued in the USA for driving an
> > automatic transmission would you be permitted to hire a manual transmission?
>
> My US license (PA, then later MA) didn't specify- I'm not aware of any
> states that do. The UK hire company will not care- but if you don't
> drive manual, it's worth checking in advance that the company you hire
> from offers automatics- not all branches will have them, and some others
> are limited in choice.
Yes - a RHD car, in London, after a long flight is not the ideal way to
learn to drive a manual shift car!!
G;
chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy
To tell the truth, it's not the ideal situation to drive full stop. I
don't recommend a long drive after such a flight.
The Reid
You probably know this but 11/19 will be 19/11 here. it could
cause confusion (in 10 years time most Europeans will think
"9/11" was in November)
>11/19 Arrive, London (Ealing stay)
>11/20 Drive A1 North to Leeds, York (York stay)
4 hours, why Leeds?
>11/21 A59 west, stop at Harrogate,
I understand Harrogate is nice.
>Clitheroe (small unknown Lancashire
>market town), Blackburn or Preston (for typical Lancashire towns) (Stay
>at outskirts of Liverpool or Manchester)
I don't know Clitheroe, Blackburn or Preston other than as names.
Are you interested in what real everyday England is like, as
opposed to the interesting bits? (these places may be
interesting, I've never been).
From school geography that's the area of the old water powered
wool industry, later other industry.
A tourist site says:-
"Preston is on the River Ribble, and developed from a market town
to a centre of the textiles industry then into an engineering
centre, with large industrial plants. Its growth is reflected in
its buildings, including Winckley Square with its large houses
built on the profits of the Industrial Revolution.
The Guildhall, its arts and events centre, is being restored.
Preston North End, one of the oldest football clubs, now has the
National Football Museum."
I don't know what you are looking for, is that it?
>11/22 If weather permits, then drive West to Caernarfon Castle, then
Preston Caernarfon 3 hours max
The castle is good, so is the one at Harlech
>round south to drive by Snowdonia and come back East to meet M6. If
>not, then I can stay in Liverpool for a day. (Stay at same outskits of
>Liverpool.)
In November you should only get snow on the "tops" if at all,
(hill summits), its after Christmas most snow falls, but you
never know. I have visited Snowdnia in January for 20 years or so
and have only known the low roads with snow on once. I've seen
flooding though on several occasions.
Why not stay in Snowdonia rather than Liverpool suburbs?
I have never visited the Liverpool suburbs, wont it just be
housing estates?
After checking the weather forecast you could drive through
Snowdonia, Llanberis pass next to Snowdon IIRC (A4086 rather than
A5) then to Betws y Coed and out.
3 hours
I would rather stay in the Pen y Gwydd half way up Snowdon than a
Liverpool suburb. but that me, not you.
>11/23 Manchester, then South to Cardiff.
>11/24 Cardiff. (2nd night)
>11/25 Bath, Stonehenge, Winchester (stay at Winchester)
I would stay in Bath rather than Cardiff. I would probably cut
out Cardiff and have a bit of time around Bath, maybe the
Cotswolds or the Wylie valley and meander to Winchester and
Oxford on backgroads.
>11/26 Winchester, Oxford, London
>11/27 Leave London in the morning.
If it was me I would ditch half the big towns/cities and go for
some smaller places in scenic areas, but that's just me.
Jan
If your driving licence is for an automatic car ( as is mine) you are not
permitted to drive a manual car.
Jan
Jan
> <jeremy...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h
>> offy a écrit :
>>
>>> Nigel <nigelow...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> []
>>>> Also, if you have a driving licence (say) issued in the USA for
>>>> driving an automatic transmission would you be permitted to hire a
>>>> manual transmission?
>>>
>>> My US license (PA, then later MA) didn't specify- I'm not aware of
>>> any states that do. The UK hire company will not care- but if you
>>> don't drive manual, it's worth checking in advance that the company
>>> you hire from offers automatics- not all branches will have them,
>>> and some others are limited in choice.
>>
>> Yes - a RHD car, in London, after a long flight is not the ideal way
>> to learn to drive a manual shift car!!
>
> To tell the truth, it's not the ideal situation to drive full stop. I
> don't recommend a long drive after such a flight.
Re Automatic licence
As a UK Licenced driver for an Automatic car, I am not permitted to drive a
manual car on that licence, I've asked our local police how that affects a
driver only trained to drive automatic cars in the States. Their view was
that they should check that the licence covered them for UK regulations
checking with the car hire people before hiring a manual car, otherwise. It
could prove very tricky if they had an accident, because they may not be
insured.
Jan
Keith W
"Jan" <j...@freeinternet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3t0udjF...@individual.net...
> chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h
>
> Re Automatic licence
> As a UK Licenced driver for an Automatic car, I am not permitted to drive
> a manual car on that licence, I've asked our local police how that affects
> a driver only trained to drive automatic cars in the States. Their view
> was that they should check that the licence covered them for UK
> regulations checking with the car hire people before hiring a manual car,
> otherwise. It could prove very tricky if they had an accident, because
> they may not be insured.
>
> Jan
The UK has reciprocal agreements with the US that allows US
license holders to drive here and vice-versa
Licenses are issued by the State over the pond and as
far as I know none has the sort of restriction you refer to.
I held an Ohio license for a while and it certainly did not
specify manual or auto. Bottom line is that if he has a valid
drivers license issued in any US state he's OK.
The actual wording from the DOT is
"A United States citizen who normally resides in the United States
and is visiting or temporarily residing in the United Kingdom, may
drive by virtue of his/her valid American license for a period of
one year from the date of his/her last entry visa. After this
period has expired, he/she must be in possession of a British license. "
Theres is no qualifying section about what type of
car he/she used to pass the test.
Mimi
So you don't intend to see anything of London? Lots to see there. Also lots
to see in Bath and environs. I assume day 11/26 is dedicated to Oxford,
otherwise again you're doing too much that day. In general, cities, whether
big or small, offer more sight-seeing options in off-season (rainy, dark,
cold) weather.
Marianne
chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy
> chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h
> offy wrote:
[]
> > To tell the truth, it's not the ideal situation to drive full stop. I
> > don't recommend a long drive after such a flight.
>
>
> Re Automatic licence
> As a UK Licenced driver for an Automatic car, I am not permitted to drive a
> manual car on that licence, I've asked our local police how that affects a
> driver only trained to drive automatic cars in the States. Their view was
> that they should check that the licence covered them for UK regulations
> checking with the car hire people before hiring a manual car, otherwise. It
> could prove very tricky if they had an accident, because they may not be
> insured.
I don't know why you bothered asking your local police- do they have
special training in US licenses? US licenses don't restrict you to auto
or manual. You can hire either kind of car in the UK upon presentation
of a US license- I've done it. It will have no insurance ramifications.
Jan
offy wrote:
> Jan <j...@freeinternet.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h
>> offy wrote:
> []
>>> To tell the truth, it's not the ideal situation to drive full stop.
>>> I don't recommend a long drive after such a flight.
>>
>>
>> Re Automatic licence
>> As a UK Licenced driver for an Automatic car, I am not permitted to
>> drive a manual car on that licence, I've asked our local police how
>> that affects a driver only trained to drive automatic cars in the
>> States. Their view was that they should check that the licence
>> covered them for UK regulations checking with the car hire people
>> before hiring a manual car, otherwise. It could prove very tricky if
>> they had an accident, because they may not be insured.
>
> I don't know why you bothered asking your local police- do they have
> special training in US licenses? US licenses don't restrict you to
> auto or manual. You can hire either kind of car in the UK upon
> presentation of a US license- I've done it. It will have no insurance
> ramifications.
I asked the local police because a guest wanted me to query it before hiring
a car.
Jan
Martin Rich
>
>OK, getting more specific now. First of all, I'm looking at my guide
>book and it says: "In north Wales and the hills of northern England,
>roads can sometimes be closed by snow." So this means I need to have a
>back up plan.
>
Snow is pretty unlikely to close roads in November and isn't likely to
be an issue for main roads: it certainly won't stop you from getting
to Snowdonia and Caernarfon. However you *will* almost certainly hit
traffic delays at some point
>I was think of this:
>
>11/19 Arrive, London (Ealing stay)
>11/20 Drive A1 North to Leeds, York (York stay)
Like (the other) Martin I'd be inclined to go to Leeds and York by
train and then pick up a car. Both have good train services to London
and within both cities you don't need a car. York in particular is
best seen on foot. Why not see if you can arrange a one-way car
rental to pick up in York on the morning of 21st and to drop off at
Heathrow on your departure? A bonus is that you'll be getting used to
driving on the left outside London and (hopefully) once you've slept
off your jet-lag.
>11/21 A59 west, stop at Harrogate, Clitheroe (small unknown Lancashire
>market town), Blackburn or Preston (for typical Lancashire towns) (Stay
>at outskirts of Liverpool or Manchester)
I'd second Keith W's recommendation to stay in Chester rather than
outskirts of Liverpool: easy access to Liverpool in one direction and
North Wales in the other, plenty of accommodation, and a nice place to
visit in its own right.
>11/22 If weather permits, then drive West to Caernarfon Castle, then
>round south to drive by Snowdonia and come back East to meet M6. If
>not, then I can stay in Liverpool for a day. (Stay at same outskits of
>Liverpool.)
>11/23 Manchester, then South to Cardiff.
>11/24 Cardiff. (2nd night)
Cardiff is a pleasant enough city but, given how tight your schedule
is, seems an unlikely choice for a two-night stay. Bath or Bristol
would have more to offer a visitor, or you could explore a rural area
in south Wales such as the Brecon Beacons, or the Wye Valley right on
the English/Welsh border
>11/25 Bath, Stonehenge, Winchester (stay at Winchester)
Winchester is a lovely cathedral city, but so is Salisbury, which is
very close to Stonehenge and for that reason alone would be a better
choice for a stop.
>11/26 Winchester, Oxford, London
>11/27 Leave London in the morning.
>
>How's this sound? Any small town along the way that I must stop by? I'm
>willing to spend less time in Liverpool/Manchester in exchange for the
>small town charm... but only if the weather is nice enough and things
>stay open... (The guide book is scaring me!)
I still think it's a lot of driving, though much less excessive than
your original plan, and I still think that the dark evenings are going
to be a bigger constraint on travelling outside cities than severe
weather
Martin
The Reid
>Why not see if you can arrange a one-way car
>rental to pick up in York on the morning of 21st and to drop off at
>Heathrow on your departure? A bonus is that you'll be getting used to
>driving on the left outside London and (hopefully) once you've slept
>off your jet-lag.
seconded.
>I'd second Keith W's recommendation to stay in Chester rather than
>outskirts of Liverpool:
thirded
Nick
- 11/19 Arrive London, tubes to South Ealing, stays at <a
href="http://www.ealingguesthouse.com/">Ealing Guest House</a>.
- 11/20 7 am train departs from King's Cross to York, arrive 8:55.
York all day. stays in York.
- 11/21 Pick up hired car at York train station, drives A59 west,
Harrogate, Clitheroe, Blackburn or Preston. Stay at Chester.
- 11/22 West to Caernarfon Castle, South to Snowdonia. (Stay at Pen y
Gwydd, Snowdonia?)
- 11/23 drive through Snowdonia, Llanberis pass next to Snowdon IIRC
(A4086 rather than
A5) then to Betws y Coed and out. South to Bath. Stays at Bath.
- 11/24 Bath, Stonehenge (Cotswolds or the Wylie valley?) Stays at
Bath again.
- 11/25 Winchester, Oxford (or ditch Oxford and check back at hotel in
Ealing. More time for London.)
- 11/26 London, stays in Ealing.
- 11/27 Heathrow, early morning.
Keith W
> Thanks, slight changes and more detailed
>
> - 11/19 Arrive London, tubes to South Ealing, stays at <a
> href="http://www.ealingguesthouse.com/">Ealing Guest House</a>.
>
> - 11/20 7 am train departs from King's Cross to York, arrive 8:55.
> York all day. stays in York.
>
> - 11/21 Pick up hired car at York train station, drives A59 west,
> Harrogate, Clitheroe, Blackburn or Preston. Stay at Chester.
>
Dont miss Bolton Abbey which is just off the A-59 between
Harrogate and Skipton, its one of the most beautiful spots in
Britain IMHO.
Be aware that between Preston and Chester you can expect heavy traffic.
> - 11/22 West to Caernarfon Castle, South to Snowdonia. (Stay at Pen y
> Gwydd, Snowdonia?)
>
> - 11/23 drive through Snowdonia, Llanberis pass next to Snowdon IIRC
> (A4086 rather than
> A5) then to Betws y Coed and out. South to Bath. Stays at Bath.
>
> - 11/24 Bath, Stonehenge (Cotswolds or the Wylie valley?) Stays at
> Bath again.
>
> - 11/25 Winchester, Oxford (or ditch Oxford and check back at hotel in
> Ealing. More time for London.)
>
> - 11/26 London, stays in Ealing.
>
> - 11/27 Heathrow, early morning.
>
Have a good trip
Keith
Lindsay Boyd
some of the best scenery.
There are cheap flights into the four main Airports, Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen and thereafter you will need to hire a
car.
Worth the extra distance and expense especially if the weather is
favourable.
Lindsay
www.caledoniahilltreks.com
Lindsay Boyd
The Reid
>- 11/22 West to Caernarfon Castle, South to Snowdonia. (Stay at Pen y
>Gwydd, Snowdonia?)
all sounds OK to me.
I checked spelling its pen y Gwryd, review at
"http://www.pyg.co.uk" although I couldnt get it to load when I
just tried. Theres also lots of accomodation in Betws y Coed and
the Tyn y Coed at Lanberis (thats where I always stay). But the
Pen y Gwrydd should have more atmosphere as your half way up the
hill, other quests, if any, will probably be hillwalkers waiting
for the weather to change!
The Reid
>Worth the extra distance and expense especially if the weather is
>favourable.
in November, hmmmm.
Lindsay
November.
Not today though winds on the mountain tops may reach 100mph.
ALAN HARRISON
>
> - 11/19 Arrive London, tubes to South Ealing, stays at <a
> href="http://www.ealingguesthouse.com/">Ealing Guest House</a>.
>
> - 11/20 7 am train departs from King's Cross to York, arrive 8:55.
A bit early, especially if you are making your way from South Ealing to
Kings +.
Alan Harrison
Martin Rich
wrote:
>Thanks, slight changes and more detailed
>
Much better and more manageable. Remember that you'll get the best
fare on your train to York if you book in advance and commit yourself
to a particular train. I'd recommend you to be at South Ealing tube
at 6am if you want to get the 7am train from Kings Cross. Book
through the train operator GNER directly at http://www.gner.co.uk/
>- 11/24 Bath, Stonehenge (Cotswolds or the Wylie valley?) Stays at
>Bath again.
>
Wye, not Wylie, valley: the nicest bits are along the road from
Chepstow to Monmouth. This is west of Bath while Stonehenge is south
and east: the distances aren't huge but doing both Stonehenge and Wye
Valley in a day trip from Bath would make a rather full day
>- 11/25 Winchester, Oxford (or ditch Oxford and check back at hotel in
>Ealing. More time for London.)
>
.. or possibly ditch Winchester and stay in Oxford; Oxford and
Winchester are both nice places but Oxford has more to see for a
visitor
Martin
Nick
a car, a question about the insurance, do you guys suggest getting
them? All these collisions damage waiver... insurance... theft
protection... it adds up to 150GBP!!! More expensive than the car hire
itself!!!
chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy
> On 13 Nov 2005 20:51:44 -0800, "Nick" <clone.o...@gmail.com>
> I'd take collision damage waiver, without it you might have to pay for
> a new car, if the car you hire is written off in an accident caused by
> you.
Or even if it isn't, if you can't get the details or find the person who
caused the accident. Some credit cards' will cover this- best to check,
and if you want to be really sure take the insurance offered by the
agency. Make sure you're covered for things like theft too.
The Reid
>Wye, not Wylie, valley: the nicest bits are along the road from
>Chepstow to Monmouth. This is west of Bath while Stonehenge is south
>and east: the distances aren't huge but doing both Stonehenge and Wye
>Valley in a day trip from Bath would make a rather full day
that's why its the less well known (unknown?) Wylie valley in
Wiltshire! Pleasant Cotswold like countryside off the beaten
track.
The Reid
>I'd take collision damage waiver, without it you might have to pay for
>a new car, if the car you hire is written off in an accident caused by
>you.
Isn't that usually collision damage *excess* waiver.
Martin Rich
<don...@fell-walker.co.uk> wrote:
>Following up to Martin Rich
>
>>Wye, not Wylie, valley: the nicest bits are along the road from
>>Chepstow to Monmouth. This is west of Bath while Stonehenge is south
>>and east: the distances aren't huge but doing both Stonehenge and Wye
>>Valley in a day trip from Bath would make a rather full day
>
>that's why its the less well known (unknown?) Wylie valley in
>Wiltshire! Pleasant Cotswold like countryside off the beaten
>track.
Sorry - that'll teach me to rush to conclusions when I read other
people's posts...
Martin
The Reid
>>that's why its the less well known (unknown?) Wylie valley in
>>Wiltshire! Pleasant Cotswold like countryside off the beaten
>>track.
>
>Sorry - that'll teach me to rush to conclusions when I read other
>people's posts...
its an east mistake to make, whenever I mention the Wylie valley,
people say, oh yes, I've been to the Wye valley!
Nick
find Chepstow and Monmouth...) Perhaps you can give me some town
names?
Oh, since I'm not hiring a car right from Heathrow, I'm going to stay
closer to London city, I've found the Windsor House Hotel in Earl's
Court. (Only waiting for their reply now... what's with England's
hotels? They don't check their business emails?) I guess I'll have to
call today.
BTW, anyone knows of a good B&B in York?
chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy
That's unusual you haven't heard- they tend to be very quick when they
give out an email address. After your overnight in London, is that when
you leave for York? You can get good deals on the Travelodge near Kings
Cross Station, or the Ibis at Euston which isn't too far away. Try
www.travelodge.co.uk and www.ibishotels.com
The Reid
>Seriously though, I can't find Wylie valley on Google maps. (I can
>find Chepstow and Monmouth...) Perhaps you can give me some town
>names?
It seems its "Wylye"
Warminster. Wiltshire. along the south edge of Salisbury plain to
Wilton and Salisbury. Its a string of tiny unspoilt villages on
your way to Stonehenge, avoiding the main road to the north.
Martock is somewhere in the area, we stayed there. Also
Heytersbury IIRC.
Nick
> It seems its "Wylye"
> Warminster. Wiltshire. along the south edge of Salisbury plain to
> Wilton and Salisbury. Its a string of tiny unspoilt villages on
> your way to Stonehenge, avoiding the main road to the north.
> Martock is somewhere in the area, we stayed there. Also
> Heytersbury IIRC.
> --
Thanks everyone for providing me with so much good info., especially
Mike! Thanks!! I've booked the Mont Clare B&B in York, Devonia Lodge
in Chester and Gwynedd Hotel in Llanberis. When I'm back from the
trip, I'll post all my pictures on flickr.com
http://www.flickr.com/groups/england/
OK, 2 final questions... Where should I get pre-paid SIM card for my
mobile phone (Heathrow? London?) and is it safe to eat beef in England?
;-)
Cheers,
Nick
S Viemeister
>
> OK, 2 final questions... Where should I get pre-paid SIM card for my
> mobile phone (Heathrow? London?) and is it safe to eat beef in England?
>
Sheila
Keith W
Absolutely NOT at Heathrow, there are plenty of outlets in London.
Keith
The Reid
>and is it safe to eat beef in England?
yes, firstly, extensive precautions have been taken (including
stopping the stupid idea of using sheep meat in cattle feed) and
the dire consequences did not seem to happen anyway on any large
scale. If you want to be "belt and braces" don't eat any cheap
beef products that don't look like a piece of meat, although I
don't think mechanically recovered meat is used much now, if at
all? IIRC there never were any BSE cases in organic herds,
certainly not in Scotland, so that may gives you another way to
go. Also, UK dealt with the problem , rather than hide or ignore
it, which may be happening elsewhere. I read there is BSE in US
deer populations, for instance.
Have a good trip.