There's one in Hemel Hempstead, north of London, that has six small roundabouts inside one big one.
Posted on 09/06/2010 5:03:14 PM PDT by Skooz
I'm toying with the idea of traveling to England after Christmas and staying a couple of weeks. I have always dreamed of driving from London to Glasgow and wonder if anyone has any perspective of doing so that time of year.
Cold. Drizzle. Overcast. Fog. Inedible food, but great ale!
The drive itself should be not much different than a winter drive in the US.
You will want to get you a good map, a GPS and learn your route beforehand:
These sites may help you understand how UK road numbering works.
Chris’s British Roads Directory: http://www.cbrd.co.uk/
Society for British and Irish Road Enthusists (SABRE): http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/
Yes, but there are Costco stores in England, and they do recognize your US membership cards, and their clothes won't cost a small fortune...:^)
First stop in Sept. was Costco to get a coat for the cold wife...:^)
If you like Walmart junk, just go to a super ASDA supermarket - all of the Walmart junk is there - same owners.
There's one in Hemel Hempstead, north of London, that has six small roundabouts inside one big one.
I was terrified at driving on the left. First the freeway speed of 70 miles an hour, on the wrong side of the road, driving a stick and approaching a roundabout. OMG. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Then the back roads are ultra narrow and a truck (lorrie) or car coming at you is sphincter tightening. No thanks. Never again.
Would you be doing this to yourself on purpose?
It’s been many years for me. But I got used to driving on the left quickly, even stick shift. Meeting oncoming lorries is no different than driving on a country road in VA (except you’re on the other side). It’s ok.
Dress in layers, there’s a reason for all the wool. Pack reasonable raingear so you stay dry.
Go - you’ll have a blast! Friendly people everywhere. (Unless you dislike both scotch and beer. In that case, stay home.) ;-)
Yep. I'm going through a divorce which is supposed to be finalized next month. Quite unpleasant. I've always wanted to visit England but never have. I already have two weeks off after Christmas. I thought it would be good therapy to travel there and fulfill a lifelong dream. Maybe lift my spirits.
Ditto to that. Practically all vehicles in the British Isles come with manual transmissions. The wife and I went to Ireland last year, and we wisely rented an automatic when we left Dublin. (You can get around Dublin quite nicely on the city buses.) You'll pay more, but it was worth it. Driving on the left side of the very narrow Irish roads was tricky enough without having to work a manual transmission. Strangely enough I enjoyed doing the roundabouts which I thought were going to give me a lot of trouble. Great trip though, Ireland was fantastic. I highly recommend driving yourself rather than going on a tour bus. You'll see a lot more.
According to my wife who grew up in England, September might be the best time of the year to vacation there. We went four years ago in September. We spend four days in London, and the temps were in the eighties each day with no rain. I can’t guarantee that it’ll be like that all the time. We’re going again next September, and we might not be so lucky.
Speaking as a non-world-traveler...
If you like art, London/area visit the Tate Gallery; and for ancient doodads as well as art, the British Museum.
Glastonbury.
Stonehenge.
Tintagel.
On the way to Scotland (not sure I’d drive it btw, take the train) you could stop and gander at Hadrian’s Wall.
There are more castle tours in Scotland, because there are many more castles that survive up there, big heavy lookin’ things.
Loch Ness.
Arthur’s Seat.
Anyway, have fun!
The drive out of Dublin down through Bray and beyond is beautiful, along the cliffs overlooking the Irish Sea, some parts of Dublin itself are, too. I stayed at either Jurys Christchurch or a small place out in Ballsbridge.
Ooops, and if you do go the Stonehenge, be sure to visit Salisbury Cathedral.
Maritime climates tend to have their best weather in late summer to early fall, Ireland’s the same as is our Pacific Northwest.
You will want to be in Edinburgh for New Years Eve. They call it Hogmanay, and it is one of the worlds greatest street parties. Edinburgh Castle is great any time of year. There are many other castles, palaces, and abbeys in Scotland that are also worth visiting. If you are a golfer then St Andrews will be on the itinerary. A Scotch distillery would also be worth the visit.
In England, the cities of York, Liverpool, Stratford, Oxford, Bath, Salisbury, Winchester, Warwick, Canterbury,and Chester are of particular historical interest, in addition to London of course. For scenic beauty the Cotswolds, Lake District, Peaks District, South Downs and West Country are noteworthy. There is any number of stately country homes that offer public tours.
When I go to England, these are my top destinations:
Old Trafford
Anfield
Goodison Park
Stamford Bridge
Emirates Stadium
London has about the same latitude as Winnipeg Canada, and Scotland is about the same as Hudson Bay in Canada. This means very little day light in the winter. The weather is quite warm because of the warm ocean currents, but the day light is scarce.
roads should be fine.... try to get up to scotland for new years. It’s a huge celebration! I spent many winters up there...less tourists.
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