Some thoughts on travel to England

 

AIRPORTS AND IMMIGRATION .  Most flights go into London Heathrow but, depending on your itinerary, you might want to consider alternatives (Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow etc.).  Hopefully shorter lines and faster baggage reclaim.  Immigration at international airports is easier (usually) than it used to be as the entry scanners can now read the chips in American passports.

 MONEY.  Even though Britain is fast becoming cashless, go to an ATM upon arrival and get some (not many) pounds sterling. Be sure you have a chip and pin card or even better, a card with a “tap” chip. The old card-swipe process is pretty much a dinosaur. Use cards whose issuing banks do not charge foreign transaction fees. Many people now use smart phone payment systems anyway.

 CAR RENTALS. If renting a car, be sure to inspect the vehicle carefully upon hiring. The companies sometimes ding you for any minor scratch you may have overlooked.  One-way rentals incur a huge premium. They also give you the car half full of gas and expect you to return it likewise. Their way of making money on gas.  When returning a rental, fill up at a petrol station a few miles away from the airport where petrol stations charge a premium price.  Petrol is mind-boggling expensive anyway but consumption is good and distances are short. I think that car theft is rare but better keep valuable (money, credit cards, passports etc.) with you.

 TRAINS.   Wonderful between bigger towns & cities and some more rural destinations.   Advance booking creates crazy-huge savings on ticket prices. I use https://www.thetrainline.com/    

 DRIVING.  In Britain, vehicles drive on the left side of the road. Furthermore, the driver's seat is on the right-hand side, which means you shift with your left hand instead of your right. However, the clutch, gas, and brake pedals are in the same positions you're used to. Automatics are now readily available though usually at a premium. 

 Many roads are speed monitored by traffic cameras for both speed limit violators and traffic lights.  Stick to the posted speed limit and don’t gun it and go through lights as they turn red. Watch a video on roundabout etiquette and how they are supposed to work (yes …. they do work). Roads in rural areas can be very narrow, sometimes single track.  Assume a zero-tolerance approach to drink and driving: always use a designated driver.

ELECTRICITY.  UK power sockets are 220-volt, 3 x square pin plugs so you will need plug converters (these are not transformers) to accept the US flat pin plugs.  Charging devices for laptops, phones etc. are multi-voltage these days and do not need a transformer. Anything that uses a heating element or motor will probably still require a transformer which can be a royal pain.

MEDICAL INSURANCE.  I suggest that US participants consider taking out health insurance.  The UK national health system is based on residency (not citizenship) and is not available to foreign visitors without charge. However, hospitals and doctors will treat you straight away without even mentioning money but will then probably submit a bill (albeit a fraction of what it would be here). Finding good travel insurance is a challenge …… shark-infested waters.

 PHONE SERVICE.  T-Mobile include some level of international service in their US plan. It’s an optional extra for Verizon, ATT, Sprint.  For those of you using US cell-provider international plans, your phone numbers will remain the same. If you have an unlocked, GSM-compatible phone, the better alternative may be to buy a UK pay-as-you-go SIM card for your US smartphone upon arrival. You will get a new, temporary number. They are readily available at supermarkets, larger petrol stations and newsagents.

 TIME TO GO.  North-west Europe benefits from the warm waters of the Atlantic Gulfstream which means that the climate is generally mild. The best months are April, May, September, October. Air conditioning is relatively unusual and so any atypical heatwaves (July – August) can be a challenge. English high-school summer breaks are typically mid-July to early September. University summer breaks are from mid-June to mid-September.  Remember that London is about the same latitude as Saskatoon which means the summer days last from about 4 am to 10 pm and the winter days from 9 am to 5 pm.  

 ACCOMMODATION.  B&Bs are usually delightful, often in peoples’ homes.  Residential pubs can also be pretty cool. VRBO and Airbnb are now firmly established in England in the bigger towns and cities but in rural areas you might be better off with one of the myriad of other holiday-let agencies such as Sykes Cottages etc.  Rural Retreats specializes in luxury listings and the Landmark Trust specializes in historic buildings. There will be cultural quirks in an English rental versus an American one. Get over it.

 FOOD.  Dispel any pre-conceived stereotypes you may have about food in the UK.  It has improved immeasurably since the austere rationing days of WWII and, although it’s still possible to encounter bland, overcooked food, it’s also possible to find innovative fine dining in many places. Note that a lot of the upscale restaurants have gone to all-in 2 or 3 course menus. It’s OK but not great for people with a very small appetite. You might want to pass on the black pudding at breakfast. Most restaurants will not automatically give you water which, as well as soft drinks, may come without ice unless requested (one cube or two?). Generally, no free refills on soft drinks.

PUBS.  Finding good beer and good food in pubs also means paddling in shark-infested waters.  Many pubs have converted to gastro-pubs to survive (due to laudable, yet draconian, drink/drive laws and the prohibition of smoking) so the traditional neighborhood pubs that focus solely on conviviality and well-kept beer are becoming a rarity.

THE TRADITIONAL LOOP.  The typical circuit for US tourists seems to be some sort of combination of London, Stonehenge, Stratford-upon-Avon and Bath. This is unfortunate as these destinations are likely to be extremely crowded. Think out of the box.

 SO …. WHERE TO GO?   Spoilt for choice …..  and this does not include Scotland, Wales or Ireland.  

 London.  Preferably allow at least a week and expect mind-boggling crowds.  Don’t even dream about having a car. All national museums are free. My personal favorite museums are the Victoria and Albert Museum, National Gallery and the Tate.  For world-class historical sites, consider Westminster Abbey, Tower of London etc.  Also, get away from the tourists by walking across Hampstead Heath on a Sunday from the south to a pub lunch in either Hampstead Village or in Highgate. Also, a tour of Highgate Cemetery is worthwhile. Sharon’s earthly Happy Place is Kew Gardens.

Other fabulous cities.  York, Durham, Lincoln, Wells, Oxford, Chester, Manchester (as a successful, post-industrial urban renaissance).

Soft, classically English countryside. Perhaps the Cotswolds (Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire).

More rugged, mountainous countryside.  The Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District.

Hardy Country.  Dorset. Consider adding Devon and/or Cornwall.

East Anglia.  Suffolk and/or Norfolk. Gorgeous and perhaps not so crowded.