Archive for the 'Trips' Category
The UK Blog of The Nomad…A Summary
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007I’ve just completed a 2,000 mile road trip in the UK. Here is a summary of my route and some tips and tricks for your next UK trip.
Starting from the London area, my stops included the South Downs, New Forest, the Source of The Thames, and Avebury Stone Circle. I then continued into South Wales and up through the middle of Wales to North Wales and finally to the Lancashire Coast and Dales, finishing up at the Yorkshire Moors.
There were many fine pubs and tea shops enroute and they were all worth a visit. Do stay at the Plas Derwen pub in Abergavenny for some fine food, accommodation, cask ale and the friendliest staff who never stop smiling and joking.
The Vale Hotel in Cricklade, Wiltshire offers a fine pint of Horizon bitter and good accommodation, food and a good place to walk the Thames Path before visiting the Avebury Stone Circle.
Always try and make a stop in the market towns for morning tea, lunch or overnight and try a pint or three of local cask bitter.
Wales is a magical place to tour. A visit to LLangollen with lunch at The Corn Mill, and a day trip on the canal to cross over the amazing aqueduct is memorable. Try and fit in the steam train as well and have some tea whilst listening to a local Welsh Male Voice Choir…a real treat.
In season (September/October) take in the Blackpool Illuminations by tram and walk on the huge beach by the Irish Sea. Just a little north of Blackpool in Fleetwood you can find an outlet shopping centre and some fine cockles near the ferry terminal. Cleveleys also has some excellent butcher shops offering the finest meats, bacon and pies, often close to a bakery for some other local treats.
The Dales and Moors are some of the most beautiful places to walk or drive with superb towns and villages, all with their individual attractions, from pubs to tea shops to churches and the ruins of the Abbeys from the 1500’s.
I found the perfect pub, but it takes a bit of finding. The Pack Horse at Widdop between Burnley and Hebden Bridge offers superb food (try the beef barley soup and house pate), a tasty Black Sheep ale and accommodations with perfect views of the hills. Enroute you might even get to see some belties (belted galloway cattle) which are just a little different.
A tip…when touring the UK…get off of the motorways and try the B roads and white roads on your map. Stop frequently, even in a layby for a bacon sarnie and a cuppa or take a picnic lunch from a local bakery or deli. Even get off of the map and take a country road or two and you will find something quite unique….a tractor, some sheep, or the ubiquitous ‘white van’….beware of these white vans!
Gas/Petrol is about a quid per litre but distances are relatively small and the small cars are usually quite efficient (40+mpg). Apart from restaurants in the evenings you will find breakfast and lunches all reasonable priced and normally very good…..believe me!
Another tip….if you have a full breakfast at a B&B you will probably need to forego a fine lunch at a local pub but then you will need an afternoon tea in a traditional tea shop. Even for evening meals, you can normally find a reasonable pub menu/price and can always find a takeaway (but seek out local knowledge first)….
’till the next time….cheers…The Nomad
North West England…
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007If you are in the North West of England in September or October, be sure to take in the Blackpool Illuminations by tram from Cleveleys. For a snack buy a Grimes prok pie from their shop in Cleveleys and then head up to Fleetwood for some outlet shopping and try some cockles , whelks and mussels from the ‘kipper store’ near the ferry…and even send home some kippers by mail!
The Nomad
The Nomad in London
Thursday, September 20th, 2007Having completed The Path, it was back to London for The Nomad:
When visiting London it is not necessary to stay in town at pricey hostelries. Consider the Travelodge at Morden (end of Northern Line Tube) for only 26 gbp and try a local English fry up at the Central Cafe across from the hotel. Get a travelcard at any tube station for 5.70 gbp and you can use the trains after 9.30 am and the buses and tubes all day. A great, cheap way to get around the city.
While you’re there, take the Original Tour. The bus tour includes a great two hour cruise on the Thames, and has an excellent guide commentary. You can get on and off the bus at will during your tour.
Other must visit sites are of course are The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Thames Path walkway and the Cheshire Cheese pub on Fleet Street.
Next, it was onto The New Forest and the South of England. Things to do here include enjoying a pleasant walk or drive in the New Forest and visiting Poole and Corfe Castle in Dorset. While there, try to find Breamore House near Fordingbridget, the Queens Arms at Birley or the Cross Keys at Mannington for good pub grub, a pint, or tea and coffee.
The Nomads Tips for Driving in the UK.
- Stay away from Motorways if you want to see the countryside or want a relaxing drive.
- Take A or B or white roads.
- Stop at village pubs or tea shops and walk around the next corner to local churches for some free history lessons.
- Buy your lunches at local bakeries or deli’s and find a quiet place to picnic and feed the ducks.
- Beware of White Vans in your rear-view mirrors!
- Get used to tailgaters in your rear-view mirrors!
- Watch out and slow down for all speed cameras.
- Keep on the left unless getting off of the ferry in France!
- Try and enjoy traffic roundabouts by only going around once!
- Rent a small car if only 2 people - you’ll get better gas mileage (40 - 50mpg) and the smaller car makes it easier to enjoy driving the small country lanes.
- Get quotes on rental cars. Rates vary quite a bit between companies.
- My quotes for 25 days with a drop-off at Manchester Airport were:
Keydrive 595 gbp - Europcar 525 gbp - Alamo 509 gbp - Enterprise 430 gbp - 1car1 423gbp - Kendal and Thrifty had no drop-off
…so take care and do your homework!
Crop Circles…believe them or not!
I have always been curious and fascinated by Crop Circles, both in Wiltshire and around the world, so I had to stop at the Avebury Stone Rings (Sarson Stones) to learn more. Unfortunately I was a little late in the year to see them, so I’ll have to return again with my info book in hand. Something is out there!
Even though there were no crop circles, this part of England is a great place to enjoy country walks and drives. Places to visit around here are Marlborough, Calne, Devizes and Pewsey. And don’t forget to check out the Chalk Horses and ancient settlement areas dating from 4,000 BC.
The Nomad
The Nomad Saunters the Thames Path Walk
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007The Nomad is in the UK right now, continuing his epic walk along The Thames Path. His last saunter along the walk ended short due to inclement weather. Here is his first report back from his latest meanderings.
So far I’ve only managed to cover a couple of sections of The Path, and both were totally different in their appeal.
From Runnymede, through Windsor Great Park, and on to Cookham you see a river full of pleasure activities, surrounded by history and fine homes. The finest of these homes belongs to The Queen. The Long Walk through Windsor Castle should be taken instead of the Thames Path as you can stop for a good pint at the Two Brewers, at the entrance to the Long Walk. Buy a pastie in the town and play the tourist for a while before continuing by the Watermans Arms, dating from 1542 AD, on to Cookham. If you have time in Windsor, take the open bus to Eton and the surrounding countryside for a nice hour or two.
I drove on to Cricklade to do the final section of The Path through meadows, and it is here where The Thames is merely a brook. It is not as interesting a stretch as the previous sections of the wal, but there is some history here in that the water meadows have been preserved and you can find the old Thames/Servern canal that is now dry. I recommend staying in Cricklade at the Vale Hotel and having a pint of Horizon bitter while enjoying the village.
The Nomad.
The Yucatan Peninsula
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007One of the Nomad’s favourite winter vacation spots is The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. He recently went there for a couple of weeks and had some musings to share:
The flight to The Yucutan this time was on Alaska Airlines from Vancouver, BC. One has to wonder how the airlines get away with not serving any food on a 5hr plus flight unless you are willling to pay $5 for a sandwich (no choice…only turkey …and not real turkey but ‘pressed into service’ ), and no entertainment unless you pay $10 to rent a thingamajig with unknown movies! The only enjoyable aspect of the flight was the ’singing stew’ on the flight into Cancun..the only idol to be idolised at Alaska Air!
Two excellent restaurants in Cancun always worth a mention. They are both next to the Hotel Casa Maya (near the big flag). You can enjoy superb Italian at Dolce Mente Pompeii with the ocean lapping the beach about 10ft. from your table. The second restaurant is The Cove Restaurant with ‘on the beach’ dining. They have a superb fish platter that you really should try.
Being one of my favourite winter destinations I’ve done most things on offer around Cancun. So this time I opted for a brisk catamaran sail to Isla Mujeres, and it made for a memorable day on the water.
With so much to do in Cancun, there is something for every traveler. We rented a ‘beater’ and drove to Merida for a few days. We were advised to take the toll road, which was quite pricey and resulted in 180 miles of very boring scenery. On our return to Cancun we drove on old roads through local towns and villages which was far more enjoyable.
Merida is a gorgeous Spanish-Colonial City dating back to the 1500’s. It is well worth a visit to walk the city streets and try the local Yucatan foods. You can also pick up a genuine Panama Hat from the ‘Fair Trade’ shops.
There are many places close to Merida to visit but these will have to wait for another trip. One could easily spend 7 days in Merida, making day trips to the surrounding country where history abounds. And when you’re out and about there are plenty of local taverns where you can grab a cold one and some table snacks.
For some great travel options check out www.ecotravelmexico.com. These folks were very helpful when I needed some expert advice on Merida - boutique hotels, restaurants, places to stop and see, etc. If you like what you see, check out TopTravelVouchers and save some money with your booking.
The Nomad
Au Revoir France
Thursday, September 6th, 2007We had a wonderful trip to France this year. Paris was nice and warm, not too crowded, and provided a nice contrast to our second week in Annecy. The French Alps were inviting, friendly and peaceful, although a bit wet the week that we were there. But hey, that’s the mountains - ever changing weather. It was over 30 degrees Celsius a few weeks before we arrived.
Enjoy your next trip to France. Just like any trip overseas, bring some reading material, playing cards and a desire to relax.
And have a great time. We sure did!
The Travel Bum.
Cycling along Lac D’Annecy
Friday, August 31st, 2007Today was the day we’d all become cyclists, so we headed to the local bike shop and got ourselves some bikes. The prices are very reasonable, and the shop owner, a bloke from Australia, was very accommodating, even giving us some bonus time. I made the mistake of not wearing sunglasses, so other than watery eyes, enjoyed the ride a lot.
There is actually a bike route all the way down the west side of the lake from Annecy, continuing after the lake ends, for a total distance of about 40 km. The route is nicely paved and makes for a really nice biking tour of the area.
After the wonderful sun of our biking trip, it rained again. Guess that’s the Alps for you. We found an internet cafe in Annecy to check our emails, but had trouble because the keyboard is not configured the way we are used to. So plan to be there twice as long as you originally thought, because it will take you twice as long to type your emails (at least).
We also stopped in at Auchon again. This wonderful chain of groceries stores are not as plentiful as Champion, but are much larger and offer a wonderful variety of French foods. Cheeses and wines galore. Keep them in mind on your next trip to France.
The Travel Bum
Albertville
Thursday, August 30th, 2007Albertville, site of the 1994 Winter Olympics, is approximately an hour drive south east of Annecy. Like most of the drives around this part of the world, the drive was spectacular. Cute and small, Albertville has a great walking downtown with lots of shops for a town of its size. Sites to see include the Stadium Olympic and the hockey rink, as well as an old medieval city.
We then headed up the Col de la Madeleine, one of the famous Tour de France mountains, with a height of 1984 meters. The stunning alpine terrain and huge mountains take your breath away. Our drive took us to the very top, above the snow line (even in May), and our road actually climbed above the tops of the ski hills. It was very interesting. After posing for photos at the top to commemorate our summit, we headed down the other side of the mountain, through the local ski village. At the base we had a snack at St. Jean de Maurienne, and dropped 2 of our travel mates off so they could ride their bikes up Cole de Glandon, another famous Tour de France ride. The roads are narrow, steep and very impressive for cycling on.
On our way back we stopped in Grenoble for some very nice Indian food, before heading back to base camp at Annecy, via Chambry.
The Travel Bum.
Geneva, Lausanne
Wednesday, August 29th, 2007Annecy is located a 30 minute drive from the Swiss border. So when a friend of ours was flying into Geneva we all piled into the car and headed out to pick her up. Crossing the border, we had to buy a permit to drive on the Swiss highways, required for all vehicles. After collecting our friend, we headed downtown to see Geneva. Located right on Lake Geneva, the city is bustling with activity and quite charming. Everyone in Switzerland speaks English, so you won’t have any trouble getting around.
Our next stop was Lausanne, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee. Lausanne is further along the north side of Lake Geneva. Our GPS had a bit of a tough time getting us to the entrance due to some construction, but we eventually made it and really enjoyed the IOC museum. Memorabilia from the Olympics are on display with some interactive displays, and as we have recommended before, get the audio guide.
The Travel Bum.
Annecy, Day 2
Friday, August 10th, 2007After a late start to the day, probably because of our long drive the day before, we headed out to explore the Lac D’Annecy area. We began by heading towards downtown, although we did not head into the old part of the city. We had been warned by several people that the traffic in the older part of town is atrocious, and to not drive there. We meandered around the lake until we came upon Chateau de Menthon Saint-Bernard.
This 1,000 year old castle is still inhabited, and offers tours of some parts of the castle. Although it was all in French, we still enjoyed the tour guides dressed in costume and taking on roles of castle inhabitants during its day, and we could make out the general idea from the small English guide book. Beautifully maintained, the Chateau gives you an idea of life in a French Castle a thousand years ago. If the name sounds familiar, its because St. Bernard was a mountaineer who made many of the mountain passes safe for travellers and gave his name to the famous rescue dogs of the mountains, St. Bernards.
We continued around the lake on our drive around the lake, which is well worth the effort. The small towns on the lake shore are very cute and quaint, and include Talloires and Sevrier, our home base for the week.
Take a drive to the top of Col de la Forclaz. Popular with cyclists, the top of this mountain offers panoramic views of Lac D’Annecy, and one the right days, the chance to watch paragliders and hangliders launch form its lofty perch. You might even be able to see someone taking off on this webcam.
yours in travel,
the travel bum