As I probably mentioned earlier, my wife and I are planning on visiting the UK in the summer. Plans are to spend a little more than three weeks renting a car and driving around like crazy. I have set a ballpark figure on what expenses may run. I don't think I have been very conservative with these amounts, but would like some input. Not including airline tickets, Heritage Passes, passports, souveniers, etc., I came up with these....
1. 3 weeks car hire--- 500 pounds (off the net)
2. petrol (2000 mi @ 20mpg @ 4.5 pounds per gallon)--- 450 pounds
I can't seem to find a current petrol price on the net
3. 21 nights at Bed and Breakfasts--- 2500 pounds
4. Food @ 30 pounds per day--- 630 pounds
Breakfast free...light lunch (Marks and Spencer?)...decent supper

I don't plan on visiting and worrying about running out of money and sleeping in the car the last few nights. Does this sound rational (besides spending all of this money), or is it a pipe dream? Don't really want to borrow money from the retirement fund, but will if I have to.

Thanks!

You should be able to comfortably exist on that, petrol is about 85p per litre at the moment which is about £3.85 per (British) gallon. You should be able to get way more than 20 mpg unless you want to hire a tank, a regular car with room for two plus luggae and a 1.6-1.8l engine should get at least 40 mpg so petrol might cost you more like £200. Of course the price fluctuates a lot so it could be more when you come.

£120 per night for B&B will get you a very luxurious standard except for London where it's more expensive. For that price you could stay at Shrewsburys most expensive hotel and have some change. Outside London you could get a very decent standard of B&B for £70-80 for two people.

As for food, a light lunch from any sandwich shop, M&S, cafe etc should be about £3-4 per person and in the evenings, a pub meal or regular Indian/Thai/Chinese/Italian might start at £10 per head with a drink and obviously you can go as expensive as you like if you want to eat at michelin star places all the time.

Good quality and reliable national chains include Pizza Express and Strada (PIzza/Pasta), Wagamama (Asian Noodle style), Cafe Rouge (French/European), Wetherspoons (cheap British pub food).

If you need any more info please shout. :)

Thanks for the info! Although the cost of the total trip is quite staggering to me, we are not planning on going the luxury route. Sub-compact car, decent B & Bs, etc. I know I am overestimating, but better to err on the side of caution. I would like to return home with a little money. I want to do this right. It will be 27 years since I was there and will probably be a few more years to return. Again, appreciate your help. :D

What places do you plan on visiting? Evidently you're going to visit Shrewsbury, but where else will you be whizzing off to? :D

Possible itinerary...land in London...couple of days in Bath....couple of days near Land's End....couple of days in Shrewsbury.....couple of days in Wales and Angelsey.....probably a week in Scotland....few days in the central part of the country (York, etc)....about 5 days in London...maybe an over-nighter to Paris.

I had originally planned on more than a couple days in Shropshire, but sadly, the relatives I had in Shrewsbury passed on a few years back. I always wanted to go back before they died, however, I had to wait and get a decent job where I could afford it. My grandfather and I went in 1979. He grew up at Aston Bottrell before immigrating to the States. I spent two weeks in Shrewsbury and a day in Wales. We didn't go anywhere else and spent only a couple of hours in London. I loved Shrewsbury. The people were nice and I liked the lifestyle of my relatives. My mother has some distant cousins and I believe they live near Birmingham.

I know it probably seems like an exhausting trip. But, where we live, the nearest hospital is 90 miles. The nearest pharmacy (not in Mexico) is 90 miles. The nearest shopping in a city of any decent size is 250 miles! Driving long distances is nothing to us. Of course, it helps when we pay about 1.6 pounds per U.S. gallon for petrol!

What time of year will you be visiting? The most touristy places can get very very busy in August and at weekends and public holidays throughout summer.

Wherabouts in the US are you from?

I would rather go in the "shoulder season" around September. Kids are out of the house and it's just my wife and I. I guess it may be a bit cheaper and less-crowded. By the way, when does school start there? My wife's job is busier during the second and third weeks of the month. Me, I can probably take off any time. BUT, the 25th wedding anniversary is August 28th. So, I'm guessing August 15-September 7th, or something like that.

We could wait until late September, but again, the anniversary. Also, we want to take advantage of the long days.

We're in Presidio, Texas. And, living on the border, you can probably guess what I do for a living.

Drug smuggler? (Only joking!)

I stopped at a supermarket in Presidio a few years ago (2001), would never have guessed that some ex-shropshire folk lived there!

Schools generally go back around the first monday in September, the weather in September can still be pretty good but like you say, the days start to get shorter.

My job is to look for the smugglers. :P

Not sure if I made myself clear, but have been in the US all my life. My grandparents left the UK in the early 30s to Canada and then later, Illinois.

That's amazing that you have been here. You couldn't have been in this area for the sole purpose of visiting Presidio. Did you go to Big Bend or Mexico? We have some who live in Texas and don't know where Presidio is. Not only that, there are some who live 250-300 miles away and only have a vague idea on the location. If you went to Mexico, I might have seen you. We've been here since 1996.

The port is my second home. Right now, I'm on my second 16 hour shift in a row.....1600-0800hrs. Two hours...25 minutes to go, but whose counting! :P It's pretty slow between 0100-0600 as you could guess if I am on the forum.

I didn't fly to the US just to see Presidio, nice as it is!

I was with a couple of friends doing a road trip from NYC to LA, we had just spent the night camping in Big Bend, had a look around some sort of ghost town (don't remember the name) just outside BB then stopped in Presidio for supplies before heading up to Marfa and El Paso.

Didn't go into Mexico from Presidio (Had a brief look around Ciudad Juarez from El Paso) but we did get pulled over and searched at a checkpoint on the road from Presidio to Marfa.

Could someone recommend a mobile phone service to rent while we're on holiday in the U.K? I know our cell phones will not work there. We just need something simple, and I can't see using more than 100 minutes in a three-week period. We won't need any international calls...that's what e-mail is for. I guess I need to find a basic phone and then buy a SIM card. Since we'll be all over the U.K., who has the best coverage area? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

If you don't mind motels travel lodges offer cheap accommodation
https://www.travelodge.co.uk/

Thanks,
With the exception of London, we've booked mostly B & Bs. We've left a few days open and we'll just see where we end up. On those days, we'll just take our chances on what we'll find. However, we would like to purchase or rent a phone just so we could call ahead and see what's available....or in case of some type of emergency.

Don't know if this helps

http://www.o2.co.uk/international/visitorstotheuk

Alternatively, you could just buy a cheap "pay as you go" phone when you get here.

as a last resort,we still have public telephone kiosks and not all of them have been vandalised ;)

s.g.d.

thanks for the info....looks like we may go the "pay as you go" route. never used one, but for our purpose, it seems that would be the best way to go.

I am realy looking forward to your views on the UK, AFTER your visit.

I think many Americans are surprised at what they find, especially when they venture out of London (which sadly few do). England, and more widely the UK, is a very diverse country with an incredible mix of peoples, culture, towns, landscapes, etc all within what is a very small area on the Earth's surface!

Mark - to get a feel of what life is like in Britain and what our politics is like, etc, buy one or two newspapers whilst your here. I recommend you go for one of the serious papers such as The Times or The Guardian. You could of course have a laugh too and buy a "tabloid" paper such as The Sun.. :lol:

Indeed, I think many Londoners are surprised by what they find when they venture out of London (which again, few do!) :huh:

I can understand why people coming from the Americas hit the main tourist traps (London, Stonehenge, Stratford, etc) but they must go away with a really warped view of the UK. Do you mind us asking what is on your list Mark? We may be able to suggest small detours to other places along your route that most tourists wouldn't see.

Our itinerary has changed a little since I posted it in this thread back in December. My wife and I will hit some of the more popular tourist spots, but our main interest lies in historic buildings and sites that might be a little off the beaten path. When we land in London, we're going to see one of my relatives in Reading. Then, we're going to skip Stonehenge and instead stop at Avebury before going to Bath for two days. I can't believe we're not going to Stonehenge, but I've heard you pay your money and then, strain up against the rope to see it from a distance.

We have purchased British Heritage Passes, so I know we'll get out money's worth as the admission for Windsor Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Tower of London, etc. is a bit steep.

From Bath to St. Ives for three days. My wife has some family research to do there and we'll see St. Michael's Mount, Tintagel, and Land's End. After that, it's to Shrewsbury for about a day. Like I stated before, I was there in 1979 for two weeks with my grandfather visiting his brother's wife and his nephew. Sadly, no one in Shrewsbury is left, although I do have a very distant relative nearby. My grandfather lived in Aston Botterell while growing up, and my grandmother was from Birmingham. Both immigrated to the States in the 30s. I went there in '79 and my parents saw it back in the 90s. I am trying to find out the location of a small church there. It may be called St. Michael's and I need to e-mail the minister. I liked the lifestyle there in Shrewsbury, but then again, I was only 19 at the time.

From there, go to Angelsey and Snowdonia for a day, then to Scotland. No, we're not going to Blackpool. On the way see York and Hadrian's Wall. Then, Edinburgh, Inverness, Isle of Mull. Stop in Haworth (wife is a Bronte fan) and then London for about five days and maybe a day trip to Paris. I know, it's not way off the beaten path. Not enough time to go to the Orkneys or Shetlands, but....maybe next time.

I used to read the London Times when I was in college, and am a little embarrassed to say I did go to the Sun's website a few months ago. I won't pretend to even begin to understand your politics. If I did, I could watch Blair on the television over here. Again, thanks for all the info you've provided!

The church at Aston Botterell is indeed St Michaels in the diocese of Hereford. Their website has the Rev J Rowland as vicar (tel number 01746 712636). I love the email address - jenny@rowland4.demon.co.uk :)

I'm guessing that might be the only church there? I have been intending to e-mail the vicar. I do recall the church was fairly small, maybe about 12-16 pews. I believe it had an organ or piano, and we signed the guestbook back in 79. Mom and Dad came along in the 90s and found our signatures in the book.

Yes, it's a pretty small country church with a service once a month now. There's only around a dozen houses there. The vicar would be looking after several such small churches in the area.

here it is:



s.g.d.

Fantastic! Thanks so much s.g.d. Just got home from work and sent the link to my parents to see if this is the one.

Hi Mark
Remember,Paris is only about 3hrs from London on the Eurostar high speed train,(185mph),a day trip is possible with cheap returns available,check web site.

Still haven't made up our minds about Paris, yet. I know it's possible to get tickets for about 50 pounds from Eurostar. It would be a busy day, but I think we could do Notre Dame, St. Chappelle, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, etc. Also, the hotel in London that we're staying at is about 400 yards from the train station. So, if we're not exhausted from the previous 20 days or so, I think we'll give it a go.

Mom says that is the church....and that the farm where my grandfather grew up is right down the road. Thanks again!

glad to be of assistance, happy travelling.

s.g.d.

It's been nearly two months since we returned from our trip. It was quite expensive, but worth it. While we were there, it got to the point where I just didn't care (too much) about how much we were spending. Some examples...

1. 99 pounds for what you might call a budget hotel in London. In most U.S. cities, 99 pounds would get you an extremely nice room. Yeah, I know, it's London!

2. Petrol....no need to say much. Here, I am paying one pound 50 a gallon.

3. 30-40 pounds for an average dinner for two. I can count the number of times I have spent that on dinner in the U.S. on one hand.

However, I wasn't going to scrimp on the 25th wedding anniversary trip. Now, I have to start paying for it. :o

A brief? summary to bore you with...

Landed at Gatwick and was through and in the hire car in no time. Took the scenic route (big mistake) to Bath. It became apparent very quickly that we were going to have to cut out part of our sight-seeing because we underestimated the driving times on some of the A and B routes. Pouring down rain and pretty much had to just drive by Avebury and the stone circle. Stayed two days in Bath where I was violently ill for one night. Enjoyed a walking tour and saw the sights mainly in the downtown area. Wife bumped a curb and damaged the tire. Eventually had to replace it in Cornwall. Stopped a couple of hours in Glastonbury. Felt out of place because I no longer have hair down to my shoulders. Pretty much don't have any hair.

About driving....I don't think we Americans should drive in the U.K. :lol:
We got used to it eventually and fought the urge to move over to the left side of the road after we returned home. Loved the roundabouts...and the road marking signs were easy to follow. That being said we still missed turns and got lost!
The best place to drive was Scotland. Less traffic. We had to return the hire car to London and couldn't find the place. What a nightmare!

Anyway, went to St. Ives. St. Michael's Mount was awesome and hanging around on the coast was nice. Stopped at Tintagel on the way to Shrewsbury. In Shrewsbury, we stayed at a B & B on Abbey Forgate and ate at a pub across the street. The B & B was very nice, but the pub food left a lot to be desired. I have to say we ate at a LOT of pubs but maybe we caught the one in Shrewsbury on a bad day. We mingled with the locals and when we told one older gentleman that we were going to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, I thought he might cry as he was originally from that area of Scotland. Regrettably, due to time constraints we didn't see much of Shrewsbury and a lot of what I saw I didn't remember. Of course, it was only 28 years in between visits.

Spent about an hour at Aston Botterell at the church and seeing the house my grandfather grew up in. Then headed north. The atlas we had was good for point to point traveling but had tiny city maps. Spent about an hour more than we wanted to in Wolverhampton. Spent the next morning at Hadrian's Wall and sped north to Edinburgh. We had to arrive at Edinburgh a day earlier because of the Tattoo to which we scored tickets after it had been sold out. Because of that we didn't spend more time in Shrewsbury and skipped Wales altogether.

I'll take a break and you can wake up now.

Unfortunately for you Mark the pound sterling has a lot more value than the dollar thats why its so expensive i'd say. 2 dollars to the pound isnt it therefore the dollars value over a period of six months has nearly halved.

P.S. Doing all my xmas shopping in New York it pays!! ;) Hope you enjoyed our country its steaped in Heritage !

I met a couple of guys that were planning trips to the States and had started to purhcase dollars. In the long run, I like to see the dollar doing poorly and others like the pound and yen doing well. A lot of my retirement is periodically invested in the overseas markets like the FTSE.

We did four days in Edinburgh and a couple of days on the Isle of Mull. Then, we took our time winding our way back to London. We thought that we would tolerate London solely to hit the tourist highlights. We're not fans of big cities. However, we loved London. Didn't love the prices, but using the buses and taxis (tube was on strike for a few days), was easy and the hotel was right on the Thames. It was fun to do the tourist thing during the day and hang out along the river at night.

All in all, we really enjoyed London and Scotland the most. Quite a contrast between hordes of people and wide-open spaces. We'll have to return because we over-extended ourselves and missed a lot of sites. The people were fantastic and I can't remember anyone that was disagreeable, even in pub discussions. Not once, did someone finding out that we were from Texas bring up Bush, which I kind of expected.

I tried 27 types of beer, ale, lager, etc. They were fairly average with only a few that were exceptional and one that was nasty.

The food...too bland for me. Beef was not that great. I ate more lamb in those three weeks than I have in my entire life. I did not have an exceptional meal during the trip. I guess I didn't know where to look. Believe it or not, the food I enjoyed the most was the pasty. It seems like every pub and restaurant had the same basic dishes. Haggis and black pudding were new experiences and I had them several times.

Can't wait to go back, but have to wait until I pay this trip off.

If you found the food bland, you should have tried some Indian restaurants for a bit of spice, they are usually pretty chaep too, I know that one in Shrewsbuury does a 'beat the clock' menu where you pay according to the time you enter the restaurnt for 3 courses, ie enter at 6:30pm, pay £6.30, enter at 8pm pay £8.00

There are also lots of good British restaurants but cheaper pub food can be very hit and miss especially in the generic 'chain' pubs which do all have similar dishes, many places don't even cook it themselves, just heat up frozen food! I guess with the state of the dollar, you didn't fancy splashing out on higher quality restaurants though, that's a shame because there is lots of good food to be had.

I'm glad you enjoyed the trip in general though, the dollar has fallen even further since you came, it's almost $2.10 to £1 now so that'll be good for your investments :)