rickmav

Anna1013 - I don't think it was a holiday when we went to Stourhead, just a beautiful Sunday. Although the National Trust was having some kind of membership promotion, but I can't think that was enough to bring everyone out.

Thanks CW and Julia_t for Dr. Jenner info. Another reason to - one day - go to Berkeley. One of the tourists, a Scot, at Lyte Cary
wondered if it was the same Jenner associated with a shop(s) in Scotland. The room steward thought yes. As far as you know, is that true?

yk - I don't think Canadians use British terms deliberately - although with so many Brits living in Canada - their lingo may have made its way into my subconscious. It's just that being middle-aged and having read English books for probably 40 years, watched English television and movies, and travelling there every two years for the past 25, I've picked up terms that I no longer filter out. When I was teaching I would often say something and the students would look at me and say, what does that mean? I would have used an English term for something instead of a Canadian one. Of course, they thought me a bit batty.

irishface - interesting to hear that someone had a similar reaction to Bath and Wells.

rickmav

A Perfect Day in the Country, the Dorset Coast and Fabulous Forde Abbey

It's our last day in Somerset and we really haven't got anything planned, so after a leisurely morning, we decide to really put the miles on the old Vauxhall and drive through parts of Dorset, East Devon and Somerset.

(Last night, we were sitting watching television and the bell ringers at the local church started practicing. We experienced this once before when we were staying in a cottage just outside Banbury. The weird thing is that the day before we'd watched Midsomer Murders and it was the one where the bell ringers are killed off one by one.)

Last year, on an episode of Relocation, Relocation, we saw a town called Burton Bradstock. It looked charming and when we study our driving map, it doesn't look that far away, so we decide to check it out. It's a bit overcast and windy, but not too cold.

By the time we get there, it's time for lunch, so we stop at The Three Horseshoes in the center of this tiny village. This is one of the best pubs we've been to in England. Not only is the food great, but there's no piped music or video games, it's bright but full of character (beams, fireplace, etc.), and there's a nice, middle-aged crowed enjoying their pints and lunch. (I can't stop staring at one woman; she is a doppelganger for Virginia Woolf. Eerie.) And the staff is friendly and helpful - they stop by our table twice to see if everything is okay and if we need anything).

The pub has two 'Special of the Day' blackboards, one is for regular dishes, the other is seafood. Rick has fresh salmon with new potatoes and salad. I have lasagne and chips – I never understand why the English serve you potatoes with pasta – and a side salad. They also have a house dressing which is very good – kind of like a creamy Italian. Both meals are very tasty.

Although Rick orders at the bar, it's the first pub we've been to where you don't pay when you order (food or beer), you pay when you are leaving. Costs us £20 for meals and a pint each.

We wander around the village after lunch, then decide to head for the coast, which we saw as we drove in. We follow the road to West Bay. Lots of caravans off to one side, which kind of spoils the look of the cliffs and the bay, but there is a beautiful shingle beach and the ocean is wild and gorgeous. Rick has to hold on to me so I can take a picture. In the distance, we can see a pier, so decide to try and find it.

We find the pier, on the outskirts of Bridport. The waves are absolutely slamming into the beach. We're both mesmerized by it. You don't see much wave-slamming action on the Prairies in Western Canada. Rick says he wishes we'd just camped out here for three weeks. We watch a family with two boys who are further down the beach. The kids are seeing how close they can get to the water without actually getting wet, when all of a sudden a huge wave comes in and douses both of them. The parents scramble to drag them out of the water and for a moment, my heart is in my mouth as I think I'm witnessing something really awful.

(Later, we see them in the parking lot and all of them are drenched. They are standing at the trunk of their car, sort of staring inside, hoping that somehow a change of clothing will appear.)

There are some people out on the pier, but they come in soon after we get there because the waves are getting so wild. I've often wondered why on CNN you always see these idiots standing on the shore as Hurricane Tallulah towers over them, but it must be something primeval. Today, I realize I could be one of those idiots. The air is so fresh, and when you lick your lips, you can taste the salt on them.

We follow the A35 through Bridport and along the Jurassic Coast (http://www.jurassiccoast.com/) to Lyme Regis. A nice drive, with beautiful views of the ocean. The area was England's first Natural World Heritage Sight and is rich in fossils.

We have every intention of stopping in Lyme Regis, but it is a twisty, steep, complicated place to drive through (reminds me of Lynmouth in North Devon), with cars on each side, and both of us are paying such close attention to not having an accident, that we can't find an available parking spot. So, we decide to keep driving on to Forde Abbey. But we both agree one day we will return to this part of Dorset.

Lots of narrow, country roads before we find Forde Abbey (http://www.fordeabbey.co.uk/pages/index.php). It's overcast and we are the last four people to go through the house, which is kind of fun because there are no crowds, but some parts are little scary and I'm glad Rick is with me. It's the kind of place I imagine where a country house murder could take place, with accompanying thunderstorms and no electricity. Rick thinks I'm demented when I tell him. Doesn't everyone come up with one good murder mystery idea a day?

The house was originally a 12th c. Cistercian monastery (as was Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire) and is now a private home (covered under the GBHP – we save £18). At one time, the monastery owned 30,000 acres in Devon, Dorset and Somerset. One of the abbots even became the Archbishop of Canterbury and died on the Crusades with Richard the Lionheart.

Forde Abbey was passed around a bit after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and now belongs to the Roper family who still live in one part of the house.

You approach Forde Abbey through the Kitchen Garden which is so lush, you want to stop and pick a big basket full of cabbages, onion, etc. I love the way the English grow flowers in amongst the vegetables. From this angle, the building looks like a large church with something built on, but from the front it is a dark, regal, huge manor house.

One of my favourite rooms is the Saloon. According to the room steward, the walls are covered with Mortlake Tapestries woven from cartoons painted by Raphael, on display in the V&A Museum in London. The originals were commissioned by Pope Julius II; this set was made in London at the Mortlake factory in about 1620. Even the sofa is from 1670!

The Upper Refectory is pretty cool, too. It was originally built for meat-loving monks. The order had originally been vegetarian and when that changed, some of the group were disgusted with the carnivores so they had a separate place built for them. Today, it's done up as a library with a 21 ft. long table made from a single tree on the estate. The Monks' Dormitories are on another floor, although you can't go into the cells, they were converted in the 1800s for the servants.

As it is getting cold and it's time to close we don't explore the gardens, but they look extensive, with some interesting fountains and vistas.

Rick does a marvelous job in getting us back onto two-lane roads and by the time we get home it is raining hard. We spend the evening packing, tidying up and bemoaning the fact that in 48 hours we'll be back in Canada.

<Next: Packed in Like Sardines, Sweating in the Hilton and Laughing with French & Saunders

Anna1013

"Not quite. We know we are. The French aren't quite so sure."

I'll try to keep that in mind


rickmav,

Your descriptions of Glastonbury tie in to the only thing I know about the area. I think it's called the Glastonbury festival, and I believe it's held during the summer. It always sounded alot like Woodstock to me.

I always find it interesting that there is a Jane Austen Centre in Bath, when she basically hated living in Bath.

Too bad you couldn't stop at Lyme Regis - I've never been, but I hear it's a great place to visit.

rickmav

Packed in Like Sardines, Sweating in the Hilton and Laughing with French & Saunders

The next morning we are up early. Before we leave for Taunton, our landlord reads the meters – we have to pay extra for heat, elec. and linen – and our bill comes to £24. (We paid £20 for heat in Devon.) We chat about the financial situation and John tells us he mistakenly followed Warren Buffet's advice (!) and invested another £50,000 (!) in the stock market a few days before and it was not doing well. (I thought the English were supposed to be reticent about discussing their finances with strangers?)

We are dropping the rental car off in Taunton, then taking the Great Western train into London Paddington. Our car is from Europcar, booked through Autoeurope, and we are told to bring the car back empty because they will charge us for a full tank of gas, regardless of what is still in it. What an idiotic scam. The guy who dreamed it up probably got a big promotion and thousands in bonuses. No matter how hard we try, we still return the car more than a quarter tank full.

(We are shocked when we receive Europcar's final bill to discover that we've been charged £1.57 per litre for the gas. The highest we saw petrol when we were in England was £1.08, the lowest 99p. Plus they charge us VAT on top of that – I thought the VAT was included in the price of the gas? We never paid VAT at the pumps. For a small Vauxhall Astra, they charge us £71 for a full tank of gas. That's almost half of what it cost us to rent the car for two weeks. We spent £56 total for petrol the entire time we were travelling through Devon, Dorset and Somerset.

Plus they charge £24 for 24 hour service – which was not on the Autoeurope voucher, and £10 for pick-up, when I had an email from their office saying they would do it for free. Autoeurope have said there's nothing they can do about any of it; we are currently waiting to hear back from Europcar re: our list of complaints. They did not charge us, however, for the small ding on the mirror, so maybe we should just keep our heads down. I don't ever remember car rental being such a crapshoot.)

The one thing I do like about this car rental experience is that we were met at the train station with the paperwork and car, and when we drop it off, we leave the keys with a taxi company located just outside the station. Very easy.

The train is packed to the rafters when it arrives at Taunton. A young woman who steps on my toe tells me that it's the beginning of half term so everyone is going somewhere. Good thing we booked these tickets ahead of time (at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk:80/).

I would definitely travel by train again. We traditionally rent a car at Heathrow, but this was nicer, particularly if you are staying in London first. You get the advantages of still seeing the countryside without having to worrying about the driving part.

We have booked the Hilton Paddington (http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hote...hotel/index.do) for our last night in London, since that's where this train goes and is where the Heathrow Express leaves from tomorrow. We could have booked it for £109 before we left on an internet deal, but didn't, thinking we might get it cheaper if we waited. "He who hesitates....". We end up paying £119.

We like this hotel a lot. Although on the smaller side for a Hilton, compared to North America, it is bigger than any of the B&Bs we've stayed at in London, with a luxurious bathroom and a mini-bar (which we never use except for keeping our water in it), safe and flat screen TV. The linens and decor are lovely, too. And it is very quiet. The only problem is that there is something wrong with the heating system on the upper floors of the hotel and even with the air conditioning on, we are very hot. We should have changed rooms but we are spending most of the day out and won't be back until 11 p.m. so decide to put up with it.

It was wonderful to get off the train, cross the main concourse, take an escalator up one floor and check into our hotel. When we go out later, we only have to go down some stairs to the underground station. I know others have commented that Paddington is a kind of no man's land for restaurants, etc., but for our needs, for one night, it's perfect. Besides, there are lots of quick food places at Paddington, bookstores, drug store etc., a great coffee shop in the hotel and a Sainsbury's open until midnight for the panic bottle of wine or last package of crisps.

Our plan is to go to Covent Garden, shop for last minute gifts, wander about (loosely following a Theatre Walk from the internet - http://www.londonforfree.net/walks/theatre/theatre.php), have a nice lunch, then return to the room to freshen up before we go to see French and Saunders at the Drury Lane theatre. Part of the plan works.

We pick up some of the tacky gifts we've been asked to buy at the Covent Garden market – Rick likes the haggling – then have lunch at the Nag's Head. It's very good and very busy – as is the entire area. Rick has fish and chips, I have the lasagne, plus ½ a pint each – costs £22.

But on the way home, the tube doesn't move for some time before there's an announcement that someone has fallen ill at Baker St. so the trains are delayed. We wait for about 15 minutes, then decide to try our luck with the buses. We emerge into Friday afternoon, half term, rush hour. We eventually get back to the hotel, after taking a bus and two tube lines – to discover our room is hotter than ever.

The rest of the night is fantastic though, we really enjoy the French & Saunders Farewell Tour. We pick up our tickets about 45 min. before the show begins. We ordered them through Broadway Box - http://www.broadwaybox.com/ - based on a suggestion on this site and everything worked very smoothly. We saved £40 on the two tickets (we pay £40 each, they were selling for £60). We just go to the counter at the theatre with our confirmation email and the tickets are waiting for us. The fellow at the Drury Lane box office tell us you can't pick up the tickets before 5:30 p.m. because that's when the company sends them over.

On our way to the theatre, we pass by a lingerie store window and both of us jump when one of the models in the window winks at us. I move Rick quickly along before he starts slobbering. There's lots of entertainers about and one fellow, with a beautiful voice, is singing 'Lady in Red'. It's a pretty song – but didn't Chris de Burgh leave his wife for the babysitter after writing it? Someone should correct me quickly if I'm wrong, I don't want another potential libel case.

I have been a fan of both French and Saunders, individually, for years, but never really knew much about their joint act. The place is sold out and if you can imagine an entire theatre jiggling with laughter you'll get an idea what fun it is. There's a skit with references to Dawn French's 'Vicar of Dibley' and the two women do the original skit –theirs – which became the basis of Jennifer Saunders' 'Absolutely Fabulous'.

I'll only mention two of the things I like the best – to Steppenwolf's 'Born to be Wild' (Get your motor running, head out on the highway...), the two of them come out as their lady pensioner characters on scooters and do a kind of motorized synchronized dance. Hilarious. The final encore skit is with the two male pensioners they do, peeing up against a wall and not able to get their flies up because of their big stomachs. One eventually helps the other and then they stare at each other, moving closer and closer, and French says to Saunders – "I'm having a Brokeback Mountain moment." Even Saunders broke down laughing.

Rick's favourite is a take-off of the British television show, 'Strictly Come Dancing' with both ladies dancing with those dummies that are attached to their shoes, and a send-up of Brits who retire to Florida.

Afterwards, we stop for a drink at the pub directly across the street, Nell's. It's very busy, but we take our drink outside and sit on the steps of the theatre people watching. I don't know if we are allowed to, but no one seems to care. Lots of great outfits, and some kind of scary ones, fascinating couples, groups of men obviously enjoying a stag night. The weather is warm, but there's a crisp breeze. Great way to end our last night in London.

We get home quite late and the hotel has put a big fan in our room that helps. Have a good sleep and since you don't have to check out of the Hilton until 12, our flight doesn't leave until 3 p.m., and we are taking the HEX to the airport, we don't rush.

We enjoy taking the Heathrow Express. It takes 15 minutes, the seats are very comfortable, there are little televisions in the cars with the news and places to put your luggage. Nobody stepping on your toes or giving you dirty looks because your luggage is blocking the aisle. No stops and very easy. You pay for the comfort, however. It costs us £33 for the two of us. I feel less guilty when I remember all the cabs I didn't take but could have in London. In our opinion, it's worth it. I think you can get a cheaper fare if you book over the internet some days ahead.

Getting through all the security hurdles at Heathrow looks intimidating, but actually goes quite quickly. First, they check the number and size of your carry-on bags. You have to hold in your hand a plastic baggie (the mid-sized one, not the big freezer bag) with your liquids as you go all the way through security. None of the liquid/gel bottles can be more than 100 ml. No water is allowed.

Then they check your boarding passes and everything is put through the scanners, including everything you are wearing, except for pants, with a zipper. Then you go through passport control. Then you have to take your shoes off, even sandals. There's something 'levelling' seeing rich, poor, all nationalities walking around in bare/sock feet.

We have lunch/brunch at O'Neils (Rick gets there after all), partly because we are hungry and partly because we'd prefer to sit at a table – so I can write in my journal – then the hard chairs in the waiting areas. Rick has the all-day breakfast and I have the soup. Expensive at £22, but we 'rent' the table until our gate is called. Rick picks up my favourite perfume and booze at duty-free while I write.

The Air Canada flight is completely full and we are about ½ hour late leaving because of the number of planes on the runway. But it is otherwise uneventful – always a good thing – and before we know it we are flying over a very brown Calgary (but no snow – hurrah!).

A couple of overall thoughts about our trip. We continue to enjoy England and each time we go discover something wonderful about the country, people, culture, etc. We also learn more about the real England vs. the chocolate-box image. But we both agree it's time to go somewhere else. We've never been to Normandy or seen parts of Germany. We haven't been to Rome and only spent a day in Paris. We've never been to Central Europe. Outside of Europe, we've never been to Egypt or the Caribbean. We've had this love affair with England that makes it always seem better than any other travel option, but I think it's time to cut the heartstrings. For a while, at least.

Thanks for your comments. My travel experiences are richer because of Fodor's. Cranky, flattering, curious, wise – your viewpoints constantly expand the way I see the world.

yk

rickmav - I hope you get some money back from Europcar/Autoeurope. They should refund you at least the 24-hr service and the pick-up fee. There has been a few success stories on the "Beware Europcar" thread on getting *some* money back, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Did you write to the Hilton to complain about the heat? I would, and I think you should get some compensation back.

Which Heathrow Terminal did you fly out of? I flew out of T3, and no, we didn't have to take our shoes off. That has been my experience in Europe - shoes stay on.

Last comment. Do consider Germany. I find it one of the cheaper West Europe countries to visit, esp if you stay in smaller cities/towns. Food is also cheaper there too.

Thanks again for indulging us with such a wonderful trip report.

ron

rickmav writes, "We have every intention of stopping in Lyme Regis, but it is a twisty, steep, complicated place to drive through with cars on each side, and both of us are paying such close attention to not having an accident, that we can't find an available parking spot."

If you do return, you really aren't supposed to try to park on that amazing, narrow street - there is a large car park above the village, near where John Fowles lived for the last 35 years of his life.

rickmav

Hi yk - I've got my fingers, arms, etc. crossed, too. I've been following the Beware Europcar thread and hope that my impassioned email to them will do some good.
I forgot to say that the Hilton did give us £10 off the room. Not a lot, but we should have moved.
We also flew out of Terminal 3 - isn't that weird. We had to take them off at Heathrow in 2006 as well, but not in Italy. Thanks for recommending Germany. Rick has seen a bit with his family when they went on a World War II anniversary trip twice, but I've never been. Sounds like a good research project for the long, cold, Canadian winter.

ron - Thanks for info. on parking in Lyme Regis. We'd had such luck parking in the middle of places that we just assumed Lyme Regis would be the same. I think we missed an opportunity to see a great place. Well, it just means someday we definitely have to go back there.

Anna1013

rickmav,

Thanks so much for finishing off your report. I learned so much about the countryside in England, and hopefully I can return soon. I understand your love of England, since I'm feel the same way about England and Paris - you want to try new places, but it would just feel wrong going all that way to Europe(about half-way across the world for me), and not spending time in your favorite places.

I feel so bad for you about your horrible Europecar experience. Wasn't it Kristina that said they told her she had to clean & vacuum her car or she would be charged for it? Did they tell you that also?

What was the 24 hour service charge for? We used Autoeurope, but used National for our car in England. The agent was very nice, and at least we had the option of pre-paying for gas when we returned the car. 71 pounds for gas! That's huge, especially when you've been budgeting other parts of your trip.

The French and Saunders play seemed fun - I've known about Abfab, but only recently started watching Vicar of Dibley...I really love Dawn French.

Agree with you about Heathrow - it does seem overwhelming, but all our experiences have been good. No lost luggage, and all the security workers have been very nice to us - especially compared to the stormtroopers at SFO who were about to take down a woman for not removing her water bottle 10 seconds before she got to the x-ray machines...ugh.

julia_t

Thank you for finishing this wonderful report, I've really enjoyed reading it, and your writing is so descriptive and evocative. Now I have to find time to visit Stourhead! I now also have Lytes Cary and Montacute on my list of places to visit. Somewhere I think you would enjoy on a future visit would be Tyntesfield, near Bristol.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-tyntesfield


I don't know what to say about your experience with Europcar, just don't use them again lol. Though if they haven't charged you for the mirror then maybe you have got off lucky!

I'm sorry that parts of your trip were marred by ill-health, and that we were prevented from meeting, but when you decide to return to England's green and pleasant land - is Christmas 2009 now being reconsidered in favour of Germany or somewhere else? - then we will no doubt meet.

Until then, happy travels!

yk

rickmav - If you are bored during the long Canadian winter and want to think about Germany, I whole-heartedly recommend this excellent trip report by Fodorite Artstuff: a 17-day journey through Southern Germany by public transportation. It is as good as your TR (if I have to compare the 2 ).
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=35116484

rickmav

Anna1013 - glad you enjoyed the report. You're right, England is one our favourite places and I normally can't wait to return. But I'm not getting younger, and I think we better start seeing some other parts of Europe. No, we didn't have to clean and vacuum our car - wouldn't that be strange? Still waiting to hear back from Europcar, hopefully they will be reasonable. I'm assuming the 24 hour service charge was if we broke down - it never explained it on the rental agreement. But that's the first time we've been charged for it - by anyone - and there's always been a sticker in our rental car with a number to call if you have car trouble.

julia_t - Tyntesfield looks really interesting, particularly that you can see the National Trust in the process of restoring one of these houses. We've visited Chastleton and it was also a different experience because the Trust basically repaired it so people could walk through and then left it. An interesting contrast to most of the places we've been. My assortment of ills does put a damper on things at times, but I love travelling so much, I refuse to let it stop me from going somewhere. I'd rather be sick overlooking the sea in Devon, then staring out the window at our condo complex in Calgary. Our plans for Xmas, 2009 are still uncertain but we enjoyed ourselves so much in 2006, we will probably come to England for part of it, plus somewhere else in Europe. Of course, that depends on whether the economy continues to implode. If it does, my husband may not retire, but work another year or so. I'm a great optimist and know there will be some kind of adventure in the future! Would love to meet you then and as I said before, if you're ever in our part of Canada....

yk

rickmav - did you win the lottery? BTW, the National Trust places I visited last month didn't seem to sell the lottery tickets. I didn't get to them until after Nov 1, so I wonder if the sale ended in October?

rogeruktm

Nice report, but have to admit to scrolling over what you said you ate and where, and I have to say I felt a bit sorry for your husband. Unless I missed something I didn't see one mention of going to a "guy" site. No military museums, mostly fluff stuff. Now having said that I am sure he, as well as you, had a truly grand time. Me, I do "her" one day and the next is "his". Of course, perhaps he doesn't care for tanks,planes and ships.

Good report...glad you both enjoyed it.

rickmav

Hi yk - I'm not sure when the sale ended, but we didn't win. The National Trust posted the winners on their website. It's unfortunate because I'd already spent the money - in my mind.

Hi rogeruktm - I won't tell my husband that you've basically called him a wimp, but after almost 32 years of marriage we kind of 'give and take' around things only he enjoys, what we both enjoy, and places I like best. I'm not sure if that's the secret to a successful marriage, but I guess it doesn't hurt. That said, we've been to England many times and have spent days in the Imperial War Museum, have visited most of the castles in the UK, except for Berkeley, have spent, it seems, a third of our holidays in pubs, watched all kinds of sports - live and on television, visited Duxford, Bletchley, his cousin's submarine at Portsmouth, etc. All of which, I must say, I enjoyed immensely. As to fluff, I'm not sure if that's what you would call the National Trust estates, cathedrals, gardens, etc. but he doesn't see it that way, thank goodness.

sallyky

Didn't have time for a full read. Looking forward to coming back to it.