Just got back late Saturday from are U.K. trip - so I want to get in my report while everything is reasonably fresh in my mind. However we have been having some internet problems - so I may not be able to get it all done right away - bear with me.

Overview:

The trip was very very good. Thanks to everyone who answered my questions.

First the results of some specific questions and answers - some of which are just generic travel, some of which are UK specific.

Driving in the U.K.:
Thanks to the suggestions and great websites provided by posters here - this was probably our LEAST STRESSFULL U.K. driving experience.
My husband checked out the websites and really seems to have finally mastered Roundabouts. The whole trip he only made one significant driving error - which he quickly realized and corrected safely.

Socks for me:
I found that cycling socks(Defeet) and a rather thin pair of
Running socks from Runner's World worked the best for me - NO blisters and no hot feet

Shoes:
I had three pairs - my old running shoes - the best for countryside walks, a new pair of SAS shoes - really good on cobblestones and uneven pavement and a pair of Crocs - good to get into at the end of a long walking day.

Weather:
The BEST weather we have ever had on a U.K. trip - very little rain (just at the very beginning and at the very end of our trip). The days were sunny and warm (I actually had to buy a pair of shorts)(mid 20's C) and I tanned a little.

Accommodation - Overall Impressions:

We found every B&B and Guesthouse we stayed at was quite satisfactory.
All were clean.

Our only "complaint" and it is a pretty minor one - was the lack of non-egg breakfast choices. This was a small disappointment because on our U.K. trip before this one (to Southern Scotland and Northern England) we had actually encountered a couple of B&Bs with really nice alternative choices to eggs for breakfast. To anyone out there in the U.K. running a B&B - consider offering something other than eggs (how about cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, muffins, croissants, brioche, nutella, peanut butter????) Not many people want to have eggs (in any form) for breakfast for two weeks. We mostly ate the cereal, toast and fruit and yogurt - which was OK.

On a more positive breakfast note, EVERY place offered yogurt and a couple offered a really good selection of fresh fruit.

Our Itinerary:

We landed at Manchester and spent our first night at a B&B in Wilmslow (more about that later).
Then we drove to Ironbridge in Shropshire and from there to Dolgellau in Wales. Then to Criccieth and then to Betws-Y-Coed in Wales. Then to Church Stretton in Shropshire and finally back to Wilmslow. We were in the U.K. for a total of 2 weeks.

In subsequent "installments" I will deal with what we did at each "stop" and review the accommodation and any significant dining experiences.

Us:
Middle-Aged, somewhat active - we LOVE to walk and therefore did a LOT of walking on this trip. I was a history major at university and my husband is interested in industrial history and quirky things.

TTT

U.K. Trip - Part 2 - First Night in U.K.

Flight:
We flew (overnight) from Toronto to Manchester on Air Transat.
The flight was O.K. We decided to fly "Club Class" on our outbound flight and "Coach" on our return flight. Had we known that the outbound flight would be about 1/3 empty, we probably would have flown coach on both flights. On the return flight, we were able to get an "extra seat" and that made things feel much more roomy and comfortable.

At the Airport in Manchester:
We were able to find the "limo" (actually a van and very roomy) company (AIRPORTCARZ) quite easily. They are located near the car rental area. They were courteous and helpful. Cost 10 Pounds

They drove us to our pre-arranged B&B - Heatherlea Guesthouse in Wilmslow (near the airport).

Here things got a little odd. Just after we pulled in and were starting to unload our luggage, one of the owners came out and informed us that we had been moved to another guesthouse because the current occupant of our room was ill and could not leave. We did not raise any objections (too jet-lagged and exhausted to make a fuss) but it was definitely disconcerting. I am really not sure why they just did not move us to a different room and if necessary 'bump' a later arrival (we were early arrivals) to the other guesthouse. Oh well it all worked out OK in the end.

We were sent to the nearby "Finney's Green" Guesthouse and AIRPORTCARZ graciously drove us there at no further cost.
......Continued

Good start, but are you planning on a different thread for future "installments"? I hope you will just use this one so I will be sure to find the rest of your trip report.

OK, well, it looks like you already answered my question! Thanks!

U.K. Trip Report Part 2 - First Night - Continued

Finney's Green Guesthouse was fine for our needs. It was an older "listed" building with some quite interesting architectural features (beams, low ceilings etc) and a very pretty garden. the owners were very friendly and helpful.

We walked (or stumbled in our jet-lagged state) to a nearby pub (recommended by our hosts) and had quite a decent dinner in a friendly environment (I wish I could recall the name but my brain was not high-functioning at that point).

The next morning (a bit drizzley) we ate a decent breakfast (poached egg on toast, good cereal selection)(I could still tolerate eggs at this point). The usual "hear attack on a plate" was on offer but I couldn't eat it and my husband doesn't eat like that 1st thing in the morning.

Our hostess' husband turned out to have his own car hire business and so drove us back to the airport to pick up our rental car. His rate was VERY reasonable - 5 pounds.

............continued

U.K. TRIP REPORT - PART 3 - Day 2

Car Rental:

We picked up our rental car at the Manchester Airport.

We had booked our car through a local (Toronto) broker - European Cars and I recommend them VERY highly. They got us an excellent rate with Hertz for an automatic. Hertz gave us no problems about not getting CDW (My husband got his credit card upgraded to cover car rental - well worth it). Hertz was pretty good - the car was in great condition and we were upgraded.

Only one minor issue - the agent did not bother to explain that to get out of the parking garage you have to get a ticket from the machine (Luckly for us one of the guys working there came over and helped us when we were trying to figure out how we were supposed to get out).

............continued

U.K. TRIP REPORT Part 3 - Day 2 - Continued

Getting out of the Manchester Airport and on the road:

OMG - what a stressful few minutes. You shoot out of the Terminal 1 parking garage and into roundabout hell - poor signage and multiple roundabouts - needless to say we ended up somewhat of course. Our intention was to drive south directly from Wilmslow and NOT to get on an "M" highway right way. Welllll - we found ourselves on the M56 instead of the ring road. All ended well - we exited the M56 and got back to Wilmslow and headed south.

Our destination for the night was Ironbridge, Shropshire but we took our time and made a few stops along the way.

First stop - Biddulph Country Park for a lovely walk. It was drizzling a bit - so we only took a short walk - about 2 miles - all very green and pleasant - not much uphill and easy paths. Just a nice break.

Second stop - Little Moreton Hall located just south of Congleton off the A34.
We loved this place - one of the highlights of the trip - a beautiful Tudor building with tons of architectural features beautifully preserved. The guided tour was detailed and accurate - I was impressed. My husband was amazed at how they were able to save the impressive hall by installing an invisible metal cradle to support it. Truly worth a stop if you ever find yourself in this area.

..............continued

semiramis:

Nicely done - sorry about your B&B but pleased to hear it all worked out.

Looking forward to more.

Sandy

bookmarking

U.K. TRIP REPORT - PART 3 _DAY 2- Continued

After Little Moreton Hall, we headed for the M6 - direction Telford.

We arrived at Ironbridge at about 4PM. The drive from the motorway into town was a little hair raising - steep narrow streets (it is a Gorge!) with lots of doubtful parking practices in evidence. Once we got to the actual ironbridge - which combines function and beauty and historical interest, we parked and started to call around for B&Bs.

It was a long weekend - so our first few calls were fruitless - so we decided to try something a bit above budget and a bit out of town. We called a 5* place - Bridge House (a short distance out of town in Buildwas near the power plant). Not only did she have vacancies but the place was empty. it was 75 pounds (for two) per night. Our budget was 60-65 pounds per night but we were tired so we decided to blow the budget for two nights.

Bridge House was very nice with lots of little extras (chocolates, fresh towels every day, good quality biscuits and hot chocolate and teas in the room). Nice bathrobes were also supplied. At breakfast the selection of fresh fruit was the best - blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes and others I can't remember and the selection of cereals was quite good too. Our hostess was very friendly and helpful. The beds were very comfortable. Was it worth the extra money? To us - no. We would rather have had the extra 10 pounds to spend elsewhere and done without some of the "extras" BUT if all those little extras are important to you - then it is worth it. We certainly liked the place well-enough and can recommend it.

U.K. TRIP REPORT PART 4 - Day 3 and Day 4

We spent the next day and a half day doing various museums in Ironbridge.

We did:
Ironbridge and Tollhouse

Blists Hill Victorian town
- a pretty good re-creation of some aspects of what a Victorian town in this area would have been liked. For my husband the highlight was watching iron being made. For me - I found the dentist' office fascinating.

Coalport China Museum
I liked the giant kilns and the beautiful china

Tar Tunnel
Weirdly interesting but not for the claustrophobic

Jackfield Tile Museum
- my favorite of the museums. The re-creations of tiled rooms were amazing ( I loved the pub and the bathroom.) The art tiles are so lovely

The next morning we did:
The Museum of Iron
- my husband's favorite. I was suitably impressed by the giant Darby furnace

Darby Houses
Where part of the Quaker family who were responsible for a lot of the amazing inovations, developed here actually lived.

At the end of our trip, we stopped briefly in Ironbridge to see the Museum of the Gorge.

The only museum we skipped was Enginuity - which sounded more suitable for kids and teens - I think a family would not want to miss it.

Overall impression of Ironbridge and the many museums was very positive.
The displays were well-done and the town is very attractive. I really do understand now why such a historically significant area is a World Heritage site. One gets a strong feeling of "wow this really is were the industrial revolution began".

ttt

interesting report - we get very few TRs on this part of the - and depite my advanced years and residence in england for the entirelty of them I've never been to any of the places you mention.

also interesting point about the eggs - the trouble is that most B&Bs are catering for people who are only there a couple of days - so they feed you as if that is your only holiday. which in your case, of course, it wasn't.

looking forward to more,

regards, ann

U.K. TRIP REPORT - Part 5 - Day 4

To annhig:
I love those parts of the U.K. not overrun with my fellow tourists. I had been briefly in Shropshire before before and vowed to come back and I wanted to show my husband a part of Wales (He had never been there before.)

Day 4 .... continued

We left Ironbridge at about noon and drove towards Wales at a leisurely - basically looping north towards Shrewsbury and then past Welshpool.

We stopped at Wroxeter Roman ruin (just SE of Shrewsbury). Not big but well-displayed and a nice break. The weather was superb - sunny and warm.

We continued on towards Wales and stopped along the way for the occasional photo op. We arrived at Dolgellau at about 3-4PM and proceeded to the very helpful tourist office who gave us a town map and some advice on walks in the area. We were gettng a bit hungry and decided to just grab a late lunch/early dinner at one of the cafes. We found a decent place (whose name I did not note but there are several cafes near the parking lot and the town square). We had turkey baguettes that were huge and really pretty good and relatively cheap. The girl working at the cafe was very sweet and friendly and helpful. Then we decided it was time to find a place to stay - preferrably in the countryside.

The first place we called - Dolgun Uchaf had a vacancy - so we went there immediately. They are located about 5 minutes outside of town a short drive off the highway.

We immediately liked the pretty farm (cliched I know but complete with adorable lambs by the gate). The main house was full so we were given our choice of the two rooms in the annex building - which worked out beautifully - since no-one else stayed in the annex while we were there and we had the whole place (including the giant lounge with a great view) to ourselves.
The room was a good size and the shower (which was designed for the disabled was HUGE). Breakfast was in the main house and our hostess made the BEST poached eggs I had the whole time I was in the U.K.
Needless to say - we liked this place very much - private, great rural location and friendly hostess. It was 60 pounds per night for the two of us.

After we had settled in, we felt a little restless - having been in the car most of the day. Since the days are long (sun did not set till about 8:30PM). We decided that a walk was in order. Our hostess recommended "the Torrent Walk".
We were able to walk down the road for about 2K to the bridge where the walk commences. You are basically walking upstream (and uphill) along a pretty little river with rapids and waterfalls and wild flowers and many photo ops. It was a really pretty and pleasant walk. The walk back was not as pleasant (for me) because it involved a steep, steady downhill walk on a paved country road. I found the constant incline and hard surface took their toll on my knees and feet. If I had to do it all over I would have simply returned the way we had come - back down the river. It would have taken longer but I don't think my knees would have ached as much. But I do recommend the walk - just bare in mind my experience.

U.K. Trip Report Part 6 - Day 5

Still in Dolgellau:

My feet and knees pretty much recovered overnight - so bearing in mind the lovely weather, we decided that another walk was the thing to do.

We decided on the Precipice Walk (BTW for those height-fearing people - the name says it all).

We found the walk commencement area (good sized parking lots and toilets). I say "found" because it did take us a bit of effort - my guidebook did NOT have really good directions for getting to this one.
However we were glad we perservered. This walk was the HIGHLIGHT of our trip!

It's about 8K long and commences with s short bit (about1K) through a forested area and then past a farm. There is a VERY short (2 min) steep bit up a slope to the commencement of the track. This is also the only spot where you could get confused and go the wrong way - do NOT head left for the lake, follow the fence to the upper track to your right. The track is narrow (about 2-3 feet wide in most places). The climb upwards is VERY gradual and until you look down and realize how high you are getting (the sheep have become distant specks). The views are wonderful - especially on the other side of the mountain (which you are circling in a counter-clockwise direction). On this north slope you can see all the way up the estuary to the ocean - absolutely spectacular!!!
I simply cannot recommend this walk enough. Even the RAF jets screaming through the valley did not put me off - although "being startled" does not begin to describe the experience of having a jet scream by not that far above your head. It is really not a too physically challenging walk and the rewards are amazing.

Eventually (once we had circled the mountain), the track descended to the little lake and we walked back along its shore to the farm area, where we returned via the same route to the parking lot.

We felt pretty pleased with ourselves after this wonderful walk and had a good dinner at the Royal Ship Hotel in Dolgellau - reasonable food at reasonable prices.

I'm enjoying your trip. I look forward to reading more.

I am really enjoying this UK report that goes off the beaten path.

I loved Little Moreton Hall when I visited the area a few years ago.

Looking forward to more!

U.K. Trip Report Part 6 - Day 5...
continued

Nearly forgot to mention:
After we did the Precipice Walk, we still had most of the afternoon left but were a little too tired to do another walk - so we did an off-the-beaten track drive to various lakes.

First north on the A470 (can't remember the name of the first lake but the drive was pretty) Then REALLY off the beaten track on the A4212 to Llyn Celyn - very pretty and remote - hardly any traffic and some lovely wide vistas. We stopped here and just enjoyed the quiet. Finally we turned back south and past Lake Bala (Llyn Tegid) to return to Dolgellau.

TRIP REPORT PART 7 - DAY 6

Left Dolgellau this A.M. - heading for our assumed (more on this later) destination of the day - Harlech.

We drove down the estuary, stopping for a lovely photo op of the railway bridge.

When we reached Barmouth, we stopped for a beach walking break. The beach there is really quite nice and wide and long. We saw a few hardy souls in swimming.

We continued on north up the coast toward Harlech - arriving there in the early afternoon.

Unfortunately we were totally unaware that there was a big golf tournament at the local golf course. I say unfortunately because finding a B&B in or near Harlech was pretty impossible! Golfers everwhere! This was the ONLY time we had ANY difficulty finding a B&B.

We tried calling a number of places with absolutely no luck - so we gave up - saw the castle - which was just as great as I remembered it. The ocean views are spectacular - you really can see for miles.

Then we hopped in the car and I tried to figure out another nice place to spend the night. Finally I decided on Criccieth (which I figured was far enough from Harlech not to be impacted by the tournament and in a nice area.

We reached Criccieth at about 5PM and I promptly saw a couple of guesthouses with vacancy signs. I selected a nice looking 4* place -
Min-Y-Gaer Hotel. They had two rooms for me to choose from (one with a "view" and one at the back).
Well as soon as I saw the "view" room (even though it was 5 pounds more a night) I was sold. The view was probably the nicest we had. There was a HUGE bay window - looking to the right you saw Criccieth Castle perched high on a hill. Looking to the left you saw the incredibly long beach with the mountains of Snowdonia rising in the distance. Every evening we stayed here, we would have our hot chocolate and relax in the very comfortable armchairs absolutely mesmerized by the view. It was a great way to end each day. The cost 65 pounds for both of us per night - well worth it.

The couple who run Min-Y-Gaer are friendly, helpful and with no notice did their very best to accomodate my dietary needs (I have to follow a low-fat diet). Skim milk and low-fat yogurt were produced from the wife's own personal supply and in the morning she suggested beans on toast to combat egg boredom and it was quite OK for a change. They also allowed us to use their computer to check our email. I highly recommend the place except to those who are easily disturbed in the morning. The first train of the day went by just across the street fairly early. We just rolled over and ignored it. Other than the early rail wakeup call, it was not noisey.

That night we decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal in town (about a 5 minute walk along the High Street). Our hosts had a recommended list of restaurants and we chose the "Tiffin" Restaurant It was the BEST meal of the trip (and the most expensive but well-worth it!).

My husband had tomato soup and a chicken caesar type salad (huge chunks of chicken (my husband figured at least an entire chicken breast) and the tomato soup was the BEST ever - I tasted it and OMG - I did not know tomato soup could be so VERY good. I had the lamb shank in red current sauce - absolutely yummy and again a VERY generous portion. If you find yourselves in Criccieth - DO try this restaurant! You won't regret it.

I am very much enjoying this trip report. Please do continue . . .