Trip to England May/June 2009 Part 1

Part 1

Wednesday May 13th.

Paul Porter drove us to the airport at 3 pm. I had already printed my boarding passes so we went through the check in very fast. We proceeded immediately to the gate at the international departure level. The flight left on time at 5:20 pm and arrived in London Heathrow on time at 10:20 am England time on May 14th which was 2:20 am Vancouver time. The trip was smooth and uneventful. We had the entertainment centre that kept us busy watching movies. Marilyn pointed out that the service from Air Canada was poor compared to the other airlines we had travelled on the past year.

After we got through customs etc. and picked up our bags we were at the dot2dot transport counter at 10:55 am. The gal said the bus would arrive depending on traffic at between 11:20 and 11:50. She said she did not think we would make our 1:15 pm train. This was not a problem as we could catch the 2:15 pm train to Nottingham. The bus arrived at 11.45 am and based on what a friend Reg King has said he thought we could make the 1:15 pm train. The bus driver felt we could make it as he was going to drop us off at London St Pancras station first. After arriving at 12:55 pm all I had to do was go to a self serve ticket vending machine and put in a code I had received when I bought the tickets on line and presto all four tickets were printed. We walked to the area where the Midlands train leaves and it was just arriving so we were a few minutes early.

The London St Pancras station is a beautiful new station. This is where the Euro rail the high speed trains to Brussels and Paris leave. We learned we could when we return to London catch a train to Brussels. then a train to Alan’s home. Maybe we will try that one year.

The train trip was lovely and relaxing watching the beautiful English country side go by quickly. We were both caught napping a couple of times. We arrived in Nottingham station at 3 pm and as all this had gone so quickly we decided to sit down and share a sandwich and water. We then caught a cab to the home we are staying in Keyworth Nottinghamshire. The trip was 20 minutes and cost £15 with tip which is $27.45 Canadian. It took a minute or two to get the front door open as the key kept sticking and they are well locked with 3 bolts into the frame. I have had trouble ever since with the front door all other doors are great. The house we are staying in is a lovely 4 bedroom, 3 washrooms, Kitchen, Dining room and large family room home.
It was cool when we arrived so I started to study the manual Jan and Ed had left us and before long I had the hot water heating system working, the entertainment centre working and the computer up and running. After that I collapsed on the sofa to join Marilyn in a glass of wine that they had left us. Nice touch. It was at this point we both realized we were exhausted and were going to stay in for a snack and try to stay up until 10 pm. We made it to 9:30.

Friday May 15th.

We slept in this morning and we both had good nights sleep. We decided today we would go to the centre of Nottingham and look around. This will also allow me to drive the car and get this fear I have out of my system. This will be the first time I have driven a standard car in 38 years, first diesel and of course on the left hand side of the road. The car is a Citroen G4. It was strange, the standard came back quite fast but the left hand side of the road took some time. I kept being close to the left side of the road which made Marilyn nervous. I guess the biggest hurdle was the round abouts or traffic circles. That was scary. We did make it to the parking lot of the big shopping centre near the centre of town. By this time it was time for out first pub lunch so we walked through the shopping centre and headed to Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Brewhouse which is the oldest Inn and Pub in England. A great place for a good pub lunch and beer but couldn’t face the bitter beer yet so we had Carling cold. We will be going back to that pub if we have any money left. That was our first introduction to the cost of food which was over $36 for a small lunch. What we are finding is if an item cost say £9.95 we would look at that and say similar to Canada except that is actually $18 Can. Wine is cheaper and beer is reasonable. After lunch we toured the downtown which is great. Saw the start of the Robin Hood trail and Nottingham Castle which we will save for when friends arrive next week. In the Main Square there was a farmers market which was great and we stocked up. The trip home was about the same as the trip in a little scary but that coupled with not knowing where we are going, the trip took on a new thrill. We did find Keyworth and the centre of town so were able to complete our shopping and get stamps. We spent the evening at home.

Saturday May 16th

Again had a good night sleep and slept in. Today we are off for a drive through Derbyshire and the Peak District in England. Our main reason for going was to visit Chatsworth House the home of the Duke of Devonshire. A few years ago one of the Dukes put the house in a trust and opened it up to the public to help pay for the cost of operating and upkeep. The Duke and his family live on the first floor, pay rent, and all the other floors are open to view. It is a big house and very interesting to see with wonderful grounds surrounding. Today in part of the grounds was the Chatsworth Horse Trials which are apparently quite up in the horse world. We also toured the gardens which are beautiful. We went in the maze which is something I have always wanted to see and after 30 minutes Marilyn and I never did reach the centre. We left Chatsworth House about 5 pm after having spent 5 hours and continued our trip through the peak district going through the town of Buxton which is the highest town in England. The weather has not been great with rain storms, wind and the odd sunny period but this has not stopped us. The scenery on this circle trip is great. I think we have all seen those pictures of England with the rolling hills and the different fields all seperated with built up stone walls. The drive today had lots of those pictures. Those that know Marilyn’s navigation abilities can guess what happened next. Yes we got lost and arrived home in the rain at about 7:30 pm. It was a great day and the driving was not too bad except the roads are very narrow and I kept going close to the left side of the road.

Sunday May 17th

We started this day with a typical English breakfast of great bacon and eggs all supplies we picked up at the farmers market on Friday. Today we decided to stay close to home after our drive and getting lost yesterday. We both needed a break from the driving. This is one of the great advantages of a home exchange. When you feel you have had enough just stay home and read. Jan and Ed had left a note showing the direction to a local pub so we decided we would go mid afternoon walk and have dinner. It was raining off and on so when we finally got going about 1 pm it appeared ok and after talking to one of the neighbours for a few minutes it started to come down heavily so went back in the house. We ventured out in the car later and The Plough Inn in Mormanton on the Wolds (don’t you love the names) was a great place to have a beer and midday dinner. We should have had a reservation as this is a Sunday British tradition because the place was full but they found us a seat close to the bar where we could see all the action. Families come to the pub on Sundays which is very civilized. In fact there were three little girls playing with their dolls on the floor in front of the fireplace while the parents were at the bar having a beer before they sat down. The Pub had ran out of their main roast meals so we settled on Haddock, the fish of the day, and it was great. I decided to try the bitters and the beers were good. We had a great relaxing day.

Monday May 18th.

Guess what I found ‘Tom Tom’ GPS so Marilyn and I decided to go to Lincoln. What a difference ‘Tom Tom’ made. We knew we could not get lost and it lead us through the traffic circles which made driving easier. I will have to say the traffic circles do work and speed up traffic. On this route we took it was all traffic circles except for one cross road which had lights and a big back up of Cars. I was getting very used to standard by now to this was an enjoyable driving day.

Lincoln is an old historical town, in fact from Roman times I believe. We went to see Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle. The castle was quite interesting especially when we got involved with a tour guide who made the stories come alive. We got some great pictures from the top of the castle looking over the Trent River valley. We again had lunch in a pub where I tried another small glass of beer. We had soup and shared a ploughman’s lunch. It’s hard but I am still trying to watch my weight. The Cathedral was very big and lots to see but we just had a quick look and decided to walk around the centre of town. We headed home about 4 pm and had a good ride arriving at 5:15. I am getting used to the driving. We again used the BBQ in between the rain storms. That’s all for now. It’s off to Stratford upon Avon tomorrow.