Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => The Coffee Corner => Topic started by: armand on March 05, 2018, 05:43:14 pm
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I'll be in London for few days and than I will have another 5 days or so that I plan to spend outside of London.
I'll probably rent a car although I'm a little reluctant to drive on the left (it will be an automatic for sure though, can't afford 2 big changes) and plan to see things within driving distance of London with my kids. Ideally a mix of history/culture and a little wow factor for the kids. Some photographic appeal would be nice but it's not essential. Ideally not the busiest, would rather spend time seeing/experimenting than standing in lines.
I'm thinking to go to Oxford and maybe Stonehenge.
Any other locations that you know and recommend?
Thanks
PS. I considered going to Scotland and ride the "Harry Potter" train but it's a little too extensive
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Stonehenge for the kids. Cornish coast for your cameras.
What do I know? I haven't been in the UK for twenty years. I do recall being gobsmacked by those two locations, though.
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I've always wanted to go see the Henry Fox Talbot museum. It's the only museum dedicated to a photographer! There are also some really nice shops in London that sell ancient photo gear. The kids would like a castle or two. You could end the trip with a grand finale by visiting the birth place of Rob C.
Kent in SD
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What time of year? Would you be renting a car?
Stonehenge is special, I'd suggest Cambridge is more photogenic than Oxford. Scotland is a day away, a trip in its own right rather than a side trip.
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In a month.
As I said I will very likely rent a a car.
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Hope?
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Hope?
??
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In a month.
As I said I will very likely rent a a car.
I've been to Scotland twice. I'm a very experienced driver--at one point I was driving nearly 5,000 miles a month on my job. I did rent a car in Scotland but honestly, it was very dangerous! All of my driving instincts were exactly backwards there and nearly got me killed. I did OK out in the rural areas where I had time to think through every turn, every every rounderbout, etc. but once in big cities I just parked it and either rode the bus, took a cab, or walked. Between Glasgow and London we took the sleeper train. If you don't have experience driving in a place where everything is backwards, I'm urging extreme caution. Really, it's much harder than you might think to have to suddenly start doing everything in a different way. If you slip up once you could be killed. No joke.
Kent in SD
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I've been to Scotland twice. I'm a very experienced driver--at one point I was driving nearly 5,000 miles a month on my job. I did rent a car in Scotland but honestly, it was very dangerous! All of my driving instincts were exactly backwards there and nearly got me killed. I did OK out in the rural areas where I had time to think through every turn, every every rounderbout, etc. but once in big cities I just parked it and either rode the bus, took a cab, or walked. Between Glasgow and London we took the sleeper train. If you don't have experience driving in a place where everything is backwards, I'm urging extreme caution. Really, it's much harder than you might think to have to suddenly start doing everything in a different way. If you slip up once you could be killed. No joke.
Kent in SD
I hear you. The good part is that I have less habits to break compared to you ;)
I did drive in places with different traffic where many times rules were optional and I did hear about people driving there who survived when caution was taken. I have no intention of driving in London and hopefully if I take some buses/taxi I’ll be able to get into the proper mindset. I would rather not do it but I should be ok. The car will definitely be automatic; I can drive a stick but the combo of left side driving and left hand shifting would be too much.
Scotland will have to wait, likely I’ll combine it with Ireland. From London I was planning to fly to Glasgow anyway.
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I had no experience with round-abouts until I went to Scotland. There it was one after another! At first I found myself just going in circles until I finally got the hang of it. When I got back home, a few months later I was driving in a part of my city that's mostly all new and came upon a round-about. I naturally turned to the left and began going around it clockwise. Suddenly there was a big truck coming straight at me! We both hit the brakes, and I was irritated that they guy obviously had never driven a round-about before! But then there were a couple of more cars going the wrong way too, and I quickly realized that here the direction was the exact opposite of Scotland. Duh! Luckily, speeds were slow. :-\
Kent in SD
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Stonehenge is special, I'd suggest Cambridge is more photogenic than Oxford. Scotland is a day away, a trip in its own right rather than a side trip.
I'd endorse the recommendation of Cambridge. It's very flat (there is one hill) but many of the colleges are very beautiful.
And don't even think about driving in London! I rather enjoy it, but that's because it suits my driving style. You'd have to pay the rather hefty congestion charge, too.
Jeremy
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Driving in London. Watch the cyclists; we've taken over!
Driving on the otherside is easy. All but a few of my miles have been in UK but I have driven a bit in Europe and found no problems; Italy worst and don't even think of Rome. Only tried Florida in USA; easy.
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A few combined trips not far from London:
- Brighton (sea side town) and the South Downs
- Blenheim Palace and Oxford
- Ely cathedral and Cambridge
- Stonehenge, Avebury, and Salisbury cathedral
With Cambridge, Oxford or Brighton it often makes sense to use "park and ride" - large out of town car parks with dedicated bus services to the centre.
Driving around London is no fun, so bus/taxi/underground are fine. The water bus to Greenwich is lovely, and go to the Tate Britain gallery for their JMW Turner paintings - in my view it's London's only world class art collection.
John
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My wife and I were there (no children at the time) a number of years ago and we spent some time in London without a car and then with a car did the southwest of England. Driving was fine in that area as traffic is not all that bad. We explored the coast, Dartmoor, and on the way back Oxford. It will take you some time to adjust to driving on the other side of the road as your perception will be opposite to what you are used to.
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Stonehenge is OK, but you won't be able to get up close and personal with the monument, unlike Avebury. Avebury has the largest stone circle in the world. There's actually three inside the henge, which I think is also the largest, certainly the largest in the UK. The village sits inside the henge, and you can walk freely amongst the stones. You've also got Silbury Hill and West Kennett long barrow within easy walking distance.
If you're planning to head to Exmoor or Dartmoor, let me know. I can give you some detailed info on both.
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I had no experience with round-abouts until I went to Scotland. There it was one after another! At first I found myself just going in circles until I finally got the hang of it. When I got back home, a few months later I was driving in a part of my city that's mostly all new and came upon a round-about. I naturally turned to the left and began going around it clockwise. Suddenly there was a big truck coming straight at me! We both hit the brakes, and I was irritated that they guy obviously had never driven a round-about before! But then there were a couple of more cars going the wrong way too, and I quickly realized that here the direction was the exact opposite of Scotland. Duh! Luckily, speeds were slow. :-\
Kent in SD
I'm originally from Europe and I have round-abouts in my current area too so I only have to get the rotation right :D
I'd endorse the recommendation of Cambridge. It's very flat (there is one hill) but many of the colleges are very beautiful.
And don't even think about driving in London! I rather enjoy it, but that's because it suits my driving style. You'd have to pay the rather hefty congestion charge, too.
Jeremy
I'm ok driving in bad traffic, I call it "play chicken". Joke aside I'd rather not in London so I won't.
A few combined trips not far from London:
- Brighton (sea side town) and the South Downs
- Blenheim Palace and Oxford
- Ely cathedral and Cambridge
- Stonehenge, Avebury, and Salisbury cathedral
With Cambridge, Oxford or Brighton it often makes sense to use "park and ride" - large out of town car parks with dedicated bus services to the centre.
Driving around London is no fun, so bus/taxi/underground are fine. The water bus to Greenwich is lovely, and go to the Tate Britain gallery for their JMW Turner paintings - in my view it's London's only world class art collection.
John
Stonehenge is OK, but you won't be able to get up close and personal with the monument, unlike Avebury. Avebury has the largest stone circle in the world. There's actually three inside the henge, which I think is also the largest, certainly the largest in the UK. The village sits inside the henge, and you can walk freely amongst the stones. You've also got Silbury Hill and West Kennett long barrow within easy walking distance.
If you're planning to head to Exmoor or Dartmoor, let me know. I can give you some detailed info on both.
Thank you. Looks like Avebury made my list. Not sure I want to drive as far as the xxMoors, I might aim towards the south coast. Still deciding.
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Bath (https://www.google.com.au/search?q=bath+england&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj5jOXU8tjZAhWKpZQKHQlEBtMQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=768)
Cheers,
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i was going to suggest Bath too. Take the kids to Longleat on the way.
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driving in a place where everything is backwards,..... Really, it's much harder than you might think...... If you slip up once you could be killed. No joke.
Sorry, but this IS a joke. The UK is one of the safest places in the world to drive. As long as you don't drive recklessly you'll be fine.
Although we like to moan about the standards of driving here, the reality is that the UK's drivers are on the whole experienced, capable and a key reason why our accident statistics are so good.
If you're going to hire a car here, make the effort to learn about our driving practices so you know what to expect and plan your journeys in advance. Sat-Navs and Google street view should sort out navigation issues and ensure you aren't surprised when driving. Google's driving time estimations can be very accurate here, so that could aid planning too.
Driving in London is not much harder than most other major cities, but poorly sign posted and parking is limited and expensive, so stick to our public transport unless you like a challenge. I'd also suggest trying to avoid using the underground with children in the rush hour as it's rather intimidating for them.
The OP doesn't say how old or what gender his children are and that doesn't help us suggest the best trips. For example the recommendation to visit Cambridge is OK, but adding Duxford air museum would be great for a boy, maybe less so for a girl. On the other hand a girl might enjoy Blenheim Palace on the way to Oxford more than a boy. Oxford also has a good couple of museums when it's raining (in April it will rain sometimes).
If time's limited I wouldn't bother with Stonehenge. It's a long way out from London, you can't really get close to it and it's packed with tourists.
A trip on the Bluebell steam railway could incorporated into a trip to Brighton, not the Harry Potter line, but still an English steam railway. The i360 in Brighton ticks the 'wow' factor too.
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I can't agree about Stonehenge - sure it's busy, but it is Stonehenge. It fits in well with Avebury and Salisbury, and with Bath too if one stays out of London for a couple of nights.
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I think it's easy to overestimate the difficulty of driving on the other side of the road. The main problem I encountered was estimating the distance to the kerb.
I took our Spanish car (LHD) over to Britain many times, and contrary to my expectations, the driving problem was not cities and passing buses, it was tight rural roads in Scotland. It's quite an existential thrill watching a huge timber truck come thundering towards you on what starts to feel like a path. I was convinced that I was driving up on the left-hand kerb, but as it consisted of boulders, I guess it was just an illusion.
Cities anywhere, unless you already know where the hell you are going, are a nightmare: knowing which lane to choose several hundred yards away can be difficult, despite signs. Trafiic isn't usually inclined to be gentle and giving, unless you have an L plate... now there's an idea!
Weather is most likely to be the problem numero uno. I lived in Glasgow for about thirty years and saw Loch Lomond in sunshine twice - thrice at the most. To be fair, I wasn't there every day, but you get the picture.
The Trossachs, mountains/hills north of Glasgow, were beautiful on rainy days: we selected such conditions to guarantee us a parking place where we could enjoy a picnic in peace.
I have never used satellite navigation; I don't think we'd get along very well.
Rob
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I have never used satellite navigation; I don't think we'd get along very well.
Rob
Tom-Tom does tend to take you down some "adventurous" roads to shave a few seconds off your journey times. :o
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My satnav stopped updating last year so I switched to Google Maps on my smartphone. I need to find obscure places in the English countryside e.g. churches in small hamlets or even isolated, lay-bys or odd bits of lanes to park and then walk from; hopefully returning to the same spot later.
Google maps has been very successful for the last six months; providing I download the destination whilst I have a signal (signals wifi/3G/4G are very often absent outside towns/cities where most of my walking is done). Only time I had difficulty was when I forgot to download and had to use my map reading skills to get to a recognisable spot. I normally look at Google Maps/Street View before setting off to get an idea of what I will find at the destination.
Yesterday I went to a country park where the obvious entrance was not to the car park; I stuck with Google Maps and drove the extra 130 yards suggested and found the car park straight away.
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I took our Spanish car (LHD) over to Britain many times, and contrary to my expectations, the driving problem was not cities and passing buses, it was tight rural roads in Scotland. It's quite an existential thrill watching a huge timber truck come thundering towards you on what starts to feel like a path.
I did great driving on rural roads in Scotland. It's hard to screw up when there's just one lane. :D As for the trucks, I'm used to coming upon huge trucks hauling grain so that didn't shake me any.
Kent in SD
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Big trucks coming at you on poor or narrow roads - welcome to Australia and Road Trains:
https://goo.gl/images/osw9ny
If you're lucky, it's a dirt road and kicking up so much dust you know they're coming and you just pull over and wait.
I've found switching from RHD to LHD or vice versa takes about a day and then it's no big deal.
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yeah, you get used to the turn signal wiper indicators pretty quickly.
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yeah, you get used to the turn signal wiper indicators pretty quickly.
I get that just switching between cars made in different places, regardless of which side the steering wheel is on :-)
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Dartmoor National Park, in Devon.
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Bath, as already suggested. I visited in 2012.
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I did great driving on rural roads in Scotland. It's hard to screw up when there's just one lane. :D As for the trucks, I'm used to coming upon huge trucks hauling grain so that didn't shake me any.
Kent in SD
Yeah, but I was driving my LHD car in a RHD country.
Big trucks get bigger.
There's an amusing comment from Albert Watson regarding this; if you have not seen it yet, it's a two-part video you may enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FYJydaClRA
3:44 for relevant item.
Rob
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Don't use a car to get around in London, public transport is far more practical. You will probably need a car to visit Stonehenge.. if you are wanting to do that make sure you are staying over that side of London, or do London, then stay somewhere West like Salisbury..
In London visit St Paul's, the British museum, the museums at Kensington and walk the south Bank from Westminster to your bridge.
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Driving is ok with the steering wheel on the right side for the country (I have driven a lot in the USA and continental Europe). The time to think carefully is when you are making a manoeuvre or a turn (you DON'T want to find yourself on the wrong side of a divided highway, or dual carriageway, as we call them over here).
Personally, I have found the TomTom app on my smart phone excellent (I guess you know about tri-band phones).
As a graduate of the University of Oxford, there's really only one choice :-) , but park and ride is a must.
Dave
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A fact nobody has yet mentioned is that the first two weeks of April will coincide with the school Easter holidays in England. Good Friday is 30th March and most school these days seem to have their break the two weeks after this. That means that traffic could be quite heavy - especially in the South West (Devon and Cornwall). London and the main tourist centres like Stonehenge will likely be heaving with tourists and families. Really Cornwall would be too far to go in the time you have - the Dorset coast is amazing though.
Jim
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A fact nobody has yet mentioned is that the first two weeks of April will coincide with the school Easter holidays in England. Good Friday is 30th March and most school these days seem to have their break the two weeks after this. That means that traffic could be quite heavy - especially in the South West (Devon and Cornwall). London and the main tourist centres like Stonehenge will likely be heaving with tourists and families. Really Cornwall would be too far to go in the time you have - the Dorset coast is amazing though.
Jim
Crap, that's what I was afraid of.
Thank you everybody, you saved me a lot of time trying to find this via google.
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Crap, that's what I was afraid of.
Thank you everybody, you saved me a lot of time trying to find this via google.
Yes, although our own children are grown up - our main photography business is now with schools, so we are hard-wired into their term times.
Enjoy your visit though.
Jim