Early in May, during the spring school holidays, I will have an entire week at home alone with myself. Le Garçon will be with his mom on the second week of his vacation, and Georges will have a business trip to Brazil.
So I've decided this would be an ideal time for me to complete the European Grand Tour I started in 2007, as part of doing research for another book I plan to write at some point. And this would mean spending a few days roaming around Southwest England.
Yes, I know. My life is so, so hard, isn't it? ;)
In 1956, my dad was a young guy stationed in Verdun, France with the post-war US Army. My grandparents -- a minister and a minister's wife -- decided to make their first trip to Europe to see their son. They spent 3 weeks together, driving from Paris into Switzerland, Italy, Austria, German, Luxembourg, back into France before hopping over to England and driving around some more (my dad did all the driving). At the end of it, my grandparents boarded the Mauritania II and cruised home, and my dad went back to his base to finish out his service before coming home and, not long afterward, meeting my mother. My idea for a book is based in part on me retracing some of their journey, but 50+ years later, and using this as the basis of a novel or a travel memoir (I haven't yet decided which, although I'm leaning toward the novel).
But I haven't yet had the chance to do the part of the trip in England, outside of the three times I've been in London. With Georges being away and no child to care for, it's the perfect time.
Or so I thought. I seem to be running into some difficulty in finding a rental car that I could pick up in Oxford and drop off somewhere between Winchester and London -- because I although I am willing to take the leap and drive on the left side of the road for a few days, I'm not willing to do it in London since this will be my first time as a British-style driver. (And you Brits and Aussies and so on, notice I did NOT call it the "wrong" side of the road. You're welcome.)
I could do the trip by train and I've been looking into a Britrail pass which I think would get me to all the towns I want and need to visit: Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Salisbury and Southampton. I added on Winchester because it's in the neighborhood and I want to pay an homage to Jane Austen; two birds, one stone. I could actually skip Southampton if I had to, to save time or money, because my family didn't actually do any sightseeing there, they just go on the boat and went home.
My dilemma is this: to drive or to take the train, or some combination of both? The train would probably be more stress-free but I'd have less freedom. In Salisbury in particular, not having a car would force me to do a group bus tour to Stonehenge and Old Sarum, and I'd prefer to be on my own. A car would also enable me to travel on MY timetable, not the rail system's. I think once I get the hang of the driving, I could do it because I'd be mostly out of any huge cities, and everything I want to see is between 30 minutes and 2 hours of driving apart. And I like driving, generally. However, I spent several hours last night trying to find a rental car company that could even FIND me a car I could pick up in Oxford and return in, say, Basingstoke. I found NOTHING, and I find that very strange. So maybe I'm doing something wrong? I need some help, I think.
So I was just looking for some input from those of you who (a) live in or have lived in England, especially if you're familiar with that part of the country, or (b) have doing a driving tour around England, or (c) have used a Britrail pass or similar to get around by train. Suggestions? Pros? Cons? Things you liked or disliked when YOU did a tour there? Things I ought to avoid altogether? Hostels or small inns or AirBNB rooms-for-rent that I ought to look into (safe, decent, clean and cheap are my criteria for a room)? Keep in mind I will be on a very tight budget and will probably only stay between 3 and 4 days in total, depending on how things shape up. Sure, I'd love to go at a more leisurely pace and spend a couple of weeks exploring everything I've always wanted to see in the UK, but that's not going to be possible on this particular journey. I need to make the most out of the short time and little money I have available.
Let me know your ideas, and feel free to email me privately if you prefer.
