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A self-drive round
trip through England |
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When contemplating
an overseas visit, tourists are inclined to target exotic places in
less known countries. This is fine for the seasoned or experienced
traveller, but for the less experienced, I would advise that they
first visit countries that are more well-known, are easier for
traveling around, and also offer marvelous and unforgettable
experiences. This especially holds true for self-drive tours, which
can be a more enriching experience than going on an organized group
tour.
One such trip I
would like to suggest is a self-drive tour through England - a trip
that undoubtedly will also be interesting even for those who have
visited this country before. For those that might be a little
worried about driving in foreign countries, a trip like this makes
things easy, because in the UK you also drive on the left side of
the road, just like in South Africa. The itinerary begins and ends
in London, and includes, amongst other interesting sights, two
historic university cities, two walled cities, a magnificent palace,
a literary gem, a medieval castle, a medieval shopping centre, the
largest Gothic cathedral in Western Europe, as well as one of the
most striking national parks in the UK. The total distance is about
1 100 km. (650 miles), to be covered at leisure in 7 days, mostly on
smaller, quieter and interesting roads. Only when it is necessary to
cover longer distances in one day, highways are used.
In short, the route
takes you through the following main highlights: London, Oxford,
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Chester, Windermere in the Lake
District, York, Cambridge, London. Once your airline reservations
are processed and confirmed, the precise route information (road
numbers, distances, etc.) is available from our office at no cost.
Feel free to contact us. We can also assist you in planning your
trip to suite your expectations, or make reservations on your
behalf.
London - Oxford
I would suggest that
you take the train to Heathrow airport, where you can rent your
vehicle; it is less stressful than driving through the congested
city traffic. From Heathrow it is easy to reach the M40, and then
onto the A40, which will take you to Oxford, just 54 miles/88 km.
away.
Oxford
is
home to one of the world’s greatest universities, consisting of 35
colleges, but also the birthplace of the British car industry. This
“City of Dreaming Spires”, as it is called, with its spectacular
skyline of tall towers and pinnacles, cobbled streets, tiny, dusty
bookstalls, old student pubs, spacious green quadrangles and
old-world atmosphere draws thousands of visitors.
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Don’t try to find a parking place in Oxford!
There are four Park and Ride parking lots on the city’s
ring road, all well marked, from where buses run every 8 to 10
minutes into the city centre, except on Sundays. You will find
the Oxford Information Centre at Gloucester Green, just
opposite the bus station. Perhaps the best way to get a running
commentary on the most important sightseeing attractions is to
join a two-hour walking tour. But you can also prowl around on
your own, just soaking in the unique character of this
picturesque seat of learning. For a birds-eye view of the
colleges and city, climb
Carfax Tower,
located in the centre of the city. It is difficult to choose
between so many special attractions, but I would suggest the
Radcliffe Camera ( 1749) , a Baroque rotunda, used as a
reading room, and the university’s library, the Bodlean
(1488), with its beautiful Gothic vaulted ceiling. |
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But Oxford is more
than just a university town. As said, the British car industry was
founded here, when in 1910 William Morris began manufacturing a
small, inexpensive car. By the mid-1920’s he produced 41% of
Britain’s cars. The Mini, Mini Morris and the Morris Oxford are
well-known names in motoring circles. The plant, in the suburb
Cowley, is now owned by Rover, and is one of the area’s major
employers. Morris’s original garage can be seen on Longwall Street.
Oxford - Stratford-upon-Avon - Warwick -
Chester
Should you want to
stay in Oxford for the night, so as to be on your way early the next
morning, the Information Center will be able to book accommodation
for you. If you don’t mind commuting, a stay in a country house or
B&B on the outskirts of the town can be considered. However, I would
suggest that you take the A44, and stay overnight in the small
country town of Woodstock, just 8 miles/13 km. NW of Oxford. You
will then be able to visit Blenheim Palace the next morning,
before continuing on your way to Stratford-upon-Avon.
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Blenheim Palace
is regarded by many as England’s answer to the palace of
Versailles, in France. This palatial house was built during the
17th century by Queen Anne for John Churchill, the 1st
Duke of Marlborough, who defeated the French at the Battle of
Blenheim in 1704. In 1874 it was the birthplace of Winston
Churchill, the wartime British Prime Minister. The palace itself
is loaded with riches: antiques, oil paintings, porcelain,
tapestries, etc. The rooms are exquisite, like the Great Hall
with its painted ceiling, the 55 m Long Library, the Green
Drawing Room or the State Rooms. In the centre of the
magnificent gardens, such as the Water Terrace Gardens, and the
Italian Garden surrounding the palace, lies a huge lake.
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Now continue on to
Stratford-upon-Avon,
birthplace of Shakespeare and one of Britain’s major tourist
attractions. It is easy to first drive to Anne Hathaway’s
Cottage, home of the women he married, just outside the
town. Ample parking space is available. The thatched cottage in
a pretty garden, contains quite a number of the original
furnishings, including the courting settle and utensils,
offering a glimpse into the life of the famous bard. From here
you can drive into town and visit Shakespeare’s birthplace
in Henley St. You will see the oak-beamed living room, the
bedroom where Shakespeare was probably born, and a fully
equipped kitchen of the period. The town is also the provincial
home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, who regularly perform at
the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, a spare brick design with
Art Deco echoes, thought to be quite avant-garde when it was
built in 1932. The architect, Elisabeth Scott, is regarded as
the first woman who designed an important public building in the
country. |
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The visit to
Shakespeare’s hometown, can be accomplished in about 3 hours, after
which one continues along the A46 towards
Warwick,
for a visit to
Warwick Castle.
This magnificent medieval castle, standing on a rocky hill
overlooking the River Avon, is described as one of the finest
medieval fortresses in Europe. After a fire in 1694 it was rebuilt.
It now belongs to the Madame Tussaud’s Company, who has refurnished
the rooms to appear as they were in the 19th century. The
major rooms contain a series of themed attractions, such as the
waxworks in the Victorian suite, telling the story of “A Royal
Weekend Party”, with lifelike people in costume. The Great Hall
contains Oliver Cromwell’s macabre death mask. The castle hosts
various colourful pageants, like a medieval festival which we were
lucky to experience during a former visit.
The next stage of
this day’s trip is to
Chester,
about 100 miles/160 km. away; it is therefore necessary to allow for
a 2 hour drive, in order to arrive in Chester by daylight, and to
look for accommodation. There are quite a number of B&B’s on the
outskirts of the city. We experienced no problems in finding
suitable lodgings on two visits.
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Chester was founded by the Romans on the River
Dee in the 1st century A.D. It is still surrounded by
the 2 miles of intact rectangular fortified City Walls.
It is a unique experience walking along these walls,
contemplating how Roman soldiers must have done precisely that 2
000 years ago. Within these walls are a splendid cathedral, and
the main attraction, the famous Rows, unique in England,
galleries which form continuous passages along the upper floors
of the half-timbered shops and houses, a sort of medieval
shopping mall on two levels, anticipating today’s shopping malls
by several centuries. They are no mere tourist attractions, but
serve the usual purpose of a commercial centre, where every kind
of merchandise is available. The most attractive is where
Eastgate Street meets Bridge Street. These Rows are built
around the Cross, a reconstruction of a 15th-century
stone crucifix, where a town crier announces the latest news. I
would advise a stay of 2 nights in Chester, before heading north
to Windermere. |
Chester - Windermere
For this leg of the
journey of 103 miles/167 km the M6 highway is recommended, because
you have to bypass parts of the industrial heart of the country,
namely Liverpool and Manchester. But thereafter you enter a region
famous for its natural beauty - the
Lake District,
of which 880 square miles forms the UK’s largest national park, the
Lake District National Park
established in 1951. Although a national park, its small towns have
about 40 000 inhabitants, sometimes overwhelmed by large numbers of
visitors.
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Windermere, situated on the shores of the lake
from which it takes its name, is a pivotal base for exploring
the region. It is a busy settlement with a wide choice of
accommodation, cafés, pubs and restaurants. Good places to look
for B&B’s are High Street and Victoria Street. However, we were
quite satisfied with the Archway on 13 College Road. It
is known for its breakfasts and terraced gardens.
The best way of discovering the region, is to first visit the
Tourist Information Centre in Victoria Street. They will
assist you in planning short excursions into this magical
region. What I would advise is to first take a trip on Lake
Windermere itself, from where you can admire the beautiful
shoreline passing by. Thereafter you can undertake trips to the
Northern Lakes, Grasmere, Keswick, Buttermere, and Honister
Pass. No matter where you choose to go, you will come across
something of interest, like the historic
Stone Circle
outside Keswick, thought to be some 4 000 years old,
comprising 38 stones with a further 10 forming a unique
triangular enclosure within. |
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Windermere - York
From Windermere the itinerary takes you to
York,
some 114 miles / 185 km. away. I would suggest that you find
accommodation not in the city itself, but in some small town nearby,
like Selby, just 12 miles/19 km. south, where you will find a number
of fine B&B’s in the main street. They are less expensive and offer
excellent services. From Selby you can then drive to York, and as
with Oxford, make use of the Park and Ride service. If you
are lucky, you might even find parking space within walking distance
of the inner city.
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Like Chester,
York was also founded by the Romans in about 71 A.D. It also
boasts almost 2 miles of surviving city walls. Within there
remain 18 of the 40 churches which served the medieval city. The
most impressive is the great Minster, by cubic
measurement Europe’s largest Gothic cathedral, which took 250
years to complete. It is a treasure-house of medieval stained
glass, with the Rose Window dating from c. 1500, and the East
Window, larger than a tennis court depicting the Creation and
Fall of Man, the most impressive. Just to sit quietly in this
massive architectural creation, instigates awe and wonder when
reflecting on man’s endeavour to create structures by which the
Almighty might be truly worshipped. It is then that you quietly
stand up and light a candle in humble prayer.
Around the Minster stretches the quaint passageways of
the medieval city, with the most famous the alleyway known as
the Shambles, with houses projecting so far over the
pavement that the upper stories almost touch each other on
either side of the street. York is a city packed with ancient
churches, buildings and structures, inns, restaurants and
tearooms, interesting museums, elegant Georgian residences and
opulent 19th-century mansions. It is undoubtedly
worth a stay of at least two nights. |
York - Cambridge - London
From York the road
leads to
Cambridge
(153 miles/248
km.away), called a “placid market town of great beauty”, whose
greatest architecture is that of England’s other world-famous
university. If nothing else of the university’s 31 colleges, try to
see at least King’s College Chapel, the most magnificent
building in Cambridge,
Trinity College’s
library,
and the
Fitzwilliam Museum,
one of the largest and finest provincial museums. For more insight
into the life and times of Cambridge, join one of the guided tours
from the Cambridge Tourist Information Centre at the railway
station.
From Cambridge it is
only a short trip of about 55 miles/90 km back to Heathrow.
- Manie Wolvaardt
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