h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

28 July, 2000

...a simple envelop with a familiar logo...British Airways. Inside…a voucher for $75! Hey…it's not mega-bucks, but it sure gave much-needed boost to my spirits. And a goal…UK in May.

The voucher is a response to a letter I wrote to the airline about the horrible experience getting to Europe in June. For sure the trouble wasn't entirely BA's fault and I made mention of that in my letter, as well as ample praise for the flight crew and those lovely seats with wings. So, it was quite a surprise to get more than an apology. What a way to run an airway! They won me over

So…with my voucher tacked up over the computer, I went hunting online for some travel ideas in the UK. One of my favorite sites, VirtualTourist, provided me with lots of suggestions, including Isle of Man (and I know that is *not* UK), Ben Nevis, Glen Nevis, Brecon Beacons, Carrick-A-Reke and a rather touristy (but fun looking) place called Speedwell Caverns. And of course, London and its environs. And Yorkshire.

After a few hours reading travelogues, I came to the conclusion that every third man in the UK is named "Ian." And that I am going to need more than a week and a half to see what I want to see. I haven't quite figured out how I will break the news I am taking off on my own again. And…there is the little problem of my job…a job I don't even have yet. I am going to have to do some fancy footwork to make sure I have time off in May (it will be unpaid, but such is life in Workplace, USA).

A goal. Just what I need right now. Something to look forward to and something to work toward. Thank you British Airways!

How do you know it'll have to be unpaid vacation time? In this current job market (as in shortage of labor), anything is possible. Even not in this current market if you find the right place. (My job for several years has no specific vacation time limit. If I do what I need to do, I could take several weeks off a year if I want without anyone questioning it. Probably wouldn't do more than 2-3 weeks at once, but that certainly wouldn't be unthinkable. I've taken more time off some years than others. This year I have taken only one considerable block of time, and that was only 5 or 6 days I think. The rest have been just scattered days.

Anyway, my point is that there are places out there that will accommodate you with certain benefits more so than in the recent past. So don't give up on that. The other possibility is to make your trip somehow useful to your work even as most of the trip is still doing what you want to do. I watched some h2g2 staff do that back in March in Miami.

UK in May? OK, prepare for wet and cold, especially Ben Nevis, the Brecon Beacons and places North . You might be lucky and get sunshine but fore-warned is fore-armed . I haven't been to Speedwell Caverns in 25 years so it might have changed a bit but if you like caves and mines it's worth a visit. You know I'm going to recommend Tate Modern when you are in London. The North Yorkshire/Teesdale area is nice if you want a couple of days R&R.
With limited time the Western Isles of Scotland may be a little ambitious, but if you get to Mull I highly recommend Calgary Bay at sunset.

I'll get my thinking cap on and see if I can come up with any more recommendations.

Ah yes...wet and cold...I guess I will have to forgo my favorite means of dress while in the UK Is June also wet and cold? I don't want to go in July or Aug. Maybe Sept.? And Tate Modern is on the "Must Do" list. And a bunch of English pubs

And thank you Greg for the vote of confidence in finding a job that will let me pretend to be European as far as holiday time goes. I am not so sure my qualifications will lead that way though. We shall see in the next few weeks when I start sending out my resume and letters to some non-governmental orrganizations in Boston.

The weather here is always difficult to predict, that's why we talk about it so much . I certainly wouldn't advise you favourite means of dress when in the UK though .

As you firm up your itinery I'm sure there will be some pubs I can recommend . Although they're not as good as they used to be you should visit at least one of the original Firkin pubs.

Well...I won't let any wet weather stop me from doing all I want to do. And I may get to dress my way on occassion...

There is a *real* Firkin pub? I thought the name had something to do with the Hitchhiker's series. I'm afraid my knowledge of English culture is woefully short. But...I will be an expert come May. And I am going in May... 20 May-2 June. No tickets yet, just makes it more fun to plan when I have exact dates in mind

Somehow I didn't think wet weather would stop you .

There are lots of Firkin pubs around the UK. One that springs to mind is the Fulmar & Firkin off Kingsway in London and I'm sure there are more.

I did a Web search on "Firkin" and came up with a page of what looks like every Firkin on the face of the earth! And I read a bit about it on h2g2, too. I don't like the whole "F & F" theme...too much of a good thing. There is only one good thing that there can *never* be too much of

I did some checking for airline prices and found a round trip for $570...so I am going to keep my eye on those flights and hope the price doens't go up too soon. BluesSlider...do you think train travel in UK as nice (and convenient) as in continental Europe?

I don't have a lot of experience with continental train travel but by all reports I don't think UK train travel is quite as good. It can also be quite expensive if you don't book in advance . I am not sure how easy it would be to get to some of the places you want to go by rail.

You could check out
http://www.railtrack.co.uk
and
http://www.rail.co.uk

Oh boy...then I will add a rental car to my budget. Cool. I get to drive on the wrong side of the road and not get in trouble for it

If you're driving you'll also have to learn about roundabouts . If you are heading for Yorkshire or Scotland a car gives you great flexibility although I would advise sticking to public transport in London - even I avoid driving in London .

Roundabout...isn't that simply a rotary? I like rotaries. A thrill ride in the guise of traffic control

They have them where you are? I thought they were as rare as rocking-horse s*** in the States .

There are a few, here and there. And of course we go around them the wrong way I'm sure.

You may want to look into a rail pass since you'll only be in the UK. This may or may not be a good deal depending upon how far you're going to travel. Passes are only for visitors, so it's not something the natives will necessarily be able to compare for you. There are some combo rail-car deals as well, where you have rail for part of the trip and a car for part. You should be able to look up the info at raileurope.com

The prices seem a bit more resonable for the British rails than what I found in Europe. So...perhaps I may be able to work in a car just for the Peaks District. And now I am thinking it would be better to arrive in London and leave from Edinburgh.

Ohhh....the planning is so much fun! Thanks guys!

Sounds like a plan Work your way up: London, Peak District, North Yorkshire, Scotland. Of course, then you're missing the Lake District, but hey, you can only do so much, even if you are American .

And missing stuff gives me reason to go back

Couldn't help butting in Zmrzlina, do by all means visit all the places recommended by the guys and I can vouch for most of them too. You WILL need to hire a car, though - rail is just about okay between cities and bigger towns but public transport otherwise is hopeless. In most of the more attractive countryside it's a case of "if it's running on time there'll be a bus on Thursday".

You aren't butting in at all Morgan I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Ohhh, Morgan. You haven't seen hopeless public transportation until you have tried to travel from Small Town (or even Medium Town!), USA to anywhere. But I will certainly heed your warning about relying on trains to get to the prettiest places. I'll have to brush up on driving a standard...can't have wrong side of the road *and* rusty shifting skill all rolled together. That "bus on Thursday" would be even later 'cause it would be stuck behind me

You should be able to rent an automatic if you want. It makes it cost a little more. In fact, in thinking about it just for a minute, even I might consider that. It's gonna take a fair bit of attention to drive on the opposite side of the road with unfamiliar signage in unfamiliar territory. I've driven manual-shift cars even while I was first learning to drive and have only one brief year and a half period that I owned an automatic (and that was over 10 years ago). And even with that I'm not certain I want that extra distraction when driving on the opposite side (cos you gotta shift with the other hand and stuff too).

That's just me though. People do it all the time and come out no worse for the wear. But then most people in my opinion don't give nearly enough attention and respect to what goes into driving.