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

Cemetaries don't bother me--when we lived in/around Reno (2nd-4th grade) we used to go to Virginia City and explore the old graveyards. I know they don't bother Tom, either--when we went to Ferndale last year, we explored the cemetary there. I will say that older cemetaries are more interesting than newer ones, and I'm pretty sure Westminster's older than anything I'd find in this country, much less this part of this country

If Tom likes castles, you should go to Warwick Castle.

MY mother got the genealogy bug thirty years ago. Sometimes she dragged me along with her as she visited ancient, half-forgotten cemeteries in Vermont in search of distant ancestors.

Cemetaries are cool, and a very mind-easing place to spend an afternoon. But that Abbey has 'persons' in nearly every square foot of walls and floors. You are literally surrounded by 'remains', and that gets a bit chilling.

It could be worse: the place could be haunted.

<whistle.

When I was in Edinburgh and Dundee a couple of years ago (after the Manchester meet of '14), I visited Edinburgh Castle (of course), Glamis castle, and Scone Palace. All three had excellent tours.

I thought you were going to say the tours were led by

Sadly, I didn't partake of the many ghost tours offered in Edinburgh. The one I really wish I'd opted for is the one that is lead from Greyfriars.

I did catch the Edinburgh Dungeon. That was rather fun.

It used to be that "dungeon" and "fun" were not associated with each other.

Oo, that reminds me (don't ask me how...) that I'll need to pick brains as far as public transport--Tom doesn't want to deal with driving on the other side of the road (he drives when we're together, because he has a tendency towards motion sickness unless he's driving. That, and he taught me to drive, and still has a tendency towards that, as well ) But, as has been pointed out elsewhere, the trip is still over a year away

Is a year long enough for him to learn driving on the wrong side of the road?

I've never felt quite right about it myself, when I caught myself at it.

Great Saturn and Sagitarius!

Driving on the wrong side is no big deal. The only time you might get confused is turning right on a dual highway. But most big juctions in the UK use roundabouts anyway. Be sure to order an automtic car.

If you do dcide to drive, don't drive in London. If you put your London visit at the start or end of the holiday you can avoid having a hire car for it.

I agree - driving on different sides of the road is no big deal. I frequently fly to the UK for weekends and have to drive to my mother's from the airport and back again. And a couple of years ago I did nearly all of the driving when we spent our holiday in Ireland. The year before last, however, in England, I did less of the driving as we were there with our own (left-hand-drive) car.

If I can do it as a doddery little old lady, I'm sure a grown man in the prime of life who keeps chickens shouldn't have any problems at all.

Having said that, my cousin visited a couple of years ago from Canada with her bus-driver husband. She did all the driving because he didn't like the idea of driving on the left. Plus which, he is well over 6 ft and had trouble fitting into the hire car they had.

If you decide to forego the driving, look into BritRail passes. If you plan on staying a few days each at a number of cities, I'd recommend a Flexipass which lets you use it for a certain number of days within a month. I got one for 4 days so I could use one day to go from Manchester to Edinburgh, one to get to Dundeee, one to get back to Edinburgh. That left me one day for an excursion or just in case something came up.

And, By the Way, there is no Right or Wrong side for driving.

The trains drive on the other side, too.

I'll pass that on Though Tom can drive a manual--'tis what he learned on.

And that's why I made a point of saying the other side of the road, not the wrong side

I am on Tom's side, I try not to drive in places with radically different traffic rules. The Caribbean is even worse as many of the cars there have US drive. However my main objection to driving is it is work and when I am on vacation (holiday) I would rather just enjoy looking at the scenery passing by.

There is a difference if you are carrying your bags, or just day tripping. With baggage you may have to have to find a way to stow them near you seat or standing place on trains or the underground.
Many train stations require you to climb stairs over a pedestrian bridge and back down the other side. This is not true of the terminus stations, but sometimes the easy way out is not clearly marked. Escalators and elevators (lifts) are not as common in the UK as most US cities (both railway and underground).

I discovered that motor coaches (buses between cities and towns) with their cargo bays could be more convenient. In the cities the street buses were more convenient than the underground and have a far better view.

I am not an expert, only sharing what I learned in my 10 days there (mostly London, Pompey (Portsmouth) and the Isle of Wight.

One other note, at least in London the only cabs you can hail on the street are the 'Black Taxis' they will pull over and take you wherever you want to go. Sometimes they have to circle the block to get back and pick you up. There are also private cabs that are cheaper, but you have to call them on the phone to arrange a pick-up. They are not clearly marked as a car for hire, in my experience.

Just a few thoughts, I am sure others here know more than I do.

Also be sure to trip the on-off switch next to the electric outlets before you use them.

Have a great trip

F S