Steerpike

First significant trip 'back' in 10 years - longest visit ever at 18 days (possible since I'm not working). Main purpose was to see friends and family, and to take my elderly mother on a bit of a tour around the place since she only gets out now on 'coach trips'.

Flew from PHX->PHL->MAN using free miles on US Airways. Weather AND mechanical delays caused me to miss my connection in PHL, requiring me to spend an excruciatingly boring 24 hours in Philly without my luggage (they would not let me retrieve it). Lessons: either get a non-stop next time, or, carry enough stuff in your carry-on to allow for an overnight stay!

Driving was overall better than it used to be, thanks (in my mind) to the slower traffic caused by speed cameras. I've posted another thread on this subject so nothing more to say here.

Beds. Everywhere I stayed (hotels, friends) had rock-hard beds. I used to subscribe to the idea that a hard bed was a good thing, but then I bought a softer one for some reason and have never looked back.

Food. When I left UK 30 years ago, the food situation was utterly atrocious (outside of a big city such as London where you could get 'foreign' foods and/or some 'trendy' healthy stuff) - overcooked vegetables, overcooked meats, bland foods, lousy sandwiches, bad coffee, etc. I've seen a vast improvement over the years to the point where the UK is definitely a place for decent food. Some high points were a medley of roasted garden vegetables including beetroot, which was outstanding. One of my friends whipped up a pasta dish that was phenomenal. And of course Indian food - had several of those and they were all good. Also had 'belly of pork' in two restaurants and it was great. Same goes for 'Lamb shank'. However, I was served boiled-to-death broccoli more than once, and an overcooked steak (despite describing exactly what I wanted - moist, juicy pink NOT dry), and some roasted pork that was dry as a bone (have these same disappointments in the US so no surprises here). Sandwiches were consistently fabulous, even at the motorway service stations - Panini machines everywhere; and the various pies / hot-pots / etc were all good. The Coffee was fabulous EVERYWHERE - espresso machines abound these days and they know how to use them. I also found a fantastic Italian place 'up north' that served one of the best Pizzas I've ever had, and a plate of cured meats rivaling anything I've had in the bay area. Overall, the dining experience was mostly good with a few misses.

Fruit. This was a big disappointment and I'm surprised based on the increased focus on health. I've become a 'fruit nut' in the US, eating a lot of fresh fruit every day. No one seemed to have fruit on hand in their homes, other than maybe a banana or apple. I was craving berries but never saw them. I hardly set foot in stores, so I can't say whether it was just that the people I stayed with never bought them. In the absence of fresh berries to munch on, I bought several blended fruit juices ("innocent" brand was great!) but then I ran into problem #2 ... no room in anyone's fridge! The fridges are so tiny!

Gas (Petrol) stations. Everyone here on BE raves about the UK banking system and moans about the US version, but my only encounter with this was at the gas pump and nowhere did I find a credit card reader at the pump ... so for me, the experience was 'backwards', having to go inside to pay each time (something I did rather often, driving 1,800 miles!). I was also surprised to see such primitive dispensers - I guess I'm used to the California ones that require an air-tight seal before dispensing. I guess it's not hot enough in the UK for significant evaporation to occur!

The Cotswolds. I spent a few days with my mother exploring this area. It was utterly beautiful! 'Broadway' was an unlikely find. The sun even shone while I was here, helping matters.

Wells. I don't think I ever visited this place when I lived there, and I don't recall anyone talking about it as a 'must see' destination. But Wells (near Taunton/Bath/Bristol) was definitely the highlight of my visit. It has a fabulously restored cathedral, along with a bishop's palace, an intact moat, a row of unique houses with unusual chimneys, an open-air market, great places to eat, and more. Now, the day of my visit was the one and only 'no rain' day of the entire trip, and I'm sure that the backdrop of blue skies and sun helped improve my opinion, but nonetheless it was utterly stunning. Pictures attached.

Sevenoaks area. Never spent much time here previously; what a gorgeous part of the country! Went for some lovely walks in the fields around Penshurst Castle. Oh to be able to afford to live here!

Weather. The weather was not bad for October, I suppose. While it rained most days, I was magically able to avoid getting wet most of the time. It seemed to rain when I drove, and stop when I arrived! I was hoping to do some serious hiking with friends but the fields were all muddy and my shoes weren't up to the task (my friends all had 'wellies'!). It was a shock to my system, coming from 30 C (86 F) weather in Scottsdale to 10 C (50 F) weather in UK, and I had to beg my hosts to crank up the heat a bit for the first few days. By the end, I was more used to it!

robin1234

Well - maybe because I'm from London - coffee was a big disappointment when I first visited the US in the 1970s. In London in the 1960s and 70s, you could always get really good espresso. I get decent coffee here, but only because I get it airfreighted in from New York City every two weeks! I find US coffee pretty dire in general (mediocre beans, badly roasted.)

Wells is superb, isn't it. We lived in Bath then later in Minehead, so went to Wells a few times.

Sevenoaks is my home town, town is a bit overcrowded but the countryside around is very nice. Walking is pretty good, and lots of pleasant villages with some really interesting houses and castles etc. Chartwell for instance ..

Glad you had a good trip and caught up with friends!

Bob

Sounds like a fun trip

The petrol pumps is a bit weird, would have thought it would all be prepaid these days to avoid the drive offs. Thought some places had them, but guess it must have cost to much to update all the places?

As for fruit, must be seasonal? Cherries, raspberries, strawberries etc are pretty much out of season and imports tend to be pricey and/or minging. Bit like getting those tasteless California strawberries shipped into the East coast outside of the early summer here. No one eats gooseberries either, except in a pie, don't know why I thought of them, but do rather fancy a gooseberry and rhubarb pie now

Pulaski

The husband of a friend and former colleague in the UK, who is a regional manager for BP retail sales in the UK, once explained that the price of petrol/diesel is so high in the UK, and the customers so price sensitive, that price competition is fierce. The sales of petrol and diesel are only enough to cover the costs, and that the key to making real profits in the "petrol retailing" business, and growing them, is the successful selling of sweets, tobacco, drinks, snack foods, newspapers, magazines, and just about anything else that you might expect to find in a convenience shop.

However, to be successful in selling all the other cräp merchandise is getting motorists away from the pump and into the shop so you can tempt them with it, hence petrol station operators in the UK do not like or want, pay at the pump technology.

Steerpike

That would certainly make sense! In fact, one 'pay shop' had barricades to make you walk around the entire store to reach the pay line!

robin1234

Interesting, because we have a very nice regional convenience store chain, Stewarts, in Vermont and northern NYS. The local one is where I've bought gas for ten years or more. They sell ice cream, beer, snacks as well as basic groceries. They too had the policy of making you pay inside, to encourage sales of goodies. At that time there were only two other gas stations in town, on the other side of town so not really competing directly. Now for some obscure reason three or four others have opened up, so with six competitors, all with pay at the pump facilities, this branch of Stewarts was forced to instal pay at the pump ... so they must have felt they were in danger of losing those customers who would rather pay at the pump. I did ask the manager if she thought sales of groceries etc. were down as a result, but of course I didn't get a straight answer ..

Pulaski

I recall that motorway services stations in Europe, and especially Italy, are like that. They're like a frickin' labyrinth!

Yorkieabroad

Sounds like a great trip, and I can relate to just about everything you say, especially the food! It is so much better eating out there, and I always come back significantly heavier....unfortunately those holiday pounds are getting harder and harder to shift!

Wells is a jewel...we used to visit family friends there when we were kids...the dad was a something high up in the cathedral, and lived in one of the church houses nearby. To be honest, as a kid, it was boring to go visit as they kept a really tight rein on the kids, and we had to go to church far too often! I went back a few years ago, and had a totally different experience...beautiful place. His tightly reined kid was also a bit different...pot addled single mum with a record for shoplifting.....there's a lesson there somewhere....

Fruit...here you can pretty much get just about anything at just about any time of year....quality and price vary depending on season, but not really the availability. .one thing I notice when I go back is that all produce is more season related...which tends to mean it is better quality /tastier when you get it, plus you have the anticipation of looking forward to the strawberry /blackberry /bilberry/ whatever season.

Petrol..I "know" the owner of a shell branded gas station in a small country town near here.... He reckons the only things that keep him going are the convenience store sales, and the snacks and water sold to bikers who use it as a rest stop/meeting place. He even encouraged one of the local bike shops to put in a vending machine selling inner tubes and puncture repair kits to encourage that side of the business!

Weather...it's funny, but my USC wife has no idea why people complain about the weather, because for the last 17 years, during which we've been back at least twice every 3 years, at varying times/seasons, we have always had the absolute best weather for whatever time of year it has been. We even lived there for 6 months from July to early jan one year, and had the most beautiful autumn and winter imaginable!!

RoadWarriorFromLP

The same is true here, too. Margins on fuel sales are slim; they make their money on the convenience store.

And high fuel prices are bad for gas stations, as they end up selling less fuel while the margin per gallon remains largely unchanged. What's good for the wholesaler isn't necessarily good for the retailer.

Englishmum

On a recent trip to England I filled up the petrol tank at a couple of Tesco's petrol stations (my mum appreciated being able to have the points added to her Tesco loyalty card ).

The Tesco pumps definitely have the ability to pay at the pump, although I preferred to pop into the shop to pay and buy a newspaper at the same time

Actually on my journey back to Switzerland I stopped at a BP petrol station in Luxembourg (cheapest petrol in Europe) to fill up the tank; I noticed that after filling up (no payment facility at the pump) the drivers didn't go inside the huge convenience shop to pay; one had to drive to an exit barrier (similar to airport car rental exits) and pay the cashier there. I still ended up parking afterwards to try and find my mum who'd needed to visit the loo and ended up buying snacks and drinks at the shop. (When you travel with OAPs you need to be very patient......they all need frequent toilet stops lol! ).

Btw....we had to get petrol for the car last night; the current price here in central Switzerland is CHF1.76 per litre or US $1.97

Pulaski

Funnily enough the "only" PATP petrol station I referred to above was a Tesco station, in Cirencester.

Yorkieabroad

Maybe they don't care about the retail sales at the gas station, because they assume folk fill up on the way out after doing their weekly shop?

Pulaski

I'm sure you're right. ...... Tesco's, the ultimate convenience store!

jjmb

Petrol comment, must be an English thing as when we were over in Scotland in June for several weeks, never had to go in and pay anywhere. Always paid with credit card at the pump. Same in France.

hungryhorace

Pretty much most main Tesco or Shell petrol stations have pay at pump facilities though. I do agree with Pulaski's statement though, the margin on fuel sales is notoriously low (which you wouldn't expect, but it's true .