Pulaski

Think again, the roads and traffic rarely allow consistent high speed driving in the UK: not around major cities, during the rush hour, during the hours of daylight on weekdays, and [I]especially[/I not]on sunny weekends. I am not shy about taking on a long drive just for fun, but unless you are planning your trip to Brighton between 1am and 5am, a day trip, or even a weekend trip, from Manchester to Brighton is unrealistic. .... And also completely unnecessary when the coast from north Wales northward to Lancashire and Cumbria has enough variety to provide just about anything you could want from a trip to the coast with a fraction of distance and travel time.

UkWinds5353

Guess I'll need to get use to congested roads and substantial waits in travel.
What is the highest speed limit on major UK highways?

If you live in large concentrated population areas like here in America then you have to learn to live with the daily hustle and bustle of traffic jams, long waits just traveling to short distances.Never seen places with average size population yet the roads are still packed with cars. But for me, been there done that with the fast pace and looking for a slower pace of life with less stress.

Hopefully not all UK roads are too congested.I really enjoy a road trip ever so often it relaxs me and a great way to break up a hextic week. And opportunity to see different sights.I'd be all for doing the short trip as well.I'm sure the coastal area you mentioned near Wales would be interesting to see.Looking forward to the summer.

robin1234

I think the speed limit is still 70mph although there was a proposal to increase it to 80.

If I lived in England I would use trains and buses as much as possible, but having a car is useful for some things. The trick is to try to avoid car trips that will be ultra congested. A few years ago I went over to England and went on holiday with my sister to Alnwick in Northumberland. She lives near Brighton in Sussex. She drove us up the A1 in her old wreck of a car and it was a total nightmare to me (living in rural US where I haven't driven in congested conditions for years.). However, to her it was perfectly normal. Of course, being in Alnwick for a week we needed the car for touring the area so it wouldn't have worked out going up there by train anyway.

UkWinds5353

Hi
It should be so much fun traveling about the different areas of the UK. Years ago a cousin offered me one of his older Rovers that he spent much time fixing up,he had about 4 of those cars which he had restored to their orginal condition.I would love to find a car similar to that to use driving about the various towns.I'm not sure if they even make that car any more in the UK. Its going to be challenging and a hoot driving on the opposite side of the road. I'll be on vacation and hopefully with a relaxed schedule some of the inconviences will only feel like a minor nuisance.

I'm torn between renting one place and using it as a type of hub to explore the country from.But a friend also suggested that I use B&B's and hostels for flexibility.If I decide to take off on a whim to Scotland and find the lure of that place requires me to stay longer than planned, I will only need pay for one rental at a time. I wonder if older BMW's are as cheap in the UK as here in the States? Here you could buy a 5-series 2005 for about $13K and resale it nearly for the same amount.The necessity of a sizable vehicle is important due to my height (6'4). I guess time will tell which route is better to take.

windsong

I had to read this three times. Why ever would you want private health care in the UK?

PS - Please ignore. I see your answer further down.

UkWinds5353

I reread my post and realize how it may have been a bit confusing.I'm not moving to the UK, at least not any time soon.Instead I've decided to visit and see what it would feel like to live there.My concern about insurance cost was for future considerations down the road. Although after thinking about this summer's adventure, I think buying health insurance is a good idea even for a short term visit.

I want to see if the quality of life is better in the UK compared to America. I need to know why I feel connected to that part of the world and if that feeling is real or imagined. I need to see first hand if life is easier in the UK or harder. Is there a real community attitude? How much will I give up in picking one place over the other.These are the things that seem to make me feel a pull toward the UK to look for answers.But I'm sure that is true for many posters on this site.

sallysimmons

Beverley is one of the most expensive places in East Yorkshire (because it's the one of the nicest) but East Yorkshire is generally less expensive than the rest of Yorkshire because it's further away from everything and generally has poor rail access. It's also very flat but this might not bother you.

So Beverley would be more expensive than Hull (and quite rightly so!) but less expensive than say Knaresborough or Harrogate which are also lovely towns but much closer to Leeds and York, with good rail access and within easy access of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. Skipton is also nice and is only an hour from the center of Manchester but also right on the edge of the Dales and close to the Lakes.

Having put a lot of thought into this before settling on buying a house near Skipton, I think my top 4 towns in Yorkshire are Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ilkley and Skipton. My favorite city is York.

But if I had to live in East Yorkshire, Beverley would be my choice every time.

I do agree with Pulaski that four and a half hour drives are unfeasible in England. The most we have found ourselves willing to go is two hours. It's because the motorways are often clogged and on the the A and B roads you invariably get stuck behind a tractor, a lorry, or a slow-moving car driven by an OAP - and usually all 3 at some stage or another - and then at some point the road will be closed and you'll be diverted 30 miles out of your way. What looks like a four and a half hour journey is more likely 7 or 8.

But here in the north, the problem isn't as bad as it sounds down south and we have had some lovely drives. You just have to allow plenty of time and not try to do crazy distances. We've found the roads around Ripon, Nidderdale and all the way up into Richmondshire are almost deserted most of the time and they're dotted with old ruined abbeys and stately homes. Lovely!

R: private healthcare - if you're planning to take it out because of specific conditions, you'll likely be out of luck. Just like in America, pre-existing conditions are a no-no.

UkWinds5353

Sally

A very helpful post from you.
The thought about insurance is a safeguard to protect myself, as a just in case measure. Wouldn't bother with it at all if the trip was only for a few weeks.But the plan is to visit for a couple months. You gave a very descriptive picture of the Beverley area.Sound as amazing as it looked on the HGTV show House Hunters International.I was impressed with the landscape and historical architecture. It did look to be deep in the countryside and that is appealing. Plan to drive through much of the Yorkshires.

A few people have mentioned how congested the roads can be but to date you have given me the best bird's eye view of what drivers deal with in the uk. A drive is not a pleasant drive across country during long distances.It would seem to be a bumper to bumper slow go it ordeal. I had pictured highways similar to hear in the States that allow easy access to any part of the country and at highway speeds without stop lights or side road traffic.

I'm prepared for all of this because I do want to see and experience the real UK. But I'm glad you provided these details it will help me to plan my schedule accordingly. Will not bother renting a vehicle would be a waste of money considering the length of my stay. Will instead buy a used car maybe something very British. Should be nice to stop along the way when ever there is a point of interest worth checking out. Looking forward to seeing the difference between the north vs the south uk and any variance in culture. Should be a lot of fun. Btw, so glad you found the place that makes you feel at home up in the Yorkshires.

Pulaski

H Now you've flipped from one extreme to the other. The roads are not in permanent gridlock, and it is often possible to cruise at or around the speed limit of 70mph on motorways (interstate equiv) which will feel fairly familiar to you. On main highways 50-60mph is commonly possible when they are dual carriageway (divided highway), but slow or heavy traffic does affect single-lane-each-way highways more often. Junctions on all roads tend to cause backups, especially in the rush hour or near tourist attractions. If you are on vacation and therefore able to travel on weekdays and outside the short summer vacation time you should be able to avoid the worst congestion in tourist areas.

BTW You will likely experience the same issues in reverse as the British citizens who plan to buy a car in the US while visiting: registering and taxing your car may be difficult if not impossible, and even if you are able to register it, insuring it without a British driving licence will be difficult and extremely expensive.

UkWinds5353

"Think again, the roads and traffic rarely allow consistent high speed driving in the UK: not around major cities, during the rush hour, during the hours of daylight on weekdays, and [i]especially[/I not]on sunny weekends."

The above is a quote from you. In any case, I'll be on vacation and time tables will not be a major issue.Plan to just go with the flow.

Fish n Chips 56

Private Medical Insurance gets you sorted quicker.
Emergency care with the NHS is instant just like the USA, things that can wait are put off but there are times limits.

The cost of Private care as others have said is cheaper than USA as its in addition to NHS coverage if you are living in the UK.

My brother in law had a Biz where he gave BUPA as a benefit, he was covering six employees for the same as cost as my wife and I for partial coverage in the Usa.

My SIL recently had major surgery through the NHS, She said it was better care than when she went private, she was impressed with the NHS, of course many arent.

I agree about travel, it all depends where you want to go, some trips are quite good as far as time goes, others can be a nightmare, it all depends on time of day, road works and other factors.

I love driving in the UK, but Ive used Trains in the recent past and was very impressed, it runs to the minute.

Fish n Chips 56

I know my in laws have a better quality of life than I do here, far more time off work, (vacations), and they go abroad alot, all drive newer cars than I do, Brand New cars are expensive, used ones are priced decent, their car insurance has always been cheaper than mine, I have a clean record.

Parking is a pain in the butt, tight spaces and it costs alot to park in the UK, Petrol and Diesel is highly taxed and expensive, but many cars do 40 -50 MPG...

Less murders in their towns but the drug problem is the similar.

No risk of going medically bankrupt, thats never a worry.

It all depends what you want out of life, the UK has problems but no place is perfect.

Will you be happy there?, Alot depends on your personality and ability to chat and mix, the Brits make us welcome... Pubs are a great place to eat and socialize.

They don't make Rovers in the UK anymore, BMW bought Rover many years ago and couldn't make a profit, so sadly they are gone, they were great cars.

I lived in South Yorkshire for many years, Yorkshire is a Great place to live, of course I'm biased, its certainly a cheaper place to live than Southern England...

Homeiswheretheheartis

Beverly is a lovely town, I lived just outside Beverly for a year when I was younger.

Someone mentioned that Friday and Sat nights the pubs get very busy. The main reason for that is probably the Joint Military Driving School base 20 mins away from Beverly (Leaconfield). The training school has a lot of young squaddies just out of basic, they can't drink during the week as they are breath tested, so when the weekend comes, well not much more to say. Except I did spend a few good night in Beverly when I was based their:-)

UkWinds5353

Fish, I have been told the very same thing about private medical insurance in the Uk.The NHS is very good in most areas of the Uk but private insurance is rumored to help cut through red tape in many circumstances.

I think its amazing that the cost to buy health insurance is reasonably priced.

I want to take my time and experience the food,sites and fun the Uk has on offer. Plan to drive from the north to the south and see as many points of interest in between.Castles, festivals, pubs and celebrations along the way.

A friend of mine recently bought a time share which allows them to travel and stay in several cities in Europe.They are checking to see if Northern Ireland is on the list for availability around the same time during my visit. Hope that works out would be nice to have a friend over there while I'm there.

I'm sure the metro system runs like a swiss watch but I have been looking forward to doing an extensive road trip in the Uk. No substantial pre-planned agendas just taking it as it comes. One thing I will do is to check and see what events are taking place prior to my departure. Should be fun and far too expensive but I believe it will be worth every dollar.

UkWinds5353

Beverley has made a good impression on several people.Look forward to spending time there.

Is there any place in the States which could be compared to the Yorkshires in landscape?