Pistolpete2

There has been discussion ref bus costs on another thread today and it pointed to this coverage from Plusbus - (not everywhere is covered):

http://www.plusbus.info/about-plusbus

cheers

Wow, thank you for the link. I must be a bus freak because I think I've spent an hour looking at the link.

Cheers

Pistolpete2

I went to the Homepage and typed in Canterbury and it was there so I was happy too.

It's a blazer here today (up to 35C) and we are headed into lovely heathland Ashdown Forest, the area where Brian Jones, bandleader of Rolling Stones fame, lived and then died in his pool in strange circumstances after being fired by the Stones (Coleman's Hatch, Forest Row, Hartfield).

Yesterday we did the historical area/route after a cracking and very good value lunch at Chapter One in Farnborough (Kent).

Westerham (General Wolfe and William Pitt the younger) then Chartwell (Churchill), then Hever (Anne Boleyn), then Chiddingstone (entire village is National Trust) then Penshurst (Smarts Hill, Penshurst Place).

bigglesworth

My goodness Pete you are retracing my life!

You are getting into "more difficult to get to London" land.

Groombridge and Langton Green are well worth a look.
Avoid Crowborough like the plague (despite the Conan Doyle connection). Property is cheap, but it is the headquarters of the Local Council, who have designated it as THE area to build - which they do ceaselessly without any thought of amenities for the inhabitants.
Rotherfield is pretty and just manageable into Tunbridge Wells station. A few shops and a couple of good pubs
There are a couple of good pub restaurants to eat in Heathfield. Maresfield is lovely. Uckfield etc on down are increasingly scenic, but you are moving over to "access to the West End but not the City" part of the South East.

Pistolpete2

Drove as far south as Isfield and the Lavender (rail) line, north of Lewes. The country here, and in particular Ashdown Forest, is truly lovely with loads of folks out today to do country walks.

Stopped at the Dorset Arms at Withyham for lunch - lovely old Harvey's Pub - where the leaseholders have supposedly been booted out after only a year by the De La Warr family (as in Delaware), who 'live next door' on their huge estate.

(Old haunt) Pubs today in both Groombridge (The Crown) and Langton Green (The Hare) are doing a very good trade in the heat. This is very prosperous country and if you are outside T-Wells proper, as you say, does not really provide good access to London but Ashurst to London Bridge is about 54 mins, which is not too bad. I do not expect that the many lovely country houses in this area come anywhere near cheap.

bigglesworth

Dorset arms - well there is a memory. A pal and I drank them out of Barolo a few years back.

The De la Warrs also own a pub just outside Crowborough the Half Moon at Friars Gate on the road to Groombridge. The landlady used to be (maybe still is) the black sheep daughter of the old Earl. The previous land lord and landlady were similarly unceremoniously booted out by the family when it suited them.

It all depends on whether you need to get into London. If you don't, I think Kent and Sussex - away from the Great Wen- are some of the loveliest parts of Britain.
But then I feel like that about lots of Britain.

cheers

How in the heck did you find Hever? We drove around and around and finally had some local escort us most of the way. DW said you must have very good maps and better than the 4 mile to the inch that we were using.
We were there about 3 weeks ago.
I'm ready for my return!
Cheers in the 100 degree heat, helped by our air conditioning

Pistolpete2

A big help indeed, am sticking to the seat here indoors.

It's actually not easy to find any of the places that I mentioned, apart from Westerham and the signposted Chartwell, because the roads are mostly meandering and very indirect so you often go south then turn east then turn south then southwest and so on to get there. Plus, many signposts, if they are there, are buried in the hedgerows or sighted so that by the time you see them it is too late because there is somebody behind - I'm my own navigator. We got to all the places roughly the way I planned but with a couple of side-trips/miss-steps on narrow roads which got us there eventually - phew!

The only map I brought with me is an A to Z South East England 2.5 miles to the inch which can be tough going, so I would very reluctantly go with 4 miles to the inch in those parts. I dread to think what the narrow lanes are like at rush hour in the morning and afternoon, plus school's out time, when drivers are hurtling around in their huge Range Rovers - mandatory it seems - in much greater numbers.

Pistolpete2

Moved up to Suffolk by train last Friday - now doing self-catering and trying our best to act like / pretend we live here.

Weather has been pleasant overall though much cooler and East Anglia seems to get far less of the rain that pervades the western areas much of the time.

This area - between Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury - is serious farming country (mostly wheat) and is well-populated by us older folk to the extent that senior citizens would likely get the upper-hand if troublesome youth got uppity. Streets are kept clean, nothing to tread in, and the 'air' is very civilised though the traffic is still there in force, often heavy and often large and agricultural.

I do love this area.

At this time of year it is easy to use public footpaths to get exercise as walking the highways with that traffic can be dodgy but in winter the mud might make things quite a bit tougher. There are a multitude of walking choices and I have been busy. It is a rather strange feeling when ending up in the grounds of some great estate with the, presumably, owners right there while using public footpaths.

See this for example:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-38630290.html

where I found myself yesterday, though not inside .

Bus transport is rather/very expensive here with no cheaper options and no cheap return tickets and many travel with their bus passes.

No major supermarkets are within easy reach so we have tested Sainsbury's online ordering today (free if over 100 pounds (here??), between 2.99 and 5.99 delivery if under this amount but over 40 pounds, depending upon your desired slot).

There are major markets in Bury twice weekly and local farmers markets in various smaller places around, once a month. The markets appear far cheaper than the supermarkets if you shop carefully from fish to cheese to meat to produce.

bandrui

Hi All,

I've been catching up on all your posts... and visits home Cheers and PP2. I had my son staying with me for the past 4 months, which has been challenging to say the least, but he moved out the day before yesterday .

I have a new plan! After spending copious amounts of time to make this a stellar year in my gardens, the darn deer got in and demolished pretty near everything. That's it, I said. I am tired of working and then coming home to work on my house and garden so the plan is to get the place up to par to sell and get the heck out of here.

I am now thinking that when, gods willing, the house sells, I am going to downsize to my prized pieces, put them in storage, head to the UK, buy a campervan and travel around looking for that special place. I am now thinking small, rented is the way to go. I am tired of trying to maintain a property. (Number one son wasn't much help either .) I have been working way too hard and want to put some living in my life before I leave this planet.

Realistically, this will probably mean Spring 2014 since I don't fancy living in a campervan through the frosty English winter, though I could potentially park on a rellie's doorstep for a while. Besides, I get my Canadian pension in March .

What I am looking for is freedom, travel and low-cost living. The travel could include forays into France and Italy before (or even after) deciding on where to settle. It seems to make sense to me now, to look 'on the ground' for a place, which I feel I will happen upon in my travels, rather than try to decide where to live from here. We all know how well that has been going .

I am still feeling drawn to living close to the sea, in some place without hoards of people and traffic nightmares, i.e. not the Southeast . I might even consider Wales. With the money I would save on living, I could probably afford overnighters in London if I feel the urge, which I no doubt will.

Anyway, my plan would be to travel the coast of England and Wales, looking for those fellow alternative living types like myself and see if I can find where I want to be.

Alternatively, I could always come back to lovely Salt Spring Island if I decide to.

What do you think?

cheers

Sounds like a good plan to me. You are flexible and have a good general idea of what you want. I've even thought of living in a tent and I'd have to learn how to handle the rain.
I remember one of the posters on here saying she went to Scotland and slept in her car and from that she decided she needed a station wagon. Now who was that?
Someone mentioned about a way of finding room for rent. I think it was called "Thousand of Rooms for Rent". Anyone heard of it?

I'm still visiting Los Angeles and staying in a super nice hotel.

Now here is something to think about..DW had to go into hospital for surgery today and it didn't cost anything!


Cheers

fulwood

Bandrui, I think it's a sound plan. Travel around until you find the right place for you. I am going to UK next year for 2-3 mos. I am viewing it with an eye to moving back for good but in back of my mind feel my journey in US is not done yet. But the trip back should help. I do know one thing if I don't move back in next year or two I will when I'm approaching 60 or so. Health care being the major issue. I have no health insurance right now and it's a bugger. Good luck with your decision.

fulwood

Pistolpete2, Wish you well with your decision as well. I read so much stuff on BE I did not realize you were moving back home for good.

bandrui

You need one of these....

bandrui

Thanks Fulwood. Glad you are finally able to take that trip home.