I spent 93 days in the British Isles from March 25 to June 27 and saw almost everywhere. This was my 90 days outside the Schengen visa zone and I then had till September 26th to see NW Europe, Scandinavia and down to Lithuania. Eastern Europe is all outside of Schengen and I hope to get a visa to Belarus to start that segment of the trip.
My biggest challenge was driving a right-hand vehicle on the left side of the road. Roundabouts have several lanes on entering and exiting, all made more complex with a right-hand drive vehicle. I ended up having an accident south of Leeds on June 3, but the van was still drivable. I never did get used to the money and all the different coins.
Other than a needless (and very expensive) campground in London, I “wild” camped 100% of the time and cooked 98% of my meals in the van. Diesel was the major expense – and all the museums and castles put a serious dent in my budget.
England. Because of the need to return to London so many times, I ended up driving the Midlands several times, but by taking different routes, did not repeat much.
I started in London needing to get dental work done and made a total of 4 visits to London to have everything completed on June 25th. It was impossible to see everything in this great world city but I did my best – and walked almost everywhere, using the underground only on my last day.
London: Some of the highlights were Westminster Abbey, the British Museum and simply experiencing the city.
Driving north, I loved the Peak District and the Lake District, both little slices of wilderness in a crowded country. Unfortunately, I did not get to climb Scafell Pike (978m), the highest mountain in England because of the weather. Some other highlights were Stonehenge and Avebury (a large stone circle), the Cotswolds, and the many great cathedrals in England: Salisbury, Winchester, Yorkminster, Lincoln, Norwich, and Durham. There were altogether too many castles, all similar with ramparts to walk, cold and damp spaces, over-the-top furniture, stag heads, armour, 4-poster beds, and portraits of rich people. They all charge (like all the royal sites) and this got to be very expensive.
Scotland. I probably enjoyed this the most. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow were nice cities to visit. Dunnotoir Castle was a highlight driving up the East Coast. Trips to the Orkney, and Shetlands, and driving around the northwest through the stunning country were highlights. From the Outer Hebrides, visiting St Kilda was spectacular. Disappointments were not climbing Ben Nevis or walking the West Highland Way, both initial goals. But I did hike to the highest waterfall in the British Isles.
Wales. Driving through the maze of small roads hidden in high, unruly hedgerows was a treat. St Davids Cathedral, Devil’s Bridge, Snowdonia National Park, the Castles of Gyrnwad, and the Pontcysylite Aquaduct were all highlights. Forget about their passion for speaking Welsh.
North Ireland. Belfast with its storied history during the Troubles, is a lovely city on the river, a quaint downtown, and a newly revived Titanic Quarter. I was led to believe that Giant’s Causeway wasn’t very inspiring, but 40,000 basaltic columns disappearing into the ocean was a dramatic sight.
Ireland. I never would have thought that the north and west of Ireland was so mountainous and hilly, and all buried under meters of peat bog. Climbing on Achilles and Cloagh Patrick with a hitchhiker were definite highlights. Connors Pass in the Ring of Kerry is one of the more dramatic roads I have ever driven. Seeing all the Medieval Monastic sights and Royal Sites of Ireland was worthwhile. The burial sites at Newtongrange and Knowth were special. But the real highlight was Victor’s Way Garden, full of wonderful sculpture and life philosophy – and then there was Victor, one of the greatest unsung philosophers of our age.
