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(>Pictures at the bottom!)
…Visiting family in England
Once our car was repaired, nothing could stop us from continuing our journey; after all, we were eagerly awaited on the island. It wasn’t far from where we were in Belgium to Calais, and I (Tom) was so happy that I treated myself to some moules et frites at the Belgian-French border. However, they were so disgusting that I was glad to board the ferry to Dover, hoping that fish and chips would taste better on the island.
Many years ago, we cycled around the south-eastern corner of England with all the children. This time, we made faster progress in our car along the coastal road and later along the deep cut of the Thames towards London. To avoid paying road tax in central London, we turned north just before the city and headed for Cambridge.
There was a lot of traffic on the roads in Greater London and even the side roads were congested with huge numbers of vehicles. In addition to driving on the left, the sharp junctions at roundabouts and forks in the road presented us with constant challenges. Thanks to the well-coordinated teamwork between the driver and passenger, everything went smoothly, or almost always. 🙂
As we were making good time and weren’t expected until later, we treated ourselves to a detour to Wales, driving across England towards Bristol from Cambridge before crossing the River Severn into Wales. The Black Mountains are located in the south-east of Wales, and the name was more than tempting.
We were probably expecting too much; the mountains were neither black nor high. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful area and the steep single-track roads with their blind spots presented a special challenge. In addition to the sparse population in the hinterland, the small villages always provided visual surprises.
Wales also offers little treats for off-road riders; unlike England, many ‘green lines’ are still open to motor vehicles in this country and may be driven on. I (Tom) didn’t need to be told twice and immediately planned a longer section over a steep mountain path into the next valley. The description said ‘very difficult’, which I didn’t mention to Chantal straight away; I just wanted to give it a try. Looking back, apart from a short stretch where the rain left a deep groove across the road and our Jeep was critically tilted for a brief moment, it was more moderate than difficult. The many gates in the fences were probably more of a challenge for Chantal; get out – open – close – get in and repeat the same thing a few hundred metres further on. 🙁
South of Wrexham, we reached England again and countless traces of a once great industrial past. Many canals were built to transport ore and other goods to the processing centres, where you can still marvel at the engineering skills of the time. In addition to aqueducts and tunnels, the canals were supplied with sufficient water by a sophisticated system. Today, these waterways are maintained and, in some places, restored with great dedication and enthusiasm. Those who can afford it enjoy boating holidays in the narrow canal system.
When we reached our destination in England, the weather changed from mostly fine and sunny to rainy and cool. However, this did not prevent us from enjoying many outdoor experiences with the whole family; after all, the English are tough and a little rain or wind hardly stops them from going outside.
In addition to castles with their beautifully landscaped gardens, the historic town of Shrewsbury and a visit to England’s largest iron sculpture park, where everything has been welded together from scrap metal, we experienced new surprises time and again in changing weather conditions. And we went hiking in all weathers; there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad equipment. Well, they’re right – the English.
All good things must come to an end; our eldest grandchild had to go back to nursery and the adults had to return to their daily work. It was also time for us to say goodbye. The world is small and we are sure to see each other again soon.
Although the weather forecast wasn’t promising sunshine, we decided to head south; we wanted to revisit Cornwall, where we had travelled by motorbike with a sidecar exactly 36 years ago. It was also a trip that lived up to our expectations of England: lots of rain and stormy weather. In the evenings, as soon as the sun disappeared behind the clouds or the horizon, it became noticeably cool, so we often gave in to our inner demons and turned on the heating.
In the far west of Cornwall, we wanted to see the multivision show, just like we did 36 years ago, as we still had fond memories of it. But as soon as we arrived at Land’s End, we would have had to get our credit card out. A stay of 1 or 2 hours was not possible; they wanted to charge us the daily rate for the parking fee alone. Inside the tourist centre, everything revolved around pounds sterling, and they even wanted an outrageous £1.89 for a single nugget. Somehow, the manager in charge must have lost touch with reality. We settled for a quick tour at the end of the world and soon took to our heels.
As consolation, we looked for a few more green lines that were permitted for our vehicle and enjoyed the wide landscape without the tourist crowds at the end of the English world. But even these alternative routes were more of an empty promise than a real off-road feeling. Instead, we reached places where tin was mined long ago under difficult conditions. Today, the remnants of a bygone era lie scattered far and wide, an era that brought great wealth to a few while the working class died of various diseases.
The bad and windy weather continued to dampen our spirits, and even along the south coast towards Portsmouth, apart from a few bright spells, it was hardly any better. Suddenly, we’d had enough; enough of the rain and wind and of searching for a suitable place to stay in the evening. Here, too, they’re keen to cash in, and that without offering any great service. With the farmers, it was somehow still affordable, although £20 for a parking space with no other services is more than reasonable. We also just wanted to enjoy warmer temperatures again. We also decided to continue on to Dover without delay.
So suddenly everything happened much faster than planned. Our tour came to an end in Dover and with just a few clicks we booked our crossing to France. As a surprise, we were even able to take an earlier ferry, which gave us a little more time on the mainland for our evening work around the camp.
Welcome back to the European continent; the weather and temperatures should be much more pleasant. Hopefully!
Chantal and Tom/June 2025
>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator