Читать книгу Great Book of Spoon Carving Patterns - Joseph Fullman - Страница 58

Motoring is really the best way of getting to know the countryside, although not for visiting towns and cities. Hellish ring roads, awkward one-way systems, expensive car parks, scarce street parking and financially crippling fines for illegal parking are enough to put you off taking your car into town centres and persuade you to use Park and Ride services, such as the one operating in Bath, which enables you to park cheaply out of the city and catch a shuttle bus into the centre.

If you are travelling from any of the main English-speaking countries you will not need an international licence to drive in the UK, provided you can cope with manual-drive (stick-shift) cars, and working the gears with your left hand. You will be driving on the left-hand side of the road, a custom that goes back to the old days when travellers held the reins of their horse in their right hand and walked beside on the left edge of the road.

Get valid insurance before you leave if you’re bringing your own car and remember that seatbelts are compulsory, front and back. Speed limits are in miles per hour: 30mph in built-up areas; 60mph on main roads; 70mph on motorways and dual carriageways. If you are stopped by the police, you can be asked to show your driving licence at a police station within five days. Familiarize yourself with the British Highway Code (available in newsagents) and take note of the strict drink-drive laws.

To hire a car in the UK you must be over 21 (sometimes 23, or even 25) and have at least one year’s driving experience; a valid credit card is often required too. It is best to pre-book for cheaper deals and to guarantee a car. The big car-hire firms have branches in the major airports. Basic hire usually includes unlimited mileage and insurance (with an excess of up to £600 for any loss or damage). Prices vary, but as a guideline for a week’s car rental the main companies ask around £150 if you book early. This price goes down if you use a small, local firm, but aftercare (breakdown service, replacement car) may be less reliable if you travel out of the local area.

Special Interest Holidays

Fishing Breaks, The Mill, Heathman Street, Nether Wallop, Stockbridge SO20 8EW, t (01264) 781988, www.fishingbreaks.co.uk. Guided sea trout, salmon and brown trout fly fishing in Devon.

HF Holidays, Catalyst House, 720 Centennial Court, Centennial Park, Elstree, Hertfordshire, WD6 3SY, t (020) 8732 1220, www.hfholidays.co.uk. Various themed walking tours, including garden tours of Devon and walks along the Southwest Coastal Path.

Livingstone Colbourne, Honeychurch, Northlew, Okehampton, Devon EX20 3NR, t (01409) 221939, www.livingstonecolbourne.co.uk. Tailor-made cultural tours of Devon and Cornwall for small groups, focusing on art, antiques and architecture.

National Surfing Centre, Newquay, Cornwall, t (01637) 850737, www.nationalsurfing centre.co.uk. Professional coaches run surf courses for beginners and improvers, as well as workshops for longboarders, shortboarders and bodyboarders April–Oct.

National Trust Holidays, PO Box 536, Melksham SN12 8SX, t 0870 458 4422, www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Holidays in historic homes and cottages across the region.

Naturetrek Ltd, Cheriton Mill, Cheriton, Alresford, Hampshire SO24 0NG, t (01962) 733051, www.naturetrek.co.uk. Various nature-themed holidays including eight days birdwatching on the Scilly Isles and 5-day tours of Cornish gardens.

Railtours Southwest, t (01752) 562009, www.railtours-southwest.co.uk. Train tours from Plymouth out into the Tamar Valley.

Road Trip, All Star Leisure (UK) Ltd, 27 Old Gloucester Road, London, WC1N 3XX, t (020) 8133 8375, www.roadtrip.co.uk. Various themed tours of the West Country, such as their 7-day ‘Cream teas and Pasties’ tours of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.

Sherpa Expeditions, 131a Heston Road, Hounslow TW5 0RF, t (020) 8577 2717, www.sherpaexpeditions.com. Eight-day guided tours of the Cornish coastal path.