The public transport system in England is extensive and generally efficient and effective. You can basically get to wherever you want to across the country whenever you want. The cost of these services is, however, bewildering in its inconsistency and variation. We have all but given up on the overground trains, the cost of which fluctuates widely on any day from “expensive” to “here are the deeds to my house”.
Canal tow path – Stapleford
Our preferred mode of cross-country transportation is the National Express coach, which, for £5 each plus a £1 booking fee for both of us, took us from Victoria Station to Nottingham University, a distance of approximately 130 miles. On alighting, we then paid £11 for the two of us to catch two local buses less than five miles up the road to Stapleford.
The unfathomable fares aside, it was a pleasant ride back to the Midlands and the comfort of our second home with our girls, Amy and Claire and their dogs, Max and Bella. Walks in the parks and around waterways nearby, home cooked meals, visits to the local Wetherspoon in the village of Stapleford – all very familiar by now and we easily slip into the gentle rhythm of the Northern lifestyle in the company of family.
As we grow older, we appreciate more and more the value and importance of family, particularly as we are scattered across the face of the earth. Therefore we took the opportunity to once again visit Sue’s ailing uncle Pete and his wife Yvonne in Cheshire. We hired a car and drove through the stupidly beautiful countryside of the Derbyshire Dales and Peak Districts. Rolling hills, historic market towns, fields interlaced with dry stone walls, winding roads lined with hedgerows leading through sleepy little villages. And on the edge of the High Peaks a roadside sign pointing towards “The Fox and Goose on Pudding Pie Hill”. This is what we love and find so irresistible about England.
On the way back from Pete and Yvonne’s we stopped overnight in Buxton, an old Town in The Peaks famous for its healing waters and grand Victorian Buildings. We stayed in one – The Palace Hotel Buxton and Spa, a huge imposing edifice set on a hill overlooking the town amidst sprawling lawns and manicured gardens offering compact but comfortable accommodation for as little as £49 per night. Bargain! We spent our time wandering the pretty streets and public gardens in the warm sunshine, soaking up the ambiance of this gem in The Midlands.
Which way to Wetherspoon‘s?
Foraging for food when travelling in the UK is an exciting venture. There are so many options with a wide range of costs. Tesco Meal Deals have become a favourite of ours but our unashamed top of the list go-to place for food and beverage on the go is Wetherspoon. We are converts and devotees of this pub chain and cannot find a competitive alternative that meets it for value and consistency. Good honest British pub fare, healthy salads and vegan alternatives, a range of inexpensive cask ales, beers, ciders, spirits and soft drinks, cheap breakfasts and unlimited coffee and tea – Wetherspoon pubs have the lot covered, often in old restored civic and public buildings with accommodation. We are hooked. In Buxton we could have taken a £10 meal deal back to our little room at the Palace, but instead we sat in the beer garden in the late afternoon sunshine at the local Spoons and had a meal and a drink each for around £15. Then we returned for breakfast in the morning – a full vegetarian English breakfast each with bottomless tea and coffee all for under £10. What’s not to like?
Back at the girls’, Graham’s belated 60th birthday celebrations continued with a surprise dinner at Champagne Palace. Claire, ably assisted in the kitchen by Amy, prepared a gourmet three-course dinner with accompanying ales and wine. After a late afternoon darts tournament in the garden, we sat down to this gorgeous feast with balloons, banners and birthday cards to complement the evening’s festivities. Sixty years old has never been so good!
Drama struck before we left Nottingham in the form of a heatwave. Extreme temperatures into the 40s had swept across central Europe over the week and on the last weekend in June the temperatures in England soared. Media warnings and advice preceded the firestorm and some events were cancelled due to the heat. Sunday was England’s hottest day of the year to date and as locals swooned and pubs struggled to keep up with the demands of its thirsty patrons, the temperature in Nottingham soared to THIRTY DEGREES CELCIUS!! Naturally to us sun-hardened Aussies, the pleasant summer day was comfortable during which the antics of the struggling poms provided an amusing distraction. The girls’ new gas BBQ worked perfectly and facilitated a most pleasant afternoon in the garden.
Clapmacks Foray into Retirement 