Preparing to leave

It's Wednesday, May 11, and we're getting ready. I can hear Betsy upstairs packing, and I'm down here inspecting my hiking shoes (I had to wash all the mud off and now I want to make sure they're dry before I put them in my bag).

Betsy and I agree that this is one of the best parts of the trip: the anticipation as the day of departure has almost arrived. This trip is almost eight months in the making—it was last October that we booked the flights and the rental car. 

The big development for me today (my last day of teaching) was deciding to change where I'd spend my final week of this trip. 

Maybe I'd better back up since some of you might not know our itinerary. I'll copy and paste it below, but the basic plan is this: Betsy and I arrive Saturday morning, 5/14, and spend four nights in Kent (southeast of London, the "garden of England"), then head west along the coastal road where we spend a night in two different parts of Sussex (both of which I stayed in on my last long-distance walk in 2019) before arriving in Dorset 5/20 for a week in a small village. 

Betsy flies home on Friday, 5/27, and I'll stay two more weeks. The first week is in East Sussex near the coast (English Channel). I'd planned to spend my second week not far from there, and I realized this morning that it made more sense to see a different area my second week. I'll be heading up to the Cotswolds to the "market town" (bigger than a village, with more going on) of Cheltenham. Details and links below.

By the way, lest anyone think we recently hit the lottery, you should know that most of these places cost around $100/night. Lodging in England (esp. outside of London) can be a real bargain, particularly in May. AND we used points for the flights.


England 2022 . . . Map of first two weeks

Flight from Logan, May 13th, UA Flt. #24, arriving Heathrow  Saturday, May 14th

Then drive on to our first airbnb:

 

Sandhurst, Kent, Airbnb; 5/14 - 5/18 (Saturday to Wednesday), 4 nights

 

Alfriston,  Wingrove House,Wed., 5/18, 1 night

 

Amberly, Sportsmans Inn, Thurs., 5/19, 1 night

 

Cattistock, Ivy Cottage, Friday, 5/20 - 5/27, 7 nights

 

 

Betsy flies home UA Flt #25, Friday, May 27


___________________________________


Fred drives back to East Sussex via Winchester and the coast.

 

South Heighton, Private Garden Studio, 7 nights = 5/27 - 6/3. . $582.27 

East Sussex, near the coast/Hastings


Fred drives about three hours to Cheltenham (Cotswolds) via the coast and Winchester (again)


Cheltenham, Coach House, 8 nights - 6/3 - 6/11 . . . $724.77

Gloucestershire / Cotswolds


 

Fred return flight UA #25, Saturday, June 11

 



Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 12, 2022 at 8:53 AM

    Nicely done. I tried again to comment with my Google account but it only seems to work with Anonymous. Could be the Kindle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fred CookseyMay 13, 2022 at 7:22 AM

      Thanks! Took a little longer than I thought it would (the links kept appearing in orange??), but I like the way it works now.

      Delete
  2. Miss PotterMay 12, 2022 at 1:53 PM

    Great choice to head to the Cotswolds.. you score gold stars in Julian’s book for this. The mere mention of Gloucestershire has tears in his eyes. The Golden Valley and all that. This is also the land of Mistletoe!!!! Not so visible now the trees are in leaf. You will be richly rewarded for change of plan. Just a shame Betsy will miss it this time.
    Have a really good flight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fred CookseyMay 13, 2022 at 7:27 AM

      Betsy and I have been to the Cotswolds twice, which is part of why I'm heading back to that part of the country. I remember talking to my friend/bandmate Michael about his favorite parts of England years ago, and when he mentioned the Cotswolds, I scoffed—assuming it to be the worst kind of tourist cliche. He assured me that it was a popular destination for a good reason and let me know which areas to avoid. Glad I took his advice because it really is an amazing area, particularly in terms of the landscape (moreso than the towns/villages, at least for us).

      Delete
  3. BessMay 12, 2022 at 7:45 PM

    Someday I’ll insist on tagging along.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fred CookseyMay 13, 2022 at 7:27 AM

      I included you because I know you're thinking about it for next year....

      Delete

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