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Darwen not Darwin
Weather: Nights 10C/Day 18C
Well, the camper finally arrived on British soil. One week late, but better late than never as the saying goes! And as good as when we left her in the hands of the shipping agent in the States. All up nearly four weeks and A$3600.00 including customs clearance (for those who need to know).
Those of you with an interest, will notice from the photos that the camper was reversed into the container in the USA. I managed to lower the back of the rig by compressing the rear coil springs with ratchet straps. I did this because the shipper over there had me worried that because they load off a loading dock that there may be height clearance issues. This proved not to be the case but the straps did allow us to back it in. This meant I didn't have to crawl along the floor to get out of the loaded container. However upon arrival in the UK we found that they use a ramp to unload, and this caused us a bid of grief as the ramp sloped down raising the height of the rear of the camper as we drove out. I had to get the workers to use their forklift to raise to front of the ramp so that we had clearance. All’s well that ends well.
If you are planning on doing something similar (ship a vehicle) remember that you could consider packing your camping gear. The other accommodation options when you fly in to the destination country can be expensive. We found B and B’s the best value as even Youth Hostels in the UK are expensive. The UK is EXPENSIVE.
We heard on the radio here the other day that Britain is the second most densely populated country on the planet. I would have to agree with that. There is nowhere that you can get away from the rest of the population in this country. The UK is about the same size as Victoria but it has a massive Seventy One million people in it. In any ones language that’s a s***load of English.
The motorways here make the USA Interstates appear to be deserted. The only thing that prevents the road system from total gridlock seems to be the massive numbers of speed cameras. Less speed appears to equal less crashes. The trucks are also speed limited, and as a rule they generally stay in the left lane, something that seems to work compared to the free for all for the trucks in the USA and Australia.
I also have issues with the country lanes. They are a bloody nightmare. Narrow, one lane, with hedges on either side of the road, resulting in blind corners. Throw in a few idiots getting their rocks off on push bikes, farmers on their tractors with trailers, and you have a serious chance of getting creamed in a head on. They have never heard of the term 'road verge’ here, so there is nowhere to pull over. Consequently there is nowhere to stop to have a rest, let someone pass you, to have a cup of tea, or to have a ****. They have never heard of the roadside stop!
Free parking is a concept that has not been embraced here. But the park and pay concept has been! Whilst shopping the other day we happened to mention to the shop assistant that it was taking us longer than we had expected to complete our shopping. Upon mentioning this, the shop assistant told us that the time one parked was closely monitored. Each vehicle it turns out is photographed on entry to the car park. If the two hour limit is exceeded a fine of eighty pounds is issued. We had to pay eight pound to get our vehicle photo taken of the tape. The car park had no pay machines so we wrongly assumed parking was free! We have learned that nothing is free in the UK. Compared to the USA this is an expensive place to travel in.
The country side however is pleasant to drive through, and Gael has made taking pictures of anything British her passion. The lack of places to pull over can make it hard to get all the shots she wants. So when we can safely stop she is out of the car like a shot.
After a great afternoon and evening on the 27th spent catching up with Gaels folks who are over here at the moment, we had an early start to make the ferry to Ireland from Holleyhead on the West coast.
Leaping leprechauns were in Ireland
Weather: Night 6C/Day19C
We have arrived in Ireland after a three and a half hour ferry trip from Hollyhead to Dublin on the 28th August (Day 115). The trip for the two of us and camper cost us two hundred and two pound one way (for those who need to know).
The first thing one notice’s upon touchdown on this Fair Isle is that the roads in Ireland are wider and that the architecture reflects current trends. This is different to the UK where all the old buildings are preserved at all cost. In Ireland **** appears to be recognized for what it is and is knocked over.
After three days other differences become apparent. It’s not as pokey (the wider roads perhaps). They don’t charge for parking while you shop. In fact they don’t appear to charge for parking just about anywhere. Nothing gets up these tight ***** aussies more than having to pay, to park, too spend. The coastal scenery is spectacular once you leave the city of Dublin. We are traveling in an anticlockwise direction and will be circumnavigating the island. Based on the fact that it took about three weeks to get around the UK, we anticipate about the same amount of time for a somewhat smaller Ireland (more natural beauty equals more walks).
As its still school holidays here the crowds at the major attractions are still there, however the billy-lids go back to terrorizing Europe’s educators this week so the crowds should thin out. We haven’t had any problems with accommodation since the camper arrived but we are confined to caravan parks along this northern part of the coast. The parks here aren’t too bad but we hope to be able to free camp when we get to the more remote parts of the West coast. Time will tell!
Weather: Nights 10C/Day 18C
Well, the camper finally arrived on British soil. One week late, but better late than never as the saying goes! And as good as when we left her in the hands of the shipping agent in the States. All up nearly four weeks and A$3600.00 including customs clearance (for those who need to know).
Those of you with an interest, will notice from the photos that the camper was reversed into the container in the USA. I managed to lower the back of the rig by compressing the rear coil springs with ratchet straps. I did this because the shipper over there had me worried that because they load off a loading dock that there may be height clearance issues. This proved not to be the case but the straps did allow us to back it in. This meant I didn't have to crawl along the floor to get out of the loaded container. However upon arrival in the UK we found that they use a ramp to unload, and this caused us a bid of grief as the ramp sloped down raising the height of the rear of the camper as we drove out. I had to get the workers to use their forklift to raise to front of the ramp so that we had clearance. All’s well that ends well.
If you are planning on doing something similar (ship a vehicle) remember that you could consider packing your camping gear. The other accommodation options when you fly in to the destination country can be expensive. We found B and B’s the best value as even Youth Hostels in the UK are expensive. The UK is EXPENSIVE.
We heard on the radio here the other day that Britain is the second most densely populated country on the planet. I would have to agree with that. There is nowhere that you can get away from the rest of the population in this country. The UK is about the same size as Victoria but it has a massive Seventy One million people in it. In any ones language that’s a s***load of English.
The motorways here make the USA Interstates appear to be deserted. The only thing that prevents the road system from total gridlock seems to be the massive numbers of speed cameras. Less speed appears to equal less crashes. The trucks are also speed limited, and as a rule they generally stay in the left lane, something that seems to work compared to the free for all for the trucks in the USA and Australia.
I also have issues with the country lanes. They are a bloody nightmare. Narrow, one lane, with hedges on either side of the road, resulting in blind corners. Throw in a few idiots getting their rocks off on push bikes, farmers on their tractors with trailers, and you have a serious chance of getting creamed in a head on. They have never heard of the term 'road verge’ here, so there is nowhere to pull over. Consequently there is nowhere to stop to have a rest, let someone pass you, to have a cup of tea, or to have a ****. They have never heard of the roadside stop!
Free parking is a concept that has not been embraced here. But the park and pay concept has been! Whilst shopping the other day we happened to mention to the shop assistant that it was taking us longer than we had expected to complete our shopping. Upon mentioning this, the shop assistant told us that the time one parked was closely monitored. Each vehicle it turns out is photographed on entry to the car park. If the two hour limit is exceeded a fine of eighty pounds is issued. We had to pay eight pound to get our vehicle photo taken of the tape. The car park had no pay machines so we wrongly assumed parking was free! We have learned that nothing is free in the UK. Compared to the USA this is an expensive place to travel in.
The country side however is pleasant to drive through, and Gael has made taking pictures of anything British her passion. The lack of places to pull over can make it hard to get all the shots she wants. So when we can safely stop she is out of the car like a shot.
After a great afternoon and evening on the 27th spent catching up with Gaels folks who are over here at the moment, we had an early start to make the ferry to Ireland from Holleyhead on the West coast.
Leaping leprechauns were in Ireland
Weather: Night 6C/Day19C
We have arrived in Ireland after a three and a half hour ferry trip from Hollyhead to Dublin on the 28th August (Day 115). The trip for the two of us and camper cost us two hundred and two pound one way (for those who need to know).
The first thing one notice’s upon touchdown on this Fair Isle is that the roads in Ireland are wider and that the architecture reflects current trends. This is different to the UK where all the old buildings are preserved at all cost. In Ireland **** appears to be recognized for what it is and is knocked over.
After three days other differences become apparent. It’s not as pokey (the wider roads perhaps). They don’t charge for parking while you shop. In fact they don’t appear to charge for parking just about anywhere. Nothing gets up these tight ***** aussies more than having to pay, to park, too spend. The coastal scenery is spectacular once you leave the city of Dublin. We are traveling in an anticlockwise direction and will be circumnavigating the island. Based on the fact that it took about three weeks to get around the UK, we anticipate about the same amount of time for a somewhat smaller Ireland (more natural beauty equals more walks).
As its still school holidays here the crowds at the major attractions are still there, however the billy-lids go back to terrorizing Europe’s educators this week so the crowds should thin out. We haven’t had any problems with accommodation since the camper arrived but we are confined to caravan parks along this northern part of the coast. The parks here aren’t too bad but we hope to be able to free camp when we get to the more remote parts of the West coast. Time will tell!
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