Hello from California

Hi POE people.  My name is Lonnie Miller; I'm 48 years old and from California, USA.  I found your wonderful website while researching various locations in England.  My family and I are coming to visit your country this spring and can't wait - I just booked our tickets today.  I have a Bachelor’s degree in English Lit and am a big history buff - particularly medieval history, so England is very attractive to me.  Our biggest dilemma is trying to choose from the myriad sights that we would like to see in the short time we will be there.  This website has proved an invaluable tool in helping to decide.  I will likely pose a question or two on the "plan your trip thread".  So glad I found you.   

Hi Lonnie and welcome to POE from Anna and Ron. English Literature eh? Well how about this for tasters...I met C S Lewis as a 10 year old boy here in Oxford and have written a Guidebook about the tour that I used to offer.

I was born just 200 yards from the Kilns (Jacks former home) and played at 'Narnia' as a boy! He allowed me to shoot and fish up there also, with stepson Douglas Gresham a good friend of mine to this day.

This is just a quick example of the sort of access to information this site offers, apart from a very friendly family of members who care about each other greatley.

If you book your accommodation through the site you will get it cheaper than going direct, and it helps POE....enjoy Lonnie!

Welcome to POE, Lonnie!  I hope you enjoy your visit to England in the spring - a most beautiful time of year to be there for sure!

 Thank you folks for the warm welcome.  Everyone seems so amiable and helpful here.  It sure is appreciated from someone who hasn't had the pleasure yet of exploring your country (but soon). 

Ron, what a colorful and imaginative childhood you must have had, and how blessed to have had those experiences.  I will look into accommodations through the site, but am also looking at VRBO - vacation rentals by owner.

Barbara, I did a Google search the other day for "England in spring" and was pleased to find an article in that days Telegraph, which recommended spots.

  Welcome Lonnie, you have made your first step on British soil arriving here on POE. You have already started to discover the wealth of info and pics to not only inspire but also confuse- there is just so much to see , the difficlty is sorting out what you can squeeze into your trip. I endorse all that Dave has said about the Lake Distrct, had my first trip there last September and the views are stunning ( so is the photography ! ), even met up with Dave there for a lunchtime slurp. Just to put a spanner in the works, I usually advocate a visit to Cornwall- it is not just a place of coastal and moorland scenery but a wealth of heritage and history. Athelstan in AD 927 decreed thay the boundary of his kingdom of England will be now and forever more be the eastern bank of the River Tamar, therefore Cornwall cannot be classed as English ! Don't forget the mining and industrial legacy of Cornwall, and also the many who left Cornwall in the 19th centuary as the mines failed in search of work- many found their way to USA and started new lives.

       One last thing ( I do go on , sorry ) interested in your medieval history as my daughter is hooked on that era ever since she discovered that she is directly descended from Adeliza of Louvain and William d' Aubigny,  Adeliza was orginally the second wife of Henry the First and married William after Henry's death.

          Sorry going on again, welcome Lonnie and enjoy POE and England when you get here.

Thanks Dave and Vince for the enticing suggestions; I’m giddy at all of the possibilities.  I have an outsider’s knowledge about the Lake District, and am an enthusiast of Wordsworth, as well as Coleridge and Shelley.  There is an outside chance of us getting lodging up there from an acquaintance, but that may be too far to go in a mere 7 days/nights (wish we had a month).  How long of a drive is it from London?  

As for Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland, all are exceedingly intriguing and I love the fact that they offer other vantage points to the Kingdom’s history (Vince, your mention of Athelstan is right up my alley), not too mention the natural beauty of those locations.  There is some chance we could make it to the Cornwall, and possibly Wales, but more likely near Cardiff, as again time may prove too big of a factor.  I have tentatively had Bath and the Cotswolds as our western boundary.

Vince, no worries about “going on.”  I envy your families ability to discover such a well defined and rewarding lineage.  I’ve always been proud of my Viking heritage but am unable to put any names to it.

Hi Lonnie and I also welcome you to POE, I see everyone has thrown in a good few suggestions!

You only have 7 days and one of the worst problems is trying to see too much in too short a time.  That way you are doing more travelling than "seeing".  Although the countryside is beautiful to travel through and Spring is a wonderful time !  Have you considered using rail transport instead of driving?

Have lots of fun with your planning!