an american in england

Hi Laura and welcome POE. If you are interested in camping/B&B alternatives, have a look at the "Yurt" page of the "Organic Places to Stay" website: http://www.organicholidays.co.uk/. In the Search area, type in "yurts" (no quotation marks). I've always thought staying in a yurt for a week in the UK might be kind of fun, though I must admit I'm getting to an age where comfort and convenience is starting to trump adventurous living!

No rattlesnakes in the UK, but there are poisonous adders. My understanding, though, is that the poison is not particularly potent. I've been traveling to the UK since 1970 and in the many times I've been there, I've only seen one adder, which I spotted sunning itself on a large flat rock while hiking in Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands (1976).

I can't help coming back, Ruth, have you noticed I'm still here? Haha! Just got lost looking at pics again.  Agreed, I am living vicariously too. Does seem like lots of great people.

Ron, you met C.S. Lewis (I mean Jack)?  Wow! Awesome. How did you meet him? What was he like?

How long have you got Laura? lol

The C S Lewis tour that I operate lasts for 3 to 4 hours so you've got no chance of hearing it via the forum. However, if you go to my website http://www.cslewistours.com you will get a taster.

In a few minutes time I will send you an email regarding the tour (as if you were going to take it) where you will read lots of other interesting information.

Hey Rob! What a nice picture for your avatar. So sweet. Thanks for the link, looks a great resource. Fun! 

Wow, adders. Yikes! Well, I'm glad to hear it's unlikely to run into one.  I was hoping that England only had little Peter Cottontail's and Paddington Bears and nothing tougher than that, but clearly everywhere has snakes. Boo. Camping looks awesome and the grass is so unbelievably green. Makes you feel healthier just looking at it. Can't wait!

Thanks, Laura. My avatar is me dancing with my daughter at her wedding in San Diego last August. Glad to hear that you are renting a car--it's the only way to travel in the UK as far as I'm concerned! Have you driven there before?

Hey Rob, dancing with your daughter. So sweet.  Your daughter is California, are you in California too?

Yes, I'm excited to rent a car.  We rented a car when we were in Canterbury and drove around that area a little but just for the day.  We found some great ruins and I put my feet in the North Sea even though it was November.  But driving a stick-shift with my left hand was awkward and those round-abouts are confusing!

My daughter Leah and son-in-law Sam live on the far north-east side of Cleveland, OH, where Leah is finishing her master's degree and Sam works as a medical software specialist. Sam grew up in Encinitas, just up the coast from San Diego, where his parents still live. The wedding was held at the Prado in Balboa Park. As for myself, I live in central Michigan. I have to say that it is very nice to have extended family now in California, especially since they live a ten-minute walk from the beach!

Yeah, driving in England for an American can be a bit daunting at first. Personally, I love driving a stick-shift in the UK--its just fun! I've driven tens of thousands of miles in the UK from the far south to the far north. I never get tired of it!

Hi Laura (and everyone else)... I'm also new here.  I live in the town of Kendal, Cumbria with my family. It is perfectly situated between both the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales National Parks, so we have the best of both worlds within easy reach.