Having left the sunny Riviera for England, the main topic of conversation is now: what a wet summer it has been, how the woods are grown over, and how easy it is to get lost in the mist. Oh how the French alps are looking like a walk in the park! But London has been delightful this first week of resting, laundry, and re-supply, along with sightseeing and theatre.A few points for trip planning:
1- book rail reservations at least one week in advance. If not, get your tickets from the advance sales line at the train station instead of Internet. At Victoria Station, an experienced old-timer found us good fares. The ticket agent who himself went to the Lake District once, explained with a gleam in his eye he wouldn't go back after getting lost in the fog. The only thing he could see were the sheep five feet in front of him.
2- get a pay-as-you-go local UK mobile phone (20 pounds including some minutes), with a top-up card to buy more minutes as needed for contacting b&b's en route and occasional pickups. Or you can get a UK SIM card for your own mobile phone and buy minutes.
3- book bottleneck points on coast-to-coast trail first, and work backward. (So far, weekends in Grasmere in popular Lake District and Richmond are problem spots. "Diary is full.") Some b&b's, hostels, farms, barns (etc) are not in the main town, rather they're on farms or in surrounding countryside. With the long distances, it's a little concerning to be still walking around finding the booking ("don't worry, it's not as hard as it sounds"). Then you have to venture out again later to find dinner at the nearby pub. Well, it does look like idyllic walking over hill & dale but these questions will soon be answered starting next Monday and the first three weeks of September ... dot, dot, dot.
1- book rail reservations at least one week in advance. If not, get your tickets from the advance sales line at the train station instead of Internet. At Victoria Station, an experienced old-timer found us good fares. The ticket agent who himself went to the Lake District once, explained with a gleam in his eye he wouldn't go back after getting lost in the fog. The only thing he could see were the sheep five feet in front of him.
2- get a pay-as-you-go local UK mobile phone (20 pounds including some minutes), with a top-up card to buy more minutes as needed for contacting b&b's en route and occasional pickups. Or you can get a UK SIM card for your own mobile phone and buy minutes.
3- book bottleneck points on coast-to-coast trail first, and work backward. (So far, weekends in Grasmere in popular Lake District and Richmond are problem spots. "Diary is full.") Some b&b's, hostels, farms, barns (etc) are not in the main town, rather they're on farms or in surrounding countryside. With the long distances, it's a little concerning to be still walking around finding the booking ("don't worry, it's not as hard as it sounds"). Then you have to venture out again later to find dinner at the nearby pub. Well, it does look like idyllic walking over hill & dale but these questions will soon be answered starting next Monday and the first three weeks of September ... dot, dot, dot.
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