|
|
|
|||||||||||||
 www.maxpages.com/hants INTRODUCTION |
|
Driving on the left side of the road in the United Kingdom is different for Americans but the knack is soon acquired and even all of England is not a very large place so tackling a road tour outside of London is no big thing. Only the roundabouts (rotaries) can be really confusing and very often one finds that counting the possible turnoffs becomes a requirement if going off in the right direction is of any importance.
England in the summertime is a most pleasant experience. The stratus overcast succumbs to blue skies with fairweather cumulus clouds and everything takes on a much jollier complexion. Although the maritime location of the British Isles, with onshore moist prevailing winds, prevents excessive cold temperatures ... it also means that the summer temperatures are not as high as they might be on the continent further inland. Landing at Heathrow Airport just west of London affords a good starting point to head southwest to Hampshire and the coast near Southampton. |
| HAMPSHIRE |
I had decided to make my base of operations outside of London and the selection of Hampshire, some seventy miles southwest of London, seemed like the perfect place to begin. It includes the south central coast (map) featuring the port towns that I enjoy so much and it is an easy drive west to Cornwall and Dorset, north to Oxford and Wales, and east to Brighton and Sussex. Southampton is the second largest city (only Portsmouth is larger) at the center of this south central coast and the area works very well as the hub for southern England and Wales excursions. Just west of Southampton (Map and Aerial Photo) is the New Forest or at least it was the new forest in 1079 when designated as such by William the Conqueror. It apparently will shortly be named as the first new national park in over fifty years. Incidentally, not everyone locally is enthralled with this news as commoner's privileges such as sheep grazing and pannage (pig rooting) have not yet been guaranteed in the new park The region of the New Forest (map) is a wildlife and nature preserve of considerable size and consists of forests, moors and heaths that have been largely untouched for centuries. In the southeastern portion of the park (map), just two miles south of Beaulieu (bee-you'-lee) is Buckler's Hard which is an old 18th century ship-building site and staging area for World War II landing vessels. It has an interesting maritime museum, marina and waterside location. The museum features scenes from early English village life and should be visited when in the New Forest area. Winchester, home of Winchester Cathedral is located about eight miles north of Southampton (regional map) and is most recommended for at least a half-day visit. The city center is compact with High Street restricted to pedestrians and walking tours are easily accomplished. The Great Hall must be visited with its fanciful Round Table on full display. Portsmouth is a famous old naval seaport fifteen miles east of Southampton (map). It now sports a 540'-high Spinnaker Tower that will be the new landmark of the largest city in Hampshire and its improved waterfront. The renowned royal dockyard is the home of the world's oldest commissioned warship HMS Victory and a number of other famous ships. |
| WALES |
| It is but a few hours from Southampton to Wales (map) where the Severn River is crossed by two substantial toll bridges. I followed the M4 Motorway past Newport, Cardiff onto Swansea with a short stop in Port Talbot to enjoy the extensive beach and the views of the Gower Peninsula to the west. Beyond the Carmarthen Bay lies Tenby and the entrance to the widespread Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. A cruise around Caldey Island and its interesting sandstone and limestone cliffed coast, particularly on the Seal Safari trip, is a most rewarding experience. The Tenby area is a good choice to spend an evening.
A continuation to the west through Pembroke and Milford Haven and out to the Dale, St. Anns and Wooltrack Points are not as remunerative as coastal drives further north. However, St. David's Peninsula has a nice combination of interesting villages, pocket beaches and cliffed shorelines. The drive continued north along the coast past Cardigan and along three large inland incursions where the sea has formed extensive estuaries in the Snowdonia National Park. The park is left at Bangor and Conwy on the north Wales coast. Then it's on to the Wirral Peninsula to Birkenhead and Liverpool. The city looks vibrant and inviting. I attempted to avoid the larger urban areas and therefore headed north to Southport and Blackpool. Unfortunately, the weather had turned a bit cool and Blackpool was seemingly deserted of tourists. Nevertheless, I spent two pleasant nights at the Chadwick Hotel in Lytham St. Anne's. One of the days was spent driving north to the Lake District National Park. The return journey followed the M6 and A49 south to Hereford and Monmouth where I attended a nifty English wedding in nearby St. Briavels. After a few days celebrating, the M4 Motorway was an easy exit back to the Hampshire base of operations. |
| CONCLUSION |
| This short, short article is more of a log to jog the memory at some future date. It was a most pleasant week-long drive with predominantly good weather and very little traffic for most of the trip. I would not hesitate to recommend a similar journey for those wanting to enjoy the English and Welsh countryside.
Travel Articles by the author. Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved. |
|
. |