#UKtrip – Over 50 Aussie female solo traveller USA road trip and beyond

Preston UK to New York USA

So on 31 march I completed all the tests and documents so I could fly from London to New York to get on the Norwegian Epic for a 15 night Transatlantic cruise to Barcelona. My dear friend Deb sent me a message “you know there is a quicker way to get to Barcelona from London”. She was being funny because she knows me very well and knows how much I love cruising. First I took a 2 hour train from Preston to London, then a couple of tube trains to Heathrow, then a very uncomfortable 7 hour flight to New York. Customs was slow as normal and it took a round 1 hour to get through but with no issues as I still have my USA 5 year visa for unlimited entry. I had a car booked to pick me up and proceeded to the Terminal pick up area. 10 minutes later they called me to say that they would not get there for 45 minutes. It was already 11pm, zero degrees with New York’s bitter cutting wind. I said no thank you and then had to work out where the cab line was as I was in the Uber and limo area. Itook a couple of deep breaths to remind myself to stay calm and I asked a man nearby where to get a cab. When I explained my SIM decided to stop working I couldn’t get an uber he kindly said “here is my Uber ride. Jump in and I’ll drop you on the way to my place”. Now I am always defensive of Americans when people say awful things (but sorry that doesn’t extend to Trump). This young man is a Jewish New Yorker and his kindness saved me $100 plus. He said he has experienced kindness when he has been in a similar predicament when travelling and people have been kind to him. I agree if you pay it forward karma looks after you. I got to my hotel at midnight dropped bags checked google maps and Times Square was a 12 minute walk. I could not go to New York and at the least go to Times Square. So I got my photo out front of the Times Square NYPD.

Walking around New York after midnight, even though the bitter cold wind continued, it didn’t stop me from wishing I was staying for a few days. This city has a feeling you get nowhere else in the world. But I was going to board my favourite ship, the Norwegian Epic in 10 hours, that was my reason for being in this fabulous city and I just cannot do everything, although I do try to.

I got back to my hotel around 2am and got to sleep finally when a friend from the UK rang to tell me he is so disappointed he was not travelling on the Epic. Maf is another solo traveller I met on the Transatlantic on the Epic in 2018. We had an impromptu dance on the board walk of Cadiz Spain and it is one of my fabulous travel and dance memories. The song was “in the school yard” and upon seeing the children in the school, we just had to dance. I’m hoping to make more of these lovely memories once I board the Epic.

Witch Sculpture Trail Barley Pendle Hill

Last week, Paul, the brother of my dear friend from Sydney Ann, took me for a wonderful country drive around Lancashire and came across this sculpture trail. It is a trail which takes 2 hours and we did not have enough daylight to look into this part of the countryside. Today, I had the opportunity to do the sculpture walk with Barbara, who is a wiccan. She is the mother of identical twins Becki and Hana who lived with me in Sydney. Barbara asked what I would like to see in her part of the world while I was travelling and I asked about this sculpture trail as I thought it would be of interest to her also. We had a fabulous day walking through this gorgeous countryside. It is so different to anything I have seen in Australia. We started with scones and hot chocolate in The Cabin in Barley. Must stop here before or after the numerous walks around Pendle Hill.

Then we started out to find the sculpture trail. Barbara was concerned about the mist, fog and rain and I was determined not to allow anything to deter us from this walk, even with the bitter cold which I do not particularly cope well with. Anyone who knows me would be surprised with me saying this, but this is such beautiful countryside and it is England. If I cannot cope with this weather I should not be here. But no matter how cold, how stunning is this!! The rain stayed away, the sun tried to peek through and the cold was bearable. At least it didn’t snow.

When we found the sculpture trail I have to say that the first two art pieces did not excite me. I didn’t quite understand how they are witch related.

But then we came across this creepy but enchanting chair with other mythical creatures.

The trail has ceramic tiles which represent the 10 “witches” who were hanged and hold clues for a quiz.

The Witch Finder General.

Some other pieces of interest.

A couple of witches at the Pendle Hill Inn at the end of the trail.

We finished off the day with dinner in Preston at the Bistrot Pierre. Highly recommend this place.

Thank you Barbara for a memorable day.

Blackpool

Blackpool is a 25 minute train ride from Preston. Cost is 10GBP offpeak. After spending a few hours planning my next few weeks of travel, I finally got on a train at 4:30pm. The “beach” is a few minute walk from Blackpool North Station. It is certainly very different to Australian beaches. But that is the beauty of the world being different. It was low tide and you can see the different channels which could be dangerous to anyone who doesn’t understand the changing depths when the tide is high. There are warnings around the beach. Different to the Australian warnings. Not sure I would go swimming here but it is a very popular place to go to.

People asked me why I am going to Blackpool, “there is nothing there!” and “it isn’t a good place”. Travelling I have learned that there is something to see and beauty in every place, you just have to open your eyes and “see” the place. It does look a bit run down but I expect it looks a bit “Vegas” at night. It does remind me of Atlantic City or Coney Island.

The Comedy Carpet is a celebration of comedy and made up of over 160,000 mosaic tiles.

Walking around town

The 3 piers. North, South and Central. North Pier was closed but a security guard let me in to get a couple of pics.

Of course I always find the Drag Bars in the world. At 6:30pm there was great dance music calling me into Garlands. Thank you Elsie Duchess for your music.

Preston

I have got to know a lot of London train stations and today I took the tube from Park Royal to Green Park, then Green Park took the Victoria Line to Euston Road then Euston Road National Rail train to Preston. I left Park Royal at 10:30am and arrived at Preston 2:35pm. 360kms later and I have a return ticket back to London on 1 April 2022, total cost 104GBP. I procrastinated 10minutes and it was 78GBP. I will hit the buy button quicker in future. I am staying in the Quality Apartments Preston and they are a 4 minute walk from the station. I paid 10GBP for a taxi, not realising how easy the walk is from the station. Not cobblestone footpath, no stairs, only a slight slope to push my bag. When going back to the station I will be walking.

I went for a little explore and to buy some groceries as I am staying put for 9 days and I have a kitchen!! First stop I found a Wallace and Grommit statue! I didn’t realise that is where creator of this much loved animation, Nick Park, hails from.

Then down the road a more sombre memorial to the Preston Martyrs who were shot by soldiers during the cotton workers strike of 1842. The drinking establishment in the background was named after this sad reminder of the year of the shooting.

The next day I woke to 20 degrees celsius. The first day in the UK I didn’t wear my big Arctic jacket. I walked past people saying “I can’t believe I turned on my car air con today”!! What a glorious day to explore Preston.

I was surprised by pretty Winckley Park.

And then I walked down to Avenham Park. Wow! I love the Japanese Garden and all the people out playing ball, slack lining, picnicing and just cuddling with the ones they love.

At the Continental Hotel met this lovely couple Charlie and Kirsty (she prounounced it Kursta to my uneducated ear). I also made a dyslexic error looking for the Piddle River which is actually the Ribble River. Have a giggle over that one. I enjoyed a Jaffa Cake Rum. I had to try it as I love Jaffa.

Finished off the evening with some Trivia at the Black Bull Fulwood with a cruise friend, Peter. I met Peter on the Transpacific cruise in November 2019, just before Covid-19 stopped all our fun. Peter has written a book “This Boy“. Can you see where I am in it?

Tower of London

What a magnificient historical palace. There is so much to see and learn about this palace which dates back to 1078.

So much gruesome history which many of know about the beheading of queens such as Anne Boleyn. Strange standing in the spots where these people’s lives came to a tragic end.

The Crown Jewels are the highlight. What amazing jewels and unfortunately you cannot photograph them but this is a link to what you see. Crown Jewels. The diamonds are so big they look fake. The collection is valued at around 5 billion pounds ($AUD9 billion). The sceptre diamond on its own is worth 400million pounds ($AUD700 million)

You must do the tour with one of the Beefeaters or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London. Did you know that to be a Beefeater you have to have served at least 22 years in the armed forces, be a former warrant officer or senior non commissioned, plus hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal and when accepted the whole family lives in the grounds of the Tower of London! Clive was our tour guide. Very entertaining but he is not “just” a tour guide. This is a part of the role of a Beefeater.

The moat around the Tower of London is being prepared for a sea of flowers, well 20 million seeds will be planted, for the Superbloom Platinum Jubilee celebration.

White Cliffs of Dover and Dover Castle

A short 45 minute bus ride from Canterbury is the town of Dover famous for their White Cliffs. A further 35 minutes by car is a view of the cliffs along the coast which I did not get a chance to experience, although I think the photos below the Dover Castle are quite epic. Can you see the Dover Castle lookouts in the cliff?

The walk along the shore front of Dover

The Dover Castle looks majestically over the town. The view from the hill is pretty spectacular, looking out to Calais in the distance some 27 nautical miles across the English Channel. I didn’t get to see much of the castle as you need at least 6 hours to do it right. However, I did the secret tunnels of the castle which were importantly used during WWII. Unfortunately you are not permitted to photograph anything in the tunnels so you will have to take my word for it that I went.

A few pics around town and St Mary’s Church.

Rail ticket lesson

Left London to explore another historical area, Canterbury. This post is to inform some of the down side of travelling solo with check in and carry on luggage and taking public transport. But also last night I googled the wrong Hotel and ended up on the wrong bus and at 1am there was limited services back to my hotel. I was stuck at St Pancras station, Ubers kept cancelling and so I took a London cab. I had heard they are pricey but did not expect to find out with my first mistake in London. An Uber was £5 and the cab cost me £28. That was a very expensive mistake, but, all part of travelling.

This morning was another day. Leaving the Park Plaza Hotel in West London there is a ramp up under the Western Road and up to Park Royal Station. This station is not step free access. So I had prepared myself to have to carry my luggage, luckily down a set of stairs. But Londoners are very kind and there was a lovely young man who helped me with my luggage.

The train wasn’t too difficult to manage as most of the London trains do not have a large gap between the train and platform. If there is, most platforms have accessible access where they have raised a portion of platform to meet the train entrance without a gap. I took the tube from Park Royal to Kings Cross St Pancras station, walked to nearby St Pancras international station, took a lift up to Platform 12. Signage is very clear at all stations. The trip was to take 2 hours so luckily there are toilets at St Pancras and as there are 4 steps up to those, I rolled my luggage into the accessible toilet.

I have registered my credit card to be used as an Oyster card. The London equivalent of the Sydney Opal Card. So at St Pancras International I swiped my card. Normally TfL works out your daily spend on the proxy Oyster card and there is a cap each day. However, the UK has several train lines which are not linked to the Oyster card. The fast train on the South Western Rail Line (SWR) is separate. Now this is one of the lines where if you book your ticket in advance you can save a lot of money. I did not know this and I paid £37 one way. The conductor was very kind to explain how it all works and assisted me to download two more apps – Trainline and National Rail. I paid the £37 and an additional £5 for a return ticket to London which is valid for a month. Once I leave Canterbury I will have to go back to London regardless so that I can get a train to the next major city. Their ticketing is so complex. The conductor who has been on this job for 12 months said he was still learning all there was to the UK rail system.

Little Venice/Camden/Jack The Ripper

Today is a lovely sunny day in London. 15°C!!! After -1C a few days ago, this is heaven. My hotel Park Plaza is so lovely and warm, the shower hot and great pressure. I feel great after the last week of freezing I was feeling very grumpy. I chose a beautiful day to start off in Little Venice. Did you even know there was such a place in London? I took the tube to Royal Oak and then walked to Little Venice. Look at these homes!!

Pretty Little Venice.

I took the Little Venice Regent’s Canal Water Bus to Camden tour which is a unique perspective of life along the canals of London. The tour takes you along the London Zoo and you get to see many beautiful mansions owned by various entertainment industry celebrities.

the only and oldest Chinese restaurant on the canal

On arrival to Camden you may be greeted with the pungent smell of marijuana which lets you know you have arrived to a bohemian area. Marijuana is illegal in London, although as in many parts of the world, I expect a smoking offence is not worth the police work involved. The market is buzzing with stalls of food and colourful shops to cater to the eclectic mix of patrons.

Then I took a bit of a walk to St Pancras Old Church. This has been a worship site since the 4th century.

I found The Hardy Tree on Atlas Obscura which intrigued me so I added this to my list of quirky to do. The Hardy Tree has headstones which were moved by author Thomas Hardy. My photo doesn’t do it justice but click on the link above for a clearer picture and history.

I then realised I was close to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station. I could not go to London without visiting.

Last but not least for today I went on a Jack the Ripper Tour. Ripperologist Tom took us through the historical part of Whitechapel and the sites of the gruesome murders. He was very informative and entertaining and included some very graphic photos. He had a good balance of humour and seriousness sharing the life of Whitechapel during that period and information of the victims with utmost respect. Thank you Tom. I look forward to the Haunted tour of London.

From Watford to Vauxhall

My day started with a lovely breakfast made by my airbnb host, to sustain me for my next train trip with my luggage. The host kindly dropped me off at Bushey Station thinking it had a lift. I felt so daunted by the stairs I was to lug my luggage up by hand, I took an Uber to the next station which had a lift. I had to psyche myself up for the train changes at Euston which doesn’t have a lift but an escalator, and a staff member insisted on helping me. On the way so many people asked advice and he was so very patient and assisted everyone. I then got to Green Park station changed for the Picadilly line to Park Royal station. All those trains were very easy getting on at the accessibility carriage. The trains are so good that they provide step free access and was very helpful for me with “too much” luggage. Except when I got to Park Royal and there were stairs I nearly cried. There was a lovely Jamaican woman who came straight up to me and took one of my bags up the stairs. I have found nothing but helpful people in London. The train system is complex but so far everything is working fine. I am staying at the Park Plaza hotel. Very trendy, in an industrial area but easy to get around.
After a rest I found a Meet Up group going to a comedy show at the Vauxhall Winter Gardens. I tried to contact them but decided I would try and take my chance and just turn up.

I had dinner in the winter garden and spoke with the comedy organiser who said the event was free but if you pay £5 for a ticket it would get you a free drink. I wasn’t drinking alcohol so I decided to just enjoy the show. I found the Meet Up group organiser and she stated that I could not join the Meet Up group attending the comedy as I didn’t pay the £10 fee. I was quite confused as I didn’t understand what the fee was for if entry was £5 for a drink. Well I found my first inhospitable person in London. She told me I couldn’t sit with the group as I didn’t pay £10. I realised later that she had made money from all 12 people attending. Needless to say I won’t be attending any of those group events.
But, things happen for a reason. As I was feeling a little sorry for myself, I made my way to the comedy show and someone came up to me and asked if I wanted to go to a drag bingo show. I love drag bingo and go often in Sydney. I was given a free ticket and the host was an Australian, Sheila Simmonds and she is a friend of my Sydney drag friend Miss Prada Clutch. What a fabulous night!!

Sheila sent a message to Prada which was a hoot.

I was at table with a lovely couple Victoria and Simon and I am trying to work out a way to gatecrash their wedding in Wales in June. I love attending gay areas around the world and didn’t realise that London’s is Vauxhall. Another unexpected spontaneous fun night in London.

Bletchley Park

I took a 30 minute train ride from Watford to Bletchley.

I had watched a fictional series called “Bletchley Circle” and discovered it was based on a real place called Bletchley Park. Bletchley Park was a top secret home where World War II codebreakers worked, 8000 of them. The work they did effectively reduced the term of the War by 2 to 4 years. Fascinating place, particularly if you are interested in mathematics, coding and decoding messages not only in English but German and Japanese. The story of how they recruited the coders, engaged fake spies and developed the machinery to fast track the decoding. This place would be of interest if you are a computer nerd, a mathematician, have an interest in World War II, appreciate a beautiful house built in 1883 and see how it all came together.

Memorial to the Polish mathematicians who cracked the German Enigma code

To finish off my day and my final night in Watford I went back to the Load of Hay for a final drink and a game of bingo. I was one off three times. However, once again I experienced warm hospitality from the staff and patrons. When in Watford, pop in for a drink. Thanks Load of Hay.