A New Day

It feels like we’ve been planning this forever. Sarah’s big trip to the UK.

There were always other shiny new destinations that caught her attention. Does that make her sound like a magpie? Mmmm, perhaps.

Sarah is one of these full immersion types. Do it once and do it all.

So after China, the planning began. England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The full set.

After months of tedious (for the reader. Personally, I loved every minute of it) planning, we had an itinerary:

Sarah found a guided tour of Ireland and Scotland that covers everything we had decided to see. So that is booked with Trafalgar Tours. It starts in Dublin and ends 15 days later in Edinburgh. As luck would have it, it includes tickets to the Edinburgh Tattoo before we finish. Oh goody.

Let’s be honest, it’s not something that I would have crossed the road to see, but as a very wise soul once said, I’ll just have to “suck it up”.

So, after the tour, we pick up a rental car, and do the rest as self-drive.

The weird thing is that, in the entire UK, most rental cars, so I guess most cars, are manual. Bazaar.

We find a pretty reasonable rental company that operates pretty much worldwide. Rentalcars.com.

We used them on a weekend trip to Queenstown, and I was pretty happy with how that worked. Basically, they are a broker, and arrange the rental through a good value local company. So I guess this big trip will be the test.

As I was saying, most rental cars are manual over there, and I’m used to an automatic now.

Two little segways:

I always had manual cars, and was more than happy to stay that way. As many of you may be aware, Sarah came supplied without a drivers licence. Never saw the need.

A few years ago, I broached the subject of teaching her how to drive. Foolishly, I laid out my cunning plan; start learning in an automatic car, to get comfortable with Starting, Stopping and Steering. Then move on to a manual vehicle, to learn the intricacies of the clutch and gearbox.

Barely had I completed the sentence and Sarah says “OK we’ll get an automatic car”.

No, that’s not what I’m saying. It’s just a transition during training. Clearly she had moved on to a different topic. Decision made. Righto then. 

So my next car was an automatic. And every one since.

I know what you’re thinking. Did she let you teach her how to Start, Stop and Steer?

Don’t be ridiculous!

Segway part deux;

We did a weekend recently to Waiheke Island. Anyone who has been there (and I recommend you do), will know that transport is somewhat essential. So, Sarah was in charge of the planning, and she had organised for the rental car rep to meet us at the ferry terminal with our car. On the ferry over, she casually asked “you can drive manual, right?” Sheesh!

When we arrived, the guy was there with ‘our car’.

It was one of those 30-plus year old, tiny Daihatsu overlockers with the rattly gearboxes. Oy vey! Probably the oldest car registered on the island. I suspect that the only way it gets a warrant is because the rental/car sales company that owns the car is either also a service station, or they are related to the service station owner.

Or maybe I’m being unkind.

Back to this trip.

Sarah says get an automatic. We don’t want problems on the British roads because you’re in a manual car. So, Alzheimer’s then? Will I get confused and drive into the Thames?

You know that no husband ever asks questions like that, don’t you?

OK so I scroll down to find automatic cars.

Literally the very first automatic available at Edinburgh to rent, is a Jaguar XE!

Being unfamiliar with the Jaguar pedigree, I can only assume that this will be a little bit posh.

I do notice, however, that it does say “or similar” is a slightly smaller font. I wait with anticip...

...pation to see what I get.

Knowing my luck, it’ll be a 30 year old fucking Daihatsu knitting machine with a dodgy automatic gearbox.

I’ll let you know.

Now, assuming the car is functional, we will be heading south into England. Stopping for a night in the Lake District, we will have a zip around that area, and probably checkout a couple of, well, lakes, I suppose.

Then it’s down to see a couple of stately homes that were used in the filming of a couple of “Pride and Prejudice” movies.

You will see a pattern here.

After a bit of zigging and zagging, we will be stopping at a place called Port Isaac. This is the village used to film Doc Martin.

Then it’s down the coast to see some locations for Poldark.

Then heading back up towards London, we will stop to check out Hiclere Castle. To aficionados of women’s tv drama, this is the location for Downton Abbey. 

Are we spotting a theme here?

Oddly, we are driving right past Manchester. I had planned to stop there, but she’s not interested. 

You do know that’s where Corro Street is filmed. Couldn’t be less interested. 

Now for those of us with superior tastes in drama, this would be a given. 

But Sarah is the one who has been recording and watching BOTH the new, up-to-date episodes, AND the catch-up-from-where-we-jumped-forward episodes. For over a year!

And yet she’s not interested in walking on ‘the cobbles’. 

No complaints here. 

So, after Downton we stopped at Windsor for tea and scones with Meagan, and then dropping the car at Heathrow. 

On the train to the city, and about 7 days cramming everything Sarah wants to see.