After two and a half years of lockdown and restrictions in Thailand, Mrs B and I finally managed to escape from Dodge for a two-month road trip to the UK. A three-month wait for the visa meant that we couldn't book a flight until the first week of August so I guess we were lucky to get an Eva return flight direct to London for 750 quid (approx 33,000 baht at the time) each. There were no vaccine or covid checks leaving Swampy or entering Heathrow so all that fuss over paperwork was for nothing. The biggest sting of the trip was the car rental which was 1,200 quid (50k THB) a month for a high-mileage Vauxhall Corsa.
We visited a lot of places but for the purpose of this photo trip report, I'll focus on the national parks and areas of natural beauty. This first batch is of Mam Tor in the Peak District, about 30km east of where we were staying near Stockport.
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To be continued ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
buksida wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 2:18 pm
Blue John Cavern I think, we didn't go in.
Good decision!
Visitors need to be aware that there are 245 steps down and therefore 245 steps to get back out again. The floor can be slippery and is damp/wet.
My father took us there in the early 60s when I was a young kid. It must have been impressive because I don't remember much from my early childhood. It's about 40 miles west of where I live, but sadly I couldn't manage those steps now. I might get in if I took my time, but I'd never get out again!
sateeb wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 2:35 pm
Blue John cavern a staple school trip for us Norvern Moonkeys.
Yes, I remember going there as a child in the 1970s. I'm not sure if it's that one but in one of those Peak District cave systems you could travel down tunnels in a boat which impressed me at the time.
When I look at those photos the immediate thought is "Fresh and pristine air". A far cry from the crap we breathe in most days here. Or, I should say what I breathe in here in the east.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
buksida wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:22 pm
Yes, one thing that also struck me was how clean it was compared to plastic-strewn Thailand and Asia.
Some great photos showing some very rural areas without many tourists (or anybody come to that).
Just picking up on your comment about hire car costs - last year I decided to make a lifestyle change and split my time between the UK and Thailand on something like a 45:55 basis. I looked at car hire costs and even last year (when they were a bit cheaper) it was still going to work out horrendously expensive, so I ended up buying a Vauxhall Corsa. Insurance on the car was just short of £600 for the year and yesterday I sold the car and only lost £420 between purchase and sale prices. The only costs were the annual MOT and car tax (it was in the £30 a year category) so the total cost for a year came to less than what you paid for one month.
So many thoughts about this all. We are now tourists in our own countries. So much of the familiarity we grew up with is gone when we go back, especially if infrequent and we've been elsewhere for a long time.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Before we move on to the next set of photos, I had never heard of Blue John, and certainly never knew it was a semi-precious mineral used for making jewelry. We live and learn.
Dannie Boy wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:41 pm
Just picking up on your comment about hire car costs -
Right, it was off the chart and more expensive than the flight! The reason they (Europcar) gave was demand and a shortage of new cars being produced/imported pushing up prices. If we were staying more than a couple of months I would have bought one but it wasn't worth the hassle for such a short trip.
From Mam Tor, we drove over to the picturesque but touristy village of Castleton.
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To be continued ...
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
I might get in if I took my time, but I'd never get out again! 
