Driver/guide in England

I had a great trip to England along with four friends, July 23-Aug. 6, ’05. It was arranged through Midway Motor Travel (Southerwicks, Corsham, Wiltshire, England, SN13 9NH; phone from U.S. 800/214-8738 or e-mail admin@midwaymotortravel.com), and our driver/guide was Anton Prole.

Anton is a great driver and a knowledgeable guide as well as charming and witty! When we started making plans for the trip, we dealt only with him, since he would be our guide. Due to the rapport built up between us while doing the planning, when we arrived in Southhampton (on the QM2) we felt like we were being met by a friend.

We suggested in advance the areas we were interested in visiting and the type of accommodations we wanted (small boutique hotels and B&Bs in small country towns or villages). Anton suggested an itinerary and sent us pictures and descriptions of accommodations. We made a few minor changes.

At his suggestion, we purchased a British Heritage Pass through AAA here in the U.S. at a cost of $95 for 15 days. We really saved doing this.

Our vehicle was a very comfortable, new VW van with A.C. We took mostly back roads, which gave us the real flavor of English living. The scenery was beautiful with all the flowers and gardens. The weather was perfect. We had only a few showers during the two weeks we were there, with umbrellas up for about five minutes.

Our days started around 9 and finished anywhere between 5 and 7 p.m. We always had time for a tea break or browsing shops when we wanted to. We had delicious breakfasts and, when available, evening meals at all of the places we stayed. English cuisine has improved greatly.

We stayed three nights in the Devon/Cornwall area, four in Bath, three in the Cotswolds, two in the Lake District and one night each in Derbyshire and a hotel near Gatwick Airport.

The cost of the trip was $3,052 per person, which included accommodations with private bathrooms; breakfasts; the driver/guide; all vehicle costs, including fuel at around $9 a gallon, and all taxes. We drove 2,669 miles.

MARLENE MARTIN
Leesburg, FL