England's Side Roads in the Spring

I think it was T.S. Eliot who said, “April is the cruelest month…” He was writing in England, and about England, and I think must have had some terrible personal experience when he wrote it. I visited England one year in February, another year in March, another in April, and several times have traveled the back roads of both England and Ireland in May, and I have seldom been anywhere more beautiful. In February, the crocuses sprinkled “The Backs” of the colleges along the Cam in Cambridge. In March, the daffodils were clouds of yellow blowing in the breezes in St. James Park in London and even broke through the snow in Wiltshire. In April, flowering trees brought surprising color to even the dreariest subdivision, and May was an explosion of yellow broom and white hawthorn. June may be best of all, with rhododendron hedges embracing the roads all over southeast England, and the roses climbing over doorways and spilling into tiny streets in villages everywhere.



Recently talking with a group of friends planning to visit Britain, I suggested that they drive themselves through parts of the country. They were immediately against the idea, expressing nervous fears of driving on “the wrong side of the road.” I know this is a daunting idea to many Americans, sadly. It is only with the independence that a car permits that some of England’s best rewards can be found. Driving through Britain in the Spring is perhaps one of the most intoxicating travel experiences one can have.



Backroads travel is hard to do by train or by public transportation, and hiring a driver with a car can be prohibitively expensive. But for a price that will be more cost effective for two or more even than the train, even with Europe’s gas prices-- nowadays not much more frustrating than America’s—and a few days taking careful practice on back country roads, travelers willing to launch themselves into the countryside will be richly satisfied. Driving allows pub lunches and cream teas unobtainable in the larger cities, sojourns in smaller, friendly, locally-owned Bed-and-Breakfast guest houses, and visits to hard-to-access tourist sites.

Our most memorable travel experiences have been in staying with folks all over Britain who not only served exceptional breakfasts but accompanied them with insight into the history of the region, told us of sites we would otherwise have missed, and generally introduced us to the real culture of Britain. A brief online or letter request to the tourist authorities in the region you plan to visit will bring all the information you need about lodging options, restaurants, and local landmarks. Taking to the low road—the not-so-beaten-path, is the best way to feel a part of the place. And driving through arches of rhododendron or fields of hawthorn simply can’t be experienced any other way—nor can staying in a rose-bowered guest house.