Hi Kip and Brenda:  Ain't England Grand?

I'm in Arizona, Kip, so the cool summer in England was heaven to us on our last trip in August 2009.  Our first trip, we were definitely inspired by POE.  That's how we ended up in North Yorkshire, which is like heaven to me.

As for the tour "package" you mentioned, that's just it - people on limited budgets with limited time end up with tours like you describe.  I feel fortunate that we were able to do road trips whilst we were there.  A lot of Americans would be intimidated by the driving, but it wasn't half as bad as I expected it to be.

Unfortunately for us, a lot of European tourist to our country end up on the golden triangle tour of Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, S. California.  lol

You may be right, Ruth, but the people I'm talking about are not on limited budgets. Really, though, at least they're experiencing some other parts of the world so I need to back off of my opinion on how they "do" England(London)!

 In all honesty the trip didn't cost that much, it was the exchange rate that was more of an issue. For instance--the place we stayed in Hawkshead(Queens Head Hotel) was around 45 dollars, and it was just as charming as the Mermaid Inn in Rye which was well over 100 bucks a night. Car rental through AutoEurope not that bad, and I just booked everything early with fingers crossed that nothing would come up to prevent us from going.

As for North Yorkshire---it was like heaven to me as well. My companion liked Robin Hood's Bay better than anywhere else we visited, and I fell in love with Wensleydale and Swaledale. Brooks and streams everywhere, as clean as Holland, green pastures, sheep, Border Collies, beautiful stone villages, heather, gorse, bracken, woods where the forest floor was mossy and green unlike our American brown woodland ground, and of course that exhilarating fragrance that I want to bring back with me! Did you notice it?

Have you been to the southeast? East Sussex was a little slice of heaven as well. The Downs were like no other place we visited. Even the texture of them felt unique. Rye was like living in a postcard, and Beachy Head was magnificent yet intimate.

Hi Kip. I have read all of the above posts and can tell you that it is my experience also that the North Walians will revert to their own language as soon as an English person walks into a pub for example. Very rude, and for what reason I have no idea, they just don't like us!

However, we are not troubled by that, we the English are the most accommodating race in the world bar none! So call a Scotsman 'Jock', an Irishman 'Paddy', a Welshman 'Taffy' and an Englishman anything you like. The first three could be offended, we take it on the chin are are not bothered.

Glad you are enjoying POE and the family members, and also nice to hear from others that the POE website is a good resource for visitors.

pity they cant play rugby.

i have also experienced the language thing-----we were in a garden centre in anglesey and the staff were very nice whilst they were serving you both were speaking english but as soon as the money changed hands out came the foreign talk,so i just said --i know what you are saying about us "i didnt "then they reverted back to english.  

The Welsh are proud of their native language, which may well once have been the original national language here in England. I have heard the tales about the locals reverting to Welsh in the company of tourists and little doubt it happens. However, many do speak the language all the time except when speaking to those who can't. I used to think that Welsh was a dying language, and maybe, in the fullness of time it might fade like Manx for example. But, for now in North Wales certainly, it is the first language of many. To many, Welsh is not "foreign". A visit to places like Bala and Conwy will confirm that.

People in Holland all, by and large speak English, but would we be offended in say, Amsterdam if people working in shops kept reverting to Dutch to converse with each other?

There is never any excuse for being rude or I know.  

Me, I'm just proud to be English.

I had the same experience in Irealnd, especially Northen Ireland. I was on a tour bus with 16 people, all of them Americans. One man, giving us a tour of the Cat Walk in Derry, was openly aggresive with me. You've hear the expression 'spitting venom', that was literally him.