Hi Kip, and welcome to POE!  This thread has made me "home" sick for England!  It's been almost 4 years since I was there and I do miss it so.  Can't say I recall a particular scent though.  I've been all over the Cotswolds and never found one bit of it to be "touristy".  I enjoyed a lovely, quiet walk through Snowshill one day and hardly saw another living soul, save my companions.  I have found Fodor's to express some opinions/ recommendations that seemed somewhat haughty or snooty to me.  Apparently, they don't stay in the less expensive, more homely B&Bs and places where we did, where we were well cared for and treated as beloved family/friends.  Your photos are wonderful too.  I can't wait to go back to England again, whenever that may be.

Hi Kip:  Yes, the exchange rates definitely make a difference in the affordability of a trip.  And it's definitely not been in our favor the last few years.  Our first trip there was 4 years ago and it was $2/£ and the Euro was about $1.65.  Worth every penny though.

Yep, N. Yorkshire - you've described it to a T.  I don't remember any particular smell, but I did notice, on both trips, that the light has a certain quality to it.  I don't know if it's from the humidity in the air or what, but it's kind of a misty glow, even on clear days.  It was really something.

I've not been to the southeast, apart from Hampshire.  In the south we visited points west.  We stayed in a holiday apartment out in the country in Dorset and then drove up to Bath one day, Oxford another,
Bude another.  The south Dorset area called Jurassic coast is not to be missed next time you go.  For our next trip, I'd like to do the middle.  Maybe start out in East Anglia and over to the Black Country and Wales.  So much to see.  Ireland's wonderful too.  The British Isles - the garden spot of planet earth.  I'm spoiled now - it's the only place I want to go.

Oh Ruth you've got it bad! Just like me. That addiction! It's the only place I want to visit as well.

Yes, I'd love to visit Dorset and the Jurassic Coast, then drive over to Devon and Cornwall on my next visit. Though East Anglia, the city of Norwich, Lavenham, Cambridge, Broads, Fens, all merit a trip as well. 

I was in Shropshire near the Black Country and it's beautiful too. If you go there you must visit Shrewsbury and stay ay "The Catherine of Aragon Suite"(that's the name of the B and B). Read about it on Tripadvisor. Also visit Church Stretton and Ludlow and walk the Shropshire Hills as AE Housman did. I didn't make it up to Cheshire but would love to have stayed in Chester for a few days. 

As for the light---it was the evening sun that made the landscapes so magical. Every night it was lavender, and sometimes a burning orange, with a mournful grey behind it, and what this did was allow bright landscapes in the near vista, with shaded areas in the middle, and then brighter again in the far(I don't mean bright when I say bright--just not that a grey look). My Robin Hood's Bay rainbow pic captures exactly what I'm talking about. This happened all the time, and I think it's also partly because the clouds move so quickly because of the winds. Pair that with the clean air and the sounds of the birds and it made the area a near paradise.

Did you notice fewer telephone poles, wires, metal fences, etc over there? It made everything  more open and visible. 

Hi Kip, just read your last post. So glad you enjoyed your visit. Looking at all your pictures you certainly got around a fair bit of the country, including my favourite place The Lake District. But there is such a great variety in England. I'm sure you'll be back again someday. Thanks for sharing all your pics with us,