Road Trip?

Death Valley 2010





Travelling around the UK is an interesting, and at times quite difficult experience. We all know this country was never meant to occupy the millions of cars on the roads and that is one thing that will never improve and only get worse. Downsizing the car (see pic) and cramming all my gear, and occasional dogs, into the back of a mini is far from ideal, but filling up a large car with gasoline at today's prices is a bit more daft. Anyhow, add to this the horrendous Service Station (providing its not ten miles off the motorway) as the bus load of football fan pensioners arrives at the same time you do, plus cuisine only fit for the dogs squashed into the back of my car, some sick and watered down cappuccinos, and there you have the makings of a UK road trip.

For a number of years I was totally spoilt cruising the open highways of America stopping off with great ease whenever I felt the hunger rumble or my eye lids get heavy. It wasn't all plain sailing of course, but the main difference is that America was built on roads and not the other way around like the UK.

For the past couple of weeks I thought it might try doing a few trips by train. I had these romantic notions of pleasurable reading, making notes, and being at one with my thoughts. What I got was screaming children (half term, what an idiot I am), more sick, moody fat Northerners, and a limp butter sandwich. I worked out that the average cost of travelling this way is around 90 pence per mile (if you pay on the day) which is pretty horrendous given the service (is it any wonder the roads are clogged)..

Having said all this, my ongoing project here in the UK is becoming one of the most fulfilling projects I have ever done.
If something is too easy we tend to get a little flippant, and perhaps a little cocky and over confident. The struggle is part of the process and something I have come to embrace.