Travelling around the UK in B&Bs

For those that have only ever done the British Isles and Ireland on a coach tour you really are missing something by not doing a trip by self-drive car using Bed and Breakfasts (B & B) for accommodation.  So today I am going to talk you through the things you need to consider if you want to do a Bed & Breakfast holiday in the UK.  

First you need a car

For a start the driving is easy, it’s the same side of the road as in Australia and whilst a few differences exist in signs it’s all very similar to driving in Australia with similar cars that we use here.

Car Hire rates (especially of you book and pay before the end of March each year) are really great value and are best done in Australia, in Aussie Dollars before you depart.

GPS makes navigation a breeze these days and many cars have these fitted, if not you can hire one or simply buy one when you arrive (they can be picked up for about 60-70 GBP) and literally “throw them away” when you are finished (or keep it for the next time you go back).

Make sure you don’t get a huge car as the one thing that is really different to Australia is that parking can be a nightmare (and I know it is here as well in some places).

There are more manual cars driven in the UK however you can get Auto’s, and I’d have to say an Auto is a better option  for you as it’s far easier to drive and one thing less to worry about.

Then consider your accommodation, how do you book these?

There will be a multitude of different ideas on this but having done the UK and Ireland by car 3 or 4 times I suggest the following is a great plan of attack, don’t book anything before you go.

Buy yourself a current Lonely Planet Guide book, every town and city will be covered and each one will have a little map, plus (and this is the important bit) it will tell you the streets where the B & B’s are located.

So now you know the street, type the name and town in on your GPS and when you get there find a park,  pull up and walk along from house to house as you can almost guarantee every single house on the street will be a B & B.J ust walk in, ask them do they have an available room, find out the rate and move to the next one…eventually you’ll find one (possibly even the first you pulled up at) that suits perfectly.

Now this will work 99% of the time but if you happen to arrive on a peak weekend, or when a special event is on you will struggle a bit so then best to go to plan B, the Tourist Information Centre.

All TIC’s in the UK and Ireland will book accommodation, and they will also do the legwork for you to find that accommodation. Once booked you pay them a deposit (usually 10% which is their commission) and the balance is paid direct to the B & B.

This sounds great so why not do it all the time……simple, you will almost never get a better B & B than the one you find yourself, remember you are doing this because you can’t find anything else, so it usually means what you get won’t be that great!!

And the most important tip….start looking for accommodation about 3.30pm and no later than 4.00pm, leave it to 6.00pm and you will struggle!

<Starts at Sixty Editors Tip – if you want to look at B&Bs from Australia, and plan the gist of your trip in advance, you can visit airbnb.com one of the world’s largest travel sites.>

Do I pre-book or pre-purchase the vouchers for the B & B

No and no…..pre-booking locks you in and does not give you flexibility, and “vouchers” simply limits you to what will be a small number of options available under than plan.

Upsides and downsides

There is plenty of both, the upsides are the cost (generally only about GBP60-GBP 80 per night) and the fact you are staying with a local and sometimes it might just be a single room in a house so it really is with a local and probably a family (sometimes they will even offer you an option to have dinner with them…if so take it). Breakfasts are always included, and will be a great start to the day.

A few of the downsides are, most do not have lifts and you will occasionally find yourself on the 3^rd floor, so be warned. And some will have very small rooms and even tinier bathrooms (some even have share bathrooms). And whilst breakfast is included it’s rare for them to have items like Yohgurt and Fruit, so expect plenty of Bacon, Eggs, Black Pudding and Toast covered in butter.

Over all it’s a fun and cheap and cheerful way of seeing the place but it certainly does not suit everyone, but it’s a great way to see the old country!!