Just re-read Paul Theroux's The Kingdom By The Sea. Thirty years ago he set off on a first of May to circle Great Britain and Ulster by foot, train, bus and ferry. Arriving in small towns he had no trouble finding a room often in a private home. Never needing a reservation over the course of the summer. We'd love to do something simliar but wonder if we can get away without reservations today. Is there still an abundance of private rooms available in the U.K.? Thanks, Scott
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I am assuming that you're looking for B&B's which is what staying in a private room in the UK usually means. You can probably do it, if you avoid traveling in peek season. If I were you I would map the trip and then look to see if there are any local celebrations, holiday, festivals in the tows that you're traveling through. The times that you'll likely have trouble are weekends and bank holidays. You might want to book those in advance if you can. The other thing to bear in mind that it's harder to find singles, so if you're looking for a double you should be okay. Remember though that a double is double bed and if you want two twins you need to specify that request. Also, of course, you may end up paying a bit more because you haven't reserved. But I have often traveled in the UK without reservations and TI people have helped me. One other thing to bear in mind is that it can take time to find the place. So, you need to factor that into your travel time. Pam
Posted by
Land of La
9126 posts
Try looking on airbnb.
Posted by
Tuscaloosa, AL
1152 posts
Scott, more power to you. If you are really adventurous, check out this U.K. organization: Camp in My Garden, just be sure and let us know how it worked out for you. Note: The embedded link feature doesn't work for some reason. The web site is campinmygarden.com