I also posted 'Britain in late Jan/early Feb??' several days ago. We're not big-city types at all, but also have two very different activity levels! My daughter is a VERY active 24 yr old and I will be 62 by the time we travel, and on the 'tubby' side. We are both interested in environmental issues, and she would like to do some sort of eco volunteering when she is away. She would prefer working with animals, habitat, species-at-risk. We are looking at the UK and/or possibly Europe. She is thinking of being away from about mid-January to late March, and I will be with her for about 3 weeks of that time. We will be doing some of the 'touristy' things but prefer small towns/rural areas. I also am very interested in history, museums, crafts, antiques.. Any ideas/links would be appreciated!
Posted by
Rockville, MD, USA
653 posts
I can't give you any advice about eco-volunteering, but I have been to several smaller cites in England. I enjoyed the Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth, back when the Mary Rose was still being treated so we couldn't get a good look at her. They have a lot of interesting artifacts from the Tudor period - fascinating glimpses into daily life on a ship. I've also been to Bath - not a huge Jane Austen fan but I loved the Roman baths - they gave me goosebumps! If you want to hike there have been some posts on it recently. http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/103043/3day-walk-in-the-uk-late-may.html You'll probably want to browse a few chapters of Rick Steves guide to Great Britain and see what strikes you. And with luck some more experienced travelers will add their two cents. Have a great trip!
Posted by
High Wycombe, Bucks, United Kingdom
70 posts
I was going to recommend the BTCV (I did 3 months work up int eh lakes with them when I was in my 20's) but it appears you can't volunteer on a visitors visa :/ Personally I think it's more than a bit daft as a volunteer is contributing, not extracting, from the economy! But unfortunately it is what it is; UK Yankee have examples of what can happen for even a seemingly trivial breach of the visa regs. It's especially silly in light of the fact you could take a conservation-oriented 'activity vacation' doing exactly the same sort of work! Only difference is you have to pay for that...