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Get Off ! (the Beaten Track) in Britain

In the small town that is the nearest thing to civilization in the isolated part of Canada I live in, there is a travel agent's shop on the main street. Every time I pass the shop I notice posters and travel brochures enticingly displayed. Among the come-ons for Caribbean cruises and cheap flights to Las Vegas there are often big thick brochures from companies specializing in travel to Great Britain.

If you take the time to look through these brochures you'll notice that the same British destinations come up over and over again; Stonehenge, Oxford, York, Chester, and so on. It seems that the tour companies have a limited number of options for the travelers they serve.

Now, I have been on a few of the large coach tours run by these tour companies, and enjoyed myself. The tours are well planned, professionally led, and generally fun. You will learn a lot, enjoy a glimpse of Britain you won't get in your armchair at home, and meet some interesting people.

BUT, and it is a big but, you will be limiting your experience of this most beautiful of lands. You will be missing real contact with the people who live here if you stay in the large hotels favoured by the standard tours and are whisked about in the air conditioned comfort of your coach. I suggest that you break the mold and get off the beaten track.

There is a whole wonderful world waiting for you; the world of the British countryside, of lonely castle ruins that seldom see a horde of tourists, of beautiful villages far from the bright lights of the bigger centres, of small bed and breakfasts run by friendly hosts who truly care about your comfort and enjoyment of their particular corner of Britain.

Rent a car (yes you can learn to drive on the left), stay in self catering or bed and breakfasts, and spend more time exploring the small villages and towns that don't get as much tourist traffic as the more popular areas. Here's a personal recommendation - plan on doing some walking in the countryside.

Almost every village has a network of public footpaths to choose from, and many local Tourist Information Centres have free pamphlets with maps and details of a number of walks. You will also find that bed and breakfasts often stock a lot of these local maps and pamphlets.

By getting out of the car and tramping through the countryside, or simply around a village, you will gain a much greater appreciation for the history that shaped the land, and get more of a real feeling for the place. In short, you will enjoy your travels in Britain more, and isn't that the whole point?