My Redneck European Adventure

[Dave N]

Well, thanks to Devon Deer's offer to host a hunter in the U.K. the wife and I threw my name into his "hat" and luckily I got picked. I figured it would be a chance to go somewhere that we would have never thought about in normal circumstances, plus FINALLY allow me a chance to go hunting on a vacation! We've been to Alaska 3 times and went west this past Christmas, and each time guys from work would ask me "Going hunting?" I always had to say no. That's about to change.

I started this new thread to have a place to post my questions to Richard (as well as those from anyone else) and to have a place to keep a running update on the trip. I'm sure there will be more things about travel in general than actual hunting, but I hope to eventually add some pictures of a smiling American with his European trophy!

Let the planning begin.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Awesome! When are you planning on going, or is that part of the planning?

I am picturing Clark Griswold in camo for my visual!

Have a great time, good luck, and can't wait to see pictures.

 

[sneakypete]

That should be a great adventure! I was picturing uncle Si. Lol

 

[Dave N]

Richard, I see on the map where you are located from your Facebook page link you have. Is there somewhere you would recommend for us to stay while we're in your neck of the woods? I did a quick look around and it looks like bed and breakfast type places are pretty common. I think my wife would be more comfortable in more of a regular hotel type of place. Definitely want a place with a private bathroom! I'll look around some more.

Do you have a preference to what days of the week we are there? I'm trying to plan out flights and tie it in with my vacation days from work the last 2 weeks of July. Plus, we want to travel around and explore for a while before returning home. See the sights of London, anything worth seeing that folks may suggest, and hoping maybe to cross over into France since we'll be so close. I mean, how many times would a chance like this come up for us? Thinking that 7-9 days would be about our limit.

Speaking of traveling around, I would for sure book a room ahead of time when we'll be with you. After that, how hard would it be to find a room simply by looking when we get somewhere? Not knowing exactly when or where we'll end up makes it hard to set a schedule ahead of time.

Speaking of France, is it fairly easy to get over there from the U.K.? Seems like a shame NOT to cross over when we're so close! Odds are we're probably NEVER going to get back over there. We're looking to retire and move to Alaska, so this will be sort of a one shot deal for us.

Any king of gear I need to bring? I know you said I would use your rifle. Rain gear? I'll have my hunting boots, anything else that I should pack?

I'll have to go back through some of your other threads about your hunts and read them again. I know you posted about what you deal with as far as how the meat gets handled. Obviously, I won't be taking any meat home. As far as any kind of "trophy", do you have any good taxidermists nearby? Depending on cost, I would like to have something done IF I am successful and get a nice one. A European mount for sure, and MAYBE a shoulder mount if I can afford the job and shipping back home.

Food. I'm sure there are plenty of spots to eat. We're open to trying almost any kind of stuff. We enjoy our travels and trying out different foods. Sorry to say it, but I'm NOT a beer drinker any more! I would probably be out of place in a pub! My wife, however, is all for it! How hard would I get laughed at for not imbibing? Just kidding, I'm sure there would be options for me.

Think I'll stop here and save anything else for later.

 

[Dave N]

Awesome! When are you planning on going, or is that part of the planning?

I am picturing Clark Griswold in camo for my visual!

Have a great time, good luck, and can't wait to see pictures.

I work at a Caterpillar plant and we're having our 2 week summer shutdown the last 2 weeks of July. I've been there long enough that I have LOTS of other vacation time to use. I could tie some in if needed but figured this would work out perfect for a summer trip with my wife.

Yeah, I'm getting a bit of grief from the wife about running around Europe wearing camo, but I'm sure I can get away with having SOME along with me! Not a suit and tie guy, for sure.

 

[Dave N]

That should be a great adventure! I was picturing uncle Si. Lol

No beard, just some crap hanging from the upper lip! I do love sweet tea, though!

 

[kansasdad]

Love the thread title Dave N. It's great that this will be a shared adventure with the Mrs. Minimum of 40 pics a day.

 

[noharleyyet]

Eddie: You surprised to see us, Clark?
Clark: Oh, Eddie... If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now.

 

[devon deer]

Dave, check out the following places, the first 2 are in my village, the last, very, very exclusive and a price to match, but I like the Old Thatch, and your wife will enjoy a beer!
I used to recommend a hotel called the Mill End, but not anymore, I can tell you more when you come over!
http://theoldthatchinn.co.uk/stay.php http://www.venbridgefarm.co.uk/ http://www.gidleigh.co.uk/

Weekdays are better for me, as I am a fly fishing guide my weekends get booked up, once I know what 2 days you want to visit I will block out my diary, I can take you and your wife to do a day’s sightseeing, Dartmoor is stunning http://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/ , also the coast isn’t that far away.
On your way from Heathrow/London you could take a less busy more scenic route which will take you by Stonehenge. http://www.stonehenge.co.uk/
Although that time of years is busy I’m sure you can get some place to stay on your travels.
France, yes it is easy to get there, but why would you?

Our summers can be unpredictable, so a lightweight waterproof will be fine, but even if you get wet it only goes as far as the skin!

Taxidermy, that can be a problem, it’s getting from the UK to US, but I can find out about that, it isn’t cheap, I bet the cost of the taxidermy will be matched by the shipping!It has to be done by a qualified taxidermist to aid the exportation rules.

Don’t worry about one meal, even if you don’t get a Roe Buck (that is the only deer in season then) I will make sure you get some venison to try at my home.
Out of all the deer in the UK I love stalking the roe deer the most, they are really challenging but great fun.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Gr8bawana]

Congrats to Dave N! Sounds like a great adventure for you and your wife. Kudos to Devon Deer for making this offer.
Will you be wearing a Tweed jacket and plaid knickers?

 

[DWarcher]

Spent two weeks in the UK last summer with the family. You are in for a GREAT time!

 

[Dave N]

Richard, figure staying in Exeter would allow my wife to walk around exploring things while we were off hunting. Found St. Olaves. Opinion? One thing I did notice was the size of the beds. Looks like hotels don't want couples sleeping in the same bed! There's NO WAY we could fit in a double bed. 2 singles is about it unless you can find a suite with a king size bed, like at St. Olaves.

 

[devon deer]

That's quite amusing, king size beds are a rarity in accommodation providers in the UK.
I recommended the pub because i can pick you up, if you stay in Exeter you will need to make sure your rental car has a sat nav to drive out to my village.
By the way, gas over here is VERY expensive!

To give you idea of a typical day, i meet/collect you in my village an hour before sunrise or indeed a little earlier, so in July it will be approx 04.30, and the morning hunt will finish around 3 hours later, then the day is yours until the evening, so i meet/collect you around 19.15, and finish around 22.15.
You won't see any Roe deer during the day.

My county does not have elevation problems, but you need a certain level of fitness, it his very hilly!

Cheers

Richard

 

[Dave N]

I looked up the Old Thatch and they were booked up for the dates I picked. Moved them around for the 2 weeks and no luck.

Here's what I had thought about for a schedule:

Fly into London on the morning of July 19. Pick up car, drive around aimlessly until halfway confident with driving skills, head out to see Stonehenge. Continue down to Exeter and find hotel. Drive out to where you are and meet up in person. Make plans for the next couple of days, shoot your rifle to check my aim, anything else you think we need to do. This will also allow me to get used to the directions to meet up in the morning. Have a great time July 20-21! Leave Exeter the 22nd and head to London for sightseeing. Spend a day or two there, then go over to France. Why? Well, because we're Americans on holiday and it seems like that's what we should do! Try to get to Omaha Beach Cemetery to see WWII stuff, try not to get lost with road signs in French, and find a place to stay for the night. Drive around Paris so the wife can see the sights, eat some strange food, and work our way back to the UK. Fly home July 27.

Sound like an OK plan? Any thoughts about changing something around are welcome.

Yeah, I realize fuel is expensive. Hopefully the rental car will get good mileage. When I ran the prices I picked the economy size. Said it was something like a Vauxhall Corsa. The mini version was like a Fiat 500. I've seen one of those. Uh, NO! 5'10" and 220 pounds will not work in that! Fuel is just another expense we figured to be beyond our control.

I'll probably need to do some stair climbing to build my legs up some more. Not in TERRIBLE shape, but I can run out of gas if I push too hard. I'll work on it. Hey, round is a shape, right?

 

[tarheel]

Dave, envy you the trip and hope to get back over there ere long. Were it me I'd plan on staying at least 3 weeks if time is available and you don't have to sell a kidney to finance it. Since you're going to be so close to Stonehenge it would be a shame not to go see Avebury, site of the largest Neolithic circle in the UK (Google it) where you can walk the circle right way around and through the village. Not as famous or impressive as Stonehenge maybe, but impressive enough when you see the whole layout. The public is no longer allowed to walk among the stones at Stonehenge but no problem doing that at Avebury, just watch out for the sheep droppings. Out of Heathrow you just have to go West on the M4 to Swindon then South about 10 miles to Avebury and Stonehenge is another 20 miles South of there where you'll pick up the A303/304 to Exeter.
While Richard's home shire is beautiful that's not all there is to see out there. My favorite is Cornwall right next door. Some of the most picturesque villages and harbors imaginable, both on the Atlantic side and on the channel side. On the channel side I'd recommend Mevagissey, Penzance, St. Michael's Mount, Mousehole (pronounced "Mozul", they talk a bit funny out there) and out on the tip is Land's End where the two bodies of water meet. There's usually some impressive waves breaking on the rocks there. On the Atlantic side is (among others); St. Ives, Port Isaac where the Doc Martin series is filmed, Tintagel which is refuted to be the home of King Arthur, the larger town of New Quay where they have a decent beach, not many of which can be found in Cornwall; it's either rocks, or rocks from what I saw.
We always enjoy staying at the B&B's, get to meet people and see how they live, eat home cooked meals, and there are quite a few of them to choose from; every day an adventure.
If you're dead set on going to France, instead of beating your way to and through the madness that's London, you can take a ferry out of Portsmouth to Cherbourg or Caen, located on either end of the invasion beaches. There's also one out of Bournemouth and Southampton to Cherbourg. Taking a rental car on the ferry to France is a pain though and there you are driving as we do but from the wrong side of the car. Best maybe to see if you can book a coach tour out of one of the port cities on the South coast or maybe in Kent and ride the chunnel train, coach and all. The real down side to that is all the madness at Calais from the illegal goat #&*+^$? trying to get to the UK and holding up traffic. Mostly depends on time and money available, but don't try to bite off too much and spend all your time getting there and back; easy to do!!!
I've seen quite a lot of the British Isles and France so if you have some questions which might not add to the thread just PM me and I'll try to answer them if possible. RT

 

[Biscuit Hunter]

It's fun to talk smack on the French, but-- courtesy of our incredibly brave young men-- they have a beautiful country. You should plan to extend your trip some to do it justice, but if you can make it happen, do.



Normandy beaches are surreal. So much history. So much death on that sand, but now people live there.








But don't think that they have forgotten. There are reminders all along that coast.







Go see it

 

[MN Public Hunter]

a few thoughts...

Don't forget the weight restrictions for your luggage.
Stay where the wife will have a good time while you are hunting, pay the extra petrol prices
Yes, get a GPS or take one with you. Trust me, you will need it.
Make sure to try a full english breakfast at least once.
Make sure the "king" bed is an american king, not a UK king
Have a great time...can't wait to see the pictures.

 

[devon deer]

Great post Tarheel, i agree, the Cornish coast is amazing.

Dave, sounds like you have decided upon Exeter, in which case book a room asap as it's the busiest holiday time in the UK.
Exeter has a lot of history (including me being born there!) it was a Roman city and they have excavated lots of interesting things, the old roman wall still exists in places.
We have a stunning Cathedral as well, it was a beautiful Tudor city until it was destroyed in the blitz of WW2.
Lots of shopping to keep the wife busy.

Your timings sound OK, and i understand why you wish to visit France, but if it's 7-9 days i think it will all be a bit rushed and lots of windshield time.

My rifle for Roe will be a Sako .243, you will be fine with it.
Here is a photo of an American visitor from a few years ago, from memory he visited the same time as you for 6 days, we didn't get a Roe Buck until the 5th outing, then also got one more on the 6th outing!


Regarding fitness, i'm sure you will be ok, but once i see a deer i am off like a whippet, even at 56 much younger people struggle to keep up.
But i see an opportunity here, i am 5' 9'' and 184lb, i need to get back down to 170lb by the time you come, mainly in preparation for my Montana hunt, we could try together, to lose a stone and report on here our weekly progress, or not?

Once you have booked the flights we will need to arrange the donation to the BHA, i am in contact with them, you have a pm.

Cheers

Richard

 

[Dave N]

As luck would have it, my wife has some Facebook friends from Cornwall! Sounds like we're heading that direction as well. Once I filled her in on the latest posts her eyes lit up and said we need to add another day or two to the trip. I had HOPED to keep costs down to a minimum but once again it seems to be adding up. Oh well, I hope my overtime at work keeps up!

As far as doing France, I will be taking the car. Not going to leave it somewhere and depend on public transportation. Driving on the "correct" side of the road from the "wrong" side of the car will be strange, but something I'll get used to. Just as driving in the UK will be strange to us. I'm adaptable!

There are just too many places and things to see or do, we have to TRY and hit as many as possible, but we don't want to rush around and not enjoy what we see and where we are. Costs of travel also dictate how much we do. We're pushing our limit just doing this trip to begin with. If we weren't meeting Richard, or my wife's Facebook friends, we would more than likely never go there. But now that we're doing it we accept the fact that certain things are required, and the costs are just part of that. We tried to set a budget on our Alaska trips but once we got there we always went over! Funny how that works.

Thanks for the Normandy pics! We've been to Pearl Harbor and think this would tie in quite nicely with that experience.

 

[Dave N]

PM sent back. I don't think I could actually lose that much weight by then, but SOME would not hurt at all! I just enjoy the wrong things too much. I'm more in need of a good cardio/stamina upgrade. It sure won't take much running and chasing to get me puffing like a locomotive! I'll give it a good shot, though. I'll wish success to both of us in our attempts!