Merry 4th from the UK!

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
07/04/2018 at 09:03 • Filed to: None

As an American currently traveling in the UK, it does give me a good chuckle to be spending independence day here. Considering our independence is from Great Britain itself , it seems appropriate to find amusement in that. So far this trip has been great and London was awesome. I finally got my chance yesterday to get in a car and drive on the wrong side of the road too! It was stressful, exciting, and quite the experience. I still have no idea what the speed limit is on dual carriageways (maybe it’s 60? 65? 70?) but nearly all cars seemed to be going quite a bit faster. I just kept it to 70 unless marked otherwise but maybe I’m way off. Still really interesting how things are in miles here, seems wild to mix both imperial and metric. My full thoughts are soon to come in a dedicated post.

We have a Fiat 500 until Friday and so far it’s a pretty good car. Perfect for the tiny roads here in Cornwall and the small parking lots throughout England. The 500 is of course available in the US as well but it certainly feels appropriately European so it’s ideal for the trip. I enjoy the moon roof to take in all of the sun we are getting. People sure we re cheery yesterday with England’s world cup win to enter quarter finals so it’s even more fun to be here.

Looking forward to a couple of days of relaxation on the coast! And more food of course.

Proper fish and chips

And tea!

Along with my joining the queue on Monday, I feel like I have now achieved the full British experience. Anything else I must do?

DISCUSSION (23)

Cé hé sin > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 09:24

Speed limit on motorways is indeed 70 mph.

The thought of having metric limits would induce apoplexy in the more fanatical of the Brexiteers. Which would be as good a reason as any other...

just-a-scratch > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 09:53

Excellent theater shows in London

Lots of museums

Great architecture, I really liked going up to the very top at St. Paul’s cathedral

Indian food, lots of it

Interms of car related stuff in London, I don't know. Maybe watch for exotics in Knightsbridge?

Ash78, voting early and often > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 09:56

Cornwall is cool. I spent July 4th (1999) in Devon with several other American students and we had a nice celebration — BBQ under the broiler of our apartment’s oven.

Such a beautiful part of the country....the Lost Gardens of Heligan (near St Austell) and a lot of the sea cliffs all stick out in my memory.

And Dartmoor is a must-see, even if you use up a whole day driving around there. It’s almost like another planet, with lots of little villages scattered around.

KevlarRx7 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 09:57

70 on dual carriageway’s, and welcome to kernow! (If you see a rusty blue ford ranger crew cab that the hazards turn on solidly when braking, it’s me) just shout oppo and I’ll reverse for you ;p

KevlarRx7 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 09:58

Also buy yourself some Cornish fudge.... Thank me later

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Cé hé sin
07/04/2018 at 10:17

Oh good, because every speed camera sign, I wondered if I was getting tickets in the mail lol. I just based it on the average speed of the lorries trundling along and add some to that. People in Audis were flying by in the right lane at 80+ all day but I was content to cruise on the left.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 10:17

One of my best 4ths was when I studied abroad in Weimar, Germany. A symphony orchestra outside playing the national anthem and a lot of Sousa and John Williams , and a big fireworks show.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > KevlarRx7
07/04/2018 at 10:18

Ahh yeah I almost forgot I need to do that. It was recommended by a few people when we mentioned we were headed to St Ives.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > KevlarRx7
07/04/2018 at 10:22

Ahh it’s Cornish. I was wondering what odd place that was since I couldn’t find it on a map. If you see a powder blue Fiat driving into things on the left side of the road and making awkward right turns, that’d be me! This whole wrong side of the road thing is easier than I thought but that combined with super narrow roads is quite a challenge. I’ve only curbed the passenger tyre a couple of times.

KevlarRx7 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 10:28

It truly is food of the gods, and try some rattler cyder (if you drink)

Svend > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 10:30

You’ve got to find a place that does a full English breakfast.

Kinja'd!!!

Gala pie (pork pie with a boiled egg in) and Scotch egg (boiled egg, surrounded by minced meat and then covered in breadcrumbs).

Really nice with HP Brown Sauce.

Kinja'd!!!

Pork pie.

Kinja'd!!!

Cé hé sin > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 10:30

T rucks in the EU have 90 kmh speed limiters so they’re always going to be trundling!

KevlarRx7 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 10:32

You’ll mostly hear kernow and drekly (English translation; tomorrow or later/no rush)

Don’t worry about it, half the Cornish drive like that anyways ;) generally speaking most of the locals can squeeze through any gap and reverse.... Just remember inside 9/10 hedges is a stone wall, too many tourists have fallen foul of them.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 11:02

Yay! FIAT 500! That’s my favorite color for them as well....I don’t think we get it here in North America except on the Abarth as an option. Was it a TwinAir-powered 500?

Svend > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
07/04/2018 at 11:36

It’s a 1.2 70hp, non Twinair.

Apparently due to sales

https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/03/news/companies/fiat-us-sales-future/index.html

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Fiat’s US sales are down 44% this year. The brand has sold just a third as many cars in 2018 as it did during the first six months of 2014, Fiat’s recent high-water mark. Americans bought far more Alfa Romeos than Fiats this year.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > KevlarRx7
07/04/2018 at 11:36

Kinja'd!!!

Got some peanut butter fudge , is truly excellent!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Svend
07/04/2018 at 11:42

Just had that today, homemade! Our airbnb host made it for me this morning. It twas great. Also had the same thing at a pub the first day in London, although this one was better in Cornland

Svend > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 11:45

Nice.

Now you need a quaint country pub, a pint of ale and sit back and chill.

KevlarRx7 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/04/2018 at 11:55

Do be warned it is highly addictive, cookies and cream is my poison.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Svend
07/04/2018 at 12:28

That’s what I was afraid of.

I love the little things, but I don’t figure they will be around here long. Part of the reason I wish they would bring the Panda over because it could at least compete in the crossover segment....the 500L and 500X aren’t exactly cutting it and the Panda is more conventional.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
07/04/2018 at 12:55

It is certainly not a bad car! And yeah its definitely got a small ass motor but I don’t mind, slow car fast and all that. On the highway, Hills are hilarious since I need to near redline it in 4th but it's perfect on these Cornish "roads". Roads aren't nearly as narrow as what I faced in Positano, Italy but at least those I had a LHD car.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Svend
07/06/2018 at 16:45

Unfortunately, with relatively cheap fuel and road taxes, small cars will not take market share in the US outside of dense cities.

Svend > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/06/2018 at 17:09

Which is a real shame.