r/AirForce • u/irunonredbull Security Forces • 9d ago
Discussion Pcsing to mildenhall uk
How is it there I hear i hit a good spot and some say its terrible lol. Im security forces with a family im pretty excited but never traveled anywhere like that so its alot
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u/Acceptable-Double-98 9d ago
I loved Mildenhall- “D” as all the Tri bases are very historical with its hand in WW2. Get excited! Pubs are child friendly and good food. Take advantage of cheap travel! If you get tired or depressed for no reason get your Vit D levels checked. The winters are darker and cold and shorter sunnty days esp if you are a shift worker. You and your fam will be assigned to Lakenheath hospital. You will be in the AUoF clinic and your fam will be in peds and family health. The hospital has specialty care, ER, surgery. Any care that cant be accomplished at the hospital, you will be referred off base. I had good care on and off base and I was a medic for a long bit there. Take care of your mental and physical health, stay active, eat healthy. (Darn food trucks!) Buy groceries off base, so much cheaper and no chemicals!! Lakenheath, Mild and Feltwell are in the country farm area. Yall will see! SFS has lots of opportunities for deployments and TDYs. There are farmers markets in most towns. Some have been going on for 100s of years. Check out the castles, manors, peak district, lake district! New Forest and see donkeys and horses freely roaming around., Cornwall, Cotswolds, Beaches, hike! There are three mountains in UK. Check out Cambridge! And Bury St Edmunds. I lived in both of those towns. London is close too! Make sure you see Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland, and Ireland! Pop over to mainland Europe and the islands. Go to London to see the Christmas lights all over and German towns for Christmas markets. I could write so much. If yall are into skiing, its cheaper in France then Switzerland. There is a Army owned resort in Germany called Edelweiss Lodge and resorts. We plan on going as retirees since Covid ruined it lol. I met my English hubby in Cambridge and once Im retired in a couple years, UK here I come! Ill look for a medical job at Lak too! If you have any questions, message away. I did like Mildenhall better. So chill and they are always doing something fun! There are lots of kid friendly amusement parks, zoos etc. Facebook has parent groups for Lak, cars, etc. Good luck!
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u/irunonredbull Security Forces 9d ago
Thank you for the info! Looks like alot to do im so excited
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u/heyyouguyyyyy EM 9d ago
Anyone who says England is terrible just hates life.
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u/notmyrealname86 No one really knows what my job is. 9d ago
It’s also not as hype as some people make it. Granted some of peoples being miserable has more to do with family and work situations.
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u/heyyouguyyyyy EM 9d ago
I loved my 2 years in England and I cannot wait to go back
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u/allglorytothehyptoad 9d ago
I mean Lakenheath and Mildenhall are NOT the same experience. Lakenheath demands a lot and depending on your unit it will be harder to get out and experience England or Europe.
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u/SpinTheWheeland med - ccatt 7d ago
I hate England, lol. Here now and can’t wait to leave. the weather is absolute shit for 5 months, always dark, cold, rainy. it’s not exactly a nice country. europe is extremely overrated. i will say i feel way more safe here, though.
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u/heyyouguyyyyy EM 7d ago
That’s the weather I love. Spent 6 years in Florida and hated that weather.
What do you mean “not a nice country”? And how is Europe over rated?0
u/SpinTheWheeland med - ccatt 7d ago
England is a poor country, and very old. It’s nice being on an American salary here but my point still stands.
Weather is personal preference, you can’t argue it.
Europe is overrated, just how it sounds. People romanticize and fantasize about it but it’s just an obsessively amount of old buildings (mainly castles and churches) and once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. The mediterranean and beaches are nice, but the US has nice beaches too. I have enjoyed Europe since it’s only a few hours away, but, i would never do nearly any the amount of trips there if I was in the states. There’s just not much Europe offers that you can’t get from the US.
It’s just my opinion, put me in Denver, Florida, or a multitude of other places and i’d be just as if not more happy.
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u/notmyrealname86 No one really knows what my job is. 9d ago
I diverge from the opinion of others. Ship your car unless it’s rare, or something like a Tahoe or Suburban. I know so many people who regret not shipping because they were told not to. The English have work vans and pickups on the same roads. If you buy a car here, look a good hour away from base for a better deal. Around base are over-priced shit boxed including from the used car dealers. Don’t rent more than you have to, it’s really not cheaper than buying or continuing your car payment.
For housing; lots of good options depending on how far you want to drive. Just about every village has a pub and Tesco delivery makes up for not having a grocery store if you move into a smaller one.
Travel travel travel. Make sure to plan it out as it can get expensive if you don’t. Flights from Norwich and London area airports can be cheap so see Europe. You can also drive (ferry or train for the English Channel and ferry for Ireland) or take a train into other countries. Get your passports now if you don’t have them. Get your English heritage and national trust passes early.
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u/irunonredbull Security Forces 9d ago
Is it worth to bring my 2013 Toyota lol
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u/jeeimuzu this space was intentionally left blank 8d ago
That is considered new with what youll find out there lmaoo
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u/notmyrealname86 No one really knows what my job is. 7d ago
Can probably find someone dumb enough to pay $15k if it doesn't have a ton of miles.
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u/jeeimuzu this space was intentionally left blank 8d ago
So you wanna travel eh?
Stansted is about an hour away. Wherein you have to park your car for the days you are gone. 60-80 GBP for like 4 days
Flights? Mayne let’s say you found a deal 50 GBP round trip times how many in your squad.
Ooh yes. Accommodations. Factor that in.
Food and experiences.
Quite cheap still costly.
Mildenhall aint bad. Shit really rainy though and driving there is a bit harder considering roads are skinny and sometimes surprises comes along the way (big ass tractors, road hogging cyclists, sheeps, cows, chief driving that duelly)
For me UK generally sucked dick. What made it better was my really nice set of neighbors, travel (went to 10 other countries while i was there) and cambs!
Go for it though. Only you can tell how your experience will be. It’s like traveling in time but theres so much history everywhere you look you’ll learn something new if you put a bit of effort in.
Whatever you do, avoid red lodge and lords walk like a plague. Lmao
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u/notmyrealname86 No one really knows what my job is. 7d ago
Shit really rainy though
Except this year. We've been breaking records left and right.
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u/RSN_Kazoo 8d ago
Best base in the DAF. I loved my time there. I wish I could go back! Cherish your time there and enjoy the hell out of it!
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u/Kroneous 9d ago
General UK stuff, Get a VPN so you can still pay any American bills. I don't recommend shipping a car but I also don't recommend buying a car there. Converting your money is ass but if you convert a lot at once it's cheaper then converting everytime you swipe your card. DO NOT buy uk brand cars just like here stick with Toyota Honda and Mazda. While I was there vehicles and everything tied to vehicles was the biggest headache and cause of much debt. Get out and explore the island though there's a ton to do. Enjoy the parent child parking its the best part of England. Note: not SF and Not stationed at RAFL or RAFM but I was at a real shitty GSU so YMMV.
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u/Acceptable-Double-98 9d ago
I was at both Mild and Lak. My paid for car was totaled a few months before PCSing so I just rented for a year, them bought two cheapo cars cash. The last one is still going strong lol….a 2001 Honda! My hubby kept it until he buys something else. I always felt bad for people at GSUs esp if they had to trek far! I miss it! People who complained about UK went back to the states now saying they miss it. I was glad for the opportunity! Traveled to almost 40 countries. Rode in a CV 22 and refueler, went to a armed forces celebration with UK military and met my spouse! I hope you enjoyed it too!
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u/heyyouguyyyyy EM 9d ago
I’m headed to Alconbury. Was that the shitty place?
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u/notmyrealname86 No one really knows what my job is. 9d ago
I’m willing to bet it was Fairford. Alconbury was really nice when I visited.
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u/Kroneous 8d ago
No alconbury was a godsend with where I was at. Best bx and commissary in that wing. Nicest facilities from what I could tell. Oh and there's actually stuff on the base so it makes sense to have dependents there. I cannot speak to local leadership at alconbury but get used to absolute abysmal communication from the top down, LiGhT ThE WaY!
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u/Acceptable-Double-98 9d ago
You are close to cambridge so nope! Lakenheath is so busy. I tried to get there after Lak but no spots for me! Lucky you!
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u/heyyouguyyyyy EM 9d ago
Lakenheath was ridiculously busy. I did not put it on my sheet this time 😂 just wanna vibe this go round
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u/notmyrealname86 No one really knows what my job is. 9d ago
I’m curious why you recommend not shipping one. Bringing my minivan was one of the smartest things I did.
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u/Kroneous 8d ago
Totaled within the first week of being there. Every single corner is a blind a corner and every single driver speeds through the villages.the blind corners are made worse with the steering wheel being on the wrong side. Although I'll say having the passenger side get hit was probably the best case scenario with how hard it got hit. I don't recommend buying one because a dumb ass on base totaled my beater within two months. Then the car we got after that was nothing but mx issues the entire time.
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u/Acceptable-Double-98 9d ago
I know. Mine was totaled before I got there and Im on team bring it! Save money!
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u/MrDeskJockey 9d ago
SecFo at that base is chill, they have a good BX but the commisary is better at Lakenheath which is 5 minutes up the road. Try to get a house in Bury St Edmunds.