One of the reasons 'cheap and cheerful' B&Bs no longer exist is that to be 'approved' and appear on some internet listings you have to have ensuites (etc etc) and it all got a bit expensive for some owners - so they needed to put up prices to cover all the capital expenditure they were (in effect) forced to undertake in order to stay in business at all.

In the days when I stayed in lots of B&Bs I was quite happy with basic accommodation so long as it was clean. Also, so many people now expect 5 star comfort even from a simple B&B.

Here is a true story:

a friend of a friend stayed in cheap lodgings in London to save money. Got back home and started to itch. Turned out to be bed bugs. His whole house had to be treated - they apparently hide everywhere even inside wall sockets just waiting for their next meal. They can wait for more than a year at low temperatures. It makes your own tent seem quite atractive! Like TB, bed bugs are making a comeback.

I read a very interesting book years ago entitled "The Life that Lives on Man." It had wonderful pictures of the scabies mite including one of a mite in its burrow in human skin. I'm ITCHING to read it again.....

An out of date listing of B&Bs is here: http://www.seered.co.uk/hotels.htm

I may add 2011 prices if I get round to it.