For future reference, if you have to travel and a stay over is necessary, if you aren't getting digs provided, you can offset the cost (along with meals etc) against your tax. KEEP RECEIPTS!!!
Here's a good one - HMRC seem to think that employers always pay employees out of pocket expenses (I guess theirs do! US! ).
And don't forget, if you used your own vehicle to travel all those miles, you can get tax back on that too.