3 months in UK and Ireland
Mar 22nd, 2016, 01:28 AM
#1
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3 months in UK and Ireland
My husband and I are retired teachers from the States who travel full time. Because of the Schengen agreement we have to be out of Europe for 3 months starting in early June. We would like to see England, Scotland and Ireland (and perhaps northern Ireland and Wales) during this time. We are looking for places we might use for bases perhaps only moving every 2 - 4 weeks. Also, is it possible to use public transportation or do we need a car. Quite frankly driving on the left side of the road makes me a bit nervous.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 02:03 AM
#2
Where we would recommend is limited by whether you have been to the UK and Ireland previously and whether there's anywhere you wouldn't want to revisit. Conversely is there anywhere you would want to see again?
As England is the larger country, it makes sense to spend more time here, so maybe three out of your 12 weeks. Wales is probably a week, Scotland 2 weeks to include the islands, Ireland another two weeks. That leaves around 4 weeks to allow you to spend more time when you find somewhere you like and want to spend more time.
Ireland probably would merit a car, as would parts of Scotland. Some of England like the Cotswolds, Lake District, North Yorkshire are better with a car, as is most of Wales. You'd quickly get used to driving on the left and the slower pace of non motorway driving would probably suit you.
If you can clarify paragraph 1, then you'll get lots of good suggestions.
As England is the larger country, it makes sense to spend more time here, so maybe three out of your 12 weeks. Wales is probably a week, Scotland 2 weeks to include the islands, Ireland another two weeks. That leaves around 4 weeks to allow you to spend more time when you find somewhere you like and want to spend more time.
Ireland probably would merit a car, as would parts of Scotland. Some of England like the Cotswolds, Lake District, North Yorkshire are better with a car, as is most of Wales. You'd quickly get used to driving on the left and the slower pace of non motorway driving would probably suit you.
If you can clarify paragraph 1, then you'll get lots of good suggestions.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 02:36 AM
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Thank you so much for your responses. We have not been to any of the area except for a quick one day layover in London years ago. We are really interested in history and are really interested in being immersed in the culture. We don't feel compelled to see everything as we can come back!
Mar 22nd, 2016, 03:56 AM
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I suppose it would be possible to spend three months in the British Isles without a car, but I don't see how, unless you stuck to London and other large cities with good public transport. There is lots to see in the British countryside where public transport is scarce.
Don't worry about driving on the left — it's very easy to adapt. Most people don't realise how many countries around the world drive on the left, including many in Africa and Asia, not to mention Australia and NZ.
Don't worry about driving on the left — it's very easy to adapt. Most people don't realise how many countries around the world drive on the left, including many in Africa and Asia, not to mention Australia and NZ.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 04:41 AM
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Millions of Britons (though a rather smaller proportion of Ireland's population) happily live without a car: but almost all live in large urban areas.
As a rough rule, most of these areas - especially those with good inter-city transport links - are either extremely pricey for accommodation (London and the heritage cities like Edinburgh, York and Winchester) or really rather unpleasant (like Swindon or Crewe).
I'm not sure what you mean by "really interested in being immersed in the culture". Britain's far more urbanised, and has been so for a lot longer, than the US, so the overwhelming majority of cultural activity - from symphony orchestras to pub quiz nights to chicken tandoori and soap opera settings - operate in urban environments. Few Britons care much for the countryside: that unspeakably inane soap opera about early twentieth century toffs is a work of fiction, not a documentary about the real world. And it consistently got lower audiences than the equally fictional account of mid-20th century midwifery in a London working-class neighbourhood it competed with on Sunday nights.
So three months of confinement to cities won't even begin to scratch the surface of our culture. But many visitors haven't quite caught up with the way Britain's changed since we invented modern industry, and want to spend their time gawping at big posh houses.
Or, if they've got any sense, small country churches.The churches Britain's church-going minority attend are mostly 19th century architectural horrors in big cities. But we've got over 8,000 medieval churches in the countryside still intact (apart from the vandalism the Prods inflicted on them at their 16th century annexation), now painstakingly cared for by their tiny congregations, and accessible throughout daylight hours every day of the year. Our greatest historical inheritance, though, is the 120,000 mile network of open country footpaths. Fail to use them, and you've simply failed to visit the country.
It IS very difficult to get round most of the countryside without a car. A few parts - areas heavily geared to domestic tourism, like parts of Cornwall or some upmarket rural suburbs of some heritage cities - do have pretty decent bus services, or decent railway connections six or (sometimes) seven days a week, but they're rare. If you do want to see the countryside, there are bus tours - but very, very rarely things I'd inflict on my grisliest enemy.
Your choice: stay all urban, or use cars at least to see how life was once lived.
As a rough rule, most of these areas - especially those with good inter-city transport links - are either extremely pricey for accommodation (London and the heritage cities like Edinburgh, York and Winchester) or really rather unpleasant (like Swindon or Crewe).
I'm not sure what you mean by "really interested in being immersed in the culture". Britain's far more urbanised, and has been so for a lot longer, than the US, so the overwhelming majority of cultural activity - from symphony orchestras to pub quiz nights to chicken tandoori and soap opera settings - operate in urban environments. Few Britons care much for the countryside: that unspeakably inane soap opera about early twentieth century toffs is a work of fiction, not a documentary about the real world. And it consistently got lower audiences than the equally fictional account of mid-20th century midwifery in a London working-class neighbourhood it competed with on Sunday nights.
So three months of confinement to cities won't even begin to scratch the surface of our culture. But many visitors haven't quite caught up with the way Britain's changed since we invented modern industry, and want to spend their time gawping at big posh houses.
Or, if they've got any sense, small country churches.The churches Britain's church-going minority attend are mostly 19th century architectural horrors in big cities. But we've got over 8,000 medieval churches in the countryside still intact (apart from the vandalism the Prods inflicted on them at their 16th century annexation), now painstakingly cared for by their tiny congregations, and accessible throughout daylight hours every day of the year. Our greatest historical inheritance, though, is the 120,000 mile network of open country footpaths. Fail to use them, and you've simply failed to visit the country.
It IS very difficult to get round most of the countryside without a car. A few parts - areas heavily geared to domestic tourism, like parts of Cornwall or some upmarket rural suburbs of some heritage cities - do have pretty decent bus services, or decent railway connections six or (sometimes) seven days a week, but they're rare. If you do want to see the countryside, there are bus tours - but very, very rarely things I'd inflict on my grisliest enemy.
Your choice: stay all urban, or use cars at least to see how life was once lived.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 05:04 AM
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<i>Our greatest historical inheritance, though, is the 120,000 mile network of open country footpaths. Fail to use them, and you've simply failed to visit the country.</i>
Since my last post I've been on a short walk/jog on the footpath around my rural village, part of the Icknield Way across southern England. I couldn't agree more with what flanner wrote.
Since my last post I've been on a short walk/jog on the footpath around my rural village, part of the Icknield Way across southern England. I couldn't agree more with what flanner wrote.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 06:28 AM
#9
With 3 months you have a LOT of flexibility and an ENORMOUS number of options.
Driving on the left is easy in most rural areas but not easy and not needed in any of the cities. So your best option would be something like some 1 or 2 week city stays interspersed w/ 2-ish weeks country stays with rental cars.
Not that this is a specific recommendation but just to give you an Idea - something like:
2 weeks in London, train down to Gatwick to collect a rental car and three weeks exploring Kent/Sussex/the south coast/Cornwall/Devon. Fly to Ireland - stay several days in Dublin. Then collect a car and spend 2+weeks touring Ireland ending up in the North. Fly from Belfast to Edinburgh and stay several days. Then collect a car and spend 3 weeks based in three different areas Say a week in Fife, a week in Aberdeenshire and a week in the Highlands. Then a few days on Skye and/or Mull and/or Islay. . . . and your 3 month is rapidly disappearing and you haven't yet hit anyplace in the rest of Scotland or England/Wales . . .
Anyone could work out any number of similar plans including more of England (the Lakes/Yorkshire/the Cotswolds etc) or Wales, or other wonderful parts of Scotland and Wales . . . But any of them would just be OUR plans. You need to pick up a few guide books (Michelin green guides, Scotland the Best, DK Eyewitness, other good ones), do a LOT of reading and decide what areas most interest you.
"Immersing in culture" is not a part of the equation so much. There are too many 'cultures' to even count and not quite sure what that even means.
Driving on the left is easy in most rural areas but not easy and not needed in any of the cities. So your best option would be something like some 1 or 2 week city stays interspersed w/ 2-ish weeks country stays with rental cars.
Not that this is a specific recommendation but just to give you an Idea - something like:
2 weeks in London, train down to Gatwick to collect a rental car and three weeks exploring Kent/Sussex/the south coast/Cornwall/Devon. Fly to Ireland - stay several days in Dublin. Then collect a car and spend 2+weeks touring Ireland ending up in the North. Fly from Belfast to Edinburgh and stay several days. Then collect a car and spend 3 weeks based in three different areas Say a week in Fife, a week in Aberdeenshire and a week in the Highlands. Then a few days on Skye and/or Mull and/or Islay. . . . and your 3 month is rapidly disappearing and you haven't yet hit anyplace in the rest of Scotland or England/Wales . . .
Anyone could work out any number of similar plans including more of England (the Lakes/Yorkshire/the Cotswolds etc) or Wales, or other wonderful parts of Scotland and Wales . . . But any of them would just be OUR plans. You need to pick up a few guide books (Michelin green guides, Scotland the Best, DK Eyewitness, other good ones), do a LOT of reading and decide what areas most interest you.
"Immersing in culture" is not a part of the equation so much. There are too many 'cultures' to even count and not quite sure what that even means.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 03:33 PM
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I echo Janis's advice. Get a good guide book with a lot of pictures which will give you an idea of where you might want to go. There are so many lovely places to choose that it is impossible to know where to begin and I notice that Janis has missed out nearly all of England and all of Wales in her post. DK Eyewitness Great Britain is probably a good place to start.
You don't need a car in the major cities like London or Edinburgh but once you are in the countryside a car is a bonus as public transport coverage is very variable from an hourly bus to one that just runs once a week.... Many areas do not have good rail links either. Public transport is also VERY slow.
It is suprisingly easy to get used to driving on the oposite side of the road especially away from large busy cities. Sat Nav is invaluable here although in rural areas a road atlas is just as good.
If you do decide to hire a car, you may find this book a good source of ideas.
http://www.dk.com/uk/9781409329480-b...great-britain/
You don't need a car in the major cities like London or Edinburgh but once you are in the countryside a car is a bonus as public transport coverage is very variable from an hourly bus to one that just runs once a week.... Many areas do not have good rail links either. Public transport is also VERY slow.
It is suprisingly easy to get used to driving on the oposite side of the road especially away from large busy cities. Sat Nav is invaluable here although in rural areas a road atlas is just as good.
If you do decide to hire a car, you may find this book a good source of ideas.
http://www.dk.com/uk/9781409329480-b...great-britain/
Mar 22nd, 2016, 03:50 PM
#12
>>Janis has missed out nearly all of England and all of Wales in her post. <<
Did you miss the it where I posted >>Anyone could work out any number of similar plans including more of England (the Lakes/Yorkshire/the Cotswolds etc) or Wales, or other wonderful parts of Scotland and Wales . . . <<
I was just trying to point out that staying a week or two in multiple places eats up the time REALLY quickly.
In fact I'd probably give Ireland a miss on this trip because they want to travel so slowly. I'd concentrate on London, several parts of England/Wales and about a month in Scotland.
I guess my point was 3 months sounds like a LOT but when one is talking about 5 countries it isn't - they will run out of time before they run out of places.
OR - 3 months isn't a 'magic' number, they just have to be out of Schengen <i>at least</i> 3 months. So I'd give serious consideration to a longer trip.
Did you miss the it where I posted >>Anyone could work out any number of similar plans including more of England (the Lakes/Yorkshire/the Cotswolds etc) or Wales, or other wonderful parts of Scotland and Wales . . . <<
I was just trying to point out that staying a week or two in multiple places eats up the time REALLY quickly.
In fact I'd probably give Ireland a miss on this trip because they want to travel so slowly. I'd concentrate on London, several parts of England/Wales and about a month in Scotland.
I guess my point was 3 months sounds like a LOT but when one is talking about 5 countries it isn't - they will run out of time before they run out of places.
OR - 3 months isn't a 'magic' number, they just have to be out of Schengen <i>at least</i> 3 months. So I'd give serious consideration to a longer trip.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 11:42 PM
#13
There are some good tools for using public transport in the UK
http://www.traveline.info/ is the core but for London you'll find https://tfl.gov.uk/ is the most effective.
3 months is a good piece of time to enjoy a fair few chunks of the islands. I'd look at
1 week Orkney
1 week Scottish midlands (Ed and Glasgow) with some coach tours of the Highlands
1 week Northern Ireland
1 week Southern Ireland
1 week Wales
1 week in the west country
1 week the Lake district
1 week Yorkshire
1 week East Anglia including Cambridge
2 weeks London including day trips to Oxford, Salisbury, Brighton
leaves one week free
http://www.traveline.info/ is the core but for London you'll find https://tfl.gov.uk/ is the most effective.
3 months is a good piece of time to enjoy a fair few chunks of the islands. I'd look at
1 week Orkney
1 week Scottish midlands (Ed and Glasgow) with some coach tours of the Highlands
1 week Northern Ireland
1 week Southern Ireland
1 week Wales
1 week in the west country
1 week the Lake district
1 week Yorkshire
1 week East Anglia including Cambridge
2 weeks London including day trips to Oxford, Salisbury, Brighton
leaves one week free
Mar 23rd, 2016, 12:14 AM
#14
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I lurk on UK and Ireland forums every now and then but rarely post as my last visit was a few years ago. I am much more familiar with Ireland than I am with UK, but I think people who are used to drive on the countryside often are too quick to dismiss how much one can explore using public transport. I have make many 3-4 weeks long trips in Ireland using public transport and occasionaly a day tour here and there and I never felt far too restricted. Yes, of course a car gives maximum flexibility, but still if one is not in a hurry, not using a car can work fine too.
Mar 23rd, 2016, 12:26 AM
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Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. You have provided so much helpful information. By immersing in local culture I only mean that we move very slowly, staying in Airbnb's or similar lodging for 3 weeks to a month at a time and that gives up opportunities to learn the area or neighborhood, the food,and find favorite spots. In big cities (i.e. Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Copenhagen, Madrid) we have relied on public transportation. In more rural areas we've rented a car. It appears we'll continue this in the UK. We definitely will check out out in the "open country footpaths." Now I'm off to guide books to determine where our home bases will be. Thanks again.
Mar 23rd, 2016, 01:23 AM
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<i>really interested in being immersed in the culture</i>
This is easily my favorite Fodors trope/cliche/motif.
OP, it may be worth your while to join the National Trust.
IMHO, for a good book on walks/hikes/rambles look at the country or region specific ones as they will offer more options. You can even find guides on topic specific walks. Some that I enjoy are:
War Walks: Stop Line Green http://amzn.to/22EDnkb
Great British Walks: "Countryfile" - 100 Unique Walks Through Our Most Stunning Countryside http://amzn.to/22EDWKA
The Lake District Walking Map: http://amzn.to/1RxK27x
This is easily my favorite Fodors trope/cliche/motif.
OP, it may be worth your while to join the National Trust.
IMHO, for a good book on walks/hikes/rambles look at the country or region specific ones as they will offer more options. You can even find guides on topic specific walks. Some that I enjoy are:
War Walks: Stop Line Green http://amzn.to/22EDnkb
Great British Walks: "Countryfile" - 100 Unique Walks Through Our Most Stunning Countryside http://amzn.to/22EDWKA
The Lake District Walking Map: http://amzn.to/1RxK27x
Mar 23rd, 2016, 01:50 AM
#19
http://www.camra.org.uk/
though weatherspoons will only offer good beer if they can get it cheep (ie just before it goes off) ;-)
though weatherspoons will only offer good beer if they can get it cheep (ie just before it goes off) ;-)
Mar 23rd, 2016, 02:06 AM
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bilbo, I popped into the local Weatherspoons for the first time last week and was amazed to see that they had on tap a brewery not far from where I lived in Virginia (Devil's Backbone). The kicker is that Devil's Backbones is probably one of the worst, if not THE worst, breweries in Virginia -- all of their bee tastes like you took a passable style then topped it off with 25-30% sparkling water (except for their IPA which was brewed by John Morehops. I mentioned itto the bartender and he laughed and said that he didn't like it and it didn't sell well. I ended up with a pint of Phonics which was quite nice.
