England and Scotland in 15 days--too ambitious?
May 14th, 2007, 08:46 PM
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England and Scotland in 15 days--too ambitious?
This is a preliminary itinerary we have come up with since there is alot we would like to see and not much time:
London--3 nights
Bath and the Cotswolds--2 nights
Edinburgh (via York)--3 nights
Kildrummy through Pitlochry--1 night
Inverness--1 night
Skye--1 night
Loch Lomond through Glencoe
Glasgow--2 nights and home from there.
We are 2 couples in our early 50's in fairly good shape. We have not yet decided whether to rent a car or use public transportation, or a combination of both.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
London--3 nights
Bath and the Cotswolds--2 nights
Edinburgh (via York)--3 nights
Kildrummy through Pitlochry--1 night
Inverness--1 night
Skye--1 night
Loch Lomond through Glencoe
Glasgow--2 nights and home from there.
We are 2 couples in our early 50's in fairly good shape. We have not yet decided whether to rent a car or use public transportation, or a combination of both.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
May 14th, 2007, 09:45 PM
#2
waaaaay tooo much.
The only place w/ generous/adequate time is Edinburgh (which can actually be "done" in 2 days if need be)
But just look at the distances involved. You will be spending hours in the car almost every single day. You will pass through a lot but see very little.
You need to priortize what you want to see/do. I'll assume you already have your flights in to London and out of Glasgow. If so here is a way you can make it work:
London 5 nights including 1 day trip by train to Bath. I'd skip the Cotswolds. They are wonderful and one of my favorite places in the country. But a not "drive through and see" sort of area. I wouldn't bother unless you had 2 or 3 nights minimum.
Train to York, 1 night. York is a small city and you can see quite a bit of it in 1 day/night.
Train to Edinburgh, 2 nights.
Pick up rental car. Go west towards Skye stopping one night along the route in the Trossachs or near Glencoe.
3 nights on Skye.
Last night in Glasgow or along Loch Lomond which is close to the airport. Drop car at GLA
This misses Inverness (no loss) and the A9 corridor through Pitlochry (a loss but the west coast/Skye is even better)
The only place w/ generous/adequate time is Edinburgh (which can actually be "done" in 2 days if need be)
But just look at the distances involved. You will be spending hours in the car almost every single day. You will pass through a lot but see very little.
You need to priortize what you want to see/do. I'll assume you already have your flights in to London and out of Glasgow. If so here is a way you can make it work:
London 5 nights including 1 day trip by train to Bath. I'd skip the Cotswolds. They are wonderful and one of my favorite places in the country. But a not "drive through and see" sort of area. I wouldn't bother unless you had 2 or 3 nights minimum.
Train to York, 1 night. York is a small city and you can see quite a bit of it in 1 day/night.
Train to Edinburgh, 2 nights.
Pick up rental car. Go west towards Skye stopping one night along the route in the Trossachs or near Glencoe.
3 nights on Skye.
Last night in Glasgow or along Loch Lomond which is close to the airport. Drop car at GLA
This misses Inverness (no loss) and the A9 corridor through Pitlochry (a loss but the west coast/Skye is even better)
May 15th, 2007, 03:30 AM
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Just doing the Scottish bit, I'd have said that Edinburgh's fine (it's a long, but doable drive.
It'll take about 2 1/2 to get to Kildrummy, and it's a lovely place. The road through Kilmichael Glen is lovely.
Personally, I wouldn't bother with Inverness. You could be in Skye 2 1/2 hours after you leave Kildrummy, by going over the Lecht to Tomintoul and then through Strathspey to Aviemore and on. That would give you another night on Skye. I'm not sure if you're going to spend a night at Loch Lomond, but it would make good sense.
It'll take about 2 1/2 to get to Kildrummy, and it's a lovely place. The road through Kilmichael Glen is lovely.
Personally, I wouldn't bother with Inverness. You could be in Skye 2 1/2 hours after you leave Kildrummy, by going over the Lecht to Tomintoul and then through Strathspey to Aviemore and on. That would give you another night on Skye. I'm not sure if you're going to spend a night at Loch Lomond, but it would make good sense.
May 15th, 2007, 06:41 AM
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I think your plans are spot on. The only change would be to add a side trip to Ireland, a Eurostar to Paris, a couple of days on Mull and a few hours in Orkney. 
, Seriously folks, way to crazy. Slow down, less is more.
, Seriously folks, way to crazy. Slow down, less is more.
May 15th, 2007, 08:11 AM
#6
Three nights in London will give you two full days, which isn't a lot of time as there's a great deal to see in Londodn. But you already know that.
Edinburgh also needs three nights, and you should be able to see a lot in that time.
It's a lot of ground to cover, and many hours in a car-which I think would better suit your needs than public transportation. With a car, you will also have to be careful about the amount of luggage you have so that it will all fit in the car.
Edinburgh also needs three nights, and you should be able to see a lot in that time.
It's a lot of ground to cover, and many hours in a car-which I think would better suit your needs than public transportation. With a car, you will also have to be careful about the amount of luggage you have so that it will all fit in the car.
May 15th, 2007, 08:24 AM
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I am worn out just reading that itinerary.
You already have open jaw flights into London and out of Glasgow?
You have 13 nights, a "15 day" trip.
Personally, I would spend almost half of those nights in London, where you don't want or need a car.
You can take a day trip or two, if you feel you must, by public transportation or even a tour group.
Then rent a car and drive north, stopping one night at the city of your choice between London and Edinburgh.
The balance of your time in Edinburgh, staying at a place with easy parking access, and drive out on day trips.
This would give you a fair amount of time in two fabulous but different cities, and a look at the countryside.
You will probably be back, so save the Cotswolds, Lake District, and Skye for the next trip.
And that is a good point about luggage fitting in the car for two couples.
You already have open jaw flights into London and out of Glasgow?
You have 13 nights, a "15 day" trip.
Personally, I would spend almost half of those nights in London, where you don't want or need a car.
You can take a day trip or two, if you feel you must, by public transportation or even a tour group.
Then rent a car and drive north, stopping one night at the city of your choice between London and Edinburgh.
The balance of your time in Edinburgh, staying at a place with easy parking access, and drive out on day trips.
This would give you a fair amount of time in two fabulous but different cities, and a look at the countryside.
You will probably be back, so save the Cotswolds, Lake District, and Skye for the next trip.
And that is a good point about luggage fitting in the car for two couples.
May 15th, 2007, 08:29 AM
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<<< Then rent a car and drive north, stopping one night at the city of your choice between London and Edinburgh. >>>
Why rent a car if you are going city to city - if you were spending time in the countryside then it might be worth it but for a straight city to city to city trip it's rarely worth it
Why rent a car if you are going city to city - if you were spending time in the countryside then it might be worth it but for a straight city to city to city trip it's rarely worth it
May 15th, 2007, 09:13 AM
#10
I know this is a lot to do, but why do people advise "save it for the next trip"? There may never be another trip. Some people want to see as much as they can while they can. They may not spend as much time per place as many others, but they will get an overview of a lot.
May 15th, 2007, 09:23 AM
#11
barbara: "Some people want to see as much as they can while they can. They may not spend as much time per place as many others, but they will get an overview of a lot."
Unfortunately the driving or public transport tour they originally planned would leave them little time to see much of anything except Edinburgh. So even IF it is a once only trip - they won't see a lot.
My suggested itinerary (and there are MANY other variations) at least gives them time to see most of the places on their wish list. It is just that in the time allowed they can't do it all.
Unfortunately the driving or public transport tour they originally planned would leave them little time to see much of anything except Edinburgh. So even IF it is a once only trip - they won't see a lot.
My suggested itinerary (and there are MANY other variations) at least gives them time to see most of the places on their wish list. It is just that in the time allowed they can't do it all.
May 15th, 2007, 10:53 AM
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Shaynah - I literally just got back from a trip very close to what you are planning. Except we did 2 nights in the Cotswolds and 2 nights in Salisbury (fitting Bath in)and didn't go to Glasgow.
I will be doing a trip report soon, as soon as I get everything organized, haha.
We had 14 days actually on the ground, including the day we landed....I'd have to say it really depends on what you think you can handle. For us, it was completely fine. We are in our mid 20's. And my fiance had lived in England for 2 years. So, he got back in the swing of driving quite easily. We rented 2 cars, once in Scotland, and once in England. I found the driving in Scotland to be easier than the driving in England. Mainly because the road's were more crowded in England, and we always found ourselves behind a lowry (a big truck) hehe....We'd also been to London before and had seen lots of the sights before. Even with just the 2 and a half days, I would still have liked more time in London.
This site was incredibly helpful to me in my planning. But, I think my itinerary scared some people here too, haha. We did do a lot of moving around, and a lot of one-nighters. That got tireing, but we had the Cotswolds after that to relax a bit. We also found that we had more time in a day than we thought we would, especially in Scotland.
I'd have to say, don't miss Skye. Even if you just go for the day, it's soooo worth it. And one of the highlights of my trip....I do promise to get that trip report up soon. Let me know if you have any questions.
I will be doing a trip report soon, as soon as I get everything organized, haha.
We had 14 days actually on the ground, including the day we landed....I'd have to say it really depends on what you think you can handle. For us, it was completely fine. We are in our mid 20's. And my fiance had lived in England for 2 years. So, he got back in the swing of driving quite easily. We rented 2 cars, once in Scotland, and once in England. I found the driving in Scotland to be easier than the driving in England. Mainly because the road's were more crowded in England, and we always found ourselves behind a lowry (a big truck) hehe....We'd also been to London before and had seen lots of the sights before. Even with just the 2 and a half days, I would still have liked more time in London.
This site was incredibly helpful to me in my planning. But, I think my itinerary scared some people here too, haha. We did do a lot of moving around, and a lot of one-nighters. That got tireing, but we had the Cotswolds after that to relax a bit. We also found that we had more time in a day than we thought we would, especially in Scotland.
I'd have to say, don't miss Skye. Even if you just go for the day, it's soooo worth it. And one of the highlights of my trip....I do promise to get that trip report up soon. Let me know if you have any questions.
May 15th, 2007, 11:09 AM
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Wanted to add - I did get to see Everything I wanted to. Although I do feel I will go back, it may not be for many years. And anything can happen in life. So, I'm glad we saw all that we did this time. There are many things I would have done differently, like staying in Bath instead of Salisbury. And adding one more day on Skye, and cutting a day in England.
Janisj itinerary is a good one (especially if you haven't been to London). But I did enjoy the road from Skye to Inverness. Although Inverness itself isn't anything special, the surrounding area is very nice. Maybe do 1 night near Inverness, then 2 on Skye, and go from Glasgow from there.
Janisj itinerary is a good one (especially if you haven't been to London). But I did enjoy the road from Skye to Inverness. Although Inverness itself isn't anything special, the surrounding area is very nice. Maybe do 1 night near Inverness, then 2 on Skye, and go from Glasgow from there.
May 16th, 2007, 10:36 AM
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Thanks folks, for all your input. To answer some of your questions, No we do not yet have our flights booked. The period will be early September.
I tend to agree with Barbara's philosophy, in that there may never be another trip in that direction, hence the crowded itinerary. But you've given me lots to think about, and perhaps modify. Thanks again.
I tend to agree with Barbara's philosophy, in that there may never be another trip in that direction, hence the crowded itinerary. But you've given me lots to think about, and perhaps modify. Thanks again.
