itspat

Hi everyone,

We are considering last-minute plans to head to England sometime in the first couple weeks of October for a relative's wedding. Our dates are a bit flexible. We'd probably fly into LHR and out of MAN (where they live). We will NOT have a car and don't mind walking. We will have about 7 full days, not including travel days, but again this is a bit flexible. We don't mind spending a day getting somewhere, having supper and spending the night, then heading back out the next day after breakfast - that's okay with us.

I have visited a lot of the UK before with my family a while ago and love all things England - my spouse has never been. We just want to relax and admire and travel the expanse of the isle as much as possible and eat good food and squeeze in a bit of the fantastic history wherever possible.

We were thinking 2 days in London. My must revisit is the Tower of London. Can't remember how hard it would be to walk to other major sights from here. We'd most likely end up using the Hop On/Hop Off.

I have a recent interest in War of Roses/Plantagenet history, so please keep in mind that interest when considering your suggestions.

My spouse would love to take the train as far north as possible - hopefully Liverpool and possibly getting up to north Scotland (just to get there) - has some connections in Newcastle upon Tyne so wouldn't mind getting up there, too.

We are definitely up for squeezing in whatever else is possible in a quick day trip. We would need to end up in Manchester where our flight would depart.

We are likely going to get a Britrail pass (possibly just within England if getting to Scotland proves too ambitious).

Does this information help you put together any sort of coherent train travel itinerary that makes any sense? None of this is obviously set in stone, just trying to figure out how to make the most of our time there and do it without a car!

Thanks in advance.

semiramis

For one week - I would stick to England.

For your Plantagenet/War of Roses interests, a side trip to York might be nice.

Hooameye

"We'd most likely end up using the Hop On/Hop Off."

Good for an overview of London BUT they are tourist buses and are not good value if used for general transport.

itspat

Thank you. Is Manchester as versatile a railway hub as London to get north, west to Liverpool, and maybe south if time permits?

Is Leicester worth a visit? Was thinking about the recent Richard III discoveries, but not sure if any of this scene is made public yet.

Agree about HOHO bus... would probably do one day or half day on that bus and try to use Subway/Tube for the rest of the time.

annhig

Hi itspat,

great idea, but i think that you will have a better trip if you don't try to cram too much in.

firstly - Leicester. here's a link to the info from the city itself:

http://www.visitleicester.info/richardIII/

I honestly don't think that with only 7 days it's worth going there but that's your decision not mine!

I would suggest spending a bit longer in London, and doing a day trip to Winchester - the seat of medieval kings and then either getting the train from london to York or even flying there from southampton.

and instead of the HOHO bus, try getting the no 11 - it'll take you round many of the sights you'll want to see and much more cheaply!

itspat

So sorry... we were discussing last night and I realized I had some locations very wrong.

Hotel/newlyweds will be in Liverpool itself, not Manchester - so no need to incorporate Manchester in plans at all unless flying in/out of there is easier/cheaper.

We want picturesque, relaxing train travel and love getting off the train at unexpected little towns, having lunch or staying the night or whatnot, and moving on. There is no need necessarily to hit all the "typical" tourist spots again - i.e., no Stonehenge, Stratford, Bath, etc. Still won't have a car and will have a small carry-on or backpack each.

Keeping in mind that we'll have about 5 days, and have to end or start in Liverpool, can you recommend a nice circuit that covers a fair amount of ground (heading North toward Newcastle and/or West toward Cornwall)?

Also, in London itself... we love Indian food and were wondering if there is a specific part of the city with a high concentration of Indian communities and authentic restaurants?

Thanks again.

itspat

To clarify - 5 days for a train circuit around England - not including the 2 days or so we'll already have in London.

Thanks, annhig, for your thoughts on Leicester and the 11 bus - great tip! Is the York train station fairly convenient to the city itself without a car? I've been there and loved it, but for a spouse who hates doing the typical touristy things, do you think York would still be appealing (as far as preserved medieval cities go)? Any idea of where we could get some information on Plantagenet history there?

burnie

Visit Brick lane in London for the Indian food district and maybe take a train out to Hampton court to see the home of Henry 8th. I would have a good look at the train network, as some places are tricky to get to. I would consider taking the East coast line if you want to leave London and visit York, Newcastle and Edinburgh in a day, overnight in Edinburgh. Then maybe head to the east coast and down towards Manchester

itspat

Thank you, burnie!

I know we are trying to cram a lot into a short period of time, but if we get going early and plan to stay in Edinburgh overnight, is it doable to visit York and Newcastle in 1 day (even if to just hop off, get a meal, walk around a bit, and get going again)?

Not to throw another wrench into plans (just trying to examine all options at this point)... how difficult/expensive is it to get to the Channel Islands?

Gordon_R

There are plenty of direct (and quick) flights to the Channel Islands (predominantly Jersey and Guernsey) from London and provincial airports. Check out BA, FlyBe and Aurigny. Typical fares are around £100-150 pp return though this varies a lot with the time of year and day of week etc. By early October the weather could be getting decidedly dodgy and since so much of the islands' attraction depends on good weather, I'd be a bit wary of this as an option compared with what you could do on the British mainland at that time of year.

PalenQ

We are likely going to get a Britrail pass (possibly just within England if getting to Scotland proves too ambitious).>

If you want complete flexibility to hop any trains anytime then a BritRail or BritEngland Railpass is often a great deal - but if you want the cheapest way then go to www.nationalrail.co.uk and see what discounts are available if you are fine with setting your itinerary in stone - anyway for lots of great info on British trains check out www.seat61.com; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id11.html and www.ricksteves.com.

MmePerdu

For Indian food the Cinnamon Club has been recommended here. I haven't eaten there but love the website and it's on the list for my next trip.

http://www.cinnamonclub.com/

itspat

Thanks, all wonderful suggestions.

We heard about a place called Southall or Hounslow for Indian food, supposedly "little India" - any good? Easily accessible by bus/public transportation from London city center?

Are Channel Islands accessible by ferry, or is flying really the way to go (due to distance)? However, agree that we'll have to skip these this time.

Fellow Fodorites... besides the famous Cotswolds, what is YOUR personal opinion of where England's beauty lies? Cornwall's coast? Yorkshire Dales? Somewhere else? Just curious what people who have been there before, and locals, think. I know there is beauty to be found everywhere.

Thanks.

PalenQ

Fellow Fodorites... besides the famous Cotswolds, what is YOUR personal opinion of where England's beauty lies? Cornwall's coast? Yorkshire Dales? Somewhere else?>

for me the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, North Wales (Conwy Valley) and Kent (not saying other places are as nice or nicer just not as familiar with them - any coastline I've seen in Britain is awesome - any part of any coast.

sofarsogood

Southall and Hounslow are two areas of west London close to Heathrow airport. Both easily accessible from central London,

Southall in particular has a large Indian community. Whether you'd want to make a special journey just to eat in an Indian restaurant is up to you but you would see a part of London off most tourist's radar http://www.visitlondon.com/discover-.../west/southall

Plenty of ferries to the Channel Islands www.ferries.co.uk/channel_islands.html

As for beauty, a good starting point are the National Parks; my favourites being the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. While in contrast a warm summers evening, looking down the Thames from Waterloo Bridge, as the sun sets, always fascinates. You can feel the energy all around.

Gordon_R

<i>for me the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, North Wales (Conwy Valley) and Kent (not saying other places are as nice or nicer just not as familiar with them - any coastline I've seen in Britain is awesome - any part of any coast.</i>

Er... two of which are not in England, which is what the OP asked.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course, but most people I think would be impressed by the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, the New Forest and the Kent/Sussex countryside. Each of these is special in its own way and quite different, so some research is needed to identify which appeals to you.

BKP

<<We'd probably fly into LHR and out of MAN (where they live). We will NOT have a car and don't mind walking>>

I read that to mean you would be walking from LHR to MAN and thought, well that's one way to see the countryside but it might take longer than 7 days!

I don't have anything to add re: your itinerary but wanted to suggest the miniseries The White Queen. It's on the BBC right now and we're really enjoying it. It's an adaptation of Phillipa Gregory's book set during the War of the Roses. I don't believe it's 100% accurate but it's lovely to watch and I'm a sucker for pretty much any English historical fiction!

bilboburgler

For me drop the Channel islands you don't have time and they are islands. You are not in the UK for many days so traveling about is tough. I'd limit it to London, Liverpool, York and Manchester and even that seems too much, the train system along the Liverpool/York corridor is well developed and there is a line of cities along that which are all worth visiting. I was in Hebden Bridge last weekend and you can get there on a minor track when travelling between York and Manchester, nice little shops, alternative stuff, a canal and a river with a tough walk up to Sylvia Platt's tomb.

PalenQ

Er... two of which are not in England, which is what the OP asked. >

Well yes but many Americans think of England as all of Britain - but point taken - tsk tsk.

PalenQ

Er... two of which are not in England, which is what the OP asked. >

Well yes but many Americans think of England as all of Britain - but point taken - tsk tsk.