No time to respond to your other questions now, but there is working farm IN London that you an visit: http://www.surreydocksfarm.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=63

What day trips you do depends on your interests. I always recommend www.walks.com for their excellent day trips.

Jamikins ,thanks a lot.The working farm site is helpful .Will definitely go there.

Note that the US immigration form you fill out when you return from abroad will ask if you were on any farms (assuming you're American - a Canadian one would likely have the same question). I'll let others remark on the implications of saying yes.

I'm not sure that a "farm" in the Surrey Docks counts as a farm as such.

anyway, what are they going to do if you say "yes"?

Agriculture will Detain you,look at your shoes for a sample,re X-ray all your luggage,etc. Personally, going to a working farm while in the UK would be low on my list if I had only a week there!

for lots of great stuff on British trains I always spotlight these fantastic sites - www.seat61.com (done by a Brit); http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id11.html and www.ricksteves.com. Check www.nationalrail.co.uk for schedules and various fares - cheaper fares have at times severe restrictions on changes or refunds so reduce flexibility - actually if you want to hop on any train anytime then look at the BritRailpass which allows you to do just that - compared to full fare tickets it may be cheaper but if you are content with locking your schedule in stone weeks before hand (to get the cheapest tickets which are sold in strict allotments and may well sell out very early then that will be the cheapest option for your plans - if you can get them.

>>anyway, what are they going to do if you say "yes"?<<

They'll ask some follow up questions about when it was, what part of the country, if they stayed on the farm, etc. 99% of the time that's it - but sometimes they will want to see the shoes you were wearing while on the farm.

>>Is it difficult to travel from Edinburgh to Glasgow international airport by train as there will be luggage also."

There is no rail link from Edinburgh to GLA. You would take the train to central Glasgow and then a coach (bus) out to the airport. There is also a direct coach service from Edinburgh to GLA.

But I definitely recommend you all pack light. Your train travel will be MUCH easier if you aren't schlepping big suitcases. Plus family rooms for 4 in hotels and B&Bs mostly won't be massive w/ lots of space for lots of luggage.

>>Also for the day trip out of london which is a must see - Bristol,or oxford or ,bath
Distance wise which is nearest?<<

Oxford would be quickest and cheapest. Bath and Oxford would have the most to see. Which is a 'must' depends on what you like. But honestly, w/ just 4.5 days in London I wouldn't take a day trip at all. Day one will be partly eaten up just getting settled plus at least some of you will be jet lagged.

I'm with janis - with the time you have, I wouldn't take a day trip. But, though I'd research your options beforehand, you can easily wait till you get there to decide whether you have more to do in London or want to spend a day outside it.

With just two nights in the Lakes, I think staying at Windermere is fine (and have done it). As long as you're all good walkers, you can fill your full day just fine with public transport and walking. We walked down to Bowness (it is a long walk) and took the bus to Grasmere, then hiked to Ambleside and took the bus back from there.

Windermere is a good base for train travelers as it is the railhead for the Lake District or main railhead anyway - with a spur rail line ending there - I stayed in a nice B&B a few steps from the station (no loud noise with this station!) and then hop on the open-air doubledecker buses that circulate to main sights all over the Lake District - buy a day ticket and get on and off where you want - a typical hop on hop off bus like in London and Edinburg and Bath and zillions of other places.

but sometimes they will want to see the shoes you were wearing while on the farm.>>

what on earth do they expect to see on them?

if they are going to ask about whether people have been to farms, they should also ask if they've been for country walks, horse-riding, visited any zoos, or been near any dead or dying ash trees.

barmy. IMHO.

barmy is right - I never respon affirmative if I have been on a farm even if I have - it would have been days or weeks ago usually and what would my shoes prove - except a big hassle perhaps from Customs - that is a stupid question to ask IMO.

At least when you go into New Zealand they take your shoes and clean them for you. Maybe they could do the same in the US?

In a somewhat related question, what area in London would anyone recommend a first time visitor to stay in? We are a family of 4 arriving there in August 2013.

ramedor88: "In a somewhat related question,"

Your questions aren't all that related to Sarahliz's - different trip/different situation. You'll do better if you start a thread of your own, with your specific question(s).

And when you re-post -include your budget and how many days you will be in London.

"barmy is right - I never respon affirmative if I have been on a farm even if I have - it would have been days or weeks ago usually and what would my shoes prove - except a big hassle perhaps from Customs - that is a stupid question to ask IMO."

I am a great admirer of yours, but this is irresponsible in the extreme. It was this attitude -- "What difference would my bringing just one banana make?" that has led to millions/bllions of dollars in agriculture destruction and the need to use pesticides on crops that were freely grown without them in the past.

I am more than willing to be corrected if you can find a reputable scientist who will support your position.

Many of us remember the days when we were detained for ten minutes or so on arrival while the entire cabin of our aircaft were sprayed with insecticides when we landed in the US. Such times may return if people do not act responsibly on their own.

There are a number of city farms in London:
http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/1026/city-farms-in-london

If you plan on visiting Greenwich, you could also take the DLR round via Mudchute city farm.

Ackslander - well you are of course correct and I never ever bring any vegetable matter back even though it may be allowed. as for science about keeping pests alive for days on my shoes after having walked many miles around, etc - well I guess it is for you to show me the science that pests could survive that long.

I just think it was overkill and they have far more things to put their efforts into - when was the last time there was an outbreak of whatever due to what a tourist visiting some farm in Europe brought back?

again it is not like bring actual fruits or veg in - that I would again never do unless I knew certain ones were permitted and many are I think.

The last time I had my shoes inspected on return (but no luggage x-ray) was when there was some sort of nematode infestation in the part of Scotland I had visited and where I was on and off farms constantly. As I had subsequently spent a week in Edinburgh & London, my shoes were stripped clean and they just passed me thru after a cursory glance. They seemed to be looking for nematode containing mud. While I was in Scotland (Kintyre Peninsula) there were signs all over the place about the nematodes, otherwise I would have been clueless. (This was 21 years ago, so please don't ask me for more details).

barmy is right - I never respon affirmative if I have been on a farm even if I have - it would have been days or weeks ago usually and what would my shoes prove - except a big hassle perhaps from Customs - that is a stupid question to ask IMO.">>

what is barmy, IMO, is ONLY to ask if someone has been on a farm and not to ask whether they have been for a walk in the country, or on a beach, or to a zoo, or... because what you can pick up on a farm you can also pick up by simply walking down the street.

if there is an outbreak of something like foot and mouth in the country the person has come from, that would justify asking questions.

The US has not had an outbreak of foot and mouth disease since 1929, while it is spreading rapidly around much of the world. Infected animals are destroyed by the thousands because the virus is so virulent. It can last for weeks in dirt and straw, and it can blow onto the clothing of people walking by. It can be inhaled by people and spread by them without their knowing it for several days because it does not infect humans.

The State Department recommend not being around any cloven footed animals (horses, camels, and rhinosceri are fine according to Texas A&M) for five days before returning to the US and not being around similar animals in this country for five days after returning. They also recommend that all clothes you wear on a farm be washed or dry cleaned and that shoes, boots, bags, etc be wiped down with a solution of bleach in water.

The full text can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1182.html

The economic costs to farmers of foot and mouth disease is horrifying (up to $18 billion in the last UK outbreak), the sufferings of 7 million destroyed animals was worse. No inconvenience to the traveler can outweigh these.

Sorry to preach, but Taiwan had been free of the disease for since 1930 and had to destroy half the pigs in the country.

Sorry, down from my soapbox.