megahhk

My husband and I are thinking about running a marathon in Liverpool in mid June 2015. We would arrive about 2 days before the marathon but wanted to see London after we run and then possibly head to Scotland. Liverpool would have to be our first stop for at least 3 days. Where is the best place to fly into and what is the easiest mode of transport in England?

We have never been to England or Scotland so I am looking for advice early on. Is this a feasible route or should we consider other places. We were thinking of spending 7-10 days on this trip. We adore train travel and have never driven overseas but are not opposed to it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

flanneruk

You don't say where you're flying from.

The answer to "where's the best place to fly to?" depends on that. The best way of travelling round Britain thereafter in turn is partly dependent on where in Britain you're starting from

dotheboyshall

IF you have the option then the "best" place to fly to is Manchester as it's near Liverpool and it has a train stations with direct trains to Liverpool.

You could also consider Birmingham but that would require you to change trains once.

Don't assume that flying via London is the "best" option as once you leave the south of England flying via a major European hub (Amsterdam, Frankfurt) becomes a viable option.

AS for getting around - for city centre to city centre use trains. If you want to see countryside then a car MIGHT be useful depending on where you are going

Rubicund

Your post seems to indicate that you haven't booked your air tickets yet and you are leaving it late for lower fares. Manchester is the largest international airport north of Heathrow and if you can, you should fly into it. If it's not available from wherever you are, then LHR and either fly up to Liverpool or train from Euston.

You have 7 to 10 days in total with 3 nights around the race as a must, leaving you 4 to 7 days. Is it 4 or 7? In either case you don't have time to visit both London and Scotland and what you do next greatly depends on where you fly into, to avoid backtracking.

janisj

>>Liverpool would have to be our first stop for at least 3 days. <<

Because you can <i>only</i> leave home a couple days before the race?? Otherwise, you could go to London or Scotland first and then travel to Liverpool. IMO and a couple of friends' experience, it is better to arrive in country several days before a marathon. (I don't run but have traveled to the UK w/ friends running in the London Marathon and St Andrews half marathon.)

Being 'in country' 4 or 5 days ahead is better to 1) recover from jet lag and 2) acclimate to the time differences and 'carb up'.

W/ 10 days total you <i>could</i> squeeze in a couple of days in Edinburgh, 2 days in Liverpool for the race and 4 days in London.

janisj

oops - meant to add . . . w/ that itinerary you'd fly into EDI or GLA, then train to Liverpool, and train down to London, fly home from LHR.

megahhk

Sorry for being a little vague. We can only leave 2 days before the race in Liverpool. No, I have not booked a single thing yet which was why I was asking about the best itinerary to try to book. When we have travelled in the past years we have spent between 7 and 10 days total at our selected destination. Prices of airfare (from California) and lodging usually dictate how long we can spend.

I was mainly wondering if it is feasible to stay in Liverpool for 3 days then go to London for say 4 days and then travel up to Scotland or would that be biting off too much? We managed 3 different cities in Switzerland last summer (Lucerne, Interlake and Zurich) and felt that we had adequate time in each location but train travel was extremely easy and convenient.

Again, I appreciate all the help.

janisj

>>if it is feasible to stay in Liverpool for 3 days then go to London for say 4 days and then travel up to Scotland or would that be biting off too much?<<

That order doesn't make total sense. After Liverpool you could take the train up to Edinburgh for say 2 nights/1.5 days . . . then take the train down to London to finish up and then fly home (or take the sleep train from Edinburgh to London which would squeeze in an extra 5 or 6 hours sightseeing time)

Rubicund

"Prices of airfare (from California) and lodging usually dictate how long we can spend. "

You therefore need to book, or at least price the airfare so that you can get advice once you know how long you'll have on the ground.

Your location problem is that Liverpool is somewhere in between Scotland and London and if you only end up with 4 days after the race, you can't do any sort of justice to both places. In that case, head to London only, save Scotland for the next time.

janisj

note: if your trip is 7 days total then you really only have 4.5 days on the ground and flying from the west coast you will likely be pretty jetlagged. So Liverpool will be about all you can manage really. Maybe Liverpool and a day trip to the Lake District.

However if your entire trip is 10 days - then you'll have 7.5 days free. W/ 1.5 days pre-race + race day - that will leave you 4 days to play with. One day/night in Edinburgh and 3 days in London would be very rushed but doable.

Liverpool and London would be better.

megahhk

Thanks again for all of the responses. I was unsure if it made sense to go London and then to Scotland if we had enough time. We like to explore where we are visiting and take our time and not feel rushed. Depending on how long we decide to stay, it looks like Liverpool and London might just be it. I would assume that taking the train is the best mode of transportation from Liverpool to London?

janisj

>>I would assume that taking the train is the best mode of transportation from Liverpool to London?<<

Yes --

Rubicund

You can fly, but the time by train will be less than airport to airport and then into London. Trains go from Liverpool Lime Street station to London Euston and you should book from 3 months in advance for the best fares.

www.trainline.co.uk or
www.nationalrail.co.uk