My itinerary for UK

Old Dec 21st, 2015, 05:24 AM
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My itinerary for UK

Hi! I'm travelling to UK by January 10 and staying there until February 26! here is my super duper rough draft itinerary:

London
Cambridge
York
Hadrians wall
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Fort William
Sterling
aberdeen
glencoe
isle of skye
orkney island - northern lights
oban
Lochness
Hadrians wall
carlisle
Lake district
Manchester
chester
liverpool
Snowdania
Bath
Stonehedge
dover
rye
durdle door

Is this too much for my duration? haha. I would want to hike, see the northern lights, walk around a city, see some museums, castles, churches and some scenic places

which of the places should I skip? or what places should I add/ replace?
Oh and I also have a tight budget
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 05:32 AM
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Yes, you could fit in all or most of those places in your 6-ish weeks. But what you have is really a list, not an itinerary. It has you zig zagging all over so you need to lay out the actual order of things.

How do you intend to travel - public transport or a car or a combination?

Also Jan/Feb is really not hiking weather in a lot of those places unless you have extreme weather gear and are VERY experienced.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 06:01 AM
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26 locations over 47 days....have fun with that.

How tight is your budget? The UK is pretty expensive, especially when you will be sleeping in a new place every other day.

Seeing the Northern Lights will require clear skies and the right solar activity. Good luck with that!

Be prepared for mud and muck on your hikes.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 06:18 AM
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you need to sit down with with either rome2rio or a train map of the country, for instance getting to Durdle is a bit of a trek by public transport and some way from most of your stops, while Orkney (also a favorite of mine) is either a ferry or a flight from where you are and if a ferry you'll need a car (just check terms to confirm you can take car on ferry). Good news Orkney has a limited public bus company service so flights is probably the way to go.

Any time left in to handle bad weather, it can get nasty in Feb in northern scotland?

Dover is a dump compared to every where else while Rye is a bit twee. Unless you are visiting friends I'd drop those two
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 07:25 AM
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>>Dover is a dump >26 locations over 47 days....have fun with that.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 07:38 AM
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"Stonehedge"
It's Stonehenge.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 08:02 AM
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>>"Stonehedge"
It's Stonehenge.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 08:35 AM
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janisj is right about Dover castle but the OP will have a chance to see a fair few others along the way. Really get a map and a large glass of beer and lay it out.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 08:40 AM
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You may not need to go as far north as Orkney to see Northern Lights at the moment. There have been good displays as far south as Norfolk over the last few days.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35151311

You need clear skies and somewhere with no light pollution. At the moment with the high levels of solar activity, Northern Lights have been regularly seen over Scotland, Lake District and Northumberland. Have a look here for some ideas.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34472301


The weather could affect your travel plans, especially if it turns snowy or if there is more rain. Roads and bridges in the more remote parts of Cumbria are still damaged after severe flooding a coouple of weeks ago which brought everything to a standstill and stopped train services on the west coast main line. You will need to be flexible and adjust plans according to the weather.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 10:46 AM
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Yes by car or train or bus and boat - public transports can take you to all those places easily if you do not want to drive - there are National Express bus passes but I find trains more comfy than a crowded bus. In any case if going by train some kind of BritRail Pass would be great even if going to half those places by train - lots of good info on trains - www.nationalrail.co.uk - schedulesand booking on all the few dozen or more privatized railways; www.seat61.com- good info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.comand www.ricksteves.com.

Cars can be great for rural areas but not much use in towns which are very walkable and have good public transit - do not be scared of driving on the wrong side of the road either IMO - easy to get the hang of that.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 11:11 AM
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>> public transports can take you to all those places easily . . .
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 12:19 PM
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>

you'll get yourself killed if you do that
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 12:37 PM
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First, please get a map and a train schedule. You are bouncing around like a ping pong ball.

Second, consult a weather web site so you can see the average temps (chilly to cold), number of days of rain or snow, number of hours of daylight - so you can have proper clothing. (We were in Edinburgh once in July when the temps were in the 40s F with gusty winds and sideways rain - when it had been in the 80s when we left London 5 days before.)

I would not count on hiking in those places in winter - but then I would't climb Everest either - you can do both with proper planning and equipment.

Yes, you have too many places if you are going to stay in all of them, versus just stopping by for a couple of hours on the way to someplace else. But you need to do steps 1 and 2 before you get to a specific itinerary.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 03:19 PM
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>> public transports can take you to all those places easily . . .

It seems all but Glencoe and dirty doors - which I do not know if public transports go there - all the others seem rather easy to reach by public transports - pray tell me which are not (and for the benefit of the OP) - valuable info. As always thanks for your expertise on all things British!

Cheers!
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 11:07 PM
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well there are 4 buses from Wool to Lulworth cove a day which gets you to Durdle Door. You also have to get to Wool
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 03:04 AM
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Actually my major plan was to go to Scotland and I was trying to fit places that I could pass by while on my way there and back to london
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 06:29 AM
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>>Actually my major plan was to go to Scotland and I was trying to fit places that I could pass by while on my way there and back to londonVERY experienced, you don't want to be hiking in Glencoe, northern Scotland or Snowdonia in winter.

Also many rural sites (castles, stately homes and such) will be closed during your visit.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 08:59 AM
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You state you have a tight budget. What is your budget? Tight to you could be a lot of money to someone else. Remember to figure in costs to get from one place to another into your budget.

If public transport (if that is the case - you still haven't said), figure those costs in. If you're renting a car, figure in petrol along with the car rental costs into that budget.

Are you used to winter conditions? Plan for that, too. If you're not, you will need to figure in the correct winter attire since you might be visiting some snowy areas.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 12:02 PM
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In mid-winter I'd skip rural places and concentrate on urban areas.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 03:49 PM
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>>You STILL haven't said . . . are you planning to do this by public transport or driving or a combination of both? >What is your budget?
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