DH and I are retired teachers and budget travellers and we have approximately 2 weeks to explore Ireland, Edinburgh and England in early August. We would like to spend about 6 days in southern Ireland and will rent a car if needed. We thought 3 days in Edinburgh would be sufficient and then the remainder of the time in England. We have spent time in London on previous trips but are not opposed to visiting again as it is one of our favourite cities and you can never spend too much time in London. We have been to Bath, Windsor, Salisbury and so we are looking for other places to explore. Any suggestions for how we can best arrange our time and places we should visit??
Two Weeks in Ireland, Scotland and England
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I did a very similar trip about five years ago - here's a link to my trip report, in case you find it helpful.
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/trip-report-jm-in-the-uk-and-ireland-plus-philly.cfm
You'll definitely want a car in Ireland - getting around via public transport is much harder than in other places, though there are day tours and things like that. You won't want a car in Edinburgh, though. For England - obviously you know you won't need one in London, but as for the rest it depends on where you want to go. The Lake District is beautiful, and though I did a couple of days there via public transport, I think if I went back I'd seriously consider a car. Kent and Cornwall are on my list of places to visit, but I haven't made it to either yet. London Walks (walks.com) does several day tours - if you're interested in basing in London and just taking day trips, you could either go with them or check out their destinations to see what would be feasible.
Considering travel time, you really don't have that much time for England assuming you have 14 days. If you fly from Ireland to Edinburgh it'll take at least half a day if you're able to get a morning flight. It's about 41/2 hours by train from Edinburgh to London and quicker than flying. Easier too as you leave from the center of Edinburgh and end up central London.
I'd certainly stay in London with a possible day trip to either Oxford or Winchester. No time for the Lakes or Cornwall. Three days in Edinburg is fine and you might consider going to Rosslyn Chapel which is about a twenty minute bus ride from Edinburgh.
London Walks is a great way to see both London and the surrounding area, but the walks outside of London are limited. Some occuring on a weekly schedule and others monthly. The train or bus, depending on where you decide to go, is usually the easiest way to get most anywhere near London.
Thanks for posting a link to your fabulous trip report jent103!! It sounds like you had a wonderful time and there was lots of info that will help us with our planning. I haven't had time to look at your photos yet, but I am sure they are wonderful!!
With limited time I would visit the north of England - consider seeing Hdrian's wall on the way to York, perhaps other things in that area and then perhaps Chester.
No need to return to London if you don't want - you should be able to get flights from Manchester I beleive.