UK and Ireland Itinerary help (there for Jan-Mar)
Sep 11th, 2013, 10:16 AM
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UK and Ireland Itinerary help (there for Jan-Mar)
We are taking our kids out of school and will be in the UK and Ireland for 3 months starting in January. (4 kids under 10). We will be renting houses. We know the weather isn't the greatest but it's what worked for our timing so we are well prepared for unpredictable and rainy and cold. But are excited to go anyways! I'm wondering if anyone can advise on itinerary help for us. Where to start? What to see? Should we see Wales and Scotland too?
Sep 11th, 2013, 11:51 AM
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With that much time, you ABSOLUTELY should take in Wales and Scotland....We spent three weeks in the UK several years ago and enjoyed Wales and Scotland the most. I think it'd be helpful if you let folks know where you are going to be based, and recommendations can flow from there.
Sep 11th, 2013, 01:55 PM
#3
I'm sorry - but your question is too broad to offer much useful advice.
Get a couple of guide books and read up on the various regions in the UK and Ireland and narrow things down a bit and then we can help.
three months sounds like a ton of time but it really isn't for 4 countries (5 if you count N. Ireland) w/ week-long or longer stays in different areas, so you'll need to be selective.
Get a couple of guide books and read up on the various regions in the UK and Ireland and narrow things down a bit and then we can help.
three months sounds like a ton of time but it really isn't for 4 countries (5 if you count N. Ireland) w/ week-long or longer stays in different areas, so you'll need to be selective.
Sep 11th, 2013, 07:03 PM
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January and February can be pretty bleak in the UK. But if you are dressed properly, it can be fun. I would recommend the Tower of London, Greenwich Observatory and the train museum in York. You may also want to consider going down to Portsmouth and check out the Mary Rose. Scotland is an interesting place to visit. Edinburgh is a lovely city. Glasgow is interesting but it still has a bit of a gritty side to it. If you decide to go to Scotland, wait until March. It will still be cold but the days will be longer.
Sep 11th, 2013, 11:00 PM
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There are a couple of general things to say, apart from repeating the need to start with decent guide books.
Your language sounds American: winters in the British Isles are, by American standards, downright balmy and warm (where do you get this nonsense about "cold" from?) and virtually everywhere in these islands gets less rainfall than sodden New York or San Francisco. No time of year is significantly rainier than another.
Because we have such mild winters, we don't need to spend a fortune on kit to keep our transport systems working if the weather ever hits American levels of extreme cold. Which it does for at least a couple of days most years - with almost no notice. This makes it inadvisable to rent houses in the British countryside in Jan or Feb (Ireland is less exposed to what we'd call extreme weather, though Northern Ireland is more like Scotland) : it's unlikely you'll be cut off (though my Cotswold microtown has been cut off from the outside world for three or four days in each of the past three winters): but how confident do you feel driving on icy, untreated, roads to get to the nearest pub or bread shop?
A large proportion of paid-for rural attractions close for the winter, reopening somewhere between Candelmas (Feb 2) and Mothering Sunday (fourth Sunday in Lent: in 2014 March 30). Details vary from place to place. Urban attractions (and Winchester, Bath, Oxford etc are most certainly urban) open as usual - and typically have their best temporary exhibitions etc on then, when potential visitors are around: there's obviously no point in having them on in midsummer, when everyone's gone off to Florida or Umbria. Expect decent plays, concerts and tables at fashionable restaurants to be tough to book, and transport systems to be at their most crowded.
Ignore the claptrap about "bleak winters". It's a myth built on a Christmas carol written about its author's childhood in our Little Ice Age (the few centuries before about 1850 when we had American-style winters) and Dickens' romances about the climate then. But save Scotland for March.
Since I'm assuming you'll be renting in urban areas, and our climate's so unpredictable, don't worry too much about packing for every eventuality, and ignore the American myths about how expensive Britain is (a myth no Briton who's ever spent time in New York has ever been able to see how Americans invented).
Just one word: Primark (or in Ireland, Penney's). Cheaper than Old Navy, infinitely more fashionable, and with all the clothes to stock up on if you've not got stuff for the way the weather's turned out.
Your language sounds American: winters in the British Isles are, by American standards, downright balmy and warm (where do you get this nonsense about "cold" from?) and virtually everywhere in these islands gets less rainfall than sodden New York or San Francisco. No time of year is significantly rainier than another.
Because we have such mild winters, we don't need to spend a fortune on kit to keep our transport systems working if the weather ever hits American levels of extreme cold. Which it does for at least a couple of days most years - with almost no notice. This makes it inadvisable to rent houses in the British countryside in Jan or Feb (Ireland is less exposed to what we'd call extreme weather, though Northern Ireland is more like Scotland) : it's unlikely you'll be cut off (though my Cotswold microtown has been cut off from the outside world for three or four days in each of the past three winters): but how confident do you feel driving on icy, untreated, roads to get to the nearest pub or bread shop?
A large proportion of paid-for rural attractions close for the winter, reopening somewhere between Candelmas (Feb 2) and Mothering Sunday (fourth Sunday in Lent: in 2014 March 30). Details vary from place to place. Urban attractions (and Winchester, Bath, Oxford etc are most certainly urban) open as usual - and typically have their best temporary exhibitions etc on then, when potential visitors are around: there's obviously no point in having them on in midsummer, when everyone's gone off to Florida or Umbria. Expect decent plays, concerts and tables at fashionable restaurants to be tough to book, and transport systems to be at their most crowded.
Ignore the claptrap about "bleak winters". It's a myth built on a Christmas carol written about its author's childhood in our Little Ice Age (the few centuries before about 1850 when we had American-style winters) and Dickens' romances about the climate then. But save Scotland for March.
Since I'm assuming you'll be renting in urban areas, and our climate's so unpredictable, don't worry too much about packing for every eventuality, and ignore the American myths about how expensive Britain is (a myth no Briton who's ever spent time in New York has ever been able to see how Americans invented).
Just one word: Primark (or in Ireland, Penney's). Cheaper than Old Navy, infinitely more fashionable, and with all the clothes to stock up on if you've not got stuff for the way the weather's turned out.
Sep 12th, 2013, 09:33 AM
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We've traveled quite a lot with our two boys who are now 12 and 16. They aren't particularly interested in lapping up the culture in an atmospheric village or pub, but they do love history. So we focus on historical sites (they love castles) and museums. If you like the outdoors, the Brits are very keen on walks and there are endless trails (coastal and pub walks etc.) that you could find on the internet or in books.
My husband is from Ireland, so we go there nearly every year. We mainly just visit the family in Ireland because I prefer traveling in the UK. I find the history there more interesting and the villages more charming and better preserved (and were probably nicer to begin with). Yes, it will be cold at that time of year, but not unbearable, and you should definitely bring rain gear. However, the bleakness for me would come from such short, dark days. But, it also lends some atmosphere and you can pretend you're in a Dickens novel.
I would highly recommend spending a couple of weeks just in London, as there are so many historical sights and wonderful free museums. We've spent weeks there and still haven't seen everything yet.
A very popular destination for my family was Wales. We spent a few days with Conwy as our base and took daytrips to see medieval castles of Edward I, Snowdonia and some quaint little villages and pubs around the area. Chester is fairly close and a beautiful walled city with interesting architecture and some Roman history.
We stayed in Edinburgh for a week and took daytrips to Stirling Castle and St. Andrews. The highlands are beautiful, too, but I haven't taken my kids yet.
We've spent a week in Dartmouth, which is a lovely area at the mouth of the River Dart, but may be more geared toward summer holidays.
We've spent time in Dorset, around the Jurassic Coast, which is gorgeous. And, the historical sights of Stonehenge, Avebury, and Salisbury are quite close.
York has a lot of interesting places for families. We only stayed in the old, walled city, but the whole Yorkshire area looks wonderful.
Our next trip will include a week on the coast of Northumbria. Loads of castles to see and close to Hadrian's wall.
Other must-sees for us include Dover Castle (very large, well preserved, historical, excellent tours), and Warwick Castle. And a train ride somewhere would be a quintessential experience.
Look at the English Heritage website for ideas and check into purchasing a family pass.
My husband is from Ireland, so we go there nearly every year. We mainly just visit the family in Ireland because I prefer traveling in the UK. I find the history there more interesting and the villages more charming and better preserved (and were probably nicer to begin with). Yes, it will be cold at that time of year, but not unbearable, and you should definitely bring rain gear. However, the bleakness for me would come from such short, dark days. But, it also lends some atmosphere and you can pretend you're in a Dickens novel.
I would highly recommend spending a couple of weeks just in London, as there are so many historical sights and wonderful free museums. We've spent weeks there and still haven't seen everything yet.
A very popular destination for my family was Wales. We spent a few days with Conwy as our base and took daytrips to see medieval castles of Edward I, Snowdonia and some quaint little villages and pubs around the area. Chester is fairly close and a beautiful walled city with interesting architecture and some Roman history.
We stayed in Edinburgh for a week and took daytrips to Stirling Castle and St. Andrews. The highlands are beautiful, too, but I haven't taken my kids yet.
We've spent a week in Dartmouth, which is a lovely area at the mouth of the River Dart, but may be more geared toward summer holidays.
We've spent time in Dorset, around the Jurassic Coast, which is gorgeous. And, the historical sights of Stonehenge, Avebury, and Salisbury are quite close.
York has a lot of interesting places for families. We only stayed in the old, walled city, but the whole Yorkshire area looks wonderful.
Our next trip will include a week on the coast of Northumbria. Loads of castles to see and close to Hadrian's wall.
Other must-sees for us include Dover Castle (very large, well preserved, historical, excellent tours), and Warwick Castle. And a train ride somewhere would be a quintessential experience.
Look at the English Heritage website for ideas and check into purchasing a family pass.
Sep 13th, 2013, 05:13 AM
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Don't forget you can travel between London & Dublin (indeed, anywhere in the UK to Dublin) by train & ferry with a cheap SailRail ticket.
London or any other station in the Southeast to Dublin costs £38 pre-booked or £43 on the day or when the £38 tickets sell out.
The best service is the 09:10 from London Euston direct to Holyhead, connecting with the 14:20 Irish ferries ship to Dublin arriving 17:25, or the 13:50 Stena Line ship arriving 17:05.
It's a classic journey, along the scenic North wales coast past Conway Castle, and over Stephenson's Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait onto Anglesey to Holyhead.
You;ll find a video account at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lllXSplCv5A
If your journey starts in Britain, book at www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk or www.virgintrains.co.uk selecting Dublin Port (Stena) or Dublin Port (IrishFerries) as your destination, with ticket collection from the self-service machines at any main British station.
If your journey starts in Dublin, book for €46 at http://www.irishferries.com/en/offers/sail-rail/ with ticket collection from Irish Ferries at Dublin Port.
London or any other station in the Southeast to Dublin costs £38 pre-booked or £43 on the day or when the £38 tickets sell out.
The best service is the 09:10 from London Euston direct to Holyhead, connecting with the 14:20 Irish ferries ship to Dublin arriving 17:25, or the 13:50 Stena Line ship arriving 17:05.
It's a classic journey, along the scenic North wales coast past Conway Castle, and over Stephenson's Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait onto Anglesey to Holyhead.
You;ll find a video account at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lllXSplCv5A
If your journey starts in Britain, book at www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk or www.virgintrains.co.uk selecting Dublin Port (Stena) or Dublin Port (IrishFerries) as your destination, with ticket collection from the self-service machines at any main British station.
If your journey starts in Dublin, book for €46 at http://www.irishferries.com/en/offers/sail-rail/ with ticket collection from Irish Ferries at Dublin Port.
