Mark

Hi All, <BR>I am planning to travel to England/Wales/Scotland/Ireland in September. I have 16-18 days and am not sure where to go. Here is what I am currently thinking. 3Nights London/2Nights Bath/2Nights near Liverpool/2Nights Edinburgh/2 Nights near Loch Ness/2 Nights Dublin/and 2 Nights near Cliffs of Morh. Am I doing too much?? Are there other places I should go instead?? Penzance, Glasgow, Aberdeen?? I have never been there. Help!

Tom

I think you may be doing to much. Don't bother going to Ireland at all.

Thyra

Well you certainly are doing alot. On my husbands first trip to the UK, we covered a great deal of ground in 2.5 weeks. The only thing I would do is to not stay in Bath... I would head up north instead and use those extra days. You don't say if you are training or driving or what, but do keep in mind that car travel in the UK and Ireland can take way longer then it appears to on a map... once you get of the M-1 for example and start in on the A roads, if you get stuck behind a slow moving truck you could double your travel time... and it's the same, if not worse in the Rep of Ireland. <BR>You can actually do this. On our trip in '95 we did...let's see, <BR>London-Stratford-Edinborgh-Jedburge-Inverness- Conwy Ferry to Dublin-Bets-y-coed, Ferry to Wales, London. We had a blast... but we spent ages in our car... Don't fear that you'll never get back... we've been back many times and have learned to take it a bit easier.

Tony

You're question asked if you were doing too much. That's a hard question to answer as it depends on what you like to do. You certainly will be traveling a lot as opposed to touring. Personally, I would suggest that you skip Ireland on this trip and stick to England, Scotland and Wales. Assuming that you are driving, are you planning to stop at Windsor, Avebury or Stonehenge on your way to Bath. You could just stay one night in Bath, but you should allow yourself a full day there to see the city. It is delightful. Not sure why you want to go to Liverpool. Something to do with the Beatles? You might want to consider instead driving to Northern Wales. It is beautiful country. Betws-y-Coed is a centrally located place to stay and tour from. Two nights in Edinburgh is minimal. There's no reason to spend two nights near Loch Ness. There's not that much to see there. You might want to travel over to Skye and the western portion of Scotland. There are a lot of great posts relating to travel in Scotland on this board. If you don't go to Ireland, you really ought to consider touring the Lake Country and Yorkshire, most particularly the city of York. Whatever you decide, good luck. I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Claire

Hi Mark, <BR>I have lived in the UK for nearly 40 years, and I still haven't seen everything ..... <BR>Just to say, if you want any advice on Liverpool, email me as I come from there. <BR>

Mary

I would definitely skip Liverpool. Take a cheap flight to Edinburgh. Spend an extra day in Ireland. You might want to condider wandering over to the Cotswolds as part of your time around Bath (one day in Bath itself should be plenty).

Ann

Don't listen to those people telling you to skip Ireland. It will be the best part of your trip. <BR> <BR>While I do like Liverpool, and go there a few times a year to attend soccer matches, unless you're going there to see family/friends or some sort of other special attraction, I would skip it. <BR> <BR>If you love cities, I would do Edinburgh, London and Dublin. If you're more of a countryside fan, I would head for Wales (Snowden Mountain, etc.), the Cornwall area in England, and County Donegal in Ireland (Malin Head, Inishowen Pennisula, etc.). Not as familar with Scotland, so I can't give much advice.

janis

All of the places you are going are worth it -- but you will be VERY rushed on this itinerary. You won't have enough time to see much at each location and will be spending a LOT of your limited time simply traveling from one point to the next. <BR> <BR>I would suggest you cut your list in half and then plan your route. Ireland is wonderful - but to only be there 4 days and spend 2 of that in Dublin won't let you see anything. Scotland is wonderful, but again only four days won't let you see anything. And 3 nights in London isn't much when the first day is basically lost to jet lag. <BR> <BR>If I was going for 2 1/2 weeks and wanted to include London, and Ireland I would spend a minimum of 5-6 nights in London, with maybe a day trip to Bath via train, and then fly to Shannon or Dubling or Cork and spend all the rest of your time in Ireland. <BR> <BR>Alternatively - London 5-6 days, train to Liverpool 1 day, Edinburgh 2 nights, and all the rest of the time in Scotland.

Christy

Definitely go to Ireland! We just spend 2 weeks travelling through England, Ireland, and the north of France, and we just LOVED Ireland! We spent 2 days in Dublin and 3 days driving down the coast to Cork/Blarney area. The Irish countryside is breathtakingly beautiful! <BR> <BR>We flew from London to Dublin on RyanAir for only 8 pounds! If you book in advance, you can usually get very cheap rates...it's a budget airline, no food or reserved seating, but for an hour flight, who cares? <BR> <BR>Email me if you want more information. We also spent time in London, Leeds and York. <BR> <BR>Have fun!!!

Kimberly

Mark - My husband and I just got back from a two week trip to England, Scotland and Ireland. We did seven nights in England/Scotland and seven nights in Ireland. We spent a lot of time in our car in Great Britain, but in Ireland there wasn't as much driving. We enjoyed the smaller towns over the bigger cities. Please feel free to email me with any questions. Kimberly

Claudia

Look into the drive/rail packages in the UK. You can take the train through the less scenic areas, pick up a car and the train station, then drop it off at the next place you want to take a train from <BR> <BR>It sounds like you're doing too much. I would save Ireland for another trip. Don't miss Inverness in northern Scotland.

Linda

Like everyone else, I think this sounds like a crowded itinerary. What you decide to give up depends on what matters most to you. (I didn't visit London until my fourth trip to England because I didn't have much time there, for example). <BR> <BR>I think in a little over 2 weeks I would not try to go to Ireland. Liverpool is a lovely city; I've been there for Beatles-related things but it also has other interesting history and museums. Bath, to me, was a disappointment, but it is a favorite of many. You ask about Penzance--there is no way you should try to see Cornwall in addition to so many sites in the north. Getting to and from Cornwall takes a long time and you will spend more time traveling than enjoying the country. The southwest is lovely, but I'd save it for another trip if I were going to London and Scotland on this one. <BR> <BR>As you can tell from these responses, there is no one answer to your questions except that you'll probably be happier if you shorten your destination list. Good luck! <BR> <BR>Linda

f

YES TOO MUCH. <BR>STAY HOME.

Jane

We have been to England/Wales/Scotland several times and my advice is don't try to see it all in one swoop. It's so tempting to try to get it all in, but it really is a mistake. For a two and a half week trip, pick three or four spots at the MOST and stay several nights in each one taking day trips. <BR> <BR>Everyone has different tastes, but I would do London, Cotswolds (Stow-in-the-wold is central and you could visit Bath, Warwick Castle, Avebury,Blenheim Palace, Oxford, Stratford and many other interesting places from there), and Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District (if you like hiking). <BR> <BR>But even this would be a bit hectic for us. Unless you think this is the last time you will ever go to this area, narrow it down. I think Ireland is worth a trip on its own, definitely. And Scotland. And Wales.

Dee

Mark, <BR> <BR>Your itinerary is somewhat ambitious. We spent a month exploring the U.K. & Ireland by car, and it wasn't enough time. <BR> <BR>First, determine your goals and what's most important (scenery, museums, castles). The library was invaluable for resources - we looked at books heavy with illustrations first to see what areas "called to us", then used guidebooks to read more about it and plan an itinerary and determine how much time is needed. Our goal was to see as much of the 4 countries in a month to help us plan return trips to revisit what we liked best. <BR> <BR>While I wouldn't skip Ireland, I would postpone taking that much travel time just for a 2-day stay in Dublin. Save Ireland for another trip and take your time to see Dublin, the Cliffs of Mohr, Kerry, Galway. Don't forget N. Ireland, especially the Antrim coast. <BR> <BR>Skip Glasgow (just my opinion) in favor of Edinburgh. Skip Liverpool and instead visit the Lake/Peak district or York on your way to Scotland. <BR> <BR>Personally I'd highly recommend the NW section of Scotland, especially if you like a more isolated, haunting beauty. <BR> <BR>Penzance and Aberdeen might be two far out of the way with everything else on your plate. Others are right - narrow it down, plan extra time for slow traffic/breathing room. You'll be much less stressed. Let me know if you need more info - I love reliving those great vacations and passing along help I've received from others. Have a great trip! <BR> <BR>Dee

alma

Mark, <BR>I did 15 days on a Collette Tour thru England/Wales/Scotland/Ireland. I had the most fun in Ireland and Wales. Make sure you go to Killarney and visit The Laurel's Singing Pub. You'll have great fun. If you can, The Ring Of Kerry is worth the ride. It is beautiful.In Wales, we went to Ruthin Castle (in Ruthin, No.Wales). Had a mediaeval banquet (with a small dagger to eat with and lots of Mead & wine to drink)lots of fun. The Castle is beautiful and the atmosphere was wonderful. I think it's a Best Western Hotel/Castle. Everything was perfect. Scotland was lovely too. No, I don't think 16 to 18 days are too much. I do think if you can spend 3 or 4 days in each place you'd enjoy it more. Have fun whatever you decide.