BritRail?

Old May 28th, 2010, 10:43 AM
  #21  
 
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Well, Ryanair is not exactly known for great customer service. There are definitely tradeoffs, but if your main goal is to get from one point to the next and you don't mind being squeezed next to a stranger for an hour or two, it serves a purpose. It's not the only budget airline, though - check whichbudget.com to see what flights there are between cities. You'll have more options if you go to Ireland from London.

By the way, since it sounds like you might be on a hostel budget, I've stayed at two of the Astor hostels in London (astorhostels.co.uk). They're clean and well staffed and good places to be social if that's what you want. I think the Museum location is the best geographically, but I've also stayed in the Victoria location and it was totally fine.

I've been planning a trip to Italy for six months already, and at this point I'm not even going till next May. It's half the fun.
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Old May 28th, 2010, 12:25 PM
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What about BritRail London Plus pass?>

fully explained on the sites i noticed - this pass is good for day trips out of London extending as far as Bath, the Cotswolds, Stratford, Warwick, Cambridge, Oxford, Dover and all points closer to London - you also get a round-trip transfer to use outside the validity period of the pass on Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick Expresses.

would cover all these places but the way the pass is priced and i think also there may not be a Youth Pass version for all the train travel envisioned outside its bounds you should dwell on the BritRail Pass as the only pass to consider.

Stonehenge (bus from Salisbury station)
Bath
Dover
Canterbury
Cotswolds
Stratford-upon-Avon
Hastings
Leeds Castle
Warwick Castle

Hever Castle
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Old May 30th, 2010, 08:57 AM
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As for the one-month Youthpass - this comes out to about $20 a day or probably 15 pounds or so - so if the OP travels as much as envisioned it could be a great deal - even if not used every day. Especially for fully flexbile just show up hop on and hop off travel on any train anytime. Those type tickets often cost a fortune.
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Old May 31st, 2010, 09:01 AM
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Plus London to Scotland is a loooong way. If you can find a car w/o age penalties, then you could take a train up to Scotland and pick up a car there. But you will not want (or be able to) take the car to Ireland and leave it there>

good advice but to tweek it a bit for younger backpackers - once in Edinburgh pop into the Scottish Tourist Board sitting atop Waverly train station and check out the many different mini-bus tours of Scottish Highlands, Loch Lomand and other sweet rural areas - they are geared for all levels - some are mainly for younger folk on a tight budget and provide comraderie, etc. that you will not find being isolated by yourselves in a car.

anyway just a thought. I think one mini-bus company is called Haggis!
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Old May 31st, 2010, 12:58 PM
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I have read your many posts over the past few days, and it seems as if you are using Fodors as your sole information resource for planning your trip. May I respectfully suggest that you buy a couple of good guidebooks on Europe? I think a lot of your questions will be answered if you do some basic research on your own. It will also help you better plan your trip and make the planning process less overwhelming.

Since you are traveling on a budget, I suggest you also check out www.lonelyplanet.com. Even if you don't plan on staying in hostels, you may also find it helpful to read the travel info on Hostelling international's website www.hihostels.com.

Good luck to you!
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Old May 31st, 2010, 01:40 PM
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If you want to go to 5 times as many places as you listed, your first assignment is whittling down the itinerary.

I'm only a casual observer of your many recent posts but you're all over the map - literally! No one can decide which places you want to see most on this trip.

Do you have a guidebook? At preliminary planning stages, I think they can be more useful than internet travel forums. For YOU to decide the top places you want to include in your trip.

All we can tell you here is you've got WAY too much on your plate to pull this off as you're describing. People are being so helpful, but you've got everyone shooting at a moving target since you keep changing your mind every day.

best regards, truly, suze
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Old Jun 1st, 2010, 05:54 AM
  #27  
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I have decided to confine my trip to S. England and Ireland, so the list of places to see is already cut more than in half. Going to all 4 countries would be too stressful for me to plan and execute.

Yes, I keep changing my mind often because I just decided one week ago to plan it myself! So ideas are just bursting out and you poor people have to see them all lol

I'm not using it as a research tool; I am doing research on my own and using Fodors forums as a place to ask if what I'm planning is good or lame. How else would I pose questions about BritRail if I hadn't been doing my own research?

I'm just asking for advice.
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Old Jun 1st, 2010, 06:23 AM
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For accommodation look at www.yha.org.uk. Although it is described as 'youth hostel' it does offer accommodation to over 26's and the quality of accommodation is very good - particularly some of the city hostels like Bath, Oxford etc
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Old Jun 1st, 2010, 06:29 AM
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For London also try www.athomeinlondon.co.uk
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Old Jun 4th, 2010, 09:46 AM
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ARE SIGHTS IN NORTHERN ENGLAND LIKE YORK, LIVERPOOL, LAKE DISTRICT EASIER TO GET TO BY BUS OR BY RAIL?

I can either buy a BritRail London Plus Pass for southern regions and use pub trans for going up north
OR
I can buy a BritRail England Pass and just take rail every where outside London (use Oyster Card in London).
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Old Jun 4th, 2010, 10:11 AM
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Well, you'll be on the same trains regardless of which pass you buy. York and Liverpool are easy to get to by rail; I'm not sure about by bus. You can get *to* the Lake District by rail, but the lines end in Windermere in the south and I think Keswick in the north (I haven't been to that area, so someone may correct me). So if you wanted to visit Ambleside or Grasmere, for example, you'd take the train to Windermere and take a local bus to the villages. It's doable, just a little more work to get to the smaller, more scenic towns.

There's an awesome YHA hostel in Grasmere, by the way. Or at least it was awesome when I stayed there several years ago.
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Old Jun 4th, 2010, 10:33 AM
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megabus and national express have some very cheap 5 pound fares ( and less) sometimes.
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