BBgt

I haven't posted here in awhile, but have received great feedback in the past and look forward to more expert opinions. Mom and I are in the early stages of planning our next trip to the UK, and Cornwall and Scotland are both on the wish list. We've been to England on two other trips and covered a lot of ground between London, Bath, Winchester, Salisbury, Chester, Cambridge and Oxford, with lots of countryside in between. The reality is that we may only make one more trip to Britain together, and the two areas on our wish list are about as far apart as it gets, so I'm trying to decide if we should settle on one or attempt to do a little of both.

We'll probably have about 16 nights and are open to all forms of transportation, but I want to limit walking/dragging suitcases for Mom's sake. If we focus only on Cornwall, we would either drive and spend a couple of nights in Dorset or Devon on the way, or take the train and hire a car when we get to Cornwall. Mom is pretty well set on seeing Cornwall, so if it's only one destination, Cornwall it is.

However.... I have an idea that I want to run by forum members. I'm thinking we could fly into Edinburgh, spend 3 nights there before taking a Rabbie's tour of either Mull/Iona/W. Highlands or Skye/W. Highlands (3 nights), then spend a last night in Edinburgh before flying to Exeter, then spend 7-8 nights in Cornwall before flying out of London. How does this sound? I know it isn't the ideal (3 months in the UK sounds ideal to me!), but would it be enough to see a little of both areas and still not run ourselves ragged?

annhig

Hi BBgt - first of all, yes of course you could spend your whole holiday in Cornwall, and if that's what you want to do, I'll be very pleased to help you plan your time [it's where i live!]. My only caveat might be the time of year of your trip [I don't think you say] but really any time from March to October would be good, and in 2+ weeks, you'd be bound to have some good weather.

OTOH 16 nights is long enough to do both Cornwall and Scotland - do you know that you can fly from Edinburgh to Newquay? and then from Newquay to LGW [though you might prefer to travel back to London by train - the rail journey between Plymouth and Exeter is one of the most scenic anywhere]. Flyby is the airline in both cases.

So you could easily spend 3 nights in Edinburgh, then do your tour of Scotland [?4 nights?] fly from Edinburgh to Newquay, and then hire a car.

I would suggest that for the time you would have [approx 8 nights] you spend 4 of them in st Ives exploring the north coast, and 4 in Falmouth, seeing the south. you could then return your car to Truro station and take the train to London for your flight home.

i don't think that this would run you ragged and you would have had enough time in each place to enjoy what they have to offer without the risk of being bored!

Dukey1

We thought of doing something similar on our upcoming trip to the UK since we have yet to see Cornwall. However, we are locked into 3 nights in Edinburgh for the Tattoo and the fringe stuff and already have plans for the Yorkshire Moors and Dales so just couldn't fit anything much else in, unfortunately.

Hope it all works out for you, tho.

RM67

You have plenty of time to do both if you have 16 nights. Two of the most scenic bits of the UK and two of my faves. Happy planning and come back when you have more questions

BBgt

Thank you for the replies! Ann - I knew Flybe flew into Exeter, but hadn't thought of Newquay. Your suggested itinerary sounds perfect. We will probably be visiting in May next year (between bank holidays) so we'll have a shot at decent weather, and I know from experience that the gardens should be glorious (especially in Cornwall, I would think!). I do have more specific questions about Cornwall, but I think I'll put them in a separate post.

Dukey1 and RM67 - Thank you for the moral support . I will definitely be back with more questions.

Dukey1

Well, I might suggest you be VERY careful if you ask any questions about DRIVING in the UK. Why? Because we have at least two self-appointed "experts" around here who dearly love to tell people that the distances are too far and that some roads are going to be like parking lots and on, and on, and ON.

annhig

yes, May should be lovely in Cornwall, though in truth some of the best flowers [camellias and magnolias] will be over but there should still be plenty to see.

if you mean me, Dukey, yes I do counsel people against being over ambitious when they are planning to drive around the UK, especially if they are unused to left-hand drive and country roads, but this doesn't apply to the OP as she is sensibly planning to fly from Scotland to the south west.

BBgt

I have driven once in England and had little trouble other than a couple of curbs (kerbs?) that seemed to jump out of nowhere, but I have no desire to drive long-haul, so Ann's plan fits well with what I had in mind anyway. I appreciate ALL comments that have the best interest of the traveler at heart, so thank you both .

Regarding Flybe... I see that there are different levels of ticket available, and the mid-range allows for 20kg of hold luggage. The last time Mom and I travelled, we each had carry-on sized bags and in Mom's case, a smaller roll-on bag that fit under her seat. It sounds as though we'd be okay, but I'm wanting to make sure I understand this correctly - would we be charged extra at the gate if we show up and have more than the weight that our fare allows?

annhig

BBgt - yes, they will charge for excess baggage [all the airlines seem to want their pound of flesh nowadays], but they do allow you to "pool" ie if you have 22 kgs, and your mum has 18 kgs, you're ok, and if you travel that light, it's highly unlikely you'd get anywhere near the 20kgs anyway.

BTW, what you call "carry-on" size and what european airlines call "carry-on" size may be two different things. you need to check the size restrictions carefully and I would be surprised if what you are intending to bring would be acceptable as "carry-on" for Flybe.

but it should be fine for their checked luggage, unless it is very big/heavy. [unlikely from what you say]. you can buy electronic scales [cheaper than paying the baggage excess] or do a dummy run and weigh them on the bathroom scales. if you plan to use their medium range ticket, i can't imagine that you would have any problems.

BBgt

Great - thanks Ann! You will hopefully see my other thread as well...

janisj

I haven't read all the responses yet, but I personally think 3 day Edinburgh, a 4 or 5 day Rabbies tour, flying to Cornwall/Devon is an excellent plan.

Two wonderful regions and a nice sampling of both w/o rushing too much.

BBgt

Thanks Janis! Now I'm feeling quite confident about the plan and can move forward. I have a whole year to plan the details, but can see it coming together pretty easily. It's those non-planned life events that always seem to get in the way...

Regarding Scotland - any preferences for the Isle of Skye tour over the Mull/Iona tour (or vice versa)? Here's a link to both: https://www.rabbies.com/tours_scotla...day.asp?lng=en

https://www.rabbies.com/tours_scotla...our.asp?lng=en

It seems the Mull/Iona might be a little more relaxing itinerary, but would Skye pack a bigger sightseeing punch (realizing that's a totally subjective question)?

janisj

Both tours would be wonderful. Skye will have the most dramatic scenery, Mull will have Calgary Bay and Iona. Flip a coin.

BBgt

Thanks Janis - it may well come to that. Actually, it will ultimately come to whichever Mom prefers, but I'm sure we'd be happy either way.