England & Scotland
 

My husband & I are going to England in less than a week (Wed 4/7) We are staying until Monday morning (4/12) <BR>We were able to get cheap tickets from JFK to Heathrow. <BR>What are the most see-events (historical & cultural) outside of London ? We will have a rental car, so we can explore the countryside. We were thinking of going to the manors, but we are open to ideas/suggestions. <BR>We were thinking of driving to Scotland. I know that it is 400 miles NW of London. What should we try to see in Glasgow &/or Edinburgh or should we skip the drive to Scotland ? <BR>Our flight arrives at 9 PM on Wednesday and we are on a 8:45 AM flight on Monday. Generally we do not have any problems with jet-lag and so we are prepared to hit the ground running early on Thursday morning. We would like to be in London by Sunday at dinner <BR>Sunday 4/11 is our (7) anniversary, suggestions for exceptional eats in London for dinner would be appreciated. <BR>Any ideas for putting this trip together would be appreciated. We prefer b&b and guest houses kind of accommodations. We want to find a cheap but nice hotel. (No dorms/hostels) <BR>We have travelled quite extensively. We just turned 40. We are not interested in the nightlife or pubs or discos. We are not interested in camping or the like. <BR> Respond to me directly: <BR>[email protected] (Caren)

Caren, I think it is too far to drive to Scotland for such a short time. <BR>you could fly to Edinburgh from London If you really wanted to see it.There is lots to see and do in London and not far outside of London there are many historic and beautiful places.To get the most out of anywhere,I find you have to have some prior knowledge and interest. <BR>I really like the Cotswolds.The scenery is very pretty.Thats where I would head for.Oxford and Cambridge are great also.I don't like Stonehenge,Avebury is much better.Bath is Ok.I could live without it.

Caren, I think it is too far to drive to Scotland for such a short time. <BR>you could fly to Edinburgh from London If you really wanted to see it.There is lots to see and do in London and not far outside of London there are many historic and beautiful places.To get the most out of anywhere,I find you have to have some prior knowledge and interest. <BR>I really like the Cotswolds.The scenery is very pretty.Thats where I would head for.Oxford and Cambridge are great also.I don't like Stonehenge,Avebury is much better.Bath is Ok.I could live without it.

Me, I would cut out London and go straight to Scotland! <BR> <BR>Seriously you'll just exhauset yourselves doing too much to try to do London and evena little bit of Scotland in 5 days. do something closer and take more time. Enjoy!

We go on vacations to do what we want. If covering the maximum miles is something you enjoy, go for it. I suppose the test is deciding whether you'd enjoy it here in the U.S. - - if so, maybe; if no, then definitely not in an unfamiliar country. I get energized by new places, but the few times that I've traveled at a really fast pace I've lost focus and gotten tense and irritable (the "if it's Sunday 10:45am this must be Bourton on the Water and who cares anyway" syndrome). If all the suggestions above have dissuaded you from your original plans, and you don't want to spend more time in London, you could try a 60 (or so) mile radius approach. History and culture are thick on the ground. There are all the great familiar places: Windsor, Hampton Court, Kew Gardens, Oxford, Cambridge, Blenheim, Bath, Stonehenge, etc. with amazing scenery on the way to them. Plus there are lots of obscure spots to visit -- for example Virginia Wolff's cottage at Rodmell near Lewes is open for tours. Hope you have fun. <BR>

Caren - <BR> <BR>I think this is all going to depend on your goals for your vacation. I'm betting that you're not going to the U.K. for a nice relaxing, sipping drinks on the sand kind of trip. So, I'll briefly tell you about my trip last year. Let me start off by saying that if you are trying to cover a lot of ground, trains might be your best bet. In most cases, they cut travel time in half. We went from London to Edinburgh in under 4 hours - I've been told the drive is over 7. Anyway, we managed to pack a lot in our 6 day trip and our route was as follows: London (1.5 days) to Edinburgh to Inverness to Ayr to Maybole to Warwick to Salisbury to Brighton to Maidstone to Dover. Granted, we had traveled from Germany, so there was no jet-lag involved - but we did have to drive 5 hours from Germany to Oostend, take a 2 hour ferry to Dover and a 1-2 hour train into London the first day. We managed to see some beautiful countryside while traveling on the trains and didn't have to worry about driving on the wrong side of the road, astronomical gas prices, or getting lost. We also visited a lot of historical sites and tourist attractions. We were definitely pooped out at the end, but it was worth every minute. If I convince you of anything, don't miss out on Scotland. I loved it so much, I'm looking for a way to move there. Anyway, I kept a "journal" so to speak of our trip which includes expenses and our itenerary. If you would like a copy or just more info, feel free to email me directly. <BR>

Caren - <BR> <BR>I apologize, I seem to have responded primarily to other responders' posts rather than directly to some of your questions. Let me try this again - <BR> <BR>Must see sights outside of London: <BR>Leeds Castle in Maidstone <BR>Stonehenge or Avebury <BR>Brighton Palace <BR> <BR>Edinburgh vs Glasgow: <BR>Didn't spend much time in either, but Edinburgh was "prettier." We preferred the smaller towns along the coasts - quaint atmosphere and cheaper prices. <BR> <BR>Good Luck! <BR>

Caren: I agree it is too far to drive to Scotland if you only have one week. A few years ago a friend and I were planning a trip to Edinburgh from London and managed to find a ride up there. It took 8 1/2 hours! When we took the train back, it was only four hours. You will save a LOT of time if you take the train. Also, I believe there is an overnight train (it goes a little slower). <BR> <BR>Personally, I'd save Scotland for a time when you can spend more time there. If you do go, Edinburgh is beautiful, but Glasgow may be a waste of your precious time.

You have far too little time to drive to Scotland...it is an exhausting ,long drive and that doesn't count taking wrong turns and getting off at the wrong places. There is more to do in London and surrounding areas than you could do in a lifetime. Going south to Brighton to see the Pavilion and go either east to Kent(the garden county), through Rye, Hastings and over to Dover or west from Brighton to Portsmouth and all the beautiful areas and little villages on the way to Devon, or west and north from London to the villages of Cotswold. You will be busy from morning to night. Buy a softbacked book called Castles, Homes and Gardens. It is divided into the different areas and tells all the available things to see, times open, cost and directions to get there.

Caren, much as i hate to say it ( and no doubt i will be scolded by Sheila for this) forget Scotland this time around, it's not worth just one or two days up here.

Tony; I thin that (through the duff typing) that's what I said!. It's certainly what I meant to say