England, Scotland and Ireland Self-guided Tours
 

Hello! I'm from Puerto Rico and I've never been to Europe. Afte many years saying I wanted to travel to England, Scotland and Ireland, I've finallty decided to give it a go in 2016. At first I was going to take a guided tour because I was going alone and I didn't felt comfortable with a self-guided tour. Well, word travels fast and there we are 6!!! So, we feel more comfortable doing a self-guided tour and I guess is cheaper and better beacus ewe can pick what we really want to see. But none of us has been to any part of Europe and we woudl like some help for our planning. I know it is early 2015, but coordinating the schedule for 6 people takes time :)

I would be very grateful for any help you guys can provide, no matter how small it may seem.

HI GA,

It is not too early to start making reservations.

I'm assuming that you are flying into London and out of Dublin or Shannon.

Will you be driving or taking trains?

What's your hotel budget?

((I))

Before anyone can make useful suggestions, we need to know how long the whole trip will be.

...and when in 2016? What are your interests and is there anything specific that you want to see and as well you might give us an idea of the age range of the group.

Driving or taking the train or biking or hiking or what>

Don't be afraid of driving but for 6 folks in one vehicle you'd have to rent a mini-van or two separate vehicles.

If going to main tourist sights like Edinburgh, London, Bath, York, Dublin, etc trains are a great way to get around the U.K. but in Ireland run a much less comprehensive route but buses take up the slack and go everywhere you'd want to go.

For a lot on stuff on British trains check these IMO superb sites: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free online European Rail & Planning Guide's Britain and Ireland chapters for good info on rail/bus itineraries.

If going by train check out the BritRail Pass because there are six of yous and on a BritRail Pass the first two adults pay full price for the pass but the 3rd, 4th, 5th and up to 9th extra traveler on the same pass only pays 50% off - and this lets you hop on virtually any train anytime - full-fare tickets often cost a ton. www.nationalrail.co.uk has all the various fares but you obviously need to decide how long you will go and how many trains you will be riding to see if it's a good deal - normally without the Party Paws aspect (where the 3rd to 9th folks on the same pass only pay 50% - the efficacy of a pass is much more problematic.

How long - yes a vital question - if you really want to see much of those three countries you should spend at least a week in each just to do the tip of the proverbial iceberg - longer if possible or narrow you quest down to say England and Scotland or Ireland and Scotland or Ireland and England, etc.

How long do you have?

If renting a car be aware of a couple of points, you would need one for the Island of Ireland and one for the big island of Great Britain. You would also need a minibus 9 seater as a 6 seater car will not take the 6 people and the amount of baggage you are likely to have with you.

Using the Train. National Rail's link www.nationalrail.co.uk and booking tickets as they become available 28 days in Advance will give large savings but you need to set up an email alert for the tickets you require so you don't miss them. The Trainline.com http://www.thetrainline.com/ also do the same bargains.

What exactly does Rick Steves know about Trains in the UK, the man knows naff all about either the UK or Ireland even without trains.

Getting between the 2 islands is fastest by plane cheapest by ferry. Any UK airport will have flights to Ireland, ferries go from Scotland to Northern Ireland or North Wales (Anglesey)to Dublin South Wales to Rosslare.

You will need at least 2 weeks although 2 months wouldn't really cover UK and Ireland in detail.

Once you have an itinerary then if you run the rough draft on this and other forums (Not Rick Steves) you will get more detailed advice.

You have plenty of time to plan this and get it right for you. First of all, get aa good guide book for England, Scotland and Ireland - DK Eyewitness are some of the best as they have lots of pictures and reasonable maps. Use them to decide where you might want to go.

Also go and pick up some holiday brochures from you local travel agent and have a look at the guided tours in them. That will give you an idea of the places most people want to visit.

For Scotland, have a look at the itineraries on the Secret Scotland website.
http://www.secret-scotland.com/
This has a series of different itineraries and will give you an idea of what you could achieve in teh time you have available to you.

Oh wow!! Thanks so much for the replies! This is exactly what I needed because I didn't know where to start. I know the date would probably be at the end of May 2016 for 12 - 15 days. Other than that I have no idea!! 0_o I will talks to my people an organize ourselves with all the stuff you've told me and I'll let you all know. I"m very thankful!! :)

A word of warning. With only 12/15 days, it'll be next to impossible to do England, Scotland and Ireland.

What would someone suggest for say 10 days in Ireland? Springtime, probably May. How easy is it to get around by ourselves? Is it easy to rent a car that's automatic?

JoJo best to start a new thread of your own but Ireland is easy enough to get around by public transport, Auto trans are easy but expensive.

GA. 15 days is very tight 12 near impossible but it depends on what are the must see and do items. May is a good month to visit. Check out some good unbiased guide books have a look at a couple of tour itineraries (unachievable without professional drivers) but might give some clues.

My Main goal is Ireland and Scotland. In England I know exactly where I want to go and I don't need much time there. My Main concern is getting a rich experience from both Ireland and Scotland. I'm going to do my homework about must go places and I'll get back to you all! :)