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Need advice for best way to see UK and Ireland

Need advice for best way to see UK and Ireland

Old Nov 14th, 2013, 03:08 PM
  #21  
 
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We like to reserve our accommodations in advance. I love the research, want to be able to pick a place (usually an apartment) that I like, and don't want to spend time on vacation searching for a place to stay.

There is great comfort for me in knowing where I'm going to sleep at the end of the day, and I've planned enough vacations for us that I can get a pretty good handle on how long things will take. We've very rarely had to leave any place before we felt done--I can only think of one time in our 34 days in Ireland.

For me, it's not an irrational fear of the unknown at all--just a personal travel style preference. For us, it only took one vacation of spending 2 hours hunting for a place to stay, only to end up paying way more than we wanted for a place way less appealing than we wanted to figure out that's not for us.

To people who prefer travelling without reservations, I say in all sincerity, "Have fun--and isn't it wonderful that we're not travelling together?"
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Old Nov 14th, 2013, 03:34 PM
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>>Surely it is time for The Rule of Threes to raise its ugly head.
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Old Nov 14th, 2013, 08:48 PM
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Wow! I never tire of being surprised at how much valuable information there is out there among you travelling aficionados.

Speaking of the Rule of Threes:

1. Self-drive with a couple of big-city pre-rentals (London and Dublin) appears to be the preferred plan.

2. A combination of pre-booked accommodation (London for 6 days on arrival; Edinburgh; Inverness for a Highlands base and Dublin for several days prior to renting in Ireland) and some ad-hoc lodgings for the rest.

3. And for the record: I have no trouble driving in Australia; I had no trouble driving throughout New Zealand for several weeks - but, stand before you all now and admit to being "a wimp and feckless" when planning our two trips to mainland Europe. Oh well, the trains were superb and we loved the walking!

At this stage I have quite a limited knowledge of what are must-sees in the UK, so would be grateful for any help regarding this (including any recommendations for a practical base area for seeing several points of interest).

At the moment - apart from major cities - the only places we plan not to miss are:

Stonehenge
Bath
Plymouth
Nottingham
Oxford or Cambridge?
Liverpool
Stratford-on-Avon
The Scottish Highlands
The Giants Causeway, NI
Waterford
Blarney
Galway
Ring of Kerry
Cliffs Of Moher

That's it. Thanks again for all your invaluable help.
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Old Nov 14th, 2013, 09:26 PM
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>>Speaking of the Rule of Threes
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Old Nov 14th, 2013, 10:13 PM
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Well, if you aren't put off by Improviser/dulci's claim that I have psychological travel issues, here's some more TRs to align with your list.

Bath/Stonehenge
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ay-weekend.cfm

Liverpool
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-liverpool.cfm

And depending on routing, what about

Ironbridge
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/ironbridge.cfm

Lake District
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-district.cfm

Coventry
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rth-castle.cfm

Yorkshire Sculpture Garden
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-wakefield.cfm

plenty of Peak District walks and estates on the blog as well
ukfrey.blogspot.com

Nottingham's nothing to write home about IMO -- I'd much prefer the Peak District, but that's me.

Happy planning
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Old Nov 14th, 2013, 10:23 PM
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Hi Indy_dad - not put off at all and appreciate your help. I sort of fit both camps. Every stop in Europe was pre-booked, but I planned for a year and had a pretty good idea of how long we would need in each place. My rule-of-thumb was simple: Work out how many nights you think you will need in a given location - then ADD a night! Worked out pretty good for us. Even if we were done sight-seeing a day early, on an 8-week trip a "rest" day was always welcome

However, during our 3 weeks driving around NZ we only had arrival/departure accomm. booked. But the choices were plentiful and the Aussie dollar was extremely strong against the $NZ so we had no issues there either.

The only thing stopping me from pre-booking this trip is that I have no idea yet where I am visiting or which route I will be taking.

Thanks for your links - they will help immensely.

Regards, Steve.
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Old Nov 14th, 2013, 10:27 PM
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Sorry JanisJ - I assume it has to do with Forum etiquette, but admit I am in the non-esoteric box with this one.
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Old Nov 15th, 2013, 12:37 AM
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Nobody has mentioned tourist offices. I had to do a quick google to see if the service still exists. You can book a room for the night or book a room ahead. In the past we've booked into some interesting places. Once in Cornwall we were the only civilians in a small hotel where all the other guests were making a film locally, actors, directors, actors etc.
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Old Nov 15th, 2013, 01:14 AM
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I would definitely drive. We have had three trips to the UK and love the freedom that having a car gives you. We have done the B&B trip and enjoy the experience, but do like to book ahead. On our first trip we were told that every village has a B&B. Not so. After a couple of hours searching, we found a room in a pub where we shared a bathroom with six European construction workers. Did have a great breakfast though. So we try to book at least a day in advance just so we do not spend a lot of time at the end of the day finding somewhere within our budget.

We enjoy staying in holiday rentals. After about a week in B&Bs and guest houses, we feel the need for more room. So a mix of both could be good. In the UK we have used

http://www.cottages4you.co.uk/

They offer the option of short stays as well as week long stays. It is great to have a kitchen and washing machine and being able to make a cuppa or a piece of toast whenever.

We had a wonderful week in Mevagissey in Cornwall.
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Old Nov 15th, 2013, 08:51 AM
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Sorry to butt in ....Whats this rule of threes thingymyjig - have I missed something?
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Old Nov 16th, 2013, 07:12 AM
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"There is great comfort for me in knowing where I'm going to sleep at the end of the day"

Abram, that is a psychological need, not a physical need. The same as indy_dad referred to. I'm not suggesting you or indy_dad have psychological 'issues'. It's a comfort zone thing and everyone's is different.

"it only took one vacation of spending 2 hours hunting for a place to stay, only to end up paying way more than we wanted for a place way less appealing than we wanted to figure out that's not for us."

If someone prefers to pre-book I have no problem with that. However, trying to then suggest that there are physical reasons for doing so that make it preferrable over not pre-booking is all about self-justifying YOUR choice as BETTER than some other person's choice.

In fact, your choice is NOT better than not pre-booking, it is simply a DIFFERENT preference.

Your example of why you believe it is 'better' is silly. I have never spent 2 hours hunting for a place and ended up paying more than I wished to for a less appealing room. That's because I do it all the time and know HOW to do so. You tried it once according to you and obviously were not very successful at doing so.

No doubt you have a method you use when pre-booking. You do some online searching, look at photos, read reviews, etc. and then make a booking. No doubt you've got good at that.

What makes you think that someone who does not pre-book hasn't figured out how to get good at finding what they want without pre-booking? If I arrive in a town/village/area and decide I want to stay there, I have my methods of finding a place that will suit me. Where's the difference?

I don't spend 2 hours finding a place, I don't pay more than I want to and I don't take a place that I don't like.

Pre-book if you wish, just don't try and suggest it is better than not pre-booking. That dog won't hunt.
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Old Nov 16th, 2013, 08:45 AM
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Does everyone else enjoy the lectures as much as I do???
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Old Nov 16th, 2013, 01:49 PM
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Not so much. Seems to bring further posting regarding any O.P's query to a full stop.
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Old Nov 16th, 2013, 02:02 PM
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No. Is starting to remind me of the rule of threes guy who wound up on my very short "ignore" list.
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Old Nov 16th, 2013, 04:23 PM
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Rule of Threes guy = Improviser.
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Old Nov 17th, 2013, 07:04 AM
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In any case, there is no one answer to "is it better to book ahead or look when you get there".

It depends partly on how you chose to travel, which is certainly a matter of personal taste, but just as much on who, how, where and when.

If there are two of you on foot, one can sit in a cafe with the luggage while the other looks. If there is one of you on foot (my case, most of the time), either you have to find a safe haven for the luggage, or cart it with you. (And yes, I travel very light, but still...)

If you are in a car waiting to look makes more sense in the countryside or a small town, less in a big city where you just want to find a safe place to park the car.

If you want to sleep in Venice during Carnivale you'd better book ahead, in southern Italy out of high season, not so much. (Although in some places out of season - e.g. the Albanian coast - you may find everywhere closed.)

I've traveled both ways. These days I usually book ahead, although sometimes just a few days ahead, but I enjoy the planning phase. I am careful about cancelation policies, as I figure I can always just leave if I don't like a place.

Some people (like the late lamented dogster) figure you can always throw money at the problem, but it might turn out to be a lot of money! The place I had booked in Aleppo in 2009 put me in an absolutely dreadful room, so bad I left without spending even one night. When neither I nor my taxi driver could find the hotel I wanted to try next (in the dark) I had him drop me at the Sheraton. Yes, they did have a room. One room. Actually a suite. $700 a night. Happily they pointed me to a new hotel that had a room only somewhat over my budget. But it was only for one night. I spent the next morning visiting every. single. hotel. in the hotel district. I found three rooms: two dismal places only somewhat better than the place I had left, and one a little over budget even after bargaining. (Turned out that while Americans might not go to Syria, lots of European tour groups (and Middle Easterm pilgrims) did, and it was high season.) And don't tell me I should have looked for somewhere "near" Aleppo.
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Old Nov 17th, 2013, 06:11 PM
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Okay, I think we can put the "pre-book" vs "spontaneous-book" argument to rest. Let's just say I am confident that we will have adequate shelter during our tour of the British Isles. Haha

Additionally, you have all convinced me that self-drive is the way to go - we will arm ourselves with GPS and maps to avoid potential marital issues, though.

I would still love to hear sight-seeing suggestions for England, Scotland and Ireland. Also, no-one (including myself) have mentioned Wales.

Are we better off concentrating on the other 4 countries, or are there parts of Wales that are also "must-sees"?

Thanks again for all your help - and humour! It is much appreciated.
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Old Nov 17th, 2013, 06:49 PM
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Well, Wales has excellent castles (Caernarvon and Conway just to start), and some very nice coastline (Pembrokeshire). Also some cute mountain railways - you can even ride one up Snowdon. If you vist the Bath area and/or the Cotswolds Wales is an easy add-on.
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Old Nov 17th, 2013, 11:50 PM
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And don't tell me I should have looked for somewhere "near" Aleppo.

I did a google map of hotels in Syria once and there is no-where near Aleppo. Now even fewer
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Old Nov 18th, 2013, 06:32 AM
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"there is no-where near Aleppo" - no, you'd need to go to Turkey.

"Now even fewer" - I am sick about what has been happening there.
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