Need advice for best way to see UK and Ireland
Nov 18th, 2013, 08:43 AM
#42
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Steve, I think you need to get some idea of a basic itinerary before adding Wales. It would help to know why you mentioned 6/7 "must visit " places in England. Why Birmingham? Why Liverpool? Why Certainly all could be done in 8/10 days, but too many one night stops can get very tiring during a six week trip. You mentioned the Scottish Highlands. Are you at all interested in visiting Edinburgh, or do you just want the wilds of northern Scotland? Knowing what your interests are and getting some idea as to what you want to see and do is essential in planning any trip.You might start with two weeks each in Scotland, England and Ireland then add/subtract as your plans/interests become more defined. Would be happy to help just need more information.
Nov 18th, 2013, 08:03 PM
#44
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Hi Historytraveler. I am open as far as "must-sees".
BTW, in my previous post, I mentioned "Apart from major cities- the only places we plan ..." So, of course Edinburgh (a major city) is on our list. As far as major cities go, we plan to spend 6 days in London, 4 days in Edinburgh, 2-3 days in Glasgow and 4 days in Dublin.
Nottingham - solely because of my childhood memories of the Robin Hood folklore. If there is little to see there we are more than happy to bypass.
Liverpool - well, why else? We would love to go on the Beatles Story and Magical Mystery tours!
Plymouth - again, simply because of the history (Pilgrim fathers) etc. Again, more than happy to give it a miss if there is something more worthwhile.
My planned itinerary was outlined in the opening post of this thread:
1. Spend 6 days looking around London.
2. Take a 10-day bus tour around England.
3. Catch a train to Edinburgh and spend 3 or 4 days exploring that city.
4. Take a 7 or so day bus tour around Scotland, focussing on the Highlands.
5. Take a Ferry to Dublin and spend several days exploring that city before ...
6. Taking another 10-12 day bus tour around Ireland and Northern Island before flying out of Dublin.
From my initial plan, simply convert all of the "bus tour" references to now read "self-drive" and it really has not changed. I would love some advice regarding what you view as must-sees.
Thanks and regards, Steve.
BTW, in my previous post, I mentioned "Apart from major cities- the only places we plan ..." So, of course Edinburgh (a major city) is on our list. As far as major cities go, we plan to spend 6 days in London, 4 days in Edinburgh, 2-3 days in Glasgow and 4 days in Dublin.
Nottingham - solely because of my childhood memories of the Robin Hood folklore. If there is little to see there we are more than happy to bypass.
Liverpool - well, why else? We would love to go on the Beatles Story and Magical Mystery tours!
Plymouth - again, simply because of the history (Pilgrim fathers) etc. Again, more than happy to give it a miss if there is something more worthwhile.
My planned itinerary was outlined in the opening post of this thread:
1. Spend 6 days looking around London.
2. Take a 10-day bus tour around England.
3. Catch a train to Edinburgh and spend 3 or 4 days exploring that city.
4. Take a 7 or so day bus tour around Scotland, focussing on the Highlands.
5. Take a Ferry to Dublin and spend several days exploring that city before ...
6. Taking another 10-12 day bus tour around Ireland and Northern Island before flying out of Dublin.
From my initial plan, simply convert all of the "bus tour" references to now read "self-drive" and it really has not changed. I would love some advice regarding what you view as must-sees.
Thanks and regards, Steve.
Nov 19th, 2013, 01:35 AM
#45
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You might like to explore East Anglia. It isn't far from London, but you certainly need a car.Some villages in Suffolk are very attractive. Because it was a centre of the prosperous wool trade, even a tiny village may have a wool church like a mini-cathedral.
In my opinion Lavenham is a must see. If you like Constable's paintings, then Flatford is a must. You can actually stand where he painted the Hay Wain and Willy Lott's Cottage and see that nothing has changed.
In my opinion Lavenham is a must see. If you like Constable's paintings, then Flatford is a must. You can actually stand where he painted the Hay Wain and Willy Lott's Cottage and see that nothing has changed.
Nov 19th, 2013, 02:02 AM
#46
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As you won't be able to take your hire car on the ferry, I'd fly to Dublin.
Of course, if you go to Liverpool, you could have a look at North Wales via Chester
I see that Dulci claims to be a Scot.
"Vacation", "two times","outside of". Hmm, Watson, I detect one of our Transatlantic cousins.
To Miss P's list, I'd add Cambridge, Ely ,Bury St. Edmunds and Norwich.
How many months did you say you have? ;-)
Of course, if you go to Liverpool, you could have a look at North Wales via Chester
I see that Dulci claims to be a Scot.
"Vacation", "two times","outside of". Hmm, Watson, I detect one of our Transatlantic cousins.
To Miss P's list, I'd add Cambridge, Ely ,Bury St. Edmunds and Norwich.
How many months did you say you have? ;-)
Nov 19th, 2013, 08:20 PM
#47
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Several good suggestions. It keeping in mind your "must visits" and general itinerary, I'll offer a few options.
If renting a car in U K , I don't think you'll be able to take it to Ireland and drop it there. You can drop car at ferry ports and arrange for another pick up just be sure to make those arrangements beforehand with rental company. As already mentioned you can easily fly from Glasgow or Edinburgh to Ireland.
In order to prevent a lot of back-tracking and including most of the places you want to visit, the following might be your best option.
There is really no way you can do Plymouth ( far south west of England) and be in Scotland ten days later. Forget Plymouth. From London you can take a bus ( X90 or Oxford Tube) to Oxford. It's about an 80 minute trip and you neither need a car nor want to drive in Oxford. One can easily spend a couple of days here. More on what to see/do later. Pick up a rental in Oxford and drive to Stratford-onAvon. Again enough to see in this area for a couple of nights.
I've never been to Nottingham so can't fairly comment on it. I'm sure there are connections to the Robin Hood legend. You might google it to see if you think it's worth your time. It could be a place to spend a couple of hours on your way to Liverpool but it is a bit out of the way. Assuming you spend a night or two in Liverpool, you have about 3/4 days left to get to Scotland. There are several routes to consider. The Lakes District offers beautiful scenery, walking/hiking possibilities and connections to Beatrice Potter and Wordsworth. Or you could head east to York,where one can easily spend a couple of days exploring the city and surrounding area.
Several have mentioned Dumfries and Galloway and this works as well. I'll add my enthusiasm to a stay on Arran. It's a short ferry ride from Ardrossan. Arran has all the best bits of Scotland encapsulated on a small island. You'll see mountains similar to those in the Highlands, prehistoric sites, castles, a distillery and several charming villages scattered along the eastern coastline.
Another idea would be to go east from the Lakes District and travel along Hadrian's Wall, then take the A68 through the Borders stopping at Jedburgh, Dryburgh and/or Melrose Abbey. In either Edinburgh or Glasgow and after spending some time at either one, take either a Rabbies or Timberbush tour. They offer a variety of tours.
You might consider flying to Shannon or Dublin. Or if renting a car for Scotland and still wanting to get to Ireland via ferry your only option is Cairnryan to Larne, N.I.. Cairnryan is south of Ayr. So if ferrying across, I'd do the Borders, Edinburgh and,perhaps a tour then head west. If not doing a tour out of Edinburgh, Arran as I already mentioned is a wonderful option, then you could drive down to Cairnryan and cross on ferry.
The ferry goes to Larne where you can travel along the coast to Giant's Causeway area. There is enough to see/do here for a stay of a couple of nights. Then head west to Donegal,Sligo and Connemara and Galway. This should take a couple of days. Spend some time in Connemara area. You can probably fit in the Burren and Cliffs of Moher and possibly Dongle but you will be hard pressed to do anymore and get back to Dublin for a few days. You really can't include Norther Ireland with Blarney and WTerford. IMO, N. I. is much better option than either Blarney or Waterford.
There are, of course, other options mostly depending on whether you fly to Ireland and where you fly into. That should probably be your first decision. Use AA Roadwatch journey planner to figure out mileage and be sure to add at least anther 30% to their estimates.
Will be glad to offer ideas as to specific places to visit when you have a better idea as to how you want to proceed.
I apologize for any mistakes. It.'s late here and I'm off to bed.
If renting a car in U K , I don't think you'll be able to take it to Ireland and drop it there. You can drop car at ferry ports and arrange for another pick up just be sure to make those arrangements beforehand with rental company. As already mentioned you can easily fly from Glasgow or Edinburgh to Ireland.
In order to prevent a lot of back-tracking and including most of the places you want to visit, the following might be your best option.
There is really no way you can do Plymouth ( far south west of England) and be in Scotland ten days later. Forget Plymouth. From London you can take a bus ( X90 or Oxford Tube) to Oxford. It's about an 80 minute trip and you neither need a car nor want to drive in Oxford. One can easily spend a couple of days here. More on what to see/do later. Pick up a rental in Oxford and drive to Stratford-onAvon. Again enough to see in this area for a couple of nights.
I've never been to Nottingham so can't fairly comment on it. I'm sure there are connections to the Robin Hood legend. You might google it to see if you think it's worth your time. It could be a place to spend a couple of hours on your way to Liverpool but it is a bit out of the way. Assuming you spend a night or two in Liverpool, you have about 3/4 days left to get to Scotland. There are several routes to consider. The Lakes District offers beautiful scenery, walking/hiking possibilities and connections to Beatrice Potter and Wordsworth. Or you could head east to York,where one can easily spend a couple of days exploring the city and surrounding area.
Several have mentioned Dumfries and Galloway and this works as well. I'll add my enthusiasm to a stay on Arran. It's a short ferry ride from Ardrossan. Arran has all the best bits of Scotland encapsulated on a small island. You'll see mountains similar to those in the Highlands, prehistoric sites, castles, a distillery and several charming villages scattered along the eastern coastline.
Another idea would be to go east from the Lakes District and travel along Hadrian's Wall, then take the A68 through the Borders stopping at Jedburgh, Dryburgh and/or Melrose Abbey. In either Edinburgh or Glasgow and after spending some time at either one, take either a Rabbies or Timberbush tour. They offer a variety of tours.
You might consider flying to Shannon or Dublin. Or if renting a car for Scotland and still wanting to get to Ireland via ferry your only option is Cairnryan to Larne, N.I.. Cairnryan is south of Ayr. So if ferrying across, I'd do the Borders, Edinburgh and,perhaps a tour then head west. If not doing a tour out of Edinburgh, Arran as I already mentioned is a wonderful option, then you could drive down to Cairnryan and cross on ferry.
The ferry goes to Larne where you can travel along the coast to Giant's Causeway area. There is enough to see/do here for a stay of a couple of nights. Then head west to Donegal,Sligo and Connemara and Galway. This should take a couple of days. Spend some time in Connemara area. You can probably fit in the Burren and Cliffs of Moher and possibly Dongle but you will be hard pressed to do anymore and get back to Dublin for a few days. You really can't include Norther Ireland with Blarney and WTerford. IMO, N. I. is much better option than either Blarney or Waterford.
There are, of course, other options mostly depending on whether you fly to Ireland and where you fly into. That should probably be your first decision. Use AA Roadwatch journey planner to figure out mileage and be sure to add at least anther 30% to their estimates.
Will be glad to offer ideas as to specific places to visit when you have a better idea as to how you want to proceed.
I apologize for any mistakes. It.'s late here and I'm off to bed.
Nov 19th, 2013, 08:59 PM
#49
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Thank you MissP, Josser for your recommendations.
BTW - I am definitely a "Holiday", "Twice" and "other than" man. Ha ha!
Also, thank you historytraveler for your very comprehensive itinerary. I'm glad you remembered Bath - I'm more than happy to forego Nottingham but most definitely want to visit Bath - a thoroughly lovely, medieval city!
I'll look into the Day Trip from London (and hopefully it will also include Stonehenge).
I'll get on to some homework but please keep the suggestions coming. Regards, Steve.
BTW - I am definitely a "Holiday", "Twice" and "other than" man. Ha ha!
Also, thank you historytraveler for your very comprehensive itinerary. I'm glad you remembered Bath - I'm more than happy to forego Nottingham but most definitely want to visit Bath - a thoroughly lovely, medieval city!
I'll look into the Day Trip from London (and hopefully it will also include Stonehenge).
I'll get on to some homework but please keep the suggestions coming. Regards, Steve.
Nov 19th, 2013, 10:53 PM
#50
>>most definitely want to visit Bath - a thoroughly lovely, medieval city!<<
It is most definitely a lovely city, but not much in the way of Medieval. The Baths are Roman, most of the rest is Georgian, w/ a bit of Victorian thrown in.
It is most definitely a lovely city, but not much in the way of Medieval. The Baths are Roman, most of the rest is Georgian, w/ a bit of Victorian thrown in.
Nov 19th, 2013, 11:59 PM
#51
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Ouch!! Janisj - I have been suitably edified. Can you believe it, until you pointed it out I have been using "medieval" as a synonym for "old". I had never considered it meant middle ages. Anyway, I blame too much time in Germany. Every lovely city there was referred to as "medieval". Ha ha.
Nov 20th, 2013, 08:20 AM
#52
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Steve,
Medieval generally means the time period from the 500's to 1500's.
There are frequent trains to Bath from London using either Waterloo or Paddington Station. So, the trip can easily be done on your own.
Medieval generally means the time period from the 500's to 1500's.
There are frequent trains to Bath from London using either Waterloo or Paddington Station. So, the trip can easily be done on your own.
