n0carrots

Hello all,

My boyfriend and I are beginning to plan our trip to the UK and Ireland this summer, but there's so much information out there that it's getting a little overwhelming. Both of us are newbies to travelling, so any tips and advice for our trip would be greatly appreciated!

We're shooting for August 31st - September 15th. It would be a dream come true if it's possible to see some of England, Scotland and Ireland in a roundabout sort of itinerary. I was thinking this: London--> York--> Edinburgh --> ??? (anything awesome in Scotland!) --> Glasgow --> Belfast --> Dublin --> ???--> Bath--> London

There are a couple of things that I really really want to see, such as the the Roman Baths, Cotswolds villages, Stonehenge, Loch Ness, Hadrian's Wall, Scottish Highlands, Isle of Skye, Eilean Donan-- but if anyone has better suggestions I would love to hear them! I know its pretty ambitious, but I'm also willing to cut out one country if it means better pacing.

A little about us: We're both 25, from San Francisco, love indulging in food, love beer, love nature (parks, lakes, etc), ancient European history, museums, night life.

I really appreciate any input!

Rubicund

You've got 15 days including the days of arrival and departure and want to tvisit 8 different places. Your route has hundereds of miles invloved and is far too ambitious for a short trip. I think I'd look twice at it if I had twice as long.

Firstly I'd cut out the Irish trip, you simply don't have enough time bearing in mind that a change of base will cost you at least half a day each time. With your itinerary, 7 changes will ciost three and half days just getting from place to place.

Must sees from Bath all the way up to Skye are virtually impossible and touching so many places will leave it all a blur and you'll be fed up of travelling. So IMHO, try something like:

London at least 4 nights
Stonehenge on the way to Bath (getting close to the stones means an early appoint5ment and staying in the area)
Bath 2 nights
Cotswolds 3 nights

You can add on the other 4/5 nights across the South.
Or you could do something like:

London 3 nights
York 3 nights incl Hadrians Wall
Edinburgh 3 nights
Skye and Eilean Donan 3 nights

Train back to London.

Rubicund

Sorry for all the typos, in a rush.

bilboburgler

I think you could do a fair bit of this but I would drop the Irish bit on this occasion I'd also drop Loch Ness (its a Loch and there are prettier ones. Rubicund has some good ideas above.

London for 3 or 4 days is good as the jet lag from CA is tough. Then use the train to do York and Edinburgh/Glasgow then rent a car for the Isles etc

Stonehenge is ok, but I'd do it with Salisbury (which has such a beautiful cathedral, which needs to be approached through the water meadows to the south) and I suggest that as a London day out.

jamikins

Was also going to suggest doing www.walks.com explorer day for Stonehenge/Salisbury. They also do a Bath day trip from London so you could base yourself in London for say 6 days, and do 2 day trips if the dates of the walks work for you, then train to York for a couple nights, onto Edinburgh and base their for the rest of the time and do a day trip to the highlands etc.

A good tour operater out of Edinburgh is:
http://www.rabbies.com/tour_scotland...FYhf3god4gcAIQ

There is another one as well but I cant remember the name...

janisj

>>There is another one as well but I cant remember the name...<<

Probably Timberbush. http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/

Both Rabbies and Timberbush are excellent and do small group tours from 1 to 5-ish days. Using one of them would let you see Loch Ness (if you must -it is pretty underwhelming compared to other Scottish bits)

I agree w/ the others. Skip Ireland this trip and go again when you can devote 10-14 days just for Ireland.

4 or 5 days in London, two to three days in Bath, the rest based in Edinburgh w/ a Highlands tour w/either Rabbies or Timberbush.

You really don't need three days in Bath . . . but there is another really good tour company based there, Mad Max http://www.madmaxtours.co.uk/ which does <u>excellent</u> half and full day tours to Stonehenge, the Cotswolds, etc. Soyou could spend one entire day exploring Bath, the Roman Baths, etc and another day or so w/ Mad Max groups. You'd have each evening to walk around Bath some more. It will be daylight til quite late.

If you can - fly open jaw into London and home from Edinburgh (or even Glasgow). But returning to LHR to fly home isn't a huge problem.

PalenQ

Are you going by train or bus or car or horse or what?

If going by train and that IME is a great way to get to all those places in the UK

<London--> York--> Edinburgh --> ??? (anything awesome in Scotland!) --> Glasgow --> Belfast --> Dublin --> ???--> Bath--> London

In Scotland at least day trip by train to St Andrews, smashing seaside town with famous university - Prince Philip went there - and to Sterling and Sterling Castle - think Breavheart! Or take the train up to Inverness and Loch Ness to convort with Nessie the monster!

The Scottish Highlands are great but with limited time I'd head south to Hadrian's Wall (Hexham is a good rail head from which to catch the Hadrian's Wall bus that takes you to remote areas where the best of the remaining wall and forts are)

You may want to stop in the fabulous Lake District en route from the Wall area south.

Belfast and Dublin are nice but will take lots of time to get to from your route - unless you fly - consider spending all your limited time in the UK IMO and leave Ireland to next year!

You want to do the Scottish Highlands and if ditch Ireland would have time but would be hard to do both and see much else - take a train from Edinburgh to Inverness - Loch Ness & Nessie! From there you could take one of Europe's most scenic trains to Kyle of Lochlash - thru a pretty part of the highland with moors, etc and in Kyle take a bus over to the isle of Skye and from it take a ferrie to Maillag and then take one of Europe's most drmatically scenic rail lines to Fort William, thru the desolate Ranloch Moor to Glasgow.

I did that loop once in a few days and it was awesome - the essence of the highlands.

From Glasgow do Hadrian's Wall, fabled Lake District perhaps and down to Bath and over to Salisbury (Stonehenge) and London.

Fast-paced but folks your age are active - lots of choices.

If going by train and since you are under 26 yrs old you can buy the bargain BritRail Youthpass that gives you full flexibility to just hop on any ole train anytime - such fully flexible full fare tickets often cost a fortune - again just show up and jump on - you are going enough potential rail rides to make this pass perhaps a great deal. There is also a National Express bus pass that may be cheaper but buses are often slower and IME just not as comfy as trains.

For lots of great dope on British trains I always spotlight these IMO superb sources - www.nationalrail.co.uk (has all the schedules and various fares; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id11.html; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

Gordon_R

<i>In Scotland at least day trip by train to St Andrews, smashing seaside town with famous university - Prince Philip went there</i>

Er no, that'd be Prince William (and Kate of course).

<i>...and to Sterling and Sterling Castle </i>

You always seem to get that wrong for some reason - it's Stirling (nothing at all to do with the currency).

<i>take the train up to Inverness and Loch Ness </i>

Can't really see why - people invariably to want to head lemming-like for Inverness (but probably because it's one of the few places in Scotland they've actually heard of, without going to the trouble of reading a guidebook). Much better to head for the Grampians or the West coast if you want the best of the scenery.

crckwc1

Although I love Ireland, I have to say that you should not try to include it in this trip -- way too much traveling and way too little time to see and enjoy things. You have some good suggestions from previous posters. I might add that seeing one of the Highland games in Scotland would be a day well spent -- or even a half day if you're rushed. On Sept. 7, there is the big Gathering at Braemar which the Queen usually attends, and the following day, Sept. 8, there is another Gathering/Games at Blairgowrie, not too far away. Unless you are part of a tour group, you would probably need a car -- not sure about bus connections. At these events you will see Scotland's best pipers, dancers, atheletes, all attired in traditional dress. Quite a sight! For more information, browse in Highland Games or Highland Gatherings in Scotland.

PalenQ

Er no, that'd be Prince William (and Kate of course).

...and to Sterling and Sterling Castle>

Thanks for the correcto - Stirling and prince William - Heavens not Philip - I will try to put it in my memory bank - not always up to date.

Bently12

I went three weeks to Ireland and didn't feel it was enough. It was beautiful. We went to southwest Ireland and the Blasket Islands which were amazing. I would recommend the countryside over a bigger city such as Dublin (we did 1 night there)

I think you are trying to fit to much in. Concentrate on one area or pick 2 or 3

n0carrots

Thank you guys SO much for your input! It's really helped and I've got some good ideas. After thinking it over, I decided to skip Ireland this time around. Instead, we'll be spending a week in England, then another week in Scotland!

Could you look over this itinerary and tell me if it looks alright? Any more suggestions are welcome ^_^

Day 1- Arrival in London, explore London
Day 2- Base in London
Day 3- Base in London
Day 4- Bath (still based in London though)
Day 5- Bath
Day 6- Head to York, base in York
Day 7- Base in York
Day 8- Head to Edinburgh, base in Edinburgh
Day 9- Edinburgh (attend Highland games in Blairgowrie)
Day 10- Base in Edinburgh
Day 11- Begin 3-Day guided tour of Highlands, Loch Ness, Skye
Day 12- Tour, base in Isle of Skye
Day 13- Tour, return to Edinburgh
Day 14- Last day in Edinburgh
Day 15- Leave UK

Do you guys have any other ideas for the route heading up to Edinburgh? Is York a good place to stay for a couple nights? Would Newcastle be better? Should we take the western route instead so we can see Lake District, Manchester, Liverpool? Is 2 days in Bath worth it? I just want to do everything, its so hard to decide! ><

Anyways, thanks for the guided tours suggestions! I'm soo incredibly excited!

n0carrots

Oh I want to add, we won't have a car. We'll be travelling by rail/shuttles.

Gordon_R

Very sensible to drop Ireland from this 2 wk itinerary. The new plan looks far better but might need a few tweaks:-

Day 4/5: it's unclear whether you are actually staying in Bath as you mentioned "still based in London". Bath itself is very compact and most people would find they can see what they want in a single day.

Day 6-7: York is indeed a great stopover en route to Edinburgh. I would go this way too unless you have some particular interest in seeing Liverpool/Manchester (which would involve a more fiddly route on the trains. You don't really have time to see the Lake District.

Day 9: Highland Games are great fun and a fantastic photo opportunity. Blairgowrie is a fair trek from Edinburgh (especially by public transport), and this side trip will easily take up the entire day. Have you figured out how to get there - I don't think ther's a railway station in Blairgowrie? Taking into account your trip to the Games, it looks like you really only have 1.5 days IN Edinburgh itself, which is a shame as there is so much to see.

janisj

The new plan is semi-OK but a couple of problems.

• I'm w/ Gordon_R - what you say about Bath is confusing. Are you going to Bath twice from London? OR - are you traveling from London to Bath and back again and then staying in Bath the next night? OR are you staying in Bath two nights?

• Blairgowrie w/o a car is difficult. You could take a train to Perth and then a bus to Blairgowrie. But the bus takes about 1 hour and there are only 4 buses a day. The train from Edinburgh to Perth takes between 1hr 15 mins and 2+ depending on which train you catch. Best case, you are looking at 3.5 hours each way. By necessity you'd miss the majority of the Games - arriving midway through and having to leave before they close. Whereas driving would only take just over 1 hour.

The three day tour (assuming w/ Rabbies or Timberbush) is a good idea - that's by far your most efficient way to get to Loch Ness/the western Highlands/Skye.

n0carrots

Oh, sorry for being unclear. We'll be going to Bath as daytrips from London. We won't be staying overnight.

• For the first day in Bath, we're looking at the guided tour (Mad Max Tours) of Stonehenge, Avebury Stones, Lacock Village and Castle Comb. This will be a full day of activities.

• The second day, I want to tour Bath itself, visit the Roman Baths, and explore around town for the rest of the day. Looks like there are many things to see. Would this be worth it?

As for Blairgowrie... that's very disappointing that there isn't an easier way to get there from Edinburgh It would be such an amazing experience. But I suppose I could use that day for more Edinburgh.

n0carrots

Hrmm sorry, I guess the bottom line is that we'll be in Bath for ONE day haha. The tour bus departs from Bath is all-- brainfart on my part >_<

Gordon_R

I'm going to through in another suggestion that will get you to a Highland Games without the hassle and time getting to Blairgowrie without a car. I believe the Blairgowrie Games is taking place on Sunday 8th September. On the same day, the old market town of Peebles (approx 25 miles south of Edinburgh) is also holding their Highland Games, in a park a short distance to the west of the town centre:-
http://www.peebles-highland-games.org/index.php

Getting from Edinburgh to Peebles and back (even on a Sunday) is easy - there's an hourly direct bus service that takes just over one hour each way:-
http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/scot...r=25&source=sp

Given the tight schedule that you are on (and the fact that you'll still see some of the highlands on your 3-day tour), I'd go for the Peebles option over Blairgowrie. If you do visit the games, make sure you stay for the end, which usually features the massed pipes and drums parading past (never fails to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!).

Gordon_R

Sorry can't spell, meant "...throw in another suggestion..."

janisj

Traveling to Bath back to back doesn't make sense. You will be paying (higher) London prices for accommodations for two days when you are out of town plus two extra/unnecessary train trips. London to Bath is not cheap - and you are traveling back and froth twice. Plus you'll probably have to travel during peak soit would be even MORE expensive.You'd have to take a really early train to catch the Mad Max tour and off peak doesn't start til 9:30-ish.

It would be cheaper/easier/less hassle and you'd have more sightseeing time if yo stay those two nights IN Bath.