lkdrill

My wife and I are planning a 3 week tour of Scotland, Wales, and England before embarking on a cruise out of London. I am 67. She is 60 and uses a walker for long distances. So we are learning to become slow travelers. We both enjoy architecture (especially modern), food, art, and learning about other cultures. My current thinking is:

• Fly into Edinburgh, 5 nights
• Train to Glasgow, 3 nights
• Rent car, drive to Lake District, 2 nights
• Drive to North Wales, 2 nights
• Drive to Carfiff, drop off car, 4 nights
• Train to Bath, 3 nights
• Train to London, 6 nights
• Embark on cruise out of Greenwich (http://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/...sun/index.html)

Any comments/suggestions on places to stay, things to see, where to eat, will be greatly appreciated!!

youngtom2910

You seem to be planning to stay mostly in cities. If you are renting a car, I think drives in the countryside and staying in small towns could be nice too. For example, the landscapes of Scotland are quite magical, as I'm sure you know. Touring Edward's castles in Wales are also very impressive. I really like Bodysgallen Hall and Gardens in Conwy-which has a great view of Conwy castle.
There are some great country houses to tour in England, such as Blenheim. Have you toured Oxford or Cambridge? Both are very special places that can easily be reached by train from London..-.

janisj

OK -- it isn't rushed and it is certainly doable. But it is a very VERY city-centric itinerary. That is great if you mostly want to see cities which may be the case with your interest in modern architecture and dining - but as it is, only 4 nights/3.5 days of your 3 weeks is at all rural. Tell us if there are other sorts of things that interest you. (aside -- you won't find very much 'modern' architecture in most of those places - lots in London of course and a few buildings in some of the others.)

Also - for recommendations for accommodations we need to know your hotel budget.

thursdaysd

Two nights for the Lake District and two for North Wales does seem too short. I would add time to both and drop Cardiff. I don't really associate the UK with modern architecture, aside from those new glass monstrosities in London. Unless you mean brutalist modern, there's certainly some of that, although not so much in the tourist areas.

Iwan2go

You’ve asked for hotel recommendations - we loved this lovely, friendly place in the Lake District. They serve breakfast as well as dinner, are small, very relaxing. Book way ahead, they fill quickly. Grasmere Hotel :: Home

ChgoGal

Hi, lkdrill. That cruise looks amazing!

DAY TRIP FROM LONDON: I'm a broken record with my recommendation of the Secret Cottage Tour out of Moreton-in-Marsh if you want an easy sampling of Cotswold villages. I'd booked it when I wanted a break from hiking, and was such a lovely day, I tell folks about it as often as I can. They appear to be taking bookings for June, but likely you can wait to book a bit, maybe nearer Mar/Apr. Who knows what covid will bring, sadly. https://www.cotswoldtourismtours.co....dden-villages/

LAKE DISTRICT: Personally, I wasn't as enthralled by the area as much as I'd expected to be when I compare to my other experiences of England/Scotland. However, I've only been once to the LD ONCE, and I was there to hike and to find 19th century historical sites, so other Fodorites should be able to provide better information. However, the Castlerigg stone circle offers an incredible panorama. I hiked up from Keswick but most folks just drove up the hill. https://www.keswick.org/explore/not-to-miss/castlerigg-stone-circle#:~:text=One%20of%20Britain's%20most%20impre ssive,of%20megalithic% 20astronomy%20and%20geometry.

I visited Dove Cottage (Wordsworth's home) but I don't recommend unless you're a fan. I'm very interested in the 18th-19th century, but I didn't find the cottage too remarkable. The Grasmere gingerbread is famous, and was good enough, but I'd bought only because of its long history there, which added to the enjoyment.
Have fun planning!

lkdrill

Thanks for commenting! I agree the initial plan may be a tad city-centric, but we do plan on taking day trips. I also agree that (alas) decent contemporary architecture is hard to find outside of asia. But the Senedd and Wales Millennium Centre seem worth a visit. Here's a refinement:

• Fly into Edinburgh, 5 nights (flight arrives at 3pm, so first day is shot)
• Train to Glasgow, 3 nights
• Rent car, drive to Lake District, 3 nights
• Drive to North Wales, 3 nights
• Drive to Carfiff, 2 nights
• Drive to Cotswolds, 3 nights
• Train to London, 5 nights
• Embark on cruise out of Greenwich

I would like recommendations for accommodations, day trips, restaurants, etc. Grasmere looks great, but its already booked. We've reached the point in our lives where we are willing to splurge on very special hotels, and alternate stays at Airbnb's so we can do laundry at least once a week.

Thanks again for all the comments. Planning is half the fun!

janisj

Much better IMO. In Edinburgh I highly recommend you look into the day trips (and 2+ day tours offered by Rabbies. They use small vans (16 passenger max though there are usually fewer passengers and they travel even if there are only 1 or 2 people booked) This is the link to just the day trips from Edinburgh but explore the rest of the site for their offerings from Glasgow and their multi day tours. https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-...urgh/day-tours

"We've reached the point in our lives where we are willing to splurge on very special hotels,"

Sorry to to seem to beat a dead horse here but we really do need an actual £ per night number or range (or if you must, $) . 'Splurge' to one person may be chump change to another

lkdrill

In the past, we have spent over $1000/night (Oberoi Hotels in India, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, Hapuku Lodge in NZ) when we thought it was worth it. But some of our favorite places were Airbnb's for under $200/night. Let's say 750 GBP/night for a special place.

Jean

I think part of your hotel consideration in Edinburgh should also be location and how you will get around to what you want to see. Edinburgh is hilly, some streets are cobbled, and it could be challenging for someone who uses a walker at times. Perhaps someone here who is more familiar with Edinburgh could comment on the bus service? The bus routes seem to cover New Town well but Old Town less well. I think there's a mobile app for finding the right bus to get from A to B, but we have never used the buses. FYI, the Castle complex is all ramps/hilly streets inside the walls.

https://www.lothianbuses.com/wp-cont...-ROUTE-Map.pdf

https://www.lothianbuses.com/timetables/

https://edinburgh.org/travel/getting-around/

janisj

Your budget is quite generous so you can stay in just about the top hotels in most of those cities. In Edinburgh I'd pick one of the Grand Dame's including properties like the Caledonian (now a Waldorf Astoria), the Balmoral, the Scotsman or the Glasshouse. There are others as well. I'd avoid a hotel in Old town just because of the cobbled and steepish streets. But you can get anywhere in the city by bus and cabs are plentiful.

In the Cotswolds I'd look at the the Lamb Inn in Burford, the Slaughters Manor House in Lower Slaughter, the Bear in Woodstock, the Lygon Arms in Broadway (not the Lygon Arms in Chipping Campden which is fine but not in the same category), Thyme in Southrup, Foxhill Manor -- these are all great properties at various price points mostly well under your budget.

bilboburgler

Edinburgh is steep, multi-stepped, cobbled especially in odd places. Just be prepared you may need to hire taxis to get anywhere. Glasgow has hilly bits but a lot of it is flat and easy to get around. The Lake district is semi-countyside and should be fine. Other than that the timing looks fine. North Wales could include Liverpool and all the small cities around it and is certainly worth looking at for architecture etc. Janisj as usual has good hotels listed. My suggestion for transport is to use trains a bit more as most of the routes you have will be motorways and motorways are dull but the views from train can be wonderful. If in doubt travel 1st class and view out of windows on both sides.

thursdaysd

Puzzled by this. See photos of first and standard class trains here: https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-britain.htm More space in first, otherwise no significant difference. Agree with preferring trains to motorways!

Your budget for hotels is way above mine so can't help with that, although if I had that kind of money I'd stay at the Marriott Renaissance at St. Pancras in London (janisj can tell you all about that).

I stayed in Conwy in North Wales without a car and found plenty to do, with a car you can include Snowden and Betws-y-Coed. My TRs:

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...stle-and-more/
https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...he-great-orme/

That trip I also visited Chester and Port Sunlight.

janisj

Re London Hotels -- you can probably fit into most of the very best but rates are very dates specific.
The Savoy;
Renaissance St. Pancras for sure (not in the modern Barlow Wing which are basically Holiday Inn-ish) in the Chambers Wing which a Junior Suite or Grand Junior Suite should be well within your budget and even the Sir John Betjeman and Sir Gilbert Scott Suites might be only a small splurge over your budget. Since rooms almost everywhere else on your itinerary will cost much less, you might even be able to upgread into the 1600 sq ft Heywood suite;
Claridges;
The Connaught;
The Goring - If it was good enough for Kate Middleton the night before her wedding it's good enough for me

But really most any depending on your specific dates.

janisj

My one and only stay at the St. Pancras Renaissance was a few years ago - the description is in my trip report linked below. It is a long TR but you only need the first installment for the hotel info

Honoring my Father, Belgium, Amsterdam, London and TWO GTGs

Another option would be the Marriott County Hall in their upgraded riverside rooms -- wonderful views of Parliement, Big Ben and Westminster Bridge.

The Shangri-La in the Shard might be an experience -- especially if you like modern architecture.

Royal Horseguards is only a 4 star property but their upgraded riverside rooms would be pretty five star-ish

lkdrill

Thanks so much for the information, especially the advice about Edinburgh's terrain. Given that, I am considering spending one less day there and one more in Glasgow. I would love opinions about that.
I would like to minimize my time in cars, but need to balance that against the freedom they offer. Is it possible to get around the Lake District and Cotswold without a car?
I'll be spending the next few days researching hotels and day trips! Thanks for all the suggestions!

Janisj, what an amazing story. My father was stationed in Saipan and flew missions over Japan and China. He also spoke little of his war experiences so I have no idea what it was like there. Who knows, a trip to Saipan could be in the making!

janisj

The Lake District - its possible - a bit anyway. There are buses between major towns/villages and boat cruises. Plus some of the upscale hotels likely have local drivers on call to drive guests to more remote sites.

However -- for the Cotswolds one really does need a car . . .but that could be a hired local driver guide. Honestly -- with your budget (unless you wanted to stay somewhere REALLY posh like Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons) you could stay in a very nice upscale hotel/inn and hire a driver guide every day and not hit close to £750 a night. Getting to the cotswolds is much easier by car since there are few train stations.

. . . That was one of the most emotional trips I've ever taken -- and so many of the elements were pure serendipity/accidents. Finding a couple of letters/forms, chatting up a bartender at DisneyLand, etc . . .

Surfergirl

If in North Wales and you've ever seen/enjoyed The Prisoner, you should consider going to Portmeirion. Their hotel is awesome, and the grounds pretty amazing.

https://portmeirion.wales/stay/accom...tmeirion-hotel