UK
 

I have 1 week in the UK, landing at Heathrow. I love history, not bothered about shopping or nightlife( although I like nice restaurants). Where do I start to plan an itinery? I don't know whether to stick to England or venture up to Scotland, or whether to limit the amount the places I visit to three or four or go to a different place every day. I WILL do my own research but would really appreciate some suggestions from this forum first,please!!!!!

OK I'll start the ball rolling!!! Apart from London you must visit York, Chester , the Lake District and Edinburgh. Probably being biased but Liverpool is a great place to visit as well and also close to Wales.

if you only have a week skip scotland and stay with London, York, Oxford and Newcastle. ( Newcastle is not that great a place but does have soooo many interesting places around it!!!)

You must add the Cotswolds to your list, they're so cute and not that far from Oxford, so you can see Oxford, the Cotswolds and Stonehenge in one day and maybe Bath, too, if you get up early.

I know this will seem terribly ignorant but what are the Cotswold ?

Yes, and the next day you can see York, Whitby, Durham and Hadrian's Wall.

to xxx<BR>sorry, a bit slow on the uptake. I gather this is some sort of "humour". If you don't like my question why not just answer one you do like? Meanwhile I would welcome more serious suggestions from others.

A nice history tour could be made by going from London to Bath and then up through north Wales and down through Shrewsbury and Chester, if you've read about the Border wars and King Edward's castles. Lots and lots of castles and abbeys etc. Another very historical area is to go London to York and then up to Durham, see Hadrian's wall, and then continue up to Edinburgh. This is a little more remote and traveling is a bit slower. You're going to have to limit your choices because they are endless in the UK. You could also base in London and take daytrips to places like Canterbury, Oxford, Arundel, etc. Have a great time, but with only one week, don't try to do too much or go too far.

The Cotswolds (=sheep hills) pretty area of England NW of London - old stonebuilt towns and charming countryside kept "unspoilt" by draconian planning regulations. Very rich area in the 14th - 16th C(?) from selling wool. Many antique shops in e.g. Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford. Many tourists - some genuinely charming areas, old houses, and things to see. But try to see some of the wilder countryside (e.g. North York moors, Lake District, Wales) - the Cotswolds isn't the only type we have here!

OK, Frankie, here's a serious answer: <BR><BR>A large percentage of the questions on this board are about London and the UK. For you to ask your question without reading them first indicates thet you are lazy and selfish.<BR><BR>If you had read any of them, you would realize that you cannot possibly visit as many places as you asked about in your post. That means you are also stupid.<BR><BR>That's why we didn't take your post seriously.<BR><BR>You start to plan an itinerary by learning about the place you're going to, by examining existing resources, not by asking complete strangers a vague and stupid question. If you're too stupid to put together a coherent question about an itinerary, you could actually look at the 3-day London itinerary that Fodors has already put together.<BR><BR>

I would spend the first 2 nights in London and the last day/night in Windsor (not that far from LHR). That leaves 4 days & nights, and you didn't say whether you would be renting a car or what. Regardless, spending 2 days each in two different locations somewhere within @ 150 miles of London is what I would do. Look at a good guide book like DK Eyewitness and pick out the places. Save Scotland for the next trip -- too far away (driving) for a 1st time/one week trip.

thanks to all those genuine replies. I find this forum interesting to read and like to hear other peoples opinions. As explained in my original post I fully intend to do my own research after some initial suggestions from more well travelled readers of this forum.Unfortunately, to avail myself of those people it seems I also lay myself open to those who frankly shouldn't be reading this forum in the first place since they "know it all" already.<BR>I will start my own research by trying to find more about York and Bath.I'm really getting excited about my visit!!!<BR>

OK if you have a week that is actually 6 days or less (first day is spent over the Atlantic and last day is spent leaving)<BR><BR>Then the 2nd day is shot to exhaustion/jet lag. So now you are down to about 5 full days for sightseeing.<BR><BR>Given that - you can barely see London, or AT VERY MOST, London and one other location. Cotswolds, York or Bath are each good for a day or two (or weeks actually). So pick one for an overnight trip and there goes your week.<BR><BR>Don't try to spread too thin - you will end up very frustrated and not having "seen" anything.

whilst I love Edinburgh with the Castle and the Royal Mile (and the shops!) I would suggest that you do not have time to come "north of the border". My favourite places in England are York, Chester and Bath and the Lake District. this is probably still too much so would suggest either York or Chester and the others!!!!

to Jani<BR>I didn't really explain myself properly. I am actually going to London on business and after that have decided to take a further 7 days for sightseeing( unfortunately I just can't take any longer) <BR>Perhaps I am being a bit ambitious wanting to visit a lot of places and will probably take the advice of most people and limit them!! At least I would have an excuse to visit again!!!

frank, since you're going to be in London on business, you'll probably have some free time to see a few things during those days (St Paul's is open evenings, for example). Sooo...<BR><BR>Of your 7 days in the UK, spend 3 in London and do all the daytime stuff like Tower of London, Parliament, London Eye, etc.<BR><BR>Of the remaining four days, do a daytrip to Bath (it needs at least two days, but you can see enough in one day to feel okay). Do a daytrip to Salisbury and Stonehenge. For the remaining two days, why not go up to Scotland? You could stop over at York on the way, or not.<BR><BR>Put together an itinerary, and blow off any or all of it if you decide London needs more time...I do it all the time.<BR>

Frank, I absolutely agree with Elvira. Day trips from London (Bath, Salisbury, Oxford, Winchester.....whichever you chose) will save you the time and hassle of changing hotels, while enjoying some of the most historic towns in England. Don't push it -- there is so much to see in London alone that you may find you want extra days there -- and once you've had a taste of the UK, I have the feeling you'll be back many times. <BR><BR>I'd save Wales, York, Durham and Edinburgh for your next trip -- each has much to offer.<BR> <BR>Have a wonderful time!

thanks for the additional suggestions!

Hey I just did 4 days in London, 1 day in Bath, 1 day in Paris via the channel tunnel and 2 days in Scotland and saw plenty in each place. Sure I want to go back and see more but I saw everythiing I had listed on my pretrip agenda in that short amount of time. I say the more stamps in the old passport the better.

Frank<BR><BR>Maybe it depends on what kind of traveller you are. I'm not really one for in-depth investigation into one small area, I'd rather spend a day somewhere (or less) and move on.