Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - UK/ Ireland virgin

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UK/ Ireland virgin

Okay, we've never been to the UK or Ireland and we're finally planning a trip and I have lots of stupid questions, but for the time being I'll only ask two. When in your opinion is the best time of year to go? Would you try to pack the UK and Ireland into one trip? (which will not be more than 2 weeks long) If that's an unequivacal No!, Both England AND Scotland in the same trip? Thanks, Lori

Hi Lori, I would say come about now - the weather is quite nice but it's not high season so the crowds aren't too bad. The second question is difficult to answer because it depends how much you want to see and what types of places you want to go (city, countryside or mixture of both)..?

Lori, The best time of year to go to the UK is really a balancing act between crowds and good weather. I think late Spring and early Fall are some of the best times to visit the UK (I'll have to defer to others about Ireland). Many UK schools do not get off for summer until July, so domestic family travel does not really get into swing until the summer. American visitors begin to arrive in greater numbers in late June--in fact the airline "shoulder" season usually ends on June 15. Tourist crowds in August in London can be daunting, but they drop off by September. The weather in October can still be nice, especially in central and southern England. But regardless of when you go, weather in the UK changes frequently. With 2 weeks, you may want to focus your visit a bit. Spend a week in London--with time for nearby sidetrips then: --Rent a car and explore central England (Bath, Cotswolds, Salisbury, Oxford, Stratford upon Avon, etc.) or, --take a train to York, then drive/explore Yorkshire, up towards the Lake District There are many other possiblities. And yes, you could spend your second week in Scotland--a train from London to Edinburgh takes about 4 1/2 hours. You probably will not have enough time to see that city and explore too far into the Scotish Highlands, but you can see some of the country. Hope this helps. David White http://www.KidsToLondon.com [email protected]

Lori, I would suggest that first of all you check out Ryanair, a cheap no frills airline, that flies between London and Dublin and Scotland. Yu might wish to fly from the States to London, spend some time in the city and then take a cheap Ryanair flight to Shannon and hire a car and see the South, Southwest and West before flying from Dublin onto Scotland, once again with Ryanair for a quick tour of either Glasglow or Edinbug and then back to London for a flight home. It is a lot to do in 2 weeks but it is possible if you fly cheaply, do only London city and one Scottish city. That is all depending on where you are coming from if you are coming from Washington, New York, Chicago or any of the cities from which Aer Lingus (Irish airline) flies from then fly direct to Ireland (great deals avaiable) and take flights out of either Dublin or Shannon to London. I love Scotland but you might wish to leave it until next time to do it justice. I would avoid walking through English or Scottish countryside prior to coming to Ireland as Ireland is Foot and Mouth free but the England and Scotland arte not totally clear and the Irish authorities are anxious not to have it spread. So stick to the city of London prior to going to Ireland. RE when to go - well May or early June or September are great shoulder months and there is usually a lot happening in Ireland from St Patrick's Day (March 17) onwards. Hope this helps, Cathy

First, if you have never been then you are going to want to see lots of places, but you will exhaust yourself trying to do and see too much(I know, been there done that)so do your homework and really try to center on a do-able area. Two weeks would give you a nice amount of time to spend a week exploring an area in Ireland, Galway, for example, which is a beautiful area with much to do and see. Easy daytrips to Cong, Aran Islands, Kylemore Abbey, Galway City and more. Renting a car would also make it easier than trying to stick to bus/train schedules. Then you have a week for UK, whether it be Wales, England or Scotland. Again, find an area that will allow you to explore a bit. The Cotswolds are a beautiful area. I have been there and spent a week exploring and that was great. Shropshire is also a beautiful area. We were able to go to Chester for a day and since the town we stayed in was only 7 1/2 miles from the Wales border, we were able to take day trips into Wales: Chirk Castle, Betws-y-Coed and much more. As for time of year, I love September! Mid to end is low season and the weather is fine. Also, now, May is nice.

I've never been to Scotland but did take a 15 day trip (plus two for travel to and fro, total 17 days) in August, two years ago to England and Ireland. My two cents would be NOT to try to include all three countries in a two week trip, or if you do, find an efficient way to get yourself to Ireland, such as the RyanAir suggestion above because much time is consumed just getting there and it can't be enjoyed if rushed. Another idea is an Open Jaw ticket say, into London and home from Dublin or Shannon. While it might make your transatlantic ticket a bit pricier, consider what you'll save in time and money if you don't have to return to London from Dublin or Edinburgh for your flight home. Also, for any trip to Ireland, you should consider arriving in Dublin and flying out at Shannon or vice versa. We spent 4 nights in London (just about right unless you like to linger in museums) and a total of 5 nights in the countryside (Cotwolds, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Bath, Salisbury and Brighton) This was reasonably agressive, not leisurely enough for my husband. In the middle of the trip we spent one night in Wales and took the high speed ferry over to Rosslare, Ireland. Five nights in Ireland included two nights near Dublin, one on the Dingle Peninsula, one in County Cork and one in Wexford for the return ferry trip out of Rosslare. Whew!!! We felt like we just drove through Wales and Ireland instead of really experiencing it. Lessons learned: It rains alot in England and especially Ireland in August. Outdoor activities such as walking around, get interrupted and you experience some 'down time.' (They say June or July are better weather months in Ireland)... Country driving is easier in England than Ireland with better roads and some high speed motorways that are non-existent in Ireland. Also, England has more (in tact)historical sites to see - that is to say, there is more to see in fewer miles and the miles can be traveled more efficiently...We definitely tried to cover too many miles (kilometers, actually)in both countries...but especially in Ireland, alas....we learned it must be experienced more slowly. It's the people, the music and the natural beauty that make a trip to Ireland and these things can't be had in a mere five days most of it spent driving from one destination to the next with rain on poor quality roads. It left us feeling hungry to go back and do Ireland the right way! If I were you, I'd save Ireland for a separate trip at another time. I hope this is helpful to your planning. Oh yes, London was crowded in August, but not nearly as bad as Venice, Florence and Rome were last month during Easter week! (But THAT's another trip) One of the highlights of London for me personally was a tour of Buckingham Palace which is only possible (if it still is) during August and September, I believe (check it out).

Thank you all for your helpful responses. Going to take it all in as well as discuss with my beer-loving husband if he really HAS to see the Guiness Brewery in Ireland. Thanks again!

England has more historical sites than Ireland because England destroyed so many things in Ireland. Regardless, I would take a week in Ireland and a week in England. If you like cities, stick to London and Dublin. If you like to roam through the countryside, I would highly recommend Cornwall and the surrounding area in England. As for Ireland, County Donegal is spectacular. I also enjoy the west coast of Ireland. The Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland also is a great place to tour. Best time of year is September. This is when you have the best chance of getting good weather (it's usually better in September than June-August). Also, something to remember is that Scotland and Northern Ireland have different paper currency than England. While English paper money is accepted everywhere in Scotland and N.I., the reverse is not true. But it's not a big problem--any bank or foreign currency agency will exchange your money (usually for free, or a very small fee, like one or two pounds).