milliebest

UK Vacation- Scotland, Wales and England Without a Car!
First I would like to thank all the people who posted relevant questions on Fodors and the generous people who responded. I would especially like to thank PalenQ for his help with understanding the UK train system. All our train travel worked out perfectly at a very reasonable cost. I used several of the suggestions on the “Memorable Restaurants” post and each one was perfect. I must add some new ones to the list. I must admit I was still doubtful about choosing the Oyster Card or the travel card. I chose the travel card and I think it was the best choice for our activities. Here goes my best shot at communicating a really wonderful experience.
On August 17 we left New York for Glasgow with a stop in Amsterdam. We arrived in Glasgow the next day. It was very easy to get money from the ATM and jump on a bus that brought us a few blocks from our hotel. On the bus I reminded my husband that Trip Advisor had given the Rennie Mackintosh a terrible review and he still wanted to go there so I wanted no complaints. All Trip Advisors negative reviews proved wrong. The room was clean (no mold), the people at the front desk including an older gentleman at night, were wonderful, the breakfast was excellent and the Rennie Mackintosh furniture and fixtures created a wonderful atmosphere.
Since we were just doors from the School of the Arts, we checked in, freshened up and then went straight there. We had a wonderful guide so it was a great introduction to Glasgow. We had to wait about 40 minutes for our tour so we had lunch at the school café. We had a great sausage stew and salad served by the nicest gentleman. After the tour we visited the Contemporary Art Space and then to a church designed by Rennie Mackintosh. After the church, we visited the Tenement Museum. It was very interesting.
The next thing we did was to find a Carphone Warehouse. My daughter had bought me an unlocked T Mobil phone and someone on Fodors had suggested the Carphone Warehouse to buy a sim card. It was a good choice for several reasons. First, the staff was so helpful. I was clueless about sim cards and prepaid phone plans. They made it so easy, They asked what calls I would be making. Since I would be calling the US, they put in my sim card with a £10 prepaid plan. I never had to refill it. It was 7p per minute to the US and 21p within the UK. It was not working in Cirencester in the Cotswolds so I went into a Carphone Warehouse and the salesman tested the phone and said it was just poor reception in that area of town and he was right.
That night for dinner, we went to a Rick Steves recommended restaurant ( Babbity Bowster -16-18 Blackfirers St) It was our first introduction to real Scottish food. We had Cullen Skink, braised pork belly, Cumberland sausage pot pie and a white and dark chocolate terrine. It was a real homey atmosphere.
We slept well that night. The next day we were introduced to the full Scottish breakfast. The staff quickly took our order and served a wonderful meal. We took the train to the Cathedral. (This was really the only time we used the train. We are public transportation people but Glasgow was the first European city where we used a cab several times. The bus and trains do not always get you where you want to go easily and the cabs are cheap. We never paid more than £5 including tip. ) The Cathedral was beautiful and there are “Friends of the Cathedral” who take you on a tour. My husband and I had a wonderful guide who answered all our questions and spent over an hour with us. In that area we visited the Museum of Religion and the oldest house in Glasgow. On our way to the University of Glasgow, we passed a butcher with meat pies and sandwiches in the window. We couldn’t resist so we bought a minced meat pie and had a great conversation with the butchers. Then we went to Tesco (supermarket) and got some blackcurrant juice. We sat in the sun in a park and ate. I must mention we had beautiful weather. At the university we visited the Hunterian Art Gallery and Machintosh House. The University is beautiful and the whole area is just so lovely. We had a coffee break at the university lounge and then walked to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum to see the Glasgow Boys special exhibit. It was fantastic and the Museum is wonderful. I was disappointed that Dali’s Last Supper was on loan to Atlanta.
Then we set out to Aston Lane for dinner. We ate at a pub which was a converted church (Oran Mor 731-35 Great Western Road). The food was good and we had our first haggis. There was music and a fun atmosphere so we lingered after dinner and ordered a tray of cheeses and a bottle of dessert wine.
The next day we left for Inverness after another wonderful breakfast. We spent two full days in Glasgow. If I were to do it again, I would spend three days. I have a to do list if we ever go back. We did not have tea at the Willows. The first day it was closed for a private party and the next day we just didn’t have the time. Also, we did not get to the Burrell Collection. So we have to return someday.
Inverness was beautiful. Again we were blessed with great weather. We were only there one night so we did not go in search of the Loch Nest Monster or Cawdor Castle. Instead we went to battleground at Culloden. The scenery was beautiful and it was an easy bus ride from our bed and breakfast. When we returned from Culloden we walked along the river in Inverness. It was just so beautiful. We ate at the Redcliff Hotel ( 1 Gordon St.) The food was excellent I had the best cheesecake ever. Our bed and breakfast was the highlight of our whole trip. It was the Ardconnel House where John and Elizabeth just do everything they can to make you happy in a beautiful house. For breakfast I had smoked haddock that was delicious!!! I wish we had stayed two nights in Inverness.
From Inverness, we took a bus to Granton on Spey. We chose Granton because they were having the highland games. We arrived Sat. afternoon and checked in to our bed and breakfast (Ros Mor). I was happy to meet Joan because she had been so helpful giving me information about public transportation. We walked to town and had a little lunch at a bakery. We were disappointed that we could not find a place to rent bikes. We would have to go to Aviemore but we did not have a car so we decided to walk in the Cairngorm National Park and along the river Spey. It was so warm that some children were actually wadding in the river. That night we ate at a local pub.
The next morning we went to The Church of Scotland. The people were so welcoming. We are Roman Catholics but there was not a Roman church in the town so we went Anglican. It was a wonderful community. From there we walked to the fields for the Highland games. They were fun. We met so many local people. There were bagpipes, Scottish dancers and the heavy competitions. We were there from about noon to five. At five it rained just long enough for people to put raincoats on and then it stopped. On the way home we ate at the Garth Hotel right on the main street in town. I think this was my husband’s favorite. Joan and Ed had given us a coupon which took 25% off our bill.
The next morning we were on the local bus to Aviemore to connect with our train to Edinburgh . Since Aviemore did not have a machine to access our tickets (In UK, if you order tickets on line, you pick them up at a machine at the station but not all stations have machines), I had to go to a real person. She put in my code and realized I had ordered many tickets. She printed them all out and organized them in a nice folder which saved me time at all the other station we would be going to on our trip. Another thing about trains in the UK, they are not super speed like Germany and Spain so you really get to enjoy the scenery.
In Edinburgh, we stayed at the Kenneth Mackenzie Suites. I did not realize that it was part of the University. The room was dorm-like but very comfortable. The breakfast was again wonderful. Not only did we have the full Scottish breakfast but we had delicious porridge. They even had laundry facilities and again the location was perfect. As mentioned before, we did not have a car. All our accommodations were perfectly located and were walking distance to almost all we wanted to do.
We settled in to the Kenneth Mackenzie Suites and then walked along the Royal Mile. We had tickets that night for the Military Tattoo so we went to an early dinner. Someone on Fodors had recommended David Bann. It was just wonderful and we just fell in love with the place. We are not vegetarians but our bodies needed a little rest and the food was just so delicious in a wonderful setting.
After dinner we were off to the castle for the tattoo. This was our first real rain but it wasn’t cold so it was bearable. We had ponchos as did everyone else sitting in the bleachers. The tattoo is a magnificent show and seeing the castle all lit up was beautiful.
After another Scottish breakfast, we went to an underground tour (St. Mary Close Way). Our guide was excellent and it was well worth it. Then we were off to visit some Fringe events and Roslyn Chapel. The chapel is located on a local bus route but it does take about 45 minutes each way. The chapel was beautiful and they are doing extensive work restoring it. We were too late on our return to go to the castle so we went to the restored home of a local merchant (Gladstone.)It was very interesting.
For dinner we made our way down to Leith on the water. Again we took a Fodor’s suggestion and ate at Skippers on Dock St. We had an outrageous pot of mussels to start our meal. The entire meal was great. Back at the Royal Mile we went to a Fringe event called “Stitched Up” about Frankenstein. It was a good show.
The next morning we went to the Castle. We had a great guide and the scenes overlooking all of Edinburgh were breathtaking. Then we walked to the other end of the Royal Mile (This is so much fun during the Fringe because all the performers are there trying to get you to come to their performances.) to the Queen’s Gallery and Holyrood which is the palace where the Queen stays and greets guests when she is in Scotland. Again we had a great guide for the Abbey part and the palace was beautiful. Then we went to the National Museum. I was not crazy about it but Rick Steves likes it. We also went to the Art School to see the projects by the graduate students.
We were so tired we stopped at a pub that had free wifi and since I had my ipod in my bag, I got to sit and have a beer while I checked my email. My ipod touch and my unlocked phone were just so handy on this trip. I recommend both for a long trip. Many bed and breakfasts don’t have computers but do have free wifi. All our B&Bs had it. Our hotel in London charged but Pret Manger has free cloud.
Then we went back to David Bann because we had tickets for a Fringe performance. The place I loved so much disappointed me. The food was still good but the service which had been impeccable the first time was now terrible. Before we placed our order I thought we were invisible and then I got the wrong order. It took so long, we didn’t even have dessert. That night we went to a musical, “Wild Party”. It wasn’t that great. I felt I was at a high school musical.
Our third and last morning in Edinburgh we took advantage of the laundry facilities at Kenneth Mackenzie and then we were off to the train station to York. One suggestion I have if you are using trains in the UK is always note the final destination of your train because it helps when you look at the arrivals and departures to know the last stop you train travels to because that is how they are listed on the board.
When we arrived in York, we walked the high city wall that brought us to the old town. After checking in at the very helpful “I” we went to our B&B which was the Sycamore. Elizabeth greeted us and made up feel right at home. We called J. Briggs to make dinner reservations but it was completely booked so we made reservations for the following night. Then we went to York Minister to check the time for even song. It was not being sung that night so we decided to go the next night. Note that if you go to any church for even song, you do not pay to enter for the service. You do have to pay if you are going to visit but you can visit in the morning and then go back for even song and not have to pay again. We went to Miltons Two for an early dinner since we were going on a ghost walk. To our surprise we got a special if we were vacating our table by 8 o’clock which we had to do to make the walk. The “Haunted Walks” was very informative and gave us a great overview of York so we could plan the next day.
After another wonderful breakfast, we went on a two hour free tour of York. There is so much to learn about this special town. After the tour we stopped at a little pool hall or Snookers and had a great time hanging with the locals. We then went to The York Castle Museum which captures different times in near history not ancient (Rick Steves calls it a Victorian home show!) and we walked up Clifford’s Tower. We walked through the Shambles to get back to The Minster. Unfortunately, we did not have time for tea at Betsy’s. We toured the Minster and stayed for even song but had to leave a little early to get to J. Briggs. We chose the three course meal not the 8 course grazing menu. Everything was perfect and a truly memorable experience.
On the way to the train station the next day, we stopped at the newly renovated York Museum. Then we had a little lunch and we were off to Wales. This was a long trip since we had to change twice. We dropped our bags at the Glan Heulog Guest House not far at all from the train station in Conwy, Wales. Then we walked the city wall and walked down by the water. We had a beer and sat with some really nice locals. As we were walking back to town we saw the smallest house in Great Britain and a ghost walk guide carrying a snow owl. We tried to have dinner at Amelie’s but they were all booked and they do not serve dinner on Sunday so we missed that opportunity. We did have dinner at the Castle Restaurant which was fine. We sat next to another couple and later we discovered they were staying in the same guest house in the room right next to ours. We all agreed that Stan and Viv were the perfect hosts.
The next day after our full Welsh breakfast, we visited the Castle. Just as we reached the tower it began to poor. And it shortly stopped to make way for another beautiful day. Then we went to Plas Mawr which is a beautiful Tudor home. We wanted to visit the art school but it was closed. We hopped on a bus and went to Llandudno. It had turned into a beautiful day so the shore community was a real treat. We travelled the two trams to the Great Ome. It was so windy we could barely stand but the scenery was magnificent. On our way home we stopped at a café and sat outside, had a bottle of wine and people watched. The sun felt so great. We finally had to find the right bus back to Conwy. Here I would like to thank all the kind people we met at bus stops and train stations. We were blessed by meeting such wonderful generous people on our travels. Back at Conwy we had dinner at Bistro Back which served real Welsh food.
The next morning Stan and Viv prepared us an early Welsh Breakfast so we could make our 9 o’clock train to Bath. Conwy is a minor train stop so going there you have to let the conductor know you are getting off there and leaving you have to hail the train to stop. Bath was another perfect lodging location. We usually don’t stay in chain hotels but the Best Western Abby Hotel is just perfect for visiting Bath. It is a short walk from the train station and right next to the Baths and the Abby. Another great point was we could order anything on the extensive breakfast menu so we had pancakes. They were a lovely break from all the eggs.
After checking in we went to make a reservation at Sally Lunn’s and we went to the “I” and booked a trip for the next morning to Stonehenge. Then we walked around Bath seeing the Abbey, the bridge, the gardens, the circus and all the other architecture. Then we went to dinner at Sally Lunn’s noted for her famous bun. We ate right near the fireplace. After dinner we went to the Baths. Night is the perfect time to see them all lit with Roman torches. We had a wonderful free tour and enjoyed the beautiful ambiance. We walked home enjoying all that was going on in the streets. It was a Bank Holiday so Bath had many visitors.
After our pancakes, we checked out and left our bags at the hotel. We took a 10 o’clock van tour to Stonehenge. It was an hour there and an hour back and an hour at the sight. It was perfect. We picked up our bags after the tour, had some lunch and made our way to the train station .
We arrived in Moreton in the Marsh in the Cotswolds around 6 pm. The Bell Inn was just about a block from the train station. When I first saw it, I thought I had made a terrible mistake. I had to check in at the bar. I imagined two nights of loud music, smoke, and loud talking. I was mistaken. We were escorted through a garden to a lovely separate building. Our room was real Cotswolds with stone walls on the inside, a well equipped clean bathroom, a great bed and quiet. Each morning a wonderful “full” breakfast was served in the pub. We walked up and down the town looking at menus until we found the Manor Hotel where we had a wonderful elegant dinner.
The next day we were off to explore to Cotswolds on foot. There were many discussions on Fodors about how this could or couldn’t be done. I am so happy that we did not have a car our first day. Our second day we had arranged for a driver for the day. We took the#855 bus from Moreton on the Marsh to Stow on Wold- easy, cheap and a very short ride. At the “I” Dan gave us a map and told us about he Heart of England paths. We entered the path at Fleece Alley and from there we walked through very well marked fields of sheep who looked at us, cows who ignored us and horses who wanted to be stroked until we arrived at Lower Slaughter. We visited a lovely church, the mill, the stream where dogs and horses were enjoying the warm day. Then we went back to the paths and walked to Bourton on the Water. It was packed with tourists. After visiting the model village and walking around we decided to hop the bus to Cirencester which we liked very much. We sat outside and had a lovely lunch, walked around and visited the church and cemetery. And then we hopped on the bus back to Moreton. We had wanted to go to Bratsford Arboretum so we decided to go there even though it was 5 o’clock and would probably be closing. On our way we met several people who told us we were going in the right direction, the arboretum would probably be closed but it was a lovely walk and we could see some from the road so we continued until we got lost, it started to get dark and I was worried. We climbed under a fence found a road and hitched a ride back to town. The whole day was one of the highlights of our whole trip. Had we had a car, I don’t know if it would have been so wonderful. We were tired and hungry so we went to Ask (an Italian chain in England). It was great. We went to keriokee at The Bell Inn.
The next day Chris Peak picked us up at 9 AM. He drove us through many town, villages and hamlets. Included in the tour was Stratford on Avon where we visited Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway’s graves and homes. We had lunch in Broadway at a lovely pub overlooking the Cotswolds- a perfect location and the sun was shining. It was a great drive and I highly recommend Chris if anyone needs a driver. At the end of the day, he dropped us at the train station and we were on our way to London.
When the train pulled into Paddington, a lovely couple came over to us and asked if we were new to London. We said we were and they offered to help us navigate the tube. We were so grateful. They were taking the same line as we were so it worked out perfectly. I still was confused about which card I should buy – the Oyster or the travel card at the rail station. I chose the travel card and looking back I think it was a good decision. We used several two for ones and travelled extensively on the tube and buses.
Our hotel was the Abcone on Glouster Road. It was an excellent location but I do not know if I would stay there again. Although the hotel was smoke free, I could smell someone smoking. I asked at the desk but they said no one was smoking inside. This happened three nights. I knew it was a continental breakfast but there was no fruit , yogurt or any pastry except toast. All six days it was the exact same. Wifi was not free. It was £5 for 24 hours. The staff were very friendly but there was a tube strike and they could not access bus routes for us on the computer. I thought they should have been prepared for that since the strike had been announced.
Although we were in London six nights, we still did not get to do all that we had hoped to do. The tube strike slowed us down a little and I guess we were just tired since it was the end of the trip. On the first day, we visited Parliament and Westminster Abbey and then my husband wanted to visit the Churchill Museum which he loved. I sat in St. James park and enjoyed the weather and some locals. We went to TKS and got tickets for Dreamboats and Pettiecoats which was a lively 50s music musical. The audience was jumping. The theater was located at the Embankment tube station. The views from the nearby bridge were beautiful at night. Before the show, we ate in Chinatown. I experienced the first Rick Steves restaurant that disappointed me - Y Ming. Portions were small, prices were high for Chinese, rice was not included and the bill was written in Chinese. They included the tip and did it so quickly I almost missed it. I did not have a good feeling about that place.
At this point in the trip, I became careless with my journal. The next morning we went to Buckingham Palace. I had not gotten the tickets ahead of time on line so this messed us up a little. We couldn’t get tickets for the Queen’s Gallery till 3 o’clock. I wanted to see the changing of the guards so I went there first, then I left a little early and we went to the Palace. We had time between the Palace and the Gallery so we went to lunch and walked through Green Park.
During the next days we went to the Tower of London, the Tate Modern, the Globe theater, the National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery, Sommerset Gallery and the Docklands. We went on a lovely day trip to Windsor Castle. Here I bought a Kings outfit for my grandson and a princess dress, hoop and all for my granddaughter. We also went on a day trip to Cambridge where we went punting and had a lovely tour of the city including Kings and Queens Colleges. I shopped at Harrods – bought my granddaughter a teddy bear with Harrods on the paw and my grandson a taxi with Harrods on it. On the last day we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum in the morning. It is overwhelming. This is not a museum you do in one visit.
To get to the airport we just added £3.50 on our travel cards and the tube went right from Glouster Road to Heathrow. We had a direct flight home from London to New York. As we left the airport, the others on our flight were still waiting for the carousel to deliver their bags. Travelling light is great!
This was a wonderful trip. My husband and I are over 65, we just carry a backpack each and we only used a car one day. We had exceptional weather and all our restaurants except one were wonderful. All our lodgings were perfectly located, clean and except for the Abcone had wonderful breakfasts. I cannot say enough about how wonderful the people in the UK are.

di2315

What a delightful report, milliebest!
I too fell in love with the James Rennie MacIntosh artistry in Glasgow, and many of the places you have also visited.

You have whetted my appetite with your descriptions of York. Thank you, Di

jamikins

Lovely report - so glad you had a great time in the UK!

texasbookworm

What a trip you had! Thanks for sharing your experiences; well done. Now you'll be able to give first hand advice to people here, as you received during your planning.

avalon

Well for over 65's you certainly did a lot of walking! Enjoyed reading yor report as it brought back many lovely memories. We9 over 70's) no longer want to drive in the UK so you gave me some good ideas!

isabel

Thanks for posting your report. I've been to the UK several times and I think you picked a really nice assortment of places to go. The only place I haven't been is Conwy Wales but I'm planning on going there in November. I had read that you need to "flag down the train". I can understand telling the conductor where you want to get off, but I've never had to flag down a train to get it to stop in order to get on. How did you know the train was going where you wanted to go? Did you just stand on the platform and wave to the speeding train?

Did you book all your train tickets ahead of time? From the US? There was a recent thread here about having difficulty using American credit cards to retrieve the tickets that had been reserved because they don't have the "chip and pin". Did you encounter any problems?

milliebest

Regarding Conwy- My husband had a yellow windbreaker that he waved in the air. All the stations have a digital sign which lets you know which train is coming posted by its final destination.

I used my capital one credit card all over the UK and it does not have a chip. I got tickets in the machine in Glasgow and my credit card work perfectly. As I mentioned all my tickets were linked under my code # so the ticket agent at Aviemore was able to print out all my tickets no matter which station I had scheduled to pick them up so if you are at a station and the machine doesn't work go to an agent if there is one. Note well, you must use the card you reserved the tickets on. I bought all our tickets on line from the US except Cambridge, The entire trip above cost $350 or $177 each.

Nikki

Sounds like you really packed a lot into your trip. Thanks for sharing it.

Glad you liked Skippers in Leith; thinking back to our meal there still makes me hungry.

Too bad you didn't enjoy the one fringe performance you got to. I found that the best strategy was to go to lots of them; that way the disappointing ones were likely to be outnumbered by the good ones. There is a lot of strategy involved in choosing performances to attend. The catalogue of events is the size of a telephone book. We had some expert advice from a local Fodorite, reviews that came out daily in the papers, and a bit of hunting for reviews of individual acts before the trip. Of course by going to lots of the fringe performances we sacrificed the tourist sites and never got to the castle or any museums or walked much along the Royal Mile. You managed to squeeze all that in.

milliebest

I have a correction. The restaurant in York was not J.Briggs, it was J. Bakers Bistro Moderne. I am grateful that some picked it up because it is a very special place.

annhig

hi millebest,

I think I remember your planning thread so I'm very pleased that your trip worked out so well.

did you notice how often you were saying "I wish we'd had more time here" when you were writing? I'm pointing this out not to criticise you at all, but as a pointer perhaps to trip planners reading this who want to see the whole of the UK in a week! [there was one recently who quite literally had that in mind, and got very upset when it was suggested that this was a bad idea].

you've certainly opened my eyes to some places in the UK that I have yet to see, and using public transport is in some ways an advantage as you found.

and it's the first time that I've seen the slowness of UK trains described as a virtue!

milliebest

Thanks for your response. The thing I cherish most in my visit is the discussions with local people at the bus stops, train stations and local places like the "Snookers" in York. That day York was crazy with tourists because it was the Friday beginning bank Holiday. It was so refreshing to have a beer with a local couple and just compare our lives. This is part of the joys of public transportation and avoiding what all the "tourists do."

sheila

I've only read the Scottish bit, but thank you for posting it. Great report