Visit to UK for 10 days
 

Hello All,

We are a couple in late 20s and would be visiting UK in the end of March 2013. We are landing in London (Heathrow) and are planning to stay in London initially for 2 days and then 3 more days while return (as the return flight is from London only). Also planning to stay for 2 nights in York + Leeds and 2 nights in Glasgow + Edinburgh.

My questions:
1. Very first question is that giving 5 days to london and around is too much or not? I can only think of places like Oxford, Cambridge & Birmingham. Please suggest some more nearby places.

2. Where to stay in London? It should be easily reachable by tube and somewhere in the city itself. Infact the budget allows US for a less than 100 GBP accomodation per night. A few hotels in Hyde Park area and Kensington Area appear affordable - is it fine to stay there?

3. While being in York, we are thinking of touching Leeds and Manchester. I heard Sheffield is also beautiful. Any suggetions?

4. Finally, Glasgow and Edinburgh has been given 2 days in my itinerary, which I feel is sufficient. Any suggestions are invited.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

N

You could easily spend 5 weeks in London and still not have seen all the sights. Five days is a minimum for a first trip - to see the most important sights - IMHO.

If you have given G and E 2 days each that's not bad - 2 days for both is a rush.

In fact - you really have too many places for a trip of only 10 days. We have been to the UK numerous times and you are barely scratching the surface - and I would focus on fewer places so you have more time seeing sights than just getting from one place to another.

For london stay in one of the yha places to get your costs down.http://www.yha.org.uk/ the areas you are suggesting are ok but at those low prices the hotels may not be.

London will consume a lot of time and the trip to Oxford or Cambridge is ok but you are missing out on say (in no order) Salisbury (and old sarum), Winchester, Bath, Stonehenge (near Salisbury)

"While being in York, we are thinking of touching Leeds and Manchester. I heard Sheffield is also beautiful. Any suggetions?" It's good to see that the Old British sense of humour has already hit you. Sheffield is close to some very pretty countryside but the place (even after multiple rebuilds) is a dump.
Both Leeds and Manchester are worth a train journey (I would not recommend driving to either and I live in Leeds). Given that York and the countryside around is world class (start surfinng on monesteries and UK national parks) I would not get on that train unless you also fit in a visit to Saltaire and you also have a thing for the Brontes. Maybe just Leeds for the Henry Moore, the shopping and the tight little city centre, restaurants etc.

Is it only big cities you're interested in? In fact, what are your interests? Why are you going to the UK?

And how do you plan to travel? Rent a car? Train?

At the end of March it will still be winterish, so a little early for the beautiful English countryside. But there are many interesting small towns as well as the big cities. From London you can do excursions to Windsor (Castle and town), Greenwich and Hampton Court Palace. A little farther are Salisbury and Stonehenge, Winchester, St. Albans, and Brighton. That's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more.

And remember 2 days in one place is 3 nights. You need to allow transportation time between stops. How many days total do you have?

At the end of March it will still be winterish, so a little early for the beautiful English countryside.>>

last year it was positively balmy down here in Cornwall at the end of March - in fact it was some of the best weather we had all year. and our countryside is glorious at that time.

10 days probably isn't as long as you'd need to do london and Cornwall, but don't write off the countryside. 5 days in London and 5 days in the cotswolds or yorkshire dales might be just the thing.

for places mentioned I'd take the train - British trains that not nearly as fast or modern of comfy IME as those on The Continent still make a great way to get around - simply because there are so so many trains going everywhere you mention.

for lots of great info on British trains check out these IMO superb sites - www.nationalrail.co.uk - schedules and fares for all British passenger trains with a limited number of discounted tickets that to get you should book well in advance and usually cannot be changed nor refunded for the deepest discount ones I believe - and also www.seat61.com; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id11.html and www.ricksteves.com. And if traveling more than a few times and wishing to just show up at stations and hop any train anytime - as these type of fully flexible tickets can cost a ton of money investigate some kind of BritRail Pass that does allow you to hop on any train anytime - for pass prices check out www.seat61.com's commercial link to RailEurope in the U.S. if from the U.S.

Very much like bilboburgler, I would avoid Sheffield. In fact, I would think about concentrating on York rather than going to Leeds or Manchester (and I live near there). There is enough to keep you happy there

Sheffield is a dump. Do not go there. Manchester and Leeds are large industrial cities with a huge ethnic population. I would not touch them with a barge pole. With all the free museums in London, you could spend your entire time there. The Victoria and Albert museum, for example, has 10 million exibits on display!! As for hotels that are reasonable and convenient, look at those in Belgrave Road in Pimlico. Most are around 50 Euros per person and the location is a ten minute walk from Victoria station. A more ideal spot is hard to beat.

I personally think your plan of dividing London into two stays unnecessarily chops up/complicates things. And you have too many sites for just 10 days (not too many stops but too many other excursions). You don't have NEARLY enough time for all that.

What I would do is upon landing at Heathrow, fly up to Edinburgh (or possibly Glasgow - if that is your major interest). Allow at least 4 hours between landing and your flight north. Spend 2 nights Edinburgh -- you don't have time for BOTH cities unless you cut something else.

Then take the train to York for one night. That would give you 1.5 days there. Forget Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield.

Then an early evening train to London for the rest of your time - taking maybe <u>ONE</u> day trip (Oxford or Bath or Windsor or ??)

That would be a pretty rushed but doable 10 days. Remember -you need to account for jetlag and travel time.

Manchester and Leeds are large industrial cities with a huge ethnic population. I would not touch them with a barge pole>>

that's a bit rich, almcd. London, FYI, has a huge multi-cultural population, and none the worse for it.

I would suggest to the OP that jj, as ever, has some very good ideas, but i would cut it down still further - 3 stops max.

Annhig - "<i>but i would cut it down still further - 3 stops max.</i>"

we agree. To clarify, I meant only 3 stops (which is still rushed). Edinburgh/York/London. Glasgow was mentioned <i>only</i> if they are more interested in Glasgow than Edinburgh.

And to be clear, Edinburgh would be my choice.

"Manchester and Leeds are large industrial cities with a huge ethnic population. I would not touch them with a barge pole"

crikey, I wouldn't like to tell all the lawyers and bankers we have up here that their city is industrial.... As for ethnic, what a thing to say, is that a good thing or a bad thing???

I think York will give you enough to do but in March with the weather as it may be it is good to have a back-up city to spend a day in and Scarborough does not hack it in March ;-)

A disgraceful comment almcd, shows how much you know about the UK - can't even get the currency right

Sheffield is a dump. Do not go there. Manchester and Leeds are large industrial cities with a huge ethnic population

Racist and moronic

"<i>Sheffield is a dump. Do not go there. Manchester and Leeds are large industrial cities with a huge ethnic population

Racist and moronic</i>"

Perhaps - but it doesn't really matter since the OP simply doesn't have enough for any of the three.

"Manchester and Leeds are large industrial cities with a huge ethnic population. "

Neither place has been "industrial" for 40 to 50 years. Sounds like he got hold of a very old guidebook. Ethnicity? New York is full of Mom and apple pie is it? What a prat!

My apologies to New York. I now see that this idiot is a typical Southerner with little or no experience of the rest of the UK.

Thanks to all; your suggestions are really helpful. Infact I have rebuilt the itinerary - first am on a budget trip and second not sure when next time would be able to visit UK again; that's the reason for many citites at one-go. Train travel is what I will prefer and that too advance purchase to minimise the cost.

Now, the itinerary is like this:-
Day 1- Landing at Heathrow and tube to Birmingham (stay for a day)
Day 2- Leaving for Wyndermere, Lake District (stay for a day
Day 3&4 - Leaving for York (stay for 2 days) maybe Leeds for half a day
Day 4&5 - Leaving for Glasgow (stay for 2 days)
Day 6 - Leaving for Edinburgh (stay for a day)
Day 7,8&9 - Leaving for London (Stay for 3 days in London)

I have dropped Manchester and also Sheffield as there is nothing much to do there, also am not too much of a football buff.

I hope the above appears good at least on paper.

If possible please suggest any interesting things which I must not miss in York/Leeds, Glasgow & Edinburgh.

Thanks again,

Well you could search each city on this site. "Morgana" also does a great North Yorkshire guide. For me
1) walk around the walls
2) Visit the cathedral, and the older buildings to the East
3) walk down the "shambles"
4) Walk up the little norman mound with castle ruins on the top
5) visit the York museum
6) visit the expensive Yorvik centre (well no but have a look on the website
7) And visit the railway museum (no really it is worth a good look around)

If it is fine try and get out to one of the monestry ruins. Fountains is the best in my mind

http://www.visityork.org/information/
http://www.visitleeds.co.uk/
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fountains-abbey/

oh and you need this thing to get around
http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2...epeatingloop=Y