When to start planning trip to UK
May 9th, 2006, 08:12 AM
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When to start planning trip to UK
Hi Everyone,
My husband and I thought it would be nice to spend our anniversary in Europe. We're not much of a traveller and has never been outside of US (yeah, total greenhorns here!) So for starters, we thought maybe the UK. At least with the same language (sort of) we can follow directions, maps, etc. For the trip, we're thinking mid to late September, for about 10-12 days. It's beginning of May, is this pretty late to start making plans? We are really starting from scratch, no itineray nor hotel reservations.
London is of course a must, so would 3 days there be enough to see the usual "tourist attractions"? Heard that Cotswold is beautiful, is that a day trip from London? How about Stonehenge? is that drivable from London?
I was advised to just join a tour group so that everything will be taken care of but we didn't want to be bogged down with schedules. While another friend planned it all by herself (a first-timer, too) a couple of years ago and didn't have any problems. She just reconfirmed all her flight and hotel reservations a week before her departure, bought most of her tickets (I think for museums and trains) online and didn't even get lost in London's undergroud train.
Sorry for the long post, but would really appreciate any advise or tips on international travel you care to throw our way. Thanks so much.
My husband and I thought it would be nice to spend our anniversary in Europe. We're not much of a traveller and has never been outside of US (yeah, total greenhorns here!) So for starters, we thought maybe the UK. At least with the same language (sort of) we can follow directions, maps, etc. For the trip, we're thinking mid to late September, for about 10-12 days. It's beginning of May, is this pretty late to start making plans? We are really starting from scratch, no itineray nor hotel reservations.
London is of course a must, so would 3 days there be enough to see the usual "tourist attractions"? Heard that Cotswold is beautiful, is that a day trip from London? How about Stonehenge? is that drivable from London?
I was advised to just join a tour group so that everything will be taken care of but we didn't want to be bogged down with schedules. While another friend planned it all by herself (a first-timer, too) a couple of years ago and didn't have any problems. She just reconfirmed all her flight and hotel reservations a week before her departure, bought most of her tickets (I think for museums and trains) online and didn't even get lost in London's undergroud train.
Sorry for the long post, but would really appreciate any advise or tips on international travel you care to throw our way. Thanks so much.
May 9th, 2006, 08:49 AM
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UK is an excellent choice for a first trip to Europe. Bear in mind however if you were contemplating driving in the UK that the British drive on the LEFT side of the road. Some people adjust easily to this, some don't.
September is actually a pretty good time to go to Britain. There will be fewer tourists (summer is the high season) but everything will still be open (some Stately Homes close in the winter or are only open limited hours).
Time Frame - if you can stretch your vacation to at least two weeks - DO IT - remember, your first day in the UK is often a loss (you may be quite jet lagged and just not capable of doing a lot. Three days in London will only allow you to see the highlights - London has so many tourist attractions. You may want to allow an extra day to do one/two of the more outlying attractions - like Hampton Court and Kew Gardens (it is possible to do both in a day and they are very much worth the effort.
Since you have such a limited time and a great part of Britain's charm is in the countryside, I do recommend not spending more than 4 days in the London area. I also recommend NOT booking accomodation in advance except for London and I highly recommend B&Bs and Guesthouses rather than hotels. You are not going to be there in high season and the added flexibility (especially if you are driving) is great. The best places I stayed at in the UK have always been - interesting looking B&Bs or Guesthouses I spotted from the road or were recommended to me. Once you have decided (other than London) what sort of an itinerary you want, you can get a lot of advice here.
Sometimes it is better to say what interests you rather than just head for "name" tourist spots.
My personal favorites in southern England are:
Wells/Bath area
Lyme Regis
Devon - the coast
Driving in the Cotswolds
Blenheim Palace
Devon
A little to the north of London I like:
Cambridge
Ely
September is actually a pretty good time to go to Britain. There will be fewer tourists (summer is the high season) but everything will still be open (some Stately Homes close in the winter or are only open limited hours).
Time Frame - if you can stretch your vacation to at least two weeks - DO IT - remember, your first day in the UK is often a loss (you may be quite jet lagged and just not capable of doing a lot. Three days in London will only allow you to see the highlights - London has so many tourist attractions. You may want to allow an extra day to do one/two of the more outlying attractions - like Hampton Court and Kew Gardens (it is possible to do both in a day and they are very much worth the effort.
Since you have such a limited time and a great part of Britain's charm is in the countryside, I do recommend not spending more than 4 days in the London area. I also recommend NOT booking accomodation in advance except for London and I highly recommend B&Bs and Guesthouses rather than hotels. You are not going to be there in high season and the added flexibility (especially if you are driving) is great. The best places I stayed at in the UK have always been - interesting looking B&Bs or Guesthouses I spotted from the road or were recommended to me. Once you have decided (other than London) what sort of an itinerary you want, you can get a lot of advice here.
Sometimes it is better to say what interests you rather than just head for "name" tourist spots.
My personal favorites in southern England are:
Wells/Bath area
Lyme Regis
Devon - the coast
Driving in the Cotswolds
Blenheim Palace
Devon
A little to the north of London I like:
Cambridge
Ely
May 9th, 2006, 11:03 AM
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Darcy, you will most likely get a variety of suggestions here. I do agree, if you are comfortable in B&B's that they are the way to go outside of London.
With only wanting to spend 3 or 4 days in London make sure your hotel is cental to those sights that interest you the most.
I, however, would recommend you book the hotels and B&B's as you don't have time to spend tracking down desirable places and September and October are much less a "shoulder" season than in years past.
Decide what interests you and there will be many here that can point you in the right direction. When you mention the UK are you thinking England?
Half the enjoyment is in the planning for many travelers so the sooner you get started the sooner the fun starts
Deborah
With only wanting to spend 3 or 4 days in London make sure your hotel is cental to those sights that interest you the most.
I, however, would recommend you book the hotels and B&B's as you don't have time to spend tracking down desirable places and September and October are much less a "shoulder" season than in years past.
Decide what interests you and there will be many here that can point you in the right direction. When you mention the UK are you thinking England?
Half the enjoyment is in the planning for many travelers so the sooner you get started the sooner the fun starts
Deborah
May 9th, 2006, 11:42 AM
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I'm also planning our first trip to Europe. It has been more complicated to plan than I anticipated. There is so much information to sort through, and so many decisions to make, especially if you plan to go to several towns. I'm still trying to figure out our itinerary. So, the sooner you figure out what you'd like to do, the better. Then you can deal with the details of reservations, etc.
May 9th, 2006, 12:26 PM
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Your first day is pretty much a loss due to jetlag so 10-12 days is really not alot. There is so much to see in London you could spend all that time there and still not do it all.
For a first timer I'd spend at least 4-5 days in London tho, you will regret it later if you don't I think. If you want to see some of the countryside choose and area and stay 2-3 nights in one place and "day trip" from there -- much easier then a different hotel every night.
I am not a fan of B&B's at all (just not our thing, and since they are so "trendy" they are mostly more expensive then they used to be before everyone and their dog decided to open one). I would recommend small hotels/inns tho - they can be quite charming but you are still in a hotel, not someone's house. For example we stayed 5 days at the Red Lion Inn in Salisbury on one trip and used it as a base for sightseeing in that area (including Stonehedge). It was nice to be in a town with shops and resturants too. Another great small hotel where we stayed several days was "Pride of the Valley", near Churt and Farnham in Surrey. We just loved that place.
What I would suggest if you decide to rent a car and go to the countryside is rent outside of London. Go back out to Heathrow to get a car. There is a much larger choice of cars (sizes and automatics .. and if you are used to an automatic I would not mess around with a manual).
What you could also do - and we do this on many of our trips - is stay in London and take day trips. You can see alot of the countryside that way and still don't have to worry about packing/unpacking, driving, etc. We rent an apartment in London when we do this so we really have a "home" to come home to so to speak.
The more well known day trips include:
London to York from Kings Cross Sta. is just 2 hrs by high speed train and York is lovely.
Canterbury, out in Kent, is just 90 minutes from Victoria or Charing Cross Stations.
Winchester is 1 hour (lovely town, lovely cathedral). Salisbury is 90 minutes (likewise lovely cathedral).
Warwick Castle is 90 min. by train via Marylebone Station - terrific place to visit and makes a great day trip.
Cambridge is about 1 hr from Kings Cross, again great place to visit.
Bath is about 90 min to 2 hours from Paddington Station.
Just outside of London are Hampton Court (1/2 hr away) and Windsor Castle, also about 1/2 hr). I would not combine these two, they are totally different in that one is a palace and one is a castle - both lovely but different. Allow enough time to see at least one.
Greenwich is a nice boat ride down the Thames from London or a train ride if you want to get their quicker. It's a pleasant town, beautiful park, museums, and the Observatory of course.
The list goes on and on asday trips out of London is one of the major topics on this board. There just are lots of wonderful places to go to for day trips and still be in London for the evening (theater !!!).
The ultimate day trip, of course, is Paris via Eurostar. While we always spend several days in Paris I know people do the day trip all the time and while you have to get up early and it is a long day it is worth it if that is the only time you have to see Paris at all.
I would really advise against an organized tour - it is much more fun to do it yourself and stop and see what you want to on your own schedule. Britain is easy to schedule on your own, there is tons of info out there.
For a first timer I'd spend at least 4-5 days in London tho, you will regret it later if you don't I think. If you want to see some of the countryside choose and area and stay 2-3 nights in one place and "day trip" from there -- much easier then a different hotel every night.
I am not a fan of B&B's at all (just not our thing, and since they are so "trendy" they are mostly more expensive then they used to be before everyone and their dog decided to open one). I would recommend small hotels/inns tho - they can be quite charming but you are still in a hotel, not someone's house. For example we stayed 5 days at the Red Lion Inn in Salisbury on one trip and used it as a base for sightseeing in that area (including Stonehedge). It was nice to be in a town with shops and resturants too. Another great small hotel where we stayed several days was "Pride of the Valley", near Churt and Farnham in Surrey. We just loved that place.
What I would suggest if you decide to rent a car and go to the countryside is rent outside of London. Go back out to Heathrow to get a car. There is a much larger choice of cars (sizes and automatics .. and if you are used to an automatic I would not mess around with a manual).
What you could also do - and we do this on many of our trips - is stay in London and take day trips. You can see alot of the countryside that way and still don't have to worry about packing/unpacking, driving, etc. We rent an apartment in London when we do this so we really have a "home" to come home to so to speak.
The more well known day trips include:
London to York from Kings Cross Sta. is just 2 hrs by high speed train and York is lovely.
Canterbury, out in Kent, is just 90 minutes from Victoria or Charing Cross Stations.
Winchester is 1 hour (lovely town, lovely cathedral). Salisbury is 90 minutes (likewise lovely cathedral).
Warwick Castle is 90 min. by train via Marylebone Station - terrific place to visit and makes a great day trip.
Cambridge is about 1 hr from Kings Cross, again great place to visit.
Bath is about 90 min to 2 hours from Paddington Station.
Just outside of London are Hampton Court (1/2 hr away) and Windsor Castle, also about 1/2 hr). I would not combine these two, they are totally different in that one is a palace and one is a castle - both lovely but different. Allow enough time to see at least one.
Greenwich is a nice boat ride down the Thames from London or a train ride if you want to get their quicker. It's a pleasant town, beautiful park, museums, and the Observatory of course.
The list goes on and on asday trips out of London is one of the major topics on this board. There just are lots of wonderful places to go to for day trips and still be in London for the evening (theater !!!).
The ultimate day trip, of course, is Paris via Eurostar. While we always spend several days in Paris I know people do the day trip all the time and while you have to get up early and it is a long day it is worth it if that is the only time you have to see Paris at all.
I would really advise against an organized tour - it is much more fun to do it yourself and stop and see what you want to on your own schedule. Britain is easy to schedule on your own, there is tons of info out there.
May 9th, 2006, 12:29 PM
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I forgot to mention you can get a very good idea of train fares and schedules from www.thetrainline.com For you first timers, a "return" ticket is what we, in the U.S., call round trip. Most of the places you can day trip to are available via "cheap day return".
May 9th, 2006, 12:48 PM
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Darcy, now that you have 12 months worth of suggestions, its time to pare down.
London is an intersting city. I would spend 5 or 6 nights there. I would visit York as a daytrip from King's Cross train station. Greenwich is also an interesting way to spend a day. You can easily fill up your time in London.
I would spend the rest of my time in Bath. Take the train from London. Rent a car from Bath (or take a day tour) to see Avebury, Stonehenge and Salisbury in one day. On another day, drive around the Cotswalds. This still might leave the possibility of Oxford.
York and Bath are quite different cities.
There are many more fabulous places but the ones I have suggested will give you a good cross section in the time you have.
Check out the different travel guides in your Barnes and Noble or Borders. Also see what your local library has before deciding which one to buy. There could easily be something else in England that you feel you must visit and you should do that.
London is an intersting city. I would spend 5 or 6 nights there. I would visit York as a daytrip from King's Cross train station. Greenwich is also an interesting way to spend a day. You can easily fill up your time in London.
I would spend the rest of my time in Bath. Take the train from London. Rent a car from Bath (or take a day tour) to see Avebury, Stonehenge and Salisbury in one day. On another day, drive around the Cotswalds. This still might leave the possibility of Oxford.
York and Bath are quite different cities.
There are many more fabulous places but the ones I have suggested will give you a good cross section in the time you have.
Check out the different travel guides in your Barnes and Noble or Borders. Also see what your local library has before deciding which one to buy. There could easily be something else in England that you feel you must visit and you should do that.
May 9th, 2006, 01:45 PM
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Oh gosh! Thanks so much for all the replies. Actually my friend who did the solo trip to England recommended this forum. According to her she felt confident doing her own planning because of the wealth of advice and suggestions she got from this forum. Better than any travel agent!
I've heard of the Kew gardens so definitely will put that in our list. I was thinking of just England but my husband thought that maybe we could take a flight either to Dublin or Glasgow or maybe a train to Edingburg and spend a couple of days. I think that's pushing it.
We like gardens and history, so museums will be in our itineray. He likes trains, steam locomotives, and I like castles, landscapes and historical places.
Sombody loaned me DK Great Britain and London but they are about 7 years old. Should I get an updated copy?
Ely, Deborah, Maire, Lori, Barbara - thank you so much for your replies and recommendations! I'm printing your replies so I can referenced them when making my plans. Thank you, thank you!!
I've heard of the Kew gardens so definitely will put that in our list. I was thinking of just England but my husband thought that maybe we could take a flight either to Dublin or Glasgow or maybe a train to Edingburg and spend a couple of days. I think that's pushing it.
We like gardens and history, so museums will be in our itineray. He likes trains, steam locomotives, and I like castles, landscapes and historical places.
Sombody loaned me DK Great Britain and London but they are about 7 years old. Should I get an updated copy?
Ely, Deborah, Maire, Lori, Barbara - thank you so much for your replies and recommendations! I'm printing your replies so I can referenced them when making my plans. Thank you, thank you!!
May 9th, 2006, 02:02 PM
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Darcy, DK books are terrific. Lots of photos so it should give you some good ideas as to what appeals to you. You can then check out some more updated books.
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Fodor's Talk. Don't forget to come back and check for comments to your question.
Be very careful not to try to do too much your first trip to the UK. There are many good ideas on Fodor's how not to plan too much in too short of a trip. Sorry there seems to be too many prepositions in that last sentence. Hope it makes sense to you.
Have lots of fun planning your trip. Deborah
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Fodor's Talk. Don't forget to come back and check for comments to your question.
Be very careful not to try to do too much your first trip to the UK. There are many good ideas on Fodor's how not to plan too much in too short of a trip. Sorry there seems to be too many prepositions in that last sentence. Hope it makes sense to you.
Have lots of fun planning your trip. Deborah
May 9th, 2006, 02:36 PM
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Darcy,
Can you handle a few more bits of advise ...
... ???Don't "overplan". Allow some time to just wander about, go down a side street, stop for ice cream, etc. Sometimes those will turn out to be your best times/memories, I know they have been for us.
I'd also like to mention that while Glasgow and Edinburgh seem "close by", they are not and with only 10-12 days I'd save them for a longer trip, or better yet, a trip of their own.
Kew Gardens is nice, but honestly ... I have to admit we were not overwhelmed or anything ... I would not recommend them to a first timer visitor, there is simply too much else to see in the London area.
Happy Planning and I am sure we will all look forward to your questions and helping when we can.
Can you handle a few more bits of advise ...
... ???Don't "overplan". Allow some time to just wander about, go down a side street, stop for ice cream, etc. Sometimes those will turn out to be your best times/memories, I know they have been for us.I'd also like to mention that while Glasgow and Edinburgh seem "close by", they are not and with only 10-12 days I'd save them for a longer trip, or better yet, a trip of their own.
Kew Gardens is nice, but honestly ... I have to admit we were not overwhelmed or anything ... I would not recommend them to a first timer visitor, there is simply too much else to see in the London area.
Happy Planning and I am sure we will all look forward to your questions and helping when we can.
May 9th, 2006, 03:27 PM
#11
I am going to be a bit of a contrarian. So what else is new?
May I suggest you save London till last?
Here are my reasons: First, there are a number of direct flights from the US to cities in the UK besides London. Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh - all have direct flights on major airlines. If I recall correctly, even Bristol is soon to have (or now has) transatlantic service from Newark. These flights avoid the busy London airports, and more importantly, allow you to follow my second reason.
Second is that you will be pooped from the time change and will need a day or two just to recover. I would strongly suggest picking a rural area - small town or village - in which to do this. Not only will it allow you to rest and poke around while you "recover," it will get you into the swing of things - how to order a beer, how to drive on the left, how to buy stamps for postcards - without the pressure of big city hassles.
Take five or six days, or more, and poke around one area or two at most. In mid-late Sept. you will have (probably) good weather, relatively uncrowded visiting conditions, and a chance to go a little "deep" rather than spreading yourselves too thinly. Pick Yorkshire, or the west of England (using Manchester or Bristol airports respectively) or - here's a thought - fly on MaxJet (www.maxjet.com) in affordable business class to Stansted airport (near London, yeah) but then head north into East Anglia for a few days. Anniversary in a nice country hotel or foodie pub... it can be romantic as well as relaxing.
Anyway, then travel to London for your last few days. Your heads will be clear, you won't risk falling asleep in the Tate or in some tube station; you can stay up late or get up early and see all the things London can offer to earlybirds or nightowls... in short make the most of your time in the city.
Fly home from one of the London airports ("open-jaw" tickets are easy to set up) and - just IMO - you'll have had a better 10-12 days than if you had done it in reverse.
May I suggest you save London till last?
Here are my reasons: First, there are a number of direct flights from the US to cities in the UK besides London. Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh - all have direct flights on major airlines. If I recall correctly, even Bristol is soon to have (or now has) transatlantic service from Newark. These flights avoid the busy London airports, and more importantly, allow you to follow my second reason.
Second is that you will be pooped from the time change and will need a day or two just to recover. I would strongly suggest picking a rural area - small town or village - in which to do this. Not only will it allow you to rest and poke around while you "recover," it will get you into the swing of things - how to order a beer, how to drive on the left, how to buy stamps for postcards - without the pressure of big city hassles.
Take five or six days, or more, and poke around one area or two at most. In mid-late Sept. you will have (probably) good weather, relatively uncrowded visiting conditions, and a chance to go a little "deep" rather than spreading yourselves too thinly. Pick Yorkshire, or the west of England (using Manchester or Bristol airports respectively) or - here's a thought - fly on MaxJet (www.maxjet.com) in affordable business class to Stansted airport (near London, yeah) but then head north into East Anglia for a few days. Anniversary in a nice country hotel or foodie pub... it can be romantic as well as relaxing.
Anyway, then travel to London for your last few days. Your heads will be clear, you won't risk falling asleep in the Tate or in some tube station; you can stay up late or get up early and see all the things London can offer to earlybirds or nightowls... in short make the most of your time in the city.
Fly home from one of the London airports ("open-jaw" tickets are easy to set up) and - just IMO - you'll have had a better 10-12 days than if you had done it in reverse.
May 9th, 2006, 03:58 PM
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It's a good idea to do as the last poster said and do the countryside first and then London. Just be very careful driving should you decide to rent a car after getting off a long flight -you will have jetlag. It's just my opinion, but it's best to stay near the airport that first night rather then going off driving on the left, experiencing jetlag and dealing with anything from a 6-9 hour time difference.
May 9th, 2006, 04:22 PM
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Your husband would probably enjoy the National Railway Museum in York. The museum is a short walk from the railway station and is a must for train buffs. York is terrific too as others have said.
Happy Anniversary!
http://www.nrm.org.uk/home/home.asp
Happy Anniversary!
http://www.nrm.org.uk/home/home.asp
May 9th, 2006, 05:44 PM
#14
You have received a lot of good advice - probably too much to digest in one or two readings.
So here's another plan to add to your confusion
I'll work w/ 12 days "in country" - that would be 2 weeks when you factor in travel to/from the UK. If you have less time - then deduct the days from the London end.
For a first trip w/ a lot of variety, not too much driving and TERRIFIC location consider this:
Fly open jaw into either Glasgow or Edinburgh and out of London. (If you fly open jaw you avoid having to backtrack as much and usually a better use of limited time.)
Three days/two nights in Edinburgh. Then the evening of the 3rd day take the train to York for 3 nights. First day in York stay in the city - plenty to fill a day -- the Minster, the WONDERFUL Castle musem, the Shambles, Railway museum, etc. Second day rent a car and explore -- Castle Howard, Whitby/Robin Hood's Bay, the Moors, maybe Fountains Abbey/Studley Royal, James Herriot connections, etc. Spend the morning of the 3rd day wandering a bit more around York and then just after lunch take the train to London.
You'll arrive in London before dinner time. By now you have had 5 overnights and seen a bit of Scotland and Yorkshire but only had to drive one day. The rest of your time spent in London - w/ possibly one day trip to Bath or Salisbury/Stonehenge. Then fly home from London.
This would be a good introduction w/o stressing too much.
So here's another plan to add to your confusion
I'll work w/ 12 days "in country" - that would be 2 weeks when you factor in travel to/from the UK. If you have less time - then deduct the days from the London end.
For a first trip w/ a lot of variety, not too much driving and TERRIFIC location consider this:
Fly open jaw into either Glasgow or Edinburgh and out of London. (If you fly open jaw you avoid having to backtrack as much and usually a better use of limited time.)
Three days/two nights in Edinburgh. Then the evening of the 3rd day take the train to York for 3 nights. First day in York stay in the city - plenty to fill a day -- the Minster, the WONDERFUL Castle musem, the Shambles, Railway museum, etc. Second day rent a car and explore -- Castle Howard, Whitby/Robin Hood's Bay, the Moors, maybe Fountains Abbey/Studley Royal, James Herriot connections, etc. Spend the morning of the 3rd day wandering a bit more around York and then just after lunch take the train to London.
You'll arrive in London before dinner time. By now you have had 5 overnights and seen a bit of Scotland and Yorkshire but only had to drive one day. The rest of your time spent in London - w/ possibly one day trip to Bath or Salisbury/Stonehenge. Then fly home from London.
This would be a good introduction w/o stressing too much.
May 10th, 2006, 08:07 AM
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Gardyloo, thanks for a great idea! I never thought of starting from the north and winding down to London and flying out from there back to Boston. I think that's the way I'm going to plan this trip.
Mvor, thanks for the railway link. I check it out and it looks just the place my husband would love. Though I'm not sure if I want to tell him about this place now because I may never see him again for the two days or so we're in York!
Janisj - are you a professional travel agent by any chance? ;-) Thank you for your suggested itinerary. I thought of maybe just a day in York for the train museum but now that you've mentioned the York Catherdral, Castle Howard - which I read are worth a trip - plus the Yorkshire Dales which is supposed to be gorgeous, I'm extending our stay there.
Lori-thanks for giving me time travel, it helps a lot with my planning our schedule. But as you've suggested, too I'm leaving "holes" in our schedules for things we may want to do at the spur of the moment.
Thanks for all the replies! You guys are awesome! You are giving this never-been-outside-US traveller the confidence to make this trip a success. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post and generously sharing your travel tips with me.
Mvor, thanks for the railway link. I check it out and it looks just the place my husband would love. Though I'm not sure if I want to tell him about this place now because I may never see him again for the two days or so we're in York!
Janisj - are you a professional travel agent by any chance? ;-) Thank you for your suggested itinerary. I thought of maybe just a day in York for the train museum but now that you've mentioned the York Catherdral, Castle Howard - which I read are worth a trip - plus the Yorkshire Dales which is supposed to be gorgeous, I'm extending our stay there.
Lori-thanks for giving me time travel, it helps a lot with my planning our schedule. But as you've suggested, too I'm leaving "holes" in our schedules for things we may want to do at the spur of the moment.
Thanks for all the replies! You guys are awesome! You are giving this never-been-outside-US traveller the confidence to make this trip a success. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post and generously sharing your travel tips with me.
May 10th, 2006, 08:49 AM
#18
Now that we know you're in Boston, I can add a slight alternative. If you take the morning AA flight from BOS to LHR, you arrive at 8:30 pm. Book into a cheap-but-4-star airport hotel at Heathrow (almost always available via Priceline for US$80 or less) and sleep in a real bed rather than an airplane seat. Then the next morning, get a car and drive out to the countryside - using the motorways that serve Heathrow, you can be in deepest Oxfordshire in an hour, or the west country or Welsh borders in a couple more. Driving would be easier after a night's sleep too.
Or, you could catch a cheap BMI flight the next morning to Edinburgh and do as janisj suggests, although I still think a smaller town for a couple of days would be better for newbies than a big city like Edinburgh.
Alternatively, you could follow my previous idea and fly on AA's nonstop from Boston to Manchester, then make your way to the Yorkshire Dales or maybe Bronte country (Haworth is a pleasant country town and is maybe an hour and a half, mostly on motorway, from Manchester airport. Have a look here for instance: http://www.oldwhitelionhotel.com) Then commence your journey south, or keep heading north through the Dales, see Durham Cathedral, eventually drop the car in Edinburgh and take the train to London to finish up.
Or, you could catch a cheap BMI flight the next morning to Edinburgh and do as janisj suggests, although I still think a smaller town for a couple of days would be better for newbies than a big city like Edinburgh.
Alternatively, you could follow my previous idea and fly on AA's nonstop from Boston to Manchester, then make your way to the Yorkshire Dales or maybe Bronte country (Haworth is a pleasant country town and is maybe an hour and a half, mostly on motorway, from Manchester airport. Have a look here for instance: http://www.oldwhitelionhotel.com) Then commence your journey south, or keep heading north through the Dales, see Durham Cathedral, eventually drop the car in Edinburgh and take the train to London to finish up.
May 11th, 2006, 07:01 AM
#20
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Visit Scotland and Wales too if you can. You would be best to hire a car and dont book accomodation, then you can stop where you like for half a day or overnight and move on.
For cheap airfares from London to Glasgow,Aberdeen,Inverness or Edinburgh look at www.easyjet.com where the earlier you book - the cheaper it is. You have plenty of time if youre only going in September.
For cheap airfares from London to Glasgow,Aberdeen,Inverness or Edinburgh look at www.easyjet.com where the earlier you book - the cheaper it is. You have plenty of time if youre only going in September.
