Britain First Timer

Wow. You might get a thousand suggestions for this! The first thing I would do is get the RS London guide and read up the suggestions for the time you have there, (free advertising plug) You could conceivably do Bath and S-u-A as day trips but you will be busy. London is bustling-look to your RIGHT when you cross the street and Mind The Gap is not just a cute suggestion. The V and A is incredible, but for a short visit, how could you pass up the British Museum?-Magna Carta,Elgin Marbles, Rosetta Stone, Gutenberg Bible and one or two other things. How are you getting to London from Scotland-it's not a short trip? And, where you stay in London might help dictate what sites are easiest for you to take in. You'll have a great time whatever you do.

The National Rail website can help you plan train travel between Scotland and your English destinations. One option is to stay in London and make long day trips to Bath and Stratford (in different directions). Not sure why you'd want to base yourself in London if you're not much for bustling cities, though. Maybe look for connections between Scotland and Stratford, then Bath, then London at the end for your specific destinations there.

You might consider flying from a Scottish city to London, or maybe Bristol which is close to Bath, or a city near Stratford, to save time getting south. Skyscanner can help you plan any air travel in Britain.

Given the distance and all there is in London, I wouldn't try to split five days among London, Stratford, and Bath. That would mean spending a lot of the available time in transit. I hope you have a good map.

Five days is nothing; if you didn't indicate a dislike of large cities, I'd urge you to spend all the time in London.

Failing to buy rail tickets in advance can be very, very costly. When is your trip?

What kind of crafts are you interested in? I might have a few suggestions for you. The V & A is wonderful. And huge. I wasn't able to see the entire museum during my trip last year; I estimate that by the time I finish, I will have spent 12 hours there.

Thank you for the replies - the trip will be in June 2018. Nothing is booked yet. Still refining the itinerary. I plan to book as much in advance as possible including rail tickets, etc. I am really just trying to narrow things down right now. Was planning train travel between Edinburgh and London but may opt for airline travel.

Was not planning to base myself in London - wanted to do 2 days there. Was actually thinking of basing myself out of Bath per Rick's suggestion in many of his guides.

I have several guidebooks (Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide) and have perused numerous websites. Have also spoken with friend and family who have traveled GB. The problem is that at some point, it's all just too much information. The options are infinite in their possibility.

I am aware that Liberty is not inexpensive - I have been buying their Tana Lawn fabric in the US for years at over $20/yard. One does not go to such a place because it is cheap but because it is an institution. One of my favorite knitting magazines - AmiRisu - has a great feature of a craft tour of London, so I was planning to follow that to see some of the spots of read about for ages like Loop London.

I think at this point, I just may amend the trip to spend 5 days in Bath or S-U-A with a foray into London for the aforementioned shops. London has much to offer and will likely require a return trip.

I appreciate the suggestions but some of the hostility that comes through is unnerving ("I hope you have a good map" "I don't know why you'd want to...." etc) Not much generosity of spirit on here is there?

You will probably want to check out the Fabric and Textile Museum in Bermondsey while you are in London. Look at the National Trust UK web site for locations that feature what you are looking for. London is really a collection of villages with their own personalities. Don't pass up the Street Markets which occur on different days around town. When in Bath plan to see the Fashion Museum.

Wow. All the replies to your post have be polite and helpful and you've taken offense.

Step back, breathe a bit and understand posters were kindly sharing possible options and approaches to what you desired, " nice ending to a GB tour."

Coninued good luck with your planning and know now would be good time to start confirming your June 2018 travel. Thats the height of tourist season.

Re: Liberty. I have no reason to doubt that it is worth visiting for fabrics and other items, and the store itself is beautiful. However, I was extremely disappointed to find that it no longer has a "one-off" craft gallery as it did on my previous trip to London (yeah, that was 30 years ago). For a lover of contemporary glass and ceramics, there was basically nothing.

OP, I didn't read anything at all hostile, just folks trying to help you plan and safeguarding you against disappointment-like not having a good map or not purchasing your train tickets in advance. You gave us 3 lines of hints about your interests-folks are trying to fill in the blanks and everyone has an opinion about what they would do given your limited time, Perhaps it would be better if you were to ask specific questions that could receive specific answers.

I share your preference for small towns and countryside, but London is a big city, Bath has close to 90000 and even Stratford-upon Avon is pushing 30K. It will also be prime tourist season, so I think you should be prepared for "bustling".

Have a great trip.

"Not much generosity of spirit on here is there?"

A bit oversensitive aren't we?

Are you flying out of Heathrow? If so, I would suggest 2 nights in SuA, 2 in Bath and 2 in London (staying in South Kensington or Earl's Court area) This way you can cover everything. Not sure of the logistics of train travel from Scotland to SuA and Bath but that would be how I might try to organize it. If you are not sure about Bath then 3 nights in SuA and then 2 nights in London and fly out. Warwick castle is a simple bus ride from SuA. See a show and do the backstage tour at RSC.

"Was planning train travel between Edinburgh and London"

if you're still thinking of this, consider the Caledonian Sleeper train ( sleeper.scot ). go to bed in Edinburgh, wake up in London. no wasted days.

Tara lawn might be $20 in the US. I've just done a quick conversion and a metre of this season in Liberty is nearer $32.

Probably $20/yard vs. $32 a metre... the head spins :)