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Early planning thoughts- 3rd visit

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Hello Rick Steves' Travel Friends-

I am in the early stages of planning my third visit for January 2027. I know for many January is not ideal. I am a teacher, this is when I can travel. I am saving visits to places that would be best visited with a rental car for when I retire and can travel when there is less expected rain.

Thoughts now are flying in and out of LHR with 7 nights in London, then a train to York (1 night?), then train to Edinburgh for 8 nights, train back to London for two nights and fly home. This is cheaper than flying into one city and out another and I really enjoy train travel and aimless walking. I love history (Medieval through WW II), charity shops, street markets, and staying in rental rooms rather than hotels.

Here are things I have really enjoyed from previous visits:

Will be experiencing again:
Borough Market
Sunday roast (went to Blacklock Shoreditch... other recommendations? It was fabulous...)
Spitalfields Market, and Word on the Water.
Undecided: See what theater tickets are cheap at Leicester Square (Saw Wicked and Book of Mormon previously via this method)

Great, but no need to return (to provide a general sense of what I am interested in):
Churchill War Rooms, Tate, British Museum, Museum of London, Tower of London, HMS Belfast, Greenwich, Highgate cemetery (Karl Marx' grave specifically), British Library, Tank Museum in Wool (with my son), a morning of Mud Larking, a day trip to Oxford

I love exploring, don't drink, and am an introvert. On my last visit I walked/tubed all over the city to find cat statues to take selfies with (there are 9).

Thoughts on restaurants/sites that I might consider? One night in York enough of an overview? Day trip to Cambridge?

Edit: Thanks for the assist! I will definitely add the V&A museum and a second night in York. Very excited about a cat walk! I have been to Edinburgh previously, sorry I did not include that originally. I was planning both a day trip to Glasgow and one to Stirling (My Scottish ancestors were Oliphants, so this is particularly interesting). I am not a big guided tour gal, but am considering a Rabi's Hadrian Wall tour (weather permitting).

Posted by
7171 posts

On your list of BTDT, I noticed a couple of omissions - the National Gallery ( my favourite museum/gallery in London), and the V&A. Suggestions for day trips - Hampton Court (just the palace, the grounds are not that impressive in winter), and Bletchley Park for different historical experiences.

Regarding York - i would definitely add at least one more night; possibly 2. We were there for 3 nights and still left several places unseen. Of course, the chance to walk the walls will be completely weather dependant. Oh, and dont forget to research the York Cat Trail. I think there are over 20 cat figures on historic buildings.

Posted by
11683 posts

If you love history, I'm surprised you don't have Westminster Abbey on your list, either as something you've experienced before or something you want to experience. Maybe you've been there before and didn't like it? It just has an incredible amount of history in it, and I found that true of many churches in England.

And what about the Victoria and Albert? They have some wonderful exhibits there, and again, lots of history.

Have you been to Edinburgh before? Are you looking for information on that as well? I'll throw in a few things here, but stop me if you've already been there and are familiar with it. I would highly recommend a day trip to Stirling and Stirling Castle, which has a ton of history there and is very beautiful. The town is also quite interesting, with some sights to see on its own, like Holy Rude Church, and then, of course, Stirling Castle is just incredible. It sits at the top so you can look out over the countryside from a beautiful vantage point. It's easily reached by train from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

And of course, the main sights of Edinburgh you can find in any guide book or by going to the Edinburgh tourism website.

Posted by
677 posts

You are certainly correct to focus on urban UK for a winter visit, although statistically there isn’t necessarily much more rain then than in other months in the places you’re considering. In fact in terms of amount it’s fairly evenly distributed on a monthly basis across the year in the places you’re going. But to be sure, the much colder temperatures and far shorter hours of daylight make it feel wetter and make rural touring unpleasant. I agree that you should add a night or two to York. Take it from Edinburgh, since, great as that city is, even with day trips, 8 days is long. I would take at least another two nights from there for Glasgow as well. Yes, it’s within daytrip range of Edinburgh and that would involve the inconvenience of a hotel change, but Glasgow has some great museums, and a cool urban vibe that is different from the more touristed Edinburgh. London, of course, has a lifetime of things to see and do and it’s impossible to spend too much time there (as long as your budget can tolerate it!). You might also consider a stop in Durham between York and Scotland, even if just for a couple of hours to see the castle and cathedral. Well worth it. And while it would likely be too much for this trip, I also really like the relatively underrated cities of Manchester and Liverpool over on the west side, along with lovely nearby Chester.

Posted by
307 posts

The V&A, definitely. Their jewellry room is a must for me.
The British Library's treasure room and gift shop is also a must for me.
Also it's next to St Pancras (hotel has awesome afternoon tea) and King's Cross for Harry Potter stuff. More inside things for January could work for you.
I want to get to Parliament tour on my next (5th) trip.
My birthday's in January so I'm thinking of going at that same time. :)
My uncle moved to England decades ago and was shocked how everything came to a halt with even the smallest amounts of snow. I was watching traffic on the roundabout near Waterloo one summer and realized most of the cars seemed to have no tread on their tires. I wouldn't underestimate the transportation shut down that can happen in winter. Flexibility on all of it may be key to a January visit.
Just saying it so that I might remember it myself :)
And cat-centered options:
https://www.thistle.com/trafalgar-square/blog/cat-lovers-london/
And theatre tickets to go see Cats? :)
Have a great time!
-Alison

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