My husband and I are planning a trip to England and Scotland in May. We'd like to visit London for several days but also visit a few other towns in England then end in Edinburgh. There are so many places to visit we are having a hard time narrowing down which places to stop and also the best ways to travel to those locations. Any help would be great on if we should or should not visit the following places:
Bath; Cardiff, Wales; York; Longleat Safari Park (just as a stop on the way to somewhere else); the Cotswolds; Dover (to see the cliffs)
Any suggestions on which places we should skip and if we should attempt to drive or just take the trains? Is there any where else we should try instead? We really would love to visit as many castles as we can. Not just the huge ones but the smaller ones as well. Any ideas would be very helpful!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
You haven't said how many days to get from London to Edinburgh.
If it is 2-3 days, then take the train, 1-2 nights in York, possibly a night in Durham, then on to Edinburgh.
If you have more time (and generally following a south to north route), then pick from the following:
- Train to Peterborough ½ day there, visit the cathedral, and pick up a hire car.
- Or a train to Cambridge ½-1 day there, and pick up a hire car.
- Could do Cotswolds, but it is out of your way.
- Forget Longleat Safari Park, you don't come to England to see african animals.
- Possibly Warwick castle
- Possibly a night in Lincoln. Just imagine the cathedral dominating a medieval town with the castle and the cathedral being the only stone buildings in a city of hovels that was already over 1000 years old when they started building the cathedral in 1088.
- 2 nights in York (Minster (cathedral), walls, medieval streets, roman bits, ...).
- Stop off at Rievaulx abbey ruins.
- Castle Howard
- Whitby and possibly Robin Hoods bay,
- Durham
- Bamburgh castle and Lindisfarne
- Berwick and the coast road to Edinburgh.
- Past Edinburgh: Fife and St Andrews.
Is that enough ideas?
Posted by
OP
7 posts
We will be in the uk for 2 weeks. We'll stay in London 5-6 days.
Posted by
southwest, Missouri, U.S.A.
1717 posts
Hello joylaw3. You said you wish to visit castles. I think the best medieval castle in England is Warwick Castle. Including a visit to Warwick castle, in your travelling from London to Edinburgh, may be a bit complicated, but I recommend doing it. I suggest this general travel plan :
* London : 6 nights.
* Train to Moreton n Marsh (in northern Gloucestershire, in the "Cotswolds"). 2 nights there. One day : rent a car at Moreton and Marsh, drive to a few villages that are south of Moreton and Marsh.
* The next morning, Ride in a bus from Moreton n Marsh, north to Stratford - Upon - Avon. And ride in an other bus from there to the town Warwick. Park your bags in a hotel in Warwick. Walk to Warwick Castle. Be at the hotel in Warwick that night.
* The next day, ride in trains from Warwick to York, via Birmingham.
* York : 2 nights.
* Train from York to Edinburgh.
* Edinburgh : 3 nights.
That would be a total of 14 nights. After being in the big city London, I think people enjoy seeing pretty green farm land and quaint villages in Gloucestershire. And I think the small city York is a tourist's delight. (especially on days when there is not rain).
Posted by
Hampshire, England.
1069 posts
Never been to Warwick castle (pronounced warrick) but have read a lot of reports where people have been disappointed because as it's owned by the people that own Madame Tussauds, it's a bit "Disney-fied".
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you for all of the suggestions!