Hi there! I am travelling to the UK from 22Feb - 8 March. It's not a lot of time, but I am hoping to briefly see Scotland, the lake district, and the peak district. I've read quite a bit about buses not being as available over winter, so wondered if anyone has advice on options including taking trains verses car rental, and best bases for staying in these areas to explore. Any other insights into a Feb/March UK trip I'm very open to. :)
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
3083 posts
Fry and fly into Manchester rather than Heathrow or th London airports.
What var your expectations of these three places - are you wanting to walk, sightsee (what sort of things)? Quite a few attractions may still be shut until Easter. The sme may apply to B&B accommodation
.
The Peak District is on the outskits of Manchester and allowing for a day to recover from jet lag, you could easiy spend a few days there - depending on what you want to do.
Then hed for the Lake District. Again decide what you want to do/see ands that will determine where you book accommodation. Plans for walking may depend on how much snow thre is still around by then (and also how wet it is underfoot and if there has been flooding over the winter...)
Ar you planning on spending time in either Edinburgh or Glasgow? Again what are your expectations of Scotland. Don't be too ambitious with plans as although Scotland may not seem that large, it will tke a lot longer to cover distances than you might ec=xpect and you also need to consider the short day length at that time of year.
Posted by
459 posts
in that time of year sunrise in Edinburgh is about 07:00 and sunset is 17:45, further south gets a little more daylight and anywhere can seem much less with heavy cloud. Generally buses in very touristy areas may be reduced (and pure tourist routes may be off) but otherwise they should still be usable. You don't say where you are coming from but Edinburgh airport is very easy to reach the Lake district and Manchester.
Posted by
London
1590 posts
If you're going to major tourist sites, you'll mostly be ok with bus and train. If you want to get off the beaten path a little bit, and be able to make your own schedule, I would hire a car for those areas. As someone who takes buses a lot they can often be quite infrequent and you have to plan your whole day around their schedule. In terms of best bases, it will depend on what you want to see in each area.