We are arriving in London and taking 3 days (via public transit) and then the Chunnel for an overnight stay in Paris. My question starts after this point. We want to spend 14 more days exploring England and Scotland before taking the ferry to Belfast and ending our trip in Dublin. I have no real desire to drive in London, but for the rest of England and Scotland, would you recommend that we take an auto or train. We will be a family of 5 (kids in late teens), so cost is somewhat a factor as is time savings. At this time we are building our full plan. We are going mid July to August.
Posted by
8341 posts
You would probably save by renting a vehicle. However, you need to find one large enough to carry five persons and their luggage.
Also, it depends on the places that you plan to visit.
For example, if you wanted to visit large cities like York, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Manchester having a car is a problem and parking is hard to find and expensive.
If you want to see the countryside and stay in smaller cities or towns, renting a vehicle is the way to go. You can still visit cities like York but renting a B & B or airbub that has parking.
We have planned a driving tour of England and Wales for four weeks and mapped out our route, places to see and stay as well as places to park. I found a great book that would help you plan a driving tour. It is Back Roads Great Britain by Eyewitness Travel.
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4168 posts
Whether you use a car depends , in large part , where you want to visit . A car is invaluable for certain areas - The Cotswolds , Peak District , Scottish Highlands are a few examples . If you are visiting places like Cambridge , York , Durham , as examples where rail connections are easily made , then rail would be a wise idea .
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4168 posts
Looks like we were posting simultaneously .
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
You might consider a train from London to your first destination, then renting a car there and dropping it wherever you get on the ferry to Belfast. You may want another car there, depending on where you want to go on your way to Dublin. Be aware that you can face a serious dropoff charge for leaving a car in a different country (which of course the Irish Republic is).
Hard to be more helpful without knowing more about your plans. As noted above, for countryside and smaller towns a car is best, for larger cities train is best. Plus there's the economic variable of five train tickets vs. one (large) car or van rental cost.
Via Michelin can help you with driving routes and times. Auto Europe can help you with rental costs and reservations. National Rail can help with train schedules and ticket prices.
Posted by
Troy, Oh, USA
2805 posts
I would recommend renting a car. Having a car has a lot of advantages, you will drive through some beautiful villages that you wouldn't be able to see by going by train. Also, you will be able to stop in a village if you want to. I love the freedom that a car gives you.
Also, it's not called called Chunnel, if you call it that in England you will get some strange looks. It's call the Eurostar.
Posted by
2599 posts
It sounds to me that you may well be trying to do too much in the time you have available.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
On arrival at St Pancras from Paris, immediately take a train to York. Pick up your hire car in York, head north in to Scotland, before time in the Lake District, Peak District, Chester and North Wales. Ferry to Belfast from Liverpool.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Thank you all for your replies and advice. Once we have what we want laid out, I will probably post, but I need to figure out when a train or car makes sense.