Mother/Daughter trip to the UK next fall for 3 weeks. It's her bucket list trip - she's a history/English buff/major. London, Oxford, Bath, Stonehenge, York, Scottish Highlands, Edinburgh are at top of her list. Any suggestions just about anything appreciated: accommodations, eating inexpensively, transportation (we are not driving), should we include Wales (Cardiff), best day trips from London or better to stay outside of London, thoughts on Scotland and tours up there. Thanks so much.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Sounds like a good trip.
Some of your country locations will not be near rail lines or stations; for those you will need to work out the transportation details, since you're not driving.
Many travelers reporting in here try to avoid 1-night hotel stays, because as a general rule of thumb it takes 2 nights in an area to get 1 full day of sight-seeing, 3 nights = 2 full days of sightseeing, etc.
Most travelers here choose to stay in London when visiting London, not outside London. You may already be aware that London is one of the more expensive hotel cities in Europe. Booking lodging as soon as you have your travel dates confirmed (purchased your airfare) helps some to reduce lodging cost.
London sights are spread out over a relatively large area, so using the Underground/Tube will save some walking.
Do you have a guidebook?
Reasonable day trips from London include:
Stonehenge
Bath
Greenwich
Windsor
Cambridge (although you're already going to Oxford)
Posted by
Land of La
8667 posts
At least 4-5 days in London. Hampton Court would be a nice day trip. www.walks.com Great way to see and learn about London and nearby environs. Might consider their trip to Stonehenge. Definitely grab a guide book. Either Mr. Steve's or Lonely Planet or......something to give you a sense of distance, travel times, public transport etc. If you need lodging try typing in London accommodations in this website's search engine. Should get a great deal of answers. I'll offer the Vancouver Studio Apartments as an option. I love the neighborhood, Bayswater. Two tube stops to choose from, close to Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Portabello Market. Loads of cafes, restaurants, an enclosed shopping center. Read Tripadvisor reviews. Sounds like a great trip.
Posted by
2404 posts
Train fares for journeys of over say 1 hour, can be expensive unless pre-booked for specific trains. You can test the prices/times here:> www.nationalrail.co.uk Even buying for 'tomorrow' can save money on the turn up & go fare but if you test for say 10 weeks in advance, they are usually much cheaper. Try & avoid commuting times (Mon to Fri). Fridays from about 3pm to 7pm is when services are likely to be most crowded & expensive so avoid if possible.
www.visitengland.com
www.visitwales.co.uk
www.visitscotland.com
www.britrail.com (passes for rail travel are quite expensive). Britrail passes cannot be purchased in the UK.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13934 posts
I agree with 4-5 days in London. I would also do 3 nights in Bath which gives you 2 full days and parts of 2 days. For one of the full days book a Mad Max day tour to Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock and Castle Combe. The other full day start with the Roman Baths in the AM and then explore Bath seeing the Royal Crescent and other sights. If you can manage it, do a walking tour the afternoon you get there. There is a free walking tour in the AMs but there are also companies that do tour for 7£ or so with many fewer people.
I know for many on this board 3 nights in Bath is too much and they recommend just doing a day trip, but I really enjoyed my time there. I love the juxtaposition of the Roman Baths with the gorgeous Georgian architecture. It is a World Heritage Site. Depending on when you go, know there is a Jane Austen Festival in September, this year from Sept 11-Sept 20. If you are spending the night there it is also very easy to work in the tour to Stonehenge which is time consuming from London.
Here is a good website for Bath if you want to see what there is to do.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7029 posts
I will second the suggestion of a day trip to Hampton Court from London and would add that it might be easier and possibly more economical to stay in London longer and day trip to Oxford, Bath, and Stonehenge also, less moving around to different hotels especially since you won't be driving. Then take the train to York for a couple of nights and then to Edinburgh - you can do day trips from Edinburgh or possibly hook up with a multi-day tour of the Highlands from there.
EDIT As you can see I prefer to plant myself in one place and do daytrips from there to other places I want to see, rather than picking up and moving around. But that's just a personal preference, others travel differently. If your daughter needs to spend more time in and around Bath because of the literary connections then by all means you should spend a couple of nights there.