UK: London, Scotland, & Ireland

Posted by soonernat (Oklahoma) on 02/15/16 07:43 AM

Hello! I am planning a trip for myself and my parents (I'm 30, not a kid, btw), to the UK. We're planning to spend 2-3 weeks there. I'm looking for some tips and must-sees for a UK trip. I'm guesstimating 6 days in London, 5 Scotland (just Edinburgh?), 5 Ireland (Dublin?).

We've been to England before, 10 years ago, and explored London for a week, York for 3 days, and saw Windsor Castle. That being said, St. Paul's was covered in scaffolding, and we were rushed through the Tower of London on a guided tour, so I know we want to go back to those places. I also can't imagine not going back to Westminster, or seeing the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

London day trips: I think Bath would be great, as well as Oxford. Hampton Court would be neat to see. I don't really care to see Stonehenge, but as I have an English Lit. and Art History degree, I want to hit Stratford for Shakespeare, and museums are always a must. Any thoughts on these selections?

What about countryside towns? Should we rent a car? Last summer, we spent a month in France (Paris, and French Riviera/Nice) and Italy (Milan, Venice, Florence, Sorrento, Rome). We did all by train, and did just fine. I feel like, though, we'd be missing out on the charm of the UK by not driving through those small villages. Is that right? Perhaps I've read too much literature and seen too many movies! Haha. I want the trip to be as stress-free as possible because we're business owners who view vacations as getaways.

We are pretty nuts for the royal family, so Balmoral, Sandringham (maybe), and seeing the Brittanica, are on the list. Are these worth it?

As far as Scotland and Ireland go, just the first-time typical touristy stops are all I've got. Castles and museums are always great. Any recommendations? We moved around 7 times last summer in France, Monaco, and Italy. I'd like to keep the hotel-hopping down to 3-4. We like to settle in a bit. I know we'd have to move between countries, of course, but are day trips good enough for basic highlights in Scotland and Ireland? I don't mind moving around again in England, when visiting the countryside. Also, we'd fly in to London and out of London (maybe Dublin, but I'm looking to score West End tickets for that last weekend before departure).

I know, this post is filled with questions, but any advice would be helpful. I've planned all of our family trips, but this one has me overwhelmed. I think it's because I'm such an Anglophile that I don't want to miss a thing. That being said, I'm trying to go by Rick's advice to not visit like you'll never return!

Thanks in advance for any advice and tips!

Posted by Jennifer

Tunbridge Wells

02/15/16 09:12 AM

6113 posts

Firstly, you need to work out how long you have. 2 or 3 weeks makes a huge difference to what you can cover. Your nights in the 3 locations stated adds up to 16.

I agree that Stonehenge can be dropped. I have the feeling that most go there because they feel they have to go, rather than being genuinely interested in it. Work out what YOU want to see, not what others see. Most Brits won't recommend the Changing of the Guard unless you have lots of time to waste.

Day 1 will be getting over jetlag. Bath can be done by train from London as a long day trip, so don't do it when jetlagged. Oxford and Stratford can be done in the same rushed day, but if you want to see an evening performance at the RSC, you may not be able to get back to London by public transport, so hiring a car would give more flexibility.

Hampton Court takes an hour from central London by train each way plus say 3/4 hours there including lunch uses most of another day.

Get London theatre tickets at the Tckts booth in Leicester Square (open from lunchtime) for performances that night. Some tickets are discounted. If you want to book for one of the big performances, do so online now. Some shows will already have sold out.

Sandringham doesn't fit with the rest of your destinations, so you don't really have time for this.

If you want to explore the countryside, you need a car, but with what you want to see in England, you don't have time for this. Take the train to Edinburgh. Each time you change destination will lose half a day. Britannia is worth seeing and you need 2 full days in Edinburgh. Then hire a car and explore either the Cairngorms or drive to Oban or Glencoe and explore the countryside.

Fly to Dublin. Get an open jaw ticket back home from here. Have a day in Dublin then hire a car and head to the west coast. Alternatively, drop Ireland for this trip and add these nights onto England. Then you could hire a car and explore small towns and villages. Kent and Sussex would give you a mix of villages, plenty castles (Leeds, Hever, Bodiam etc), Rye, Lewes, Whitstable and Canterbury.