Fellow travelers, we lack a sense of distances and need some guidance. Starting Sept. 1, we'll explore the lowlands including Peebles, Jedburgh, Dumfries etc. Heading south, we then plan to take in Durham and York (have visited there before). Allowing @ 5 days total for this wandering -is there a central spot to stay nights and avoid packing/unpacking?
Posted by
Yorkshire
1209 posts
I'll throw in Kelso is lovely too
Kielder Observatory is vaguely I'm that part of the world ,great for the lectures they do.
The Buddist temple up at Eskdalemuir is distinctive and there's a stone circle about a 1 away
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1834 posts
I can understand the logic of just having one base, but you need to balance that with driving times. Dumfries is a bit of an outlier here. If driving there from the Peebles area, you are going to need to allow 90-100 mintes drive one way. If you are wanting to spend time exploring the Dumfries area and getting into Galloway (some super scenery and an area ignored by many visitors) then it would make sense to split and have two bases. One in the west for Dumfries and surrounding area (Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright or Gatehouse of Fleet would work) , and another in the east covering Peebles, Jedburgh, Dryburgh, Melrose as well as the other small towns, stately homes etc. They are all fairly close and any would make a nive choice.
Posted by
OP
Rochester, NY
29 posts
Thank you Wasleys, I did wonder about the Dumfries part. We'll have to think about it!
Posted by
Buxton, UK
13 posts
I'm going to suggest the NorthEast coast - Berwick-upon-tweed or Bamburgh areas as a base. As mentioned above, not great (!!) for Dumfries or York (but as you mention, you have been to York before) - but your other destinations are doable - and then it also opens up the assorted castles on that coast - Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh, Alnwick, Warkworth. Lindesfarne (Holy Island), Stunning beaches etc. etc.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6534 posts
On our upcoming trip we’re using Peebles and Alnwick as bases. We don’t intend on traveling any further south than Alnwick. We’ve allotted 3 nights in each place as those are our last stops on the trip and will begin winding down and slowing things down.
Posted by
OP
Rochester, NY
29 posts
Thank you all for your helpful ideas. The northeast coast sounds delightful, as well as unknown to us so far!
Posted by
Buxton, UK
13 posts
The NorthEast coastline is really overlooked, including by local tourists - at least by those outside of the area itself, which in some ways is a real shame as people don't know what they are missing out on - but on the plus side, it means it is comparitively (for a small island of 60m+) uncrowded. It's probably as close as you get to an 'undiscovered gem' in the UK, at least for a whole area. Of course you have the vagarities of the weather to deal with, but that is pretty much true for most of the UK.
If you choose to go and travel to Lindesfarne, make sure you check the tide times for the causeway crossing and plan accordingly.