british isles trip preliminary question

(continued for length. not sure if doing this is oki've been away from the boards for a while so sorry if i'm making a mistake) we have 4-5 weeks over the summer of 2013. we plan to use a combination of trains and hired cars (i've volunteered to drive; i am confident that i will be ok.) i feel that this is WAY TOO MUCH to fit into one trip. i need to cut and plan and organize. which is what i'm asking for help with. so...given that: 1. we've only been to london/bath/stonehenge 2. we like to learn, hike, and eat 3. we have a month, give or take
4. we'd like to NOT be rushed or stressed for at least 33% of the time (we can be rushed for the other 66% of the time; we'd like to be stressed as little as possible!) what would you all advise? i am obviously not asking for a detailed trip plan; at this point i'd be happy with 'here's what you should cut out' and/or 'here is where you should spend the most time'. thanks in advance!

You know I couldn't resist this! Just a few thoughts 1- Edinburgh is nice, but 3 days is plenty 2- York is GREAT- you DO want to include it- but 1 or 2 days is good 3- Dublin is easy to cut- saves time, major money, and you can do a full Ireland trip later. 4- for GREAT food and IN YOUR DREAMS drink (beer and whisky) consider 3-5 days or more in Aviemore and 5-7 in Inverness. LOTS of great day trips from both places and Aviemore is in the Caringorm Mts. Lots of good walks and hikes and the Rothmurchie estate has canoeing, horseback riding, and other 'outdoorsy' activities. You can also go up MT. Caringorm on a funciular and hike down (other way around) and ride a restored steam train along the Spey River. There is a local microbrewery that does tours with samples of their beers and ales (hubby liked Carigorm Gold and Blessed Thistle). There are MULTIPLE whisky distilleries within a short train or bus ride. Blair Atholl castle is also a short ride away. Inverness is also a great base- Loch Ness/River Ness cruises and Urquart Castle and the lovely village of Drumnadrochit, plus cruises on the firth to see wales, dolphins, puffins, etc; day trips galore !!! (Best TI office ever)- including a LONG day trip to Orkney! and one to Eliean Donan castle (think Highlander movie) and Isle of Skye with a drive through Great Glen or Glencoe-- and lots of others.
MORE TO COME

Possible itenerary- London- 5+ days - possible day trips- Windsor, Cardiff Wales, Winchester, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cambridge, Oxford, Canterburry, Dover rent car and go to Cotswolds and Lake Dristrict- 5 days. Train to York- 2 days train to Edinburgh- 2-4 days (possibly 1 more if you go to St. Andrews)and don't forget Bobby Burns and his poetry train to Aviemore- 4- 5 days train to Inverness- 5-7 days train to Glasgow (Your museum and photography focused heart will love this city)3-5 days- fly home from here possibly.
And if you must- get a cheap flight to Dublin for 3 days and fly home from there.

first--obviously i'd have asked you all of this first, directly. but i assumed you were otherwise engaged. second--thank you! third--i was hoping to maybe make this JUST a scotland trip. perhaps that's what we will do, given the many things you outlined above. there shall be no 'musts' on this trip. will research all of that and get back to you, both on here and otherwise. thank you!!!

i am not sure how to define a "nerd's trip" but reading between the lines, i would plan on spending enough time in each location to potter around and follow youtr mose. York, i would alllow a full two days, the space within the walls is fairly compact but filled with odd little surprises, some cobbled roads etc Edinburgh- i agree with tonmi, possibly two or three days and then get out into the Highlands or countryside. (driving should not be a problems, you cn do a lot on country roads without bustling traffic), get to the villages. i am still planning on one day hitting the Shetland and Orkney Islands (nothing much to do, but fascinating stuff to see). Oxford and Cambridge- again allow yourself two full days for each. Oxford especially is a bustling town, but many interesting corners and by-ways in the vicinity of the colleges. Cambridge is quieter, and easier to see the colleges Much as I enjoy it- 4 weeks in Scotland would be too much for me.

Oxford & Cambridge: remember Oxford and Cambridge colleges are working educational institutions, not primarily tourist locations. Many aren't very welcoming to sightseers other than the really famous ones like Christ Church. You will have more chance of wandering around during vacations and least chance in the April/May/June period when students are revising for exams and colleges are particularly strict about protecting their concentration.

ok great. lots to think about. i'll be back with a rough itinerary in a couple of days. to answer a few questions....i guess what i mean by a 'nerd trip' is 'we are interested in learning as much as possible'. we're both teachers, so we like to learn. as for the timing of the trip and the college touring: our only option is sometime between mid-june and mid-august (my husband is currently looking at his calendar to find the best four-week time period). off to do more research. i shall return!

Only suggestion since you have been to London is that maybe you fly into say Birmingham or Bristol on some place other than Heathrow and then fly home from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Driving is not that hard. Have you been to Wales? You could include that on this trip and then the following year go to Ireland for a few weeks. LOL, just trying to help you with this trip and I am already working on your next one!!

According to the NY Times Sunday Travel section, Dublin (and the rest of Ireland) is now one of the cheapest places to stay in Europe. They call them "zombie hotels" but it has nothing to do with real zombies. Something to do with the tax structure that the hotels have to keep operating, and have dropped their rates significantly to attract tourists. Plus, 2013 will see a big event in Ireland, "The Gathering": http://www.thegatheringireland.com/ It is Ireland promoting itself as a tourist destination. Now that the Celtic Tiger has slunk away and prices have dropped, it is worth considering.

sashathat is very interesting and incredibly helpful. thank you! i did look up flight prices tonight (even though it is way too early too book a flight) and found flights into (or out of) dublin to (or from) jfk to be very reasonable. i think ireland may be back on the table for a number of reasons. thanks!

If you decide to visit the Lake District, check out www.theatrebythelake.co.uk/.
They are located in Keswick, which is a nice place to stay and put on some fun plays during the summer months. Since you like stone circles, there is a hike from Keswick (actually I think you can drive there) to the Castlerigg Stone Circle. You can walk among the stones - beautiful at sunset.

Tracy, if you consider Ireland, consider flying in Shannon and driving down to Dingle...I think you would love the Dingle area with the pubs and the music, plus the beauty. You could fly (cheap)on Ryan Air from Shannon to Manchester, Edinburgh or where ever you want.

Tracy, if you are interesting in hiking I have a few more places to add to your list for research. I've done a number of walking trips based out of Strathpeffer and Fortrose heading, east, south, north and west. These were all day trips and we didn't climb Munros, but rather walked around the lochs and up some smaller hills. ; ) There are lots of great walks, but my favorite places are: the Ullapool Walks above the town (and the knit shop in town), Glen Affric, Rothiemurchus in the Cairngorms, and Torridon. I would also have to say the Skye, and Harris and Lewis are also wonderful. Years ago I did walk up into the Cuillins for a view of Loch Coruisk. I also did some nice walks in the Yorkshire Dales although that was a long ago. I also enjoyed a walk along Hadrian's Wall. (BTW walking = hiking in the UK). Here're are a couple of walking websites to check out. Walk Highlands Walk Scotland Ramblers Pam

thank you, pamela. yes i am quite interested in hiking (or, rather, walking). i will check those sites out. thanks!!!

Now things have changed! Ireland seems to be your thought now, wow, can't recommend a better country. You said you like to hike, there are many wonderful places to hike there, Dingle peninsula, the Burren and the history. OMG, it is great. Was a quote from a movie probably before your time, but it is "the places you will go and the things you will see"!!! Anyway, let us know what you finally decide to do!

If you do go to York, make sure you get into the North York Moors National Park area. It is a very pretty drive, and I found my favorite place in Britain there--Rievaulx Abbey. It is just stunningly beautiful, peaceful, and incredibly moving to walk around the very well-preserved ruins. For Scotland, my second-favorite site in Britain was Glen Coe. We only drove through there, but it took my breath away. We also stopped by a very pretty manor house north of Inverness, Dunrobin Castle, which was compact but really well laid out, and had the bonus of a fun falconry exhibition. After that, we spent four days in Orkney, and had a blast! The antiquity of the sites, the relative lack of tourists, the ease of driving around, and the great shopping available (we got some beautiful jewelry and art prints) made it a great final stop to our trip.