My husband and I will be in Edinburgh and London at the end of May and beginning of June. Can anyone suggest day trips either by train or with tour guides?
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
Stirling Castle outside of Edinburgh and either Oxford or Cambridge University outside London are terrific day trips. If onlt Castles are your interest
Hampton Court and Windsor castle are great day trips nr Heathrow airport.
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
Edinburgh- there are coach (bus) tours of the Highlands. It is a long day, but you get to see some beautiful scenery and get a taste for that part of Scotland.
London- LOTS!!! Canterburry,Dover, Windsor, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Cardiff Wales, Winchester, York, Brighton, ... Here is a link to an article I wrote about basing in London and doing train day trips
http://www.aaacarolinas.com/Magazine/2008/Jan-Feb/britain.htm?zip=28208&stateprov=nc&city=charlotte
Let me know if you have other questions-feel free to private message me (we have been to the UK ALOT)
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I am going to second the suggestion to go to Stirling...it's wonderful. It's also easy to get to Glasgow for the day. Others have done day trips to St. Andrews--I've not done it. Dumfermline is also interesting. It has a good castle and Cathedral and is rich in Scottish history. There are bus tours to the Borders as well. The Borders have lots of beautiful ruined abbeys. As Toni mentions there are long day trips to the highlands, but personally, I'd save the highlands for my next trip. There is just too much bus time for me.
Pam
Posted by
Richmond, VA
14 posts
I second Bath and especially Brighton. I think York might be a bit far for a day trip, and there was enough there for me to see to make a weekend out of it. Salisbury/New Forest/Stonehenge is a fun day trip, and there are some tour companies that do the circuit from London.
Posted by
St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
5 posts
I would suggest, for a day trip, to go to the city of St. Andrews. It is a cheap and fast train ride. is a really pretty city and, not to mention, it is the birthplace of golf. Other people have mentioned Inverness and the highlands. I lived in Edinburgh for 6 months. I have been to Inverness 7 times on several day trips and a couple weekend trips. If possible, I would suggest spending at least 1 full day in Inverness (meaning that you spend a night there.) You will be able to go to Loch Ness and also spend some time in the city of Inverness. Inverness is a really pretty city, but not too much to see. If you want more info on Edinburgh/Scotland you can email me. I have an abundance of info on Edinburgh and some of Scotland.
Posted by
Bromley, Kent,, UK
1829 posts
From London - Dover Castle and Canterbury by train
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.14571
http://www.canterbury.co.uk/canterbury-district/canterbury.aspx
Posted by
OP
Yardley, PA, USA
19 posts
Hi Melissa!
Thank you so much for posting a reply to my questions on helpline. We will be staying at the Airdenair Guest House on Kilmaus Road for 5 nights. We will not have time to spend a night in Inverness. Thus, would you be able to recommend a particular tour group for a day trip to the Highlands (inc. Loch Ness)? We enjoy walking around and exploring places on our own. Do you recommend getting a public transportation pass in Edinburgh or relying on Brit Rail? Are there any particular places of interest that you think we should definitely visit? Did you have any favorite restaurants during your stay in Edinburgh? We like to mingle with the locals when we travel.
Thanks again,
Linda