england and scotland

Amber, for Edinburgh (if you're staying there) I strongly suggest the Anoch Mor guest house (in Rick's book) Fantastic, friendly place.

It might be best to start off by consulting a variety of guidebooks at the library to make a list of what YOU would like to see. The "must-sees" are all there. Once you have an idea of what you want to do, we could be of more help with how to do it or how long to stay in each place. How do you intend to get from place to place? Will you have a rental car?

Amber, I agree with the above, except I don't think you need several guides. I would buy Rick Steves's Great Britain 2008, and in 700 pages it will give you everything you need. We are using it now for a fall trip to Scotland.

We will have a rental car, except for when we are in London. We are going between Sep. 5-20, so will have 15 nights there. We are thinking London to Devon to Cotswolds to Dumfrie to Oban to Highlands to Edinburgh, roughly. This is just from my looking at guidebooks so far. I have gotten several guidebooks from the library and ordered RS Britain, but haven't gotten it yet. Thanks so much in advance for any advice!

I agree one guidebook is enough.If you agree with Rick Steves travel philosophy then thats all you need.

My husband and I were in England and Scotland last March and had a wonderful time! We didn't stay in Edinburgh, we actually stayed outside of the city in Linlithgow and took the train, about a 30 minute or less ride, into the center of Edinburgh. Driving in the city can be awful but this was perfect. We stayed at Bonsyde House Hotel and were only there for 3 nights. It is an old house that is surrounded by fields and sits up on a hill. They have 8 rooms in the house and 4 cottages in the back. Breakfast was included. In England we stayed in Stockport, just outside of Manchester, a hotel in the center of Warwick, it included a full breakfast and then 2 nights at a hotel attached to Gatwick to make our morning flight less stressful. I think one book is perfect, you can find so much online to help you too. I'll be happy to answer any other questions if you want to email me. You sound like my husband and I with not focusing on city attractions. We had more fun exploring.

I somewhat disagree with relying on one guidebook. Although I love Rick's books, and I have enjoyed all of his recommendations, there are very large areas of Europe he does not cover. I usually start with Rick's books, then use Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide to fill in the blanks. So, I'll join the chorus.

For London, I'd give it a minimum of 3 nights. You could spend years there, however, and not see it all!

I agree with Tom. Get more than one guidebook (as much as a RS follower that I am). I also agree with him that you could spend your entire trip or more just in London. I'm not a real "big city" traveler except when it comes to world-class cities and London certainly qualifies. But like you, I would choose to split my time between city and country.

Scotland and the countryside of England are beautiful (as is Wales). If you're doing a driving tour it's hard to go wrong. I haven't been outside of London in many years, but when I had the luxury of wandering through the British Isles way back when I was particularly struck by the beauty of the Scottish highlands.

I'd suggest nailing down specific nights in London (upon arrival and departure), maybe 3 nights upon arrival and 1 on departure, and keeping your itinerary loose for exploring other areas. Map out a general route that is not overly ambitious, and wing it along the way.

One thing I never see anyone suggest is to write to the tourist boards of the places you want to visit. Britain has a large Tourist Office in New York. You can find them online and either call or email want and they'll send you plenty of information, maps, etc. And it's free.

Why wait until you get there to do this.