England, Ireland Scotland

10-14 days is very short to cover 3 countries. If you just want a taste of each then London, Edinburgh, Inverness, Dublin and Shannon might fit the bill. I'd want at least 4-5 days in London. Then maybe train to Edinburgh,1 or 2 nights, train to Inverness, 2 nights, ferry or flight to Dublin or Shannon. I don't feel I have enough experience in Ireland to suggest more. In Edinburgh- visit the castle, maybe Holyrood House, Mary King's Close, and a museum or 2. In Inverness- Clava Cairnes, Cullodean Battlefield, Urquart Castle ruins (all can be done on a day or 1/2 day mini-van tour), a distillery or two, Great Glen, Glencoe, Isle of Skye and Elliean Donan castle are all possible with mini-van tours and there are curises on the firth (might not opperate in Oct)and Loch Ness. You will want to check ahead on the tours if possible - check out Puffin tours and this website http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/inverness-trips.htm - many things go on shortened or days limited schedule after August.

Scotland: Inverness is a good choice, however to get a feel for the West coast and the islands investigate Ullapool instead (really only a small town, but the West Coasr is a completely different Scotland

I would suggest you drop Ireland and just focus on England and Scotland. I would spend 4-5 days in London and 2-3 in Edinburgh. You could easily stop in York for a day or two between London and Edinburgh. I like the idea of heading to the highlands of Scotland. Inverness has a lot to see, and I would plan a day or two in Skye, which is just beautiful. Another option is to head over the Oban and see some of the islands. Of course there are plenty of places to day trip from London - Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, etc. You will barely be scratching the surface of what England and Scotland have to offer. That's why I think you should save Ireland for another trip.

Bob, in 30 days I suggest you add in some areas not covered by RS - like Devon/Cornwall, East Anglia etc. Some really scenic and interesting places which are seldom discussed in these forums. There's a whole new world out there to discover. And i do suggest you rent a car for most of these places. train can only get you to certain places, you need a car to get into the true countryside

Though I love Ireland, I would also suggest skipping it on this trip, particularly since you don't know what you are interested in seeing there. Though it's a small country there is a lot to see, and the logistics can get tricky if you try to do too much in too little time. Save it for a time when you can concentrate on it by itself.

I completely agree with the other posters, doing Ireland would be a stretch. London- York- Edinburgh is a great way to go that is not too rushed. Great day trips from London and Edinburgh let you see the countryside. We did a day trip from Edinburgh to the Highlands, which was admittedly rushed, but I really enjoyed it and did feel that we got a good taste for the rest of Scotland.

I agree with the others who suggest you leave Ireland out of the trip this time. And if you already have a London itinerary in mind, why don't you give us some idea what it is so we can suggest how to arrange the rest of your time?

We are going tp Great Britain in May 2011 for the entire month and after much reading and some great help from this web site have decided to drop Ireland until a future trip. The amount of sites to see in England, Scotland and Wales will quite easily use up our 30 days. We feel that Ireland deserves a separate trip, you may feel otherwise.