Great Britain and Ireland

No, three days is not enough time to see all three countries. ; ). It can give you an idea of what the countryside is like or a city is like. Would three days in Chicago be enough time to tell you what the Midwest is like? It would be a nice intro to Chicago, but you'd want to visit Northwoods of Wisconsin or the Mississippi River trail or take in Springfield and New Salem to start to have seen the Midwest. England, Scotland and Ireland while similar are quite different in their peoples, landscapes and history. The cultures while similar are different as well. It sounds like you are interested in countryside so if you want a brief introduction to the countrysides of Scotland and Ireland, I would start by taking the train or flying to Edinburgh. I'd pick up a car and head up toward Perthshire and stay in the town of Dunkeld. Go to the Taybank and hear some music. Spend a couple of days exploring from there including taking the time to do some walks. You can easily get back to Edinburgh where you can catch a flight to Dublin. I'll leave the advice on where to go to the Irish experts. I suspect you'll want to rent a car.... Alternatively, you could enjoy Perthshire and then take the next three days to drive back to London, exploring the Border Country including Hadrian 's Wall and the either down through Yorkshire enjoy the Dales, see York and ditch the car in York and train it to London. Or stay on the western side of England and enjoy the Lake District. Again, I think I would ditch the car somewhere in the north and train it back to London. Or you could go to Ireland for three days. Just realize that whatever you decide on, there will be lots left for other trips. ; ) Pam

Hi Pamela, Thanks for the suggestions you sent. I will certainly keep them in advisement.

I'd pick one- either Scotland (my favorite) or Ireland. Don't rent a car in London- not needed there. If you do decide to drive to Scotland, you can rent a car at Heathrow, or another town/city outside London. If you pick Ireland, fly over then rent the car in Dublin (or Belfast, or at Shannon airport).
Are you going to spend additional time in London after re-joining your friends? If not, I'd probably stay more than 3 days there (unless you have been there before).

bruce, I agree with the previous replies. Three days each is NOT enough for visiting three geographically distant locations. Keep in mind that transportation between each location will take the better part of a day in each case. While it may be feasible, it's going to require time and money. For the group of four that will be travelling together, I would highly recommend choosing EITHER Ireland OR Scotland. If you decide on Ireland, base in Dublin and take day trips. If you decide on Scotland, base in Edinburgh and take day trips. If visiting Scotland, you might also consider stopping in York for a night as it's a fantastic and historic city. Be sure to visit the excellent Railway Museum! It's NOT a good idea to rent a Car in London, as if you'll be driving in the city you'll be nicked with the congestion charge. Any places you want to visit are most likely well served by public transit. Happy travels!

No, you don't want to rent a car in London. Public transportation in London is fantastic, plus when you have a car in London you have to pay a daily congestion fee of £10.00, if you don't pay it there is a fine of up to £120.00. I would strongly suggest that after your 3 days in London taking the train to the Cotswolds (or another area of England) picking up a car and enjoy the beauty of the small quaint villages. After considering travel time to and back Scotland and Ireland you would end up only having about 2 days in each place. You would feel overwhelmed.

Toni, Ken and Robin, Thanks so much for you imputs. I see and agree with the conscenus that three countries in 9 days may be TOO much. We are still in the early planning stage and I must reconsider. England may be out. I was figuring London because It might be cheaper to fly into and would be easier for the travelers headed to Germany but.... So, Scotland or Ireland? We may just settle into Scotland. Can anyone tell me about the "West Highland Railroad" if so would there be time to take a excursion AND have a few days of free time to explore on our own?

Bruce - You've seen the other posters already say it, but I'll still add my voice to the pile - don't rent a car in London. It's just a hassle, plain and simple. Also - if you try and fit ALL of that into your stated time, you will be knackered and not see all that much. As an alternative, if you still wanted to do a bit of London, spend your 3 days there, then train to York. Either rent a car and drive north to Scotland - spend time there, drive back to York, drop car and train to London for the trip home. OR - skip London and fly into Manchester. Pick your car up and drive north, do Scotland, return. Also - my presumtion here is that you've picked Scotland. :) If it's Ireland youre after, use Dublin as a base for daytrips.

With 9 days you can easily do London and parts of Scotland by rail. Here's a sample: London 2-3 days train to York- 1-2 days train to Edinburgh-1- 2 days train to Aviemore- 1-2 days (could drop due to time) train to Inverness- 2-3 days (lots of possible day trips- even a very long day trip to Orkney) Fly or train back to London to meet friends.
You could spend the days in London at either the beginning or end of the trip. If you want to increase the time in the cities- you could skip Aviemore this trip. Alternatively, fly directly to Edinburgh (your friends could fly to Germany from there) and you could add time on Isle of Skye or in Glasgow. ( Your friends could fly back into Inverness, Edinburgh, or Glasgow)

Yes, you can fly easily from Edinburgh to Europe and the airport is easier than Heathrow! I would spend a couple of days in Edinburgh. Then head north! You can do this by train or car or a combination. With four of you a car might give you some flexibility and still be economical. The west and far north are best reached by car. Toni has already outlined the places that are easy by train. Skye definitely is better with a car. That said the train ride from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh or from fort William to Mallaig are both beautiful. But you can drive them too. I have liked staying in the Inverness area as you can get to the west, north, and south (Cairngorms) from there quite easily. I also like Dunkeld for the Taybank with its music sessions and the walks in the beautiful Perthshire countryside. I like Pitlochry for the Scottish Explorer's garden, the Festival Theatre and the 2 distilleries. Although if you like gardens there is a great one on the west coast. I love Ullapool and the walks in the hills above the town. The other islands are wonderful too, Mull, Harris and Lewis and the Orkneys. PM if you have any specific questions. Also search the forum for Toni's and my posts on Cotland for more details. Pam

One more thing, would be to check out the website for Undiscovered Scotland. Visitscotland is also helpful as is Rampant Scotland. Pam

Bruce, A trip across Scotland on the West Highland Railroad would possibly take up a lot of your time. However, it is a good way to see a lot of scenic countryside and get from one town to another. Have a look at this website: http://www.seat61.com/WestHighlandLine.htm Also see this article which is easier to read and explains the routes and schedule and has good links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Highland_Line The sleeper out of London would be a good way to get started (if you do go to London).This goes to Fort William. From there you can get a train to Glasgow. From there you can get a train to Edinburgh. You can look at the maps and choose some of the small towns to have a stopover. Use the National Rail site to enter your possible travel dates and see schedules and prices: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ I love riding trains, and I think this may be your most memorable thing you do on your trip. Have a great time!

Tom,Toni, Pam and Rebecca, Thank each of you so much for all of your valuable information. It helps in giving me lots of options and things to consider. The links sent are a real plus as well. Now I just need to delve into it and make things happen. Thanks again to all of you travelers for your advice.
bruce

Bruce, Fort William is the largest town on the West Highland Line, and the sleeper from London terminates there. But the West Highland Line extends further north to the fishing port & ferry terminal of Mallaig, and many people regard this as the nicest section of the route. Mallaig is the ferry terminal for the Isle of Skye and several Scottish islands. Four trains a day link Ft William & Mallaig in each direction (one on Sundays), taking about 90 minutes.For ferry tickets to the islands, go here: http://www.calmac.co.uk/ Mallaig is the end of the line for the West Highland Line, so keep in mind that you will have to return to Ft. William to catch a train to Glasgow. If you have more train questions, post them and maybe Nigel (our train expert here) will see them and respond.