14 days total: We are landing in London, spending three days (have been there before) and then settling in near Sheffield to see great houses and the Peaks District for 4-5 days. Should we stick around England for another 4-5 days or go straight to Scotland, where we depart from Edinburgh?
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I would go to the borders and explore both sides - England and Scotland. I would look at Hexham, Carlisle, check out Hadrian's Wall and the forts. I would explore some of the Abbey's - Jeduburgh, Melrose, Kelso. A great castle to check out is Floors. If you are literary minded, there is Sir Walter Scott's house at Abottsford. I also enjoyed Traqhair House. It's old and interesting with a nice tour and good maze. ; ) Then close out the tour with a day or two in Edinburgh. Pam
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1450 posts
The answer depends on the dates of your trip. Some of the sites don't open in Scotland until April. I was in Scotland in April and it snowed. August and September are my favorite months for Scotland. Some sites start to close again in October. The Borders isn't that far for a taste of Queen Mary's Scotland and has a lot interesting ruined abbeys and Hadrians Wall, and is on the way to Edinburgh. Durham Cathedral can be on your way north and is very mystical with St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede.
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
I love Scotland and it is a good option. You could also see a bit of Wales. Maybe explore Cardiff or the Snowdonia area.
Posted by
OP
Bay Harbor, MI, USA
5 posts
Thanks for the good suggestions. We will be leaving the Peak's District around October 16th...so I think most things will still be open. We need to depart from Edinburgh on October 21st.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
You could easily spend four days in the Northumbria and Borders area which we visited this summer before heading up into the Scottish highlands. Some worthwhile stops: Alnwick for the castle gardens and Border Books, lots more castles in that area, Hadrian's Wall area around Once Brewed, Lindisfarne Abbey, St. Abbs Head, and all of the border abbeys, especially Dryburgh. If you like neolithic stones, there are many in Derbyshire and beautiful Castlerigg Circle just north of the lakes district. Eyam, in Derbyshire, is also interesting because of its plague story. We also visited Wharam Percey in that area--a well preserved medieval village.
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
if you are going to do Derbyshire- "the" sight is Chatsworth House- definitely worth the time; house, gardens, they even have a farm in the grounds, all of which can be visited. We are not hikers, but we enjoyed the walk up Dovedale, a walk along a little river, crossing it periodically in a valley/gorge
Posted by
bethesda, md, us
212 posts
And there is Castle Howard, a wonderful place to tour, especially the grounds. Setting for Brideshead Revisited. Just a few miles north of York. Also in that direction, just a bit further: the beautiful Rievaulx Abbey, and a bit further is Durham, and the amazing and important Cathedral.