Rick's 3 week Britain Trip in October

I've not done the Britain tour, but I did do his Berlin, Prague and Vienna Tour and I thought the pace was about right. I think Rick strives to have a similar pace for all his tours. There was time to see the key sights and then pick our own sights to expand upon what the group was touring. The people on the tour were very congenial. Pam

Jim, could you clarify - are you referring to one of Rick's suggested Itineraries or taking a RS tour?

Jim if you are interested in one of his tours specifically I suggest you go to the Tour page,, and click on the Tour Feedback section. That is a great resourse. When you take a RS tour they send you a survey to fill out,, and then they publish it as is online. I can vouch they do NOT edit out any negative comments, as I made one slight one, and it remained on ... which I consider very honest and am in impressed by. The people who have taken that tour will definately be able to give you a good idea of their experiences if you take the time to read the Feedback. I also like looking at the Scrapbooks.

Now I see, I should clarify. :-) This would be a self-guided trip based on Rick's suggested itinerary. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/britain/brit22.htm I expect that Rick's itineraries are adequately scheduled, especially for the novice traveler. In my various travels, what I've found that works for me is somewhere in the middle of the vacation is a stay of minimum of 3 days. Looks like Edinburgh fits this. Additionally, I try and pad a day or two in the over all trip just in case there is something interesting outside the iternary. Or sometimes the weather is uncooperative, and I might need to adjust.

I have taken the actual Best of Britain tour which included Wales and Scotland (not the self guided one). I would not choose Edinburgh as my three day midway stop. I suggest some place smaller, more scenic, and more relaxing where you could take mini day trips. The Cotswolds and the Lake District and York were my favorites.

Jim:Are you driving a car? Are you traveling alone or with a companion? On our first trip to the UK we made the middle ages our theme...it served us well. We really enjoyed seeing all of the Edward I castles in Wales...both the ruins and the restored. The abbeys of the Borders are especially evocative. While Cotswolds and the Lake District are lovely...there is more to England. Scotland starts to be a little chilly in October...but you can have some fine clear days. Some of the sites start to close for the season. Walk Hadrian's wall. Go to Durham Cathedral for the remarkable carved twisted columns. See York Minster for the Windows. Our second trip we were more interested in antiques...so we visited many of the "English Treasure Houses". These are fabulous if you are interested in history, architecture and art. Depending on how long you are traveling buy a British Hertitage Pass. It will save a lot of money and will get you into the most sites in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. By the Way, once you've done The Castle, High Street & Prince Street you can move on from Edinburgh...don't short change Glasgow if you are into the art scene.

Yes, I'll be driving most of the trip. My thinking is to drop the most northern part, Oban, Highlands and Aberdeen. Save this as a future vacation. Maybe swap Glasgow for Liverpool. Also do the trip in reverse, ie, start from London, then York, Durham, etc. This might improve my odds of better weather temps, and daylight hours. Audrey - thanks for the suggestions. All three look like good places to unwind.

Jim, if you haven't driven in the U.K. before, be sure to allow LOTS of time between destinations. I've found that driving times are always longer, sometimes significantly. A GPS along with a good Map would be helpful. Cheers!