I'm putting together a three week trip to Great Britain and I'm generally following Rick's book. I'm considering dropping the stop in Blackpool and the Lake District and using the 3 days saved for other areas. I was also thinking of dropping the Oban stop and the frantic race around Scotland to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is still on the itinerary. Update on my original post based on a few of the comments. Here's the "official" RS Three-Week Great Britain Trip by Car. I was considering cutting out Blackpool and the Lake District in favor of spending more time in Scotland or Cornwall/Devon/Dorset. Those areas are on the "low" end of Rick's Three-Week England/Wales trip. Blackpool, the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands are on the low end of the Great Britain trip. I've never been outside of London so it would all be new to me. Arrive London (Bath) Bath Avebury,Well & Glastonbury (Bath) South Wales (Chipping Campden) Cotswolds, Blenheim (Chipping Campden) Ironbridge Gorge to North Wales (Conway) North Wales (Conway) Liverpool, Blackpool (Blackpool) South Lake District (Keswick) North Lake District (Keswick) Drive up west coast of Scotland (Oban) Highlands, Lock Ness, etc (Edinburgh) Edinburgh Edinburgh Hadrians Wall, Durham (Durham) North York Moors, York (York) York
Train to London (London) London London I'm just doing the general tourist thing. The timing is open but I'd like to go in May/June. We'll be staying in B&Bs mostly and want to see the sights, drink some ales, sample the whisky, etc.
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
What are the suggested stops in Rick's Tour. Once we know where you are going we can make suggestions.
Also what interests you and what could you skip
Posted by
NC, United States
970 posts
Much depends on your own preferences, and only you know them. If I'd slotted just one day for Edinburgh, I'd quickly drop Blackpool and spend two, or even three, days there. I think the Lake District is best appreciated on foot via long hikes. Touring it in a car is OK, but... If I had to choose between Skye and Dorset/Devon/Cornwall, I might look first to the weather. That said, I can't think of anything I've enjoyed more in the UK than spending a few days meandering along country roads in the southwest, stopping when I wanted and not worrying about getting lost.
Posted by
Troy, Oh, USA
2776 posts
Blackpool is fun for a few hours at the most, it could be dropped. But if you drop the Lake District you will be missing a beautiful part of England. If we knew where and what you are planning we could help you better.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Ken, I would encourage you to spend time in Scotland and to get out of Edinburgh. I adore Edinburgh, but there is so much more to Scotland. And, it's different than England. If you don't want to do the west coast, you could just do a couple of days in Perthshire and get a good feel for the highlands. Also, if you are driving, one of the things I love about Scotland is driving the wee roads. You can get a good appreciation for the scenery, you can make your own stops and explore castles, distilleries and more. Let us know what your interests are. Do you like whisky? Do you want to see the history? Do you want to enjoy music and art? It helps to give advice when we better understand why you're making the trip and what your interests are. Pam
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
It will also help us to know WHEN you are traveling and HOW. Pamela loves to drive the wee roads of Scotland- I wouldn't dare- but I, too LOVE the Higlands. We just use trains and buses and day trip- tour companies. It will help us make relevant suggesstions if we know all the things mentioned. Also- budget- at least a range and what kind of accomodations and how many of you are traveling together and rough age ranges.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Ken, we spent 3 weeks in England. We did not visit Ireland, Wales or Scotland. Just England. We were in Bath, Cotswold, Lakes District, York, Cantebury and then 6 days in London. We visited both Oxford and Cambridge as well. If you want a detailed Excel spreadsheet of what we did, where we stayed, all places we visited along with all costs, PM me with your email ID and I'll send it to you.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32772 posts
I'd drop Blackpool in favour of Devon, (Dorset) and Cornwall in a New York minute.
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
Definitely Devon and Cornwall are much more interesting to me than Blackpool and Liverpool. I would be inclined to spend all my Chipping Camden time in the Cotswolds, then Devon and Cornwall, up the Wye valley to include Tintern Abbey ( drop Southern Wales,) Northern Wales, Chester, Lake District and then back to your ininerary.