Anyone want to help me plan a UK holiday?

[Sirius]

Hello everyone...

I'm planning a 10th anniversary trip (June 2008) to Great Britain. We've been to London and made Very Brief stops in Oxford and Stratford. I was hoping to get some advice and maybe a few tips.

My plan (2 week holiday):
1. Purchase a BritRail pass
2. Book hotels in advance
3. Visit Edinburgh, Canterbury, Bath - Maybe Leeds, Oxford, the Cotswolds, Stratford...

Questions:

Is it feasible?
Are there any other sites or cities I should consider?
What am I forgetting?
Should I look for a travel company or should I book everything individually?

Thanks for your help!

 

[SEVANS2208]

Hi there,

I live near Oxford and the Cotswolds so happy to help out where I can. May even be able to recommend some hotels.

I don't know much about the rail cards but can happily look up travel times and stations etc for you.

The places you've mentioned are lovely and do-able in 2 weeks (quite a bit of travelling though) but it really depends on how long you want to stay in each location.

Where are you flying into and what sort of bugdet do you have for your accommodation? Also, are you looking for hotels that offer half board or breakfast or guest houses/B&B's?

 

[carolfoy]

I'm a rail agent and although I can't actually book your brit rail pass I can book you seats on specific train etc, which may be useful if you've long journeys planned. As you're a long way ahead it may be useful to know that you generally can't book a seat on a train until 6-8 weeks before departure, June is a great month as our kids are still in school and hopefully you'll get decent weather. Try tourist information sites for local info and recommendations for B&B style accom, it may not work for everywhere but by typing in for instance bathtouristinformation.co.uk or edinburghtouristinformation.co.uk for each individual place you mayy get some extra ideas. also try thenationaltrust.co.uk to see if its worth while subscribing to this company who look after almost all castles/stately homes etc and give free entry to its members.
You haven't given Wales a shot on your itinerary, you may be surprised to know it has more castles per square mile than Scotland - try Cardiff if you can only fit one place in, If you fancy the west country give Plymouth a shot and you can play boules on the same spot as Sir Francis Drake played before setting sail for America

 

[londonpenguin]

In addition to all the wonderful advice I'm sure you'll get from the Britons on this board, be sure to check out Rick Steves' website for advice re hotels, day trips, and rail passes. Also, Frames Rickards runs good day trips out of London to all the popular spots.

 

[ely3857]

Leeds would be a good stop when going from London to Edinbrugh, It is roughly halfway.

Leeds City Train station is right in the city centre situated minutes walk from a number of hotels but obviously the cheaper options are further afield.

Is there anything specific you would like to know about Leeds or any definate reason for visiting that I can help you with?

I have only just moved out of Leeds after living there all my life and still work in the city centre so will be happy to get any infirmation on the city for you.



Jodie

 

[jobo]

First of all I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

When my friend and I traveled around the UK some years ago, we had to purchase our BritRailpass before we left the US. The pass we had was an unrestricted, travel anywhere the trains went pass. Which was great because we kinda had an itinerary, but if we wanted to change our plans- NO worries!

I dont know if they still offer the same ticket. I purchased it from the RailPass office in New York. I'm sure they have internet access now (it was a few yaers ago that I went). If you plan to do all of your travel by train it is a very cheap way to travel ( if you get the BritRail pass).

Good luck in your planning!

 

[DisneyRGB]

Are there any other sites or cities I should consider?

Nottingham! Okay I'm biased but it's one of probably only a few cities in England that are known all over the world - we have Nottingham Castle, the caves, Sherwood Forest etc - plus great shopping!!

 

[JamieUK]

Sherwood Forest? We have Nottingham Forest! lol ...... I'm from Nottingham as well, there's a lot of things to do here, there's plenty of other places that are good.

 

[Rosie]

Hi Sirius

I live near London and yes visitors to the UK must do the stuff you have mentioned - but do consider Dorset if you get the chance. The Jurassic coast which runs from Swanage to Devon is stunning and has recently been made a World Heritage Site. Cities are of course amazing places to soak up the atmosphere of a Country and find culture, but I promise you that to see the beauty of Britain you need to see the sea!

Wales is beautiful but check the climate stats - it rains a lot and you may not find it that warm even in Summer. Trust me the South coast is great for a short break from the Cities!

Whatever you decide have fun planning and enjoy your trip.

Regards
Rosie

 

[Sirius]

Hi Sirius

I live near London and yes visitors to the UK must do the stuff you have mentioned - but do consider Dorset if you get the chance. The Jurassic coast which runs from Swanage to Devon is stunning and has recently been made a World Heritage Site. Cities are of course amazing places to soak up the atmosphere of a Country and find culture, but I promise you that to see the beauty of Britain you need to see the sea!

Wales is beautiful but check the climate stats - it rains a lot and you may not find it that warm even in Summer. Trust me the South coast is great for a short break from the Cities!

Whatever you decide have fun planning and enjoy your trip.

Regards
Rosie

I'd just posted on another thread that I'd like to visit a coastal town. I couldn't find the places you mentioned on a BritRail map. Are there any other towns near the ones you mentioned?

So far, we plan to stay in:
Edinburgh
York
Canterbury
Bath
Cardiff
...not sure about the rest.

We love historic sites.
We might go to Paris for a night or two as well. I'm love to travel through the Chunnel.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Richard Bruvofetc]

Don't forget Shrewsbury (pronounced Shrowesbury). Birthplace of Charles Darwin, Castle, Town Walls, beautiful Victorian railway station, more Tudor buildings than you can wave a stick at (not like Chester's Victorian mock Tudor....sorry Devians, but there is a "big" match tomorrow afternoon), and of course Eberneezer Scrooge's "grave" (Shrewsbury is where "A Christmas Carol" with George C. Scott was filmed).

 

[DisneyRGB]

Sherwood Forest? We have Nottingham Forest!

Yeah and by June 2008 when Sirius plans to visit, we might be back in the Premiership! Don't even want to know what my season ticket will cost then

 

[Rosie]

Hello again Sirius
Bournemouth (large holiday resort), Wareham (ancient town dating to Saxon times) and Weymouth (mid sized holiday resort) all have Rail connections. From what you have said Wareham could be a good choice as it is very near Corfe Castle which is a dramatic ruined castle in a picturesque village. Swanage is eight miles from Wareham and is the gateway to the Jurassic coast. You can take a steam train ride from Corfe Castle to Swanage (which my family did in August) The Railway is run by local train enthusiasts and they are aiming to join the line between Corfe Castle and Wareham - which they may achieve by 2008!? There are very many lovely places of historical interest to visit in the area - both man made and natural. If you do a search on google for Swanage or Isle of Purbeck or Jurassic coast you'll see the kind of stuff I mean.
Its such fun planning a touring holiday. One day I hope to take my DS and DD on a tour of Britain as there are many places I haven't visited that I feel I must see. As for the U.S. - well you could travel forever and not see everywhere of interest I expect!
Regards
Rosie