Crossing the Pond for a visit!!

[mbb]

Now then, who wants to put us up??

Only kidding, but we're starting to plan our "GreatBigFamilyTrip" for the summer of 2009.

And everyone thinks that the "Disney Planner", ie, me, should be the England, Ireland, Scotland trip planner too.

Wanna help??
LOL!

Here's what we've got so far..
4 families ...
1)DH, our boys - they'll be 11 - and me
2)My parents - mom has a wheelchair
3)DH's sister and her husband - love traveling with them, just fun!
4)DH's niece and her fiance.

3 weeks in July.
Flying from Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada
DH's ancestral home is Lismore, Scotland.
DSIL wants to stay in a castle overnight
Kids want to "see" Nessie.
Good with the driving ourselves. Would like to pick areas in each country to stay in, then day trip around.
Weekly/nightly house rentals/flat rentals are As are B&B accomodations. Hotels in larger centres are ok too.

So where do I start?
Any help, links suggestions, MUCH appreciated!

 

[Netty]

What about Wales?? Lots of castles here!! and beautiful countryside!
have fun planning your trip

 

[daipp]

What about Wales?? Lots of castles here!! and beautiful countryside!
have fun planning your trip

And confusing road signs !!!

David

 

[BRobson]

For your Scottish part of your trip I would recommend Inverness. It has a small airport and easily accessible. You are easily within an hours drive to Loch Ness and is well connected to the west coast of Scotland and the Islands.

You may like this castle to stay in www.inverlochycastlehotel.com or this www.dornochcastlehotel.com. Both are within ok travelling time of Inverness.

This site has a lot of info on Scotland www.visitscotland.com.

Hope this helps with the Scottish part of your journey

 

[natalielongstaff]

if you decide to visit middle england you are welcome to stay at my house

 

[mbb]

if you decide to visit middle england you are welcome to stay at my house

Did you *see* our list of travelers??
.
.
.
.
.
We'd love too!


Thanks - will start with the Scotland links, thanks much BRobson - and see what else I find...I have a feeling we could easily spend the whole 3 weeks in just one country

Oh, and does anyone know of any good "house exchange" sites?
TIA!

 

[swilshire]

All I can say, MBB, is you have my sympathy. My family of six is leaving June 13 for about three weeks in the UK. We decided to pass on Ireland this trip, so we're doing a couple of nights in Wales, a week near Glascow and another near Devon, and five nights in London. I've gone more than a little nuts trying to plan the logistics in a country I know little about.

The folks on this forum have been extremely helpful to me, as have the members of a couple of other bboards I frequent. At this point, I have at least a bed to sleep in every night except one and a rented van.

I feel like I should be much deeper into planning our itinerary by now.

I can't imagine trying to take a group your size anywhere! Unless you have an unlimited budget, in which case the planning might be fun.

Best of luck to you!

Sheila

P.S. Just noticed that you're planning for 2009. I can't get my family members to commit to anything two months in advance .... let alone two years. I only started a little over a year ago, so you'll do better than I did.

 

[SandraC]

Hi mbb ~ We are planning our 2009 or 2010 trip to UK too! S

 

[carolfoy]

Just wanted to say how lovely it is to see so many of you visiting especially when the dollar is so weak, i hope you all have a wonderful time in our little world

 

[wicket2005]

Perhaps we could point to places in our regions where our cousins could stop off if they are travelling from a to b that they may like and may not be in the regular tourist guides.

I live up in the North East corner of England, we have a lovely little seaside village/town called Whitby which would be a lovely place to visit. It is still very old worldy and is still easy to picture in the days that Captain Cook would have set sail on his voyages. Though perhaps not too good for wheelchair users as it is quite hilly.

Another place is York, this is a big city but at the heart still is how it was centuries ago. It is dominated by a huge minster (church). York is on the main line to trains up to Edinburgh in Scotland.

 

[Mainebound]

All I can say, MBB, is you have my sympathy. My family of six is leaving June 13 for about three weeks in the UK. We decided to pass on Ireland this trip, so we're doing a couple of nights in Wales, a week near Glascow and another near Devon, and five nights in London. I've gone more than a little nuts trying to plan the logistics in a country I know little about.

We leave end of June for 3 weeks in London, then a night in York, then a 10 days in Scotland, then 5 nights in Iceland.

MBB -- I got a book "London with Kids" by Frommer's, which has been helpful. We rented an apartment. We are very excited!!!

My DH is a historian who specializes in the British military in the Victorian era, so he will be doing research. In the meantime, I get to discover the city with my boys!

Hope everyone has a great trip across the pond!