Need help with planing trip to England

[Grand Canyon]

We just spent the month of June at WDW and we are ready to plan the next vacation. We want to spend next June in England.
Is there anything like DIS to help with planing trips to Europe.
This will be are first trip to Europe and the first trip outside of the USA for my DW and 2 DS.

We have done WDW so many times ( have PAP ) we think we are ready to do other places now. Ok maybe we will just skip one summer and do a quick trip the fall after the England trip.

Thanks Michael Martin

 

[Sian]

I don't know of a trip planning site but if you post what sort of things interest you (history, countryside, beaches etc) I'm sure we can all come up with recommendations of where you might like to go. I live in the beautiful city of York so you could start by visiting me...

 

[vernon]

While London is obviously a major destination and has absolutely masses of museums, art galleries and historical attracttions to visit ( this link might help you with some ideas http://www.thisislondon.co.uk ) . There are also many interesting and historical places to visit that are a lot less expensive for both food and lodgings. A lot depends on what your interests are and if you have any family ties with Britain that mean you'd like to explore a particular area. Certainly Bath, York and Edinburgh are all cities that are worth a visit in their own rights.

I have some information of former castles and stately homes that have been turned into hotels, if the idea of staying in an English castle appeals to you Email me if you'd like some information.

 

[Claire Chatts]

Depending on how long you are coming for you should consider a trip to Paris or Brussels (if you've not been before!) on the Eurostar train, really quick from London!

I'm sure if you start getting some idea's together and have any questions or need numbers / websites there are loads of us that'd like to help, the only thing we can't plan here though is the weather!!!

Glad you want to come visit, despite the rain we've got some beautiful and fascinating attractions - and the country pub grub is pretty good too!!!

Claire

 

[Grand Canyon]

Our hope is to rent a house for the month of June
Rent a car and drive all over England and Ireland
We are hopeful that we can do all of this for $7500 + air fair
I suspect this is a low number for a month long hol in England.
Anyway if time and money hold out we would like to go to France for a few days also. I hate to sound prodigious but most people I know are not fond of the French visitor we get here at the Grand Canyon. With that in mind we are not to sure about going to France.

Thank for you help

If you happen to Get to the Grand Canyon let us know and we will get you in for free and show you around

mike

 

[UKDEB]

Mike,

There are lots of beautiful places to visit in the UK as I'm sure you know. I live on the edge of the Cotswolds, which is a popular destination for US visitors. You talk of driving all over England and Ireland. Do you have any specific questions, because I guess we're all finding it a bit difficult to know where to start with it all.

 

[Grand Canyon]

We have no travel experience out side the US
I was thinking of trying to find a place for the month in Manchester
As it seem centrally located
We want to take day trips to all the historical places in Briton
We have been told that most of England was with in 3 hr. of Manchester
This summer we drove 5500miles
We tend to see the US though the car window
Is that any help

 

[I Love Tigger]

Hi Mike

We would suggest you spend half the month based in the North around York, Harrogate area, then move down south for the rest of your Holiday based around Oxford or Cheltenham.

This would help you maximise the area you can cover comfortably, giving you more time to enjoy the sights.

Personally we wouldn't recommend going to France for fear of over stretching your time & budget, as there's enough to enjoy in the UK.

If you need any more help PM us

Paul & Bev

 

[vernon]

You won't find driving in the UK anywhere near as easy as it is in the US. Our road system is nowhere near as efficient and you'll find a lot of the roads small and crowded. Certainly in London there is no need to hire a car. It is MUCH more efficient to use the subway system to get around. You might find there are restrictions on taking hire cars from England to the Republic of Ireland. IMHO you'd be better flying to Dublin, spending a couple of days there ( with no car) then renting one in Ireland and exploring from there.

HEre are a coupel of links for some REALLY NICE hotels if you want to treat yourselves from time to time. Outside of London there are some good places to stay that aren't TOOO expensive

http://www.gilpin-lodge.co.uk
http://www.middlethorpe.com
http://www.stapleford.co.uk
http://www.amberleycastle.co.uk

I'd also send a fax to the Sharrow Bay Hotel in Cumbria it looks ABSOLUTELY stunning scenery and see if they have a website. Fax # 01768486349

 

[Sian]

I agree that Manchester would be a central location but it is not very scenic (pause for attack from all Mancunians) Chester is not far away and much prettier but houses will be more expensive too. York is also a good base although motorway (freeway?) connections are not so good. I could check out properties in the York area for you, or put you up for a couple of days while you looked - but I must warn you my house is very small! My 'must do's' in UK would be Cotswolds for prettiness, Lake District for scenic beauty (and crowds unfortunately), North Wales for castles and mountains, Scottish Highlands and islands for uncrowded scenery (and midges), Northumbria for deserted beaches, York, Chester, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Winchester, Edinburgh, Durham, Lincoln, Canterbury for historic towns, and obviously London. Cheap but nice hotels with minimum facilities are Travel Lodges, Travel Inns and other similarly named places. There are lots of sites for rented holiday homes. We have used Sykes Cottages but there are loads of others. The price will give you an indication of how nice the area is. If your plan is to travel a lot then obviously road access is more important than prettiness.

 

[Fiona R from UK]

Hi there!!

I hope you enjoy your planning for a trip to the UK, June is the best month weatherwise, and all our children are still in school until at least early/mid July!!

I live in the Cotswolds, so you must visit here (not that we're biased Deb!!) I was brought up in Chester and my parents now live in the Lake District. You must put Scotland in your plans too, and especially the wilder parts!!

I would have thought that for a month you may want to pick, say, three or four bases, contrasting city living with country house hotels. although small, our roads are very congested. In theory it takes under 4 hours to travel from the Cotswolds to the Lake District, but it has taken us 8 on many occasions.

There are also "house swap" sites, perhaps you could consider that to keep your costs down. I know my husbands cousins do that when they come to the UK from New Zealand for a couple of months at a time. Sorry, haven't any bookmarked at present. I would offer, but we can'ttake the children out of school in June!!

Good luck, and keep asking questions, however much we all love WDW, we love our own country too!!

 

[TracyK]

You are going to be spoiled for choice. I personally think Manchester is a great city but having just one base would involve a great deal of travelling. I agree with Paul and Bev, having a base up North and one down South might be the best idea.
York is a beautiful city and would be a good choice for a base in the North. The surrounding countryside is lovely.
Oxford is another beautiful place surrounded by the extremely picturesque Cotswolds. One of my favourite areas in the UK. It is also close to London. There is so much to see and do in London that I think it would be a good idea to spend a few days there.
Stratford upon Avon, Glastonbury, Wells, Bath, Durham, Warwick, Windsor, Ironbridge, Hereford, Ludlow and Cheltenham are just a few more of my favourite places.
Wales has lots of pretty countryside and loads of castles. The ferry to Ireland sails from Holyhead in North Wales (about 90 miles from Manchester).
I travel round the UK quite a lot. I know several useful websites for accommodation. You are welcome to PM me should you need any more information. Good luck with your planning. Let us know what you decide.
Tracy

 

[Grand Canyon]

Thank you to everyone who has responded to our request for information thus far.
(This is Michele - wife of Michael, by the way).

We had thought of basing in two or more places. Using Manchester was our first idea. I'm sure we're going to have many great ideas - and discard many great ideas before we've finished planning.

We had been told that driving a car in London was not a good idea. To definitely use public transportation.
But not to rely on public transportation outside of London.

We are looking for lower cost hotels/housing for the main part with a few 'fun' places thrown in.

We are certainly interested in house swapping with someone who would like to stay at the Grand Canyon.
Or, hey, come visit us some other time!

We are taking the vacation in June because ... our children get out of school May 28th or so. We can't wait.

We will be checking all the sites provided tonight.

Some other info we're looking for:
*Is there a Wal-Mart?
*How much does food cost (estimate)?
*How much does public transportation cost?
*Are the roads toll roads?
*Average gas cost?
*Average rental car cost?
*Is $7500/mth remotely reasonable? (About 5000 pounds?)
*Weather in June is ... rainy? (This is supposed to be a joke - but it is England we're talking about.)

Husband and I both have family from England - but we're talking many generations ago. Haven't heard from any of them so it's not a priority.

Our goal is get a good overview of Great Britain so we can focus future trips on specific areas.
(Our 6 year old keeps saying he wants to go to China. I think we need a little practice in countries where the 'same' language is spoken.)

Wow. Have I spouted enough? I hope this narrows down what we're looking for to everyone.
And for the record, nothing in Florida compares to the Great Northwest (where I'm from). The Rocky Mountains. The Cascades. Glacier National Park in Montana. The coast from Seattle down to Portland. Maybe even down to San Fran.

Thanks all -
Michele

 

[TracyK]

Michelle
Here are some links to some fairly cheap accommodation. These chains all do family rooms.
www.travelinn.co.uk
www.travelodge.co.uk
www.premierlodge.co.uk
Premierlodge are very good and often do two nights for the price of one at the weekend. They only advertise these a couple of weeks before but if you book in advance you might be able to transfer it to the offer.
Another company to try is
www.superbreak.co.uk
they often do free children.

Here are some cottage rental companies
http://www.sykescottages.co.uk/default.html
http://www.easycottages.com/index.htm
http://www.cottages4you.co.uk/
http://www.hideaways.co.uk/index.cfm
http://www.english-country-cottages.co.uk/
http://www.countrycottagesonline.com

Here's a link to a useful London site
www.londontown.com
You could always check out Priceline for your London hotels and also for car hire. You must bear in mind that they only guarantee double rooms. Informed bidding site
http://pub109.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding

Public transport is cheap in London. If you get a family travelcard for central London , a family of four can travel on the local buses and tube all day for about £8. I think they also have special travel cards for International visitors. Here's a link to the transport site
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/index.shtml

Hope that helps
Tracy

 

[Janice]

Hi Michelle - and welcome to the UK Boards

You have received some superb advice here - I am sure that eventually we'll all be able to help build your itinerary!

To answer some of your queries

*Is there a Wal-Mart?

Wal Mart are not here "as such", although I do believe there are one or two actual Wal Mart Stores. Wal Mart have taken over or own the ASDA Supermarket Chain - but I personally dont think they compare in the slightest to your Wal Mart.

*How much does food cost (estimate)?

Are you talking Restaurants here? If so - then eating out in Restaurants is more expensive than in the USA, and the service doesn't always match that which we are becoming accustomed to in Florida We find 'Pub Grub' a much better option. We usually expect to pay between 10 and 15 pounds per person for a really good meal in an English Pub. A lot of the times, these are 'home cooked' style meals and really enjoyable. We certainly dont have as many Chains of Fast Food Eateries as you have in the USA.

*How much does public transportation cost?

This can depend on where abouts you are in the country. In the centre of London - you can buy Railcards that give you access to all the zones on the Underground, plus the busses for a reasonable cost and they are valid all day. Staying in the suburbs and travelling into London by Public Transport can be pricey - you need to choose your times of travel to get savings.

*Are the roads toll roads?

No - I only know of 1 Toll Road and that is at the Dartford Tunnel, which is on the M25 Motorway - the cost for this for a car is One Pound each way. I am sure someone else will confirm if there are any other toll roads in other parts of the Country, but I havent seen one

*Average gas cost?

I am not too sure as it does vary slightly but we pay about 75pence per Litre for Diesel. Someone else might help with Petrol.

*Average rental car cost?

Again - I have no idea, but check out some UK websites: Expedia Car Hire

*Is $7500/mth remotely reasonable? (About 5000 pounds?)

I would think so - but you need to do your homework first so that you could budge properly.

*Weather in June is ... rainy? (This is supposed to be a joke - but it is England we're talking about.)

LOL - well we've just had the wettest June I believe? Usually a nice month - balmy days and warm evenings.

We have travelled to quite a lot of different area's of the UK for weekend breaks and have found it easier to stay in an hotel, just outside the city and use this as a base. A lot of our Towns now have Park & Ride schemes for Weekends, so this may be of use, you drive to a location just on the outskirts of a town, leave your car here and the Council provide Busses to take you into the Town Centre. This takes the strain from driving round trying to find Parking Spaces and alleviates traffic congestion in the Towns.

I would also recommend the Open Top Bus Tours which again operate in most major Towns/Cities. This gives you the overall view taking you to the local places of interest, you can hop on and off at your leisure and explore and investigate to your hearts content - when you're done, you just hop on the next bus to the next point of call. Here is a link to City Sightseeing which lists all the Towns and Cities they operate in in the UK and also prices. These are well worth the money in my opinion and we always take one when visiting a new area. This way - you wont miss the important bits!

If it were me, I think I would sit with a map of the UK - divide it into say 4 sections, and then find a central base in each section and stay a week in each section. It sounds like you want to do a whistle=stop tour - this would give you the chance to have a good *overall* feel of everywhere. How awful would it be if you booked and paid for a Cottage somewhere for 2 or 3 weeks, but after a couple of days realised you've seen all you want to see in that area and then you have to travel miles and miles to get to other places? Of course, this is only my opinion - but if you needed any further help with this suggestion, please feel free to email me and I'd be only too happy to help.

Maybe we coule tie in a Mini Dis meet whilst you're over here too?

 

[Goofyish]

I filled up the car this morning and it was 73.9p for unleaded petrol / litre = £3.36 / UK gallon (Roughly $5 a gallon!). A UK gallon is slightly more than a US gallon.

Another option to get round the UK is to fly. There are a few lowcost airlines who offer very good deals to fly between UK cities including Dublin.

Take a look at:

http://www.go-fly.com/templates/Homepage/homepage.jsp?text_id=homepage&language=EN

http://www.bmibaby.com/bmibaby/index.asp

http://www.easyjet.com/en/

 

[BevS97]

well, I have to give a vote for Northumberland - it's quite beautiful up here, but in a very remote way - there's not a lot of people outside of the cities, but an awful lot of sheep

However, the castles are just stunning - Alnwick castle was used as the backdrop for Harry Potter (as the school), and Bamburgh castle has also been used in many films. They, along with Warkworth Castle, are all worth a visit.

I also love the lake district - although it does get quite crowded but it is simply stunning scenery, and lots of little villages to look around.

Then there's the Yorkshire dales....

I could go on.

I have to agree with Sian that York is an absolute Must See destination - and Edinburgh too.

if you don't mind driving, then how about touring around the country - I don't think you would find spending the month in one city very practical, as the road network just isn't that efficient, but you could plan a route around the country, spending 3 or 4 days at various spots you could see most of the country without spending so much time on the road.

As for tolls - we have a toll tunnel near us (the Tyne Tunnel) but I don't think there are any tolls except for bridges and tunnels.

Another thought - you might want to take a look at the National Trust / English Heritage websites - between them they own most of the historic buildings in britain. You can join both groups, and then you get entrance into all their properties for free. We have joined the National Trust and find that if we visit 3 or 4 properties in a year then it pays for our membership.


Bev

Bev

 

[kazzie]

I don't have any more info to add I just wanted to sat please keep us posted with what and where you decide to book

I am trying to plan a trip to California for next year,I have nothing booked as yet.What is stoping me actually booking anything is it is all so daunting.There is so much to see and do,how to choose what to do and what to 'miss'.I do symathise with you if you are having the same dilemma about visiting the UK

 

[Grand Canyon]

Hey, Karen -

We live only 8 hours from the LA coast and we lived in the San Francisco Bay area for a couple years while Michael was in the Navy.

So we would be VERY happy to help you with planning your trip out there.

It is always a pleasure to help someone else plan something fun!

How long are you looking at staying and how much do you plan to spend?
Everything is more expensive in CA than in FL.
I'll start sending you info. on places to go and must sees.

But right now - I need to drive to town (only 150 miles round trip). I'll get back to your tonight on that.

With all the input we've had so far I think I'm ready to start making some kind of outline for our trip - and we'll keep everyone posted.

Thanks-
Michele

 

[kazzie]

Michele,

Thanks so much! It will be a relierf to have someone give me 'insider' advice

I'm off out now having to keep children amused I'll e-mail you later