Help me plan a trip to England

[Jann in TX]

DH, youngest dd and I will be traveling to the UK to see middle dd (who is in grad school there) in June.

We will have 2 weeks.

 

We will fly into Manchester as mdd's university is in Lancaster.  We want to go up to Scotland for a few days and then down to London (most likely in that order as I'm thinking about going on to Uganda for a week or so)...

 

Other than about an hour layover on my last trip to Uganda, I've never been to the UK officially-- DH has been to London a few times on business.

 

Any suggestions for 'must see' places and/or places to stay?

 

[linders]

We head to London in 2 weeks. We got an AirBnB place in Westminster. It gives us the option of walking to several venues, eating in, doing laundry, etc.

 

Our "must sees" so far are Westminster Abbey (Verger's tour and evensong), Imperial War Museum, Tower of London, British Museum, the Tate, and wandering as many neighborhoods as possible. We will probably brace the crowds for the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. The boys hope to see Parliament in action. A couple of evening shows with half-price tickets we hope. And a day trip or two - Oxford, Greenwich, maybe.

[happi duck]

Though I am green with envy I hope you get tons of great information!

[Jann in TX]

We head to London in 2 weeks. We got an AirBnB place in Westminster. It gives us the option of walking to several venues, eating in, doing laundry, etc.

 

Our "must sees" so far are Westminster Abbey (Verger's tour and evensong), Imperial War Museum, Tower of London, British Museum, the Tate, and wandering as many neighborhoods as possible. We will probably brace the crowds for the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. The boys hope to see Parliament in action. A couple of evening shows with half-price tickets we hope. And a day trip or two - Oxford, Greenwich, maybe.

 

I'm behind the ball in planning-- the trip is DH's doing-- but I guess we need to get moving on some set plans... I like the idea of an AirBnB for parts of the trip...

 

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[theelfqueen]

Near Manchester is the Lake District and it's BEAUTIFUL! Do you want to stay in one place in Scotland (ie Edinburgh/Glasgow) and road trip/day trip out? or do you want to stay in a number of places?

 

Look into the London Pass  -- for us it was a good fit.

 

[mommyoffive]

A blogger I read is headed that way and has board with some neat ideas

 

https://www.pinterest.com/fishmama/great-britain-trip/

[justasque]

1. Guided walks from London Walks are always, always good.  Very good.

2. You could spend your entire time just at museums!  We love the Imperial War Museum, the Design Museum, the Museum of Childhood, the V&A, and the British Museum.

3. Rainy day?  Stressed out?  Spend some time doing brass rubbing at St. Martin-in-the-Field's crypt.

4. Hungry?  Stop at a local shop for yogurt and cheese, a local bakery for a nice loaf of bread, and a greengrocer for some fruit.  Grab a take-out lunch from Marks & Spencers or Pret a Manger, or have a nice lunch at a pub or restaurant.  Stop by the greengrocer again on the way home to get some veg to fry up for dinner along with some fish.  Or get a take-away curry or fish & chips.

5. Take the tube everywhere; fill in with a bus if needed.  By walking you'll see so much detail! 
 

[Ellie]

Someone posted this here (I think it was here; sadly, I didn't include her name or anything when I saved it. :-( ):

 

My #1, never-fail, trust-me-on-this advice for people who go to London: get the the Tower of London when it opens. 10 minutes before, so you can sprint in when the gates open. Run STRAIGHT to the back corner, where the crown jewels are. They will let you go through twice so you can really get a good look because there won't be many people there. Then go back to the entrance and pay extra for the Beefeater tour. When you're done with that, look at the line to see the jewels, which is now almost 2 hours long, and send a little psychic "thank you" my way

 

 

Also, you can sign up (several weeks before you leave) for the Ceremony of the Keys. This is the "locking up the Tower for the night" ceremony they do late in the evening. It is worth going back for, to see all the hullabaloo they have been doing for years. But you have to have a reservation, have to have paid for it ahead of time, and they send you your tickets in the mail. Worth it though.

Before we left the states, we were able to buy two for one tickets for the train from the airport to the center of town (Saved $40 - 50 there). Because we bought them ahead of time (online), they were cheaper. Plus with those train tickets, they had a special going at many places around. We got two for one tickets at Tower of London (just by showing train receipt) and at the Churchill Museum and War Rooms. We found this deal by frequenting TripAdvisor.com. Sign up over there right now, and you will get lots of info from people who live in London or who have recently visited. They saved us loads of money by suggesting these things.

[theelfqueen]

The War Rooms are AWESOME!

 

[Laura in CA]

We did the Ceremony of the Keys. Definitely worth going back to the Tower in the evening.

 

I think I've posted about these things before on these boards, but we loved experiences – Ceremony of the Keys; attending evensong at Westminster Abbey (as opposed to a tour); taking the boat to Greenwich; etc.

 

The museums are mostly free – a tremendous value.

 

We also love London Walks.

 

A little-known treasure is the Institution of Civil Engineers building at One Great George Street (right across from the Cabinet War Rooms); their library is upstairs and open to the public (and the building itself is beautiful and very British). When we were in London a few months ago we saw the world's longest-ever Lego bridge (see picture in link); hopefully it will still be on display when you are there.

 

If you're interested in medical stuff, the Hunterian Museum is fascinating. It's near Lincoln's Inn, worth a visit in itself. ETA: Oops, I see the Hunterian will be closed for renovation starting 20 May 2017.

 

Every church, it seems, has (often free!) noontime concerts once a week. Just check churches' notice boards as you walk by, or look online at places like St Martin-in-the-Fields. Oh, we attended a free organ concert at Temple Church. Simply sublime.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Laura in CA

[Laura Corin]

What do you want to see in Scotland?  Cities?  Landscape?  Hiking/climbing?  It's easy to get around Edinburgh/Glasgow/Aberdeen on foot but many of the sites further afield would require a bus tour or hiring a car.

[lailasmum]

In London I recommend these self guided walks. They're great and being self guided you can spend more time anywhere along the way, break for lunch etc.

http://www.walklondon.com

[Jann in TX]

Near Manchester is the Lake District and it's BEAUTIFUL! Do you want to stay in one place in Scotland (ie Edinburgh/Glasgow) and road trip/day trip out? or do you want to stay in a number of places?

 

Look into the London Pass  -- for us it was a good fit.

 

My dd (the one in grad school) is the main one wanting to go to Scotland (Edinburgh).

She loves castles and scenery...  I, personally would prefer to stay in one place and day trip from there. I imagine we would have 3-4 days there.

 

[Jann in TX]

OK-- I think I have our basic travels mapped out--purchasing air tickets today!

 

We will start with the first 5 days in London --any ideas of what to do besides typical must-see sights such as Tower of London--one of those days dd and I will go to the Harry Potter set (DH and middle dd will go on some adventure or to museums-- they have both spent time in London before) and we plan on taking a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge.  Middle dd will join us for at least 2 of those days.

Next we will take a train to Lancaster (see campus and dd's dorm)- the next morning we will either take a train or drive to Edinburgh (2 nights) then back to Lancaster (dd has a short afternoon class at school). We will rent a car and spend 2 nights in the Lake District then back to Lancaster to say goodbye to middle dd.  We will spend our last night in Manchester (we fly in and out of that airport as it is soooo much cheapter plus it is a direct flight!).

 

Does this sound like too much traveling around?  We are trying to work around middle dd's end of term schedule (she is in a Master's program and her class schedule is NOT typical!)

 

Should we take the train or rent a car to go from Lancaster to Edinburgh?  How easy is it to get around Edinburgh?

 

For accommodations we will probably go the vacation rental (apartment) route instead of hotels...since there will be 4 of us most nights.

[mumto2]

Manchester Airport is a place I know. If it's possible to bring pound coins with you have a few for the luggage carts because it will make things easier. The rail station is an easy walk, all covered. Lots of hotels on site for your return journey, think we used a Holiday Inn when we needed one.

 

The drive to and from your dd's Uni to Edinburgh is not a bad one but not sure if you will want a car in Edinburgh. It will all depend on where your hotel is. You might want to take a train there and rent the car there for your return. Dh loves this site http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/The-Battle-of-Bannockburn/. It is on the way back.

[Jann in TX]

Manchester Airport is a place I know. If it's possible to bring pound coins with you have a few for the luggage carts because it will make things easier. The rail station is an easy walk, all covered. Lots of hotels on site for your return journey, think we used a Holiday Inn when we needed one.

 

The drive to and from your dd's Uni to Edinburgh is not a bad one but not sure if you will want a car in Edinburgh. It will all depend on where your hotel is. You might want to take a train there and rent the car there for your return. Dh loves this site http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/The-Battle-of-Bannockburn/. It is on the way back.

 

Thanks-- we do have some pound coins.

LOVE the site you linked!

[lailasmum]

Just be aware that Stonehenge has to be booked ahead now. You book a timed ticket.

[diplomum]

Most London sights also need to be booked in advance.

Edited March 17, 2017 by diplomum

[TCB]

I lived in London for a number of years, but only recently went on one of the red bus sightseeing tours when I took my daughters back for a visit. I really recommend doing the bus tour to get yourself oriented to London and see so many things so easily. The guides are really good at giving you great information about the places as you go around. If you do it on your first day then you can have a good idea about places you want to come back to and see in more detail. You can also hop on and off during the day and see places as you pass. We bought our tickets for the Tower of London from the bus company and got a discount and also it saved lining up to buy them at the Tower. I think there are also some good value passes you can buy on-line if you have several places you want to visit. It will probably only take you a few hours to look around the Tower. Tower Bridge and St Katherines Dock are right next to the Tower.

Your trip doesn't sound like too much traveling around to me. Some people seem to try and see too many things all at once and risk not enjoying them so much, but I don't think your itinerary sounds like that. I love London! Have a wonderful time.

[Laura Corin]

Edinburgh is very walkable.  Parking is a nightmare.  I wouldn't take a car into Edinburgh unless my hotel offered parking - I'd take the train instead. There are direct trains and it takes under 2 1/2 hours.

[Tree Frog]

Following. There are many great suggestions and our family is planning to travel to London summer, 2108.

[mumto2]

Since I think this will work for you....If you are traveling with a dc 15 or younger you can get a railcard https://www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk which saves money. You can prebook without the card but must buy the card before getting on the train. You need to carry it and id whenever you are on trains using the discount but they are easy to use and get. I know you can get them at the rail station at the airport in Manchester.

 

Also in London we like the Historic Palace Pass. http://www.hrp.org.uk/#gs.v6dA0VE Obviously it depends on what your plans are but we tend to break even on that pass pretty easily. It includes the Tower, Kensington Palace, and Hampton Court. The Palace at Kew requires additional admission to Kew Gardens at a discounted rate but I really like that one.

[ktgrok]

Edinburgh is very walkable.  Parking is a nightmare.  I wouldn't take a car into Edinburgh unless my hotel offered parking - I'd take the train instead. There are direct trains and it takes under 2 1/2 hours.

 

Yes! We had a car in Scotland so we could drive out to other cities, but driving IN Edinburg was terrifying, honestly. Just walk. 

 

We REALLy enjoyed doing a ghost tour one evening, so much fun! (I don't believe in ghosts, but they cover a bunch of history, and it is all in fun). 

 

We did the whisky heritage museum in Edinburgh...my husband loves Scotch, and you learn about the history of the drink, and ride a ride (seriously...you go around in a whisky barrel, lol) and then can taste different types of Scotch. 

 

Make sure to pick up some snacks or lunch at the little bakeries you pass - cheap eats and YUM! Things like sausage rolls, pasties, etc plus cookies and such. 

 

Do NOT eat pizza there...it's terrible. Or where we went to was.