jen3kids Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 I know there are lots of travellers on here who have experienced each of these 3 places, so I hoping you can help me and DH make a decision. I have to be in Nottingham, England from August 5-17, but we are hoping to leave 4-5 days early and spend it elsewhere. Dh has been to London multiple times and prefers not to spend it there; neither of us has been to Iceland, Ireland, or Scotland. We will fly from DC, Baltimore, or Newark in the US, so an overnight flight is probably our cheapest option. Which country would you pick and what would you see there? I really don't think we'll make a wrong decision and it will likely come down to flight costs/points and the timing of the flights as well as the ease of getting to Nottingham from wherever we choose to visit. We do not want to be on the go the entire time, meaning if we choose Scotland, we'd explore Edinburgh but wouldn't likely make the 3 hour drive to Inverness, but we would use a train if that was an option for a day trip. I love outdoorsy hikes and history. Dh loves museums and I tolerate them. Thanks! Quote
Laura Corin Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 Some easy day trip options from Edinburgh: St Andrews, Loch Ness or Stirling Castle. All could include hiking. 1 Quote
jen3kids Posted March 2, 2020 Author Posted March 2, 2020 3 minutes ago, Laura Corin said: Some easy day trip options from Edinburgh: St Andrews, Loch Ness or Stirling Castle. All could include hiking. Thank you! And, I believe we can take the train/bus from Edinburgh to Nottingham (with multiple transfers) so that is a plus! Quote
Corraleno Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 (edited) IcelandAir has cheap flights to the UK and they let you stopover for several days in Iceland for no extra charge. The kids and I did that a couple of years ago on our way to the UK and had a blast. If you love the outdoors and hiking, Iceland is absolutely spectacular. There are tons of tours* that go to different parts of the country, so you could do a different tour each day or pick one that lasts several days and spend each night in a different place or make your own itinerary. No matter where you go or what you do, it will be spectacular! Prices for lodging and food are very expensive there, but it's such an amazing place and it's perfect for a short 4-5 day mini-vacation. *the tour we did was a small minibus with maybe a dozen people Edited March 2, 2020 by Corraleno Quote
wintermom Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 Do you enjoy natural hot springs and hot tubs? Iceland is really special for these. There are some interesting Viking museums, buildings, church and open-air museums in and around Reykjavik. Beautiful waterfall, hiking trails, and such. I don't think you'd go wrong with any of these locations, though. Enjoy your trip! Quote
The Governess Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 41 minutes ago, Laura Corin said: Some easy day trip options from Edinburgh: St Andrews, Loch Ness or Stirling Castle. All could include hiking. Also the abbeys and Hadrian’s wall to the south. Rosslyn chapel is just outside Edinburgh. There is also Doune Castle, and the tower (I forget the name) where William Wallace’s sword is kept - both close to Stirling castle. There is also Dunnotar fortress up the coast, which is pretty spectacular IMO. So yes, if you made Edinburgh your base there are lots of great options nearby. 1 Quote
Laura Corin Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 57 minutes ago, jen3kids said: Thank you! And, I believe we can take the train/bus from Edinburgh to Nottingham (with multiple transfers) so that is a plus! Just one transfer, if you pick your train well 1 hour ago, jen3kids said: Thank you! And, I believe we can take the train/bus from Edinburgh to Nottingham (with multiple transfers) so that is a plus! Only one change, if you plan for the right trains Quote
jen3kids Posted March 2, 2020 Author Posted March 2, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Corraleno said: IcelandAir has cheap flights to the UK and they let you stopover for several days in Iceland for no extra charge. The kids and I did that a couple of years ago on our way to the UK and had a blast. If you love the outdoors and hiking, Iceland is absolutely spectacular. There are tons of tours* that go to different parts of the country, so you could do a different tour each day or pick one that lasts several days and spend each night in a different place or make your own itinerary. No matter where you go or what you do, it will be spectacular! Prices for lodging and food are very expensive there, but it's such an amazing place and it's perfect for a short 4-5 day mini-vacation. *the tour we did was a small minibus with maybe a dozen people 2 hours ago, wintermom said: Do you enjoy natural hot springs and hot tubs? Iceland is really special for these. There are some interesting Viking museums, buildings, church and open-air museums in and around Reykjavik. Beautiful waterfall, hiking trails, and such. I don't think you'd go wrong with any of these locations, though. Enjoy your trip! Iceland is very high on my bucket list for all the things you both listed. My ods' gf spent a few days in Iceland a year or so ago, so I am going to talk to her as well. Edited March 2, 2020 by jen3kids Quote
jen3kids Posted March 2, 2020 Author Posted March 2, 2020 2 hours ago, Laura Corin said: Just one transfer, if you pick your train well Only one change, if you plan for the right trains Thank you so much! 2 hours ago, lovelearnandlive said: Also the abbeys and Hadrian’s wall to the south. Rosslyn chapel is just outside Edinburgh. There is also Doune Castle, and the tower (I forget the name) where William Wallace’s sword is kept - both close to Stirling castle. There is also Dunnotar fortress up the coast, which is pretty spectacular IMO. So yes, if you made Edinburgh your base there are lots of great options nearby. Thank you for the suggestions. I am making a list and researching airline/train prices. 1 Quote
Farrar Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 I’d do Iceland or Scotland with those guidelines. I feel like Ireland takes longer to enjoy... Though that could be because I took a quick trip like that to Iceland but a longer one to Ireland driving around. Iceland is set up for short term tourism and is gorgeous with tons of great hikes. Quote
madteaparty Posted March 2, 2020 Posted March 2, 2020 I would do Iceland because I felt like we needed more time in Scotland ( we were driving and off season and everything open felt so far apart). We spent a ton of time in the car, got out, looked at wet dark stone, got back in the car😂 It was not well planned but I needed to get out of the Schengen zone, so 🤷♀️DH will surely drag me back there in a different season so we can do it all again 😉 1 Quote
SKL Posted March 3, 2020 Posted March 3, 2020 I've been to all 3. My first choice would be Iceland. One, there are so so many natural wonders to enjoy. Two, there are not as many people. 😛 Scotland would be my second choice, but honestly, I would not need that many days there. Maybe you could do a day or 2 in Scotland and then a longer stay in Iceland. Quote
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