Advices for a trip around the UK
Replies: 19 - Last Post: Sep 20, 2012 1:45 PM Last Post By: ThuramT
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Advices for a trip around the UK
Hey guys ... Finally got a chance for a trip, and I am planning to make a 20 days trip around the UK from 12th of September. I have already planned a route for my trip which starts from London and continues respectively to Winchester, Isle of Wight, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Avebury, Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Chepstow, Costs wolds, Stratford-upon-Avon,Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, York and finally Cambridge.Do you think this itinerary contains all the important cities ? Are there any other cities which I can add to this list? Or are there any cities in this list which is not really interesting to see?
I would appreciate any advice or comments and would be very happy to know your idea about my trip ...
Cheers
1
Add to the list? You are already spending a lot of time on the road. Do you really want more?I assume you spent some time in London before, if not I should try to re-adjust.
Many of the places above warrant more than one whole day. Chepstow you could do in transit from Cardiff to the Cotswolds and requires just a half day.
2
Thank you for your reply .. Yeah I have already spent some days in London. I am also worried about too many places. I prefer to reduce the number and increase the staying time in each one but I do not know which are the most important ones? can you help me? I am mostly interested in cultural cities, seeing different cultures and people, and generally seeing cities with different characteristics. I also like to see some natural and coastal cities on my way. Thank you so much for your help3
wow. Cut it in half and it would still be crowded, apart from things such as Stonehenge which take an hour.you do realise the size of the UK, the cost of petrol and the traffic on the roads, I hope?
4
I assume you have access to a car? Even with a car as #3 says I would cut the number of places in half (at least).Are you just interested in cities? You will pass through some very pretty rural areas which deserve a visit but given your current plan you will spend the morning perhaps driving to the next place, have the afternoon and evening in a city and then head on the next day.
Why Chepstow?
5
No, actually I do not have a car and plan to travel by bus and train. I have got this route from lonely planet book and I have written a post here to know about your ideas. How should I change the route for a better one? can you help me with that?What rural areas for example should I add? How can I reach them? What cities should I forget about them?
Look forward to knowing your ideas!!
6
If you don't have a car I would say perhaps pick even less than half those locations. What are you interested in? Have you looked at the costs of travelling around because our public transport isn't cheap.You have a real mix there of touristy picturesque cities, more "lived in" cities, small towns, rural areas......it is difficult to know what sort of a holiday you are looking for.
7
As I have checked for all these cities the cost of transportation well be around 250GBP and I know it is really expensive.I was a student here for 1 year and now before going to my country I'd like to see some of the most important touristic parts of the UK. I like to see Live and cheerful cities ... both natural and historical cities ...
8
Without a car you won't have time to see all the places on your list in 20 days. You will need to prioritise your list and decide which are the places you REALLY want to see, and go from there. We can't help you with a suggested itinerary without your advising us what it is you are mainly interested in. For example, what is your motivation for visiting Stratford-upon-Avon? The Cotswolds? Bristol? You must have some reason for wanting to see these places, surely? If not, you probably need to do a bit more homework so that you have a better idea of where you want to go and what you want to see.9
I understand what you mean and thank you for your advices. My priorities are Stonehenge, Bath, Cardiff, Edinburgh, York and Cambridge. Do you think with these cities can I see at least the most important things of the UK?10
As Koalas said you maybe need to have a read about some of the places to see if they are what you are looking for.From London you could base yourself in Bath and see Stonehenge and Bristol in day trips. Bath to Cardiff is an easy train journey.
What is it about Cardiff that makes you want to have it as a priority? It is a nice place but not as scenic as cities like Edinburgh, York, Bath etc - and I say that as it is my home city! You could have an enjoyable couple of days there if you combine it with perhaps a visit to Caerphilly Castle but you will miss the great countryside in South Wales?
Cardiff to Edinburgh is a long train ride or a flight. You can then come down the east coast via York and Cambridge. In 20 days that is probably realistic by public transport.
There are lots of things to see in the UK so you can't do it all in 20 days. If you only want to see cities then obviously you are missing the rural areas!
11
That is a more sensible itinerary for 20 days travelling by public transport, although personally I'd miss out Stonehenge altogether. You can reach it via bus from Salisbury (http://www.londontoolkit.com/whattodo/stonehenge_getting_there.htm). The other cities are all reachable by fast train, and for the most part there's no need to head back to London. You could go from Bath to Cardiff then from Cardiff to Edinburgh (one change, at Crewe - my old stomping ground), Edinburgh to York and then York to Cambridge (one change, at Peterborough). Your longest trip will be Cardiff to Edinburgh, which will take just over 6 hours.Check out these websites:http://www.thetrainline.com/, http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/, http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/753.aspx to plan your trip.
13
Try this....http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/
