Planning UK trip, need advice

by furriner Sat 07 Sep 2024, 15:44

I may be doing a solo UK trip in October. I’m in two minds because a couple of my friends dropped out on a planned journey at the last minute. Now I’m figuring out if I should go by my own self. My costs - earlier shared - have now literally tripled.

So I figured I recoup my years of painstaking (and totally selfless) investment in this website; who else would give me the benefit of their UK travel wisdom but you fine cricket fans on FB?

My plan is to spend 5-7 days in London and a few select place around (2-3 in the city, 2-3 on day trips). Another 5-7 days in Scotland (1-2 days in Edinburgh), 3-5 days on the road travelling to various places.

To wit my preliminary questions (all cunningly directed at saving money) are:

1. Please recommend a reasonably inexpensive place to stay in London that’s accessible to public transport and isn’t like an hour away from central London. I need a room to myself, but definitely not a four or five star. But also not a hostel, too old for that.

2. The Scotland leg of the journey is a challenge. Cities I can still do solo. But without travel companions my option for travelling the country is to do group tours. I’d still prefer the possibility of finding a few like minded people to share a car rental, so there’s flexibility of travel. Is there any app that lets you do that?

Be warned - I have many many more questions to waste your time. These will do for now

by Basil Sat 07 Sep 2024, 18:39

If you're on a budget, you might do well to avoid the last full week of October, which is usually school half term holiday in England, whenever you can expect accommodation prices to take a bit of a hike.

by furriner Sat 07 Sep 2024, 19:03

Basil wrote:If you're on a budget, you might do well to avoid the last full week of October, which is usually school half term holiday in England, whenever you can expect accommodation prices to take a bit of a hike.

Thanks Basil.

My plan was to visit in the first 2-3 weeks of October.

Any advice on stay? What’s the furthest I can go out and still get to the city centre and within an hour?

by Basil Sat 07 Sep 2024, 19:23

I have a limited knowledge of London, but I know that Clapham is well connected in terms of transport links.

by lardbucket Sat 07 Sep 2024, 23:25

Have done many trips, some alone, some as a couple. Place to stay? St Albans was always good, somewhere on that line. Easy and rapid access to London. I would not stay in a London hotel again - too expensive! Might sound silly but Gatwick and Heathrow airport hotels were not bad and of course offered easy access to the city. I stayed in Berkeley Square once, near Holborn station and the British Museum. Comfortable but too expensive! Another time stayed at Southwark, supposedly cheaper, but not cheap!! And another time at the Sunborn yacht hotel … noisy and expensive! You get the drift.

Best times were spent with a hire car, self-directed. Spend more time in Scotland and Northumberland!

by furriner Sun 08 Sep 2024, 03:52

lardbucket wrote:….

Best times were spent with a hire car, self-directed. Spend more time in Scotland and Northumberland!

Self drive sounds ideal for Scotland as per my research, but since I can’t find a travel partner, it feels pointless tooling around the countryside by myself. I’m down to looking for randos to drive with or, failing that, signing up for group tours.

by lardbucket Sun 08 Sep 2024, 04:08

I did a lot of the driving on my own, and it was fine. There’s plenty to see and enjoy. Drove to Wick, John O’Groats, Dunnet Head, Oban, Glencoe, Ben Nevis, Aviemore, Fort William (stayed there), Inverness, Urquhart Castle, and more. All good. Easy driving.

by furriner Sun 08 Sep 2024, 06:36

lardbucket wrote:I did a lot of the driving on my own, and it was fine. There’s plenty to see and enjoy. Drove to Wick, John O’Groats, Dunnet Head, Oban, Glencoe, Ben Nevis, Aviemore, Fort William (stayed there), Inverness, Urquhart Castle, and more. All good. Easy driving.

If I have at most 4 days to drive around the Scottish countryside (with Edinburgh as a starting point) what places in Scotland (in your order of priority) can I reasonably expect to see?

Skye, Fort William, Glencoe, Lochess, Inverness are the suggested places, but an open to ideas. I want to see the country in this part of my travel.

I’ll be spending 1-2 days in Edinburgh but that’s separate.

by lardbucket Sun 08 Sep 2024, 10:19

Presumed you’re flying in to Edinburgh? Or by train?

by furriner Sun 08 Sep 2024, 12:46

lardbucket wrote:Presumed you’re flying in to Edinburgh? Or by train?

Most likely will fly into Edinburgh.

by skully Sun 08 Sep 2024, 12:50

Oi, lardy. Have you ever been to Newcastle, UK?

The youngest wants to scoot up to Geordie-land on our annual road trip when I visit next March-April. What does one do in the land of Geordie Shore???

Suggestions?

Apologies for piggy-backing on your thread, furri.

by WideWally Sun 08 Sep 2024, 13:04

When one is in Newcastle, one should be sittin' in a sleazy snack bar sucking sickly sausage rolls.

by skully Sun 08 Sep 2024, 13:58

Man, that is one hell of a throw back. Shocked

by lardbucket Sun 08 Sep 2024, 14:11

WideWally wrote:When one is in Newcastle, one should be sittin' in a sleazy snack bar sucking sickly sausage rolls.

... with a Newcastle Brown Ale?

More seriously, I didn't spend much time in Newcastle, preferring the country further north. Drove up the Coast road, the coast and the castles, the causeway to Holy Island / Lindisfarne and half a day there, further up through Dunbar and Berwick and around into Edinburgh. Stay anywhere in Edinburgh (Balmoral is next to the railway station, posh, if you're going to lash out for one night do it there) and spend time around Edinburgh castle , a full day easy, plus up the hill in Rankin's back yard ... the up the guts through Aviemore and right to the top, or cut across at Inverness to Fort William, over to Oban and Skye, it's all amazing. Right up to the the top through Thurso and Wick, all the whisky places, you've got to get to Dunnet Head and John O'Groats and read the history there. 'Kidnapped' country. then you can drive down the West through the Lakes country and the Peak District.

London's OK, museums and galleries are great, but the North is something ...

by Fred Nerk Sun 08 Sep 2024, 14:48

WideWally wrote:When one is in Newcastle, one should be sittin' in a sleazy snack bar sucking sickly sausage rolls.

Could the copper catch a crooked coffin maker, could the copper comprehend That the crooked coffin maker's just an undertaker who undertakes to be your friend?

BTW Newcastle Brown makes Domestos taste like Baileys Irish

by furriner Sun 08 Sep 2024, 15:05

lardbucket wrote:… Edinburgh. Stay anywhere in Edinburgh (Balmoral is next to the railway station, posh, if you're going to lash out for one night do it there) and spend time around Edinburgh castle , a full day easy, plus up the hill in Rankin's back yard ... the up the guts through Aviemore and right to the top, or cut across at Inverness to Fort William, over to Oban and Skye, it's all amazing. Right up to the the top through Thurso and Wick, all the whisky places, you've got to get to Dunnet Head and John O'Groats and read the history there. 'Kidnapped' country. then you can drive down the West through the Lakes country and the Peak District.

London's OK, museums and galleries are great, but the North is something ...

How many days did you spend driving around Scotland?

by lardbucket Sun 08 Sep 2024, 22:54

Fred Nerk wrote:

BTW Newcastle Brown makes Domestos taste like Baileys Irish

I know that!

by Basil Wed 11 Sep 2024, 20:54

A good place to stay in Scotland would be Stirling as it is just about equidistant between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The autumn colours in the countryside should be quite striking too.

The same could be said for the Cotswolds, but expect to pay a premium for accommodation.

by furriner Thu 12 Sep 2024, 13:03

Thanks Basil.

by lardbucket Thu 12 Sep 2024, 14:35

furriner wrote:
lardbucket wrote:… Edinburgh. Stay anywhere in Edinburgh (Balmoral is next to the railway station, posh, if you're going to lash out for one night do it there) and spend time around Edinburgh castle , a full day easy, plus up the hill in Rankin's back yard ... the up the guts through Aviemore and right to the top, or cut across at Inverness to Fort William, over to Oban and Skye, it's all amazing. Right up to the the top through Thurso and Wick, all the whisky places, you've got to get to Dunnet Head and John O'Groats and read the history there. 'Kidnapped' country. then you can drive down the West through the Lakes country and the Peak District.

London's OK, museums and galleries are great, but the North is something ...

How many days did you spend driving around Scotland?

by lardbucket Thu 12 Sep 2024, 14:38

lardbucket wrote:
furriner wrote:
lardbucket wrote:… Edinburgh. Stay anywhere in Edinburgh (Balmoral is next to the railway station, posh, if you're going to lash out for one night do it there) and spend time around Edinburgh castle , a full day easy, plus up the hill in Rankin's back yard ... the up the guts through Aviemore and right to the top, or cut across at Inverness to Fort William, over to Oban and Skye, it's all amazing. Right up to the the top through Thurso and Wick, all the whisky places, you've got to get to Dunnet Head and John O'Groats and read the history there. 'Kidnapped' country. then you can drive down the West through the Lakes country and the Peak District.

London's OK, museums and galleries are great, but the North is something ...

How many days did you spend driving around Scotland?

Three or four. The distances aren’t daunting if you’re used to driving in Oz, and there’s plenty to see.

by Fred Nerk Fri 13 Sep 2024, 03:30

I'll be back in the Yook middle of next year, first time since 2012.

Re planning timetables: when I 'did' Ireland last time my cousin advised I check out coach tour itineraries as a basis and go 'off road' as you wish, or as locals may suggest to you, from there.

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