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At least back in the early 90's some of the roads in Scotland were pretty narrow. If you are going to drive in Scotland, I would recommend a lot of patience and a bit of caution. However, the scenery is stunning and most of the people I encountered were very friendly.
You might take a look at Clava Cairns, which I found very interesting (loved Stonehenge). Also, St. Andrews is an outstanding place to visit.
I was in Scotland in early October and the weather was fine, although it gets dark pretty early in the evening.
I just ran across a website which shows pictures of 27 beautiful small towns in Europe. Three of these were in Great Britain:
Portree, Scotland
Bibury, England
Tenby, Wales
Any comments?
Don't know Portree.
My sister lived in Burford for many years, and I also lived in the Cotswolds. Lovely town with a busy main road heading down a steep hill. It is sometimes called the gateway to the Cotswolds. Good base for the area which includes Oxford and Cheltenham as well as the many Cotswold towns and villages.
If you made that your base it might be worth checking out the Lamb Inn, which is more like a hotel with a pub, and also the Bay Tree Hotel, both of which are off the main road but central and quiet.
I like Tenby, though it has been quite some time since I was last there.
Unusual situation with two beaches. Bit further out the way in West Wales. Old fashioned feel to the place, and I mean that in a good way.
London: British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Imperial War Museum
Harrods, Oxford Street, Hyde Park, American Embassy, Hampstead Village (within Greater London)
Salisbury: Cathedral, Stonehenge and about 10 miles north of Salisbury, Heale House
Bath: A great "day" trip from London
Bibury: Perhaps the most scenic of the scenic, a small village with trout stream alongside main street, a little over an hour, or maybe two west of London. A regular haunt of ours.
Thank you all for these great suggestions. We're going to start reading up on these places today. It seems like such an overwhelming task to plan for such a long trip, but we're starting to get really excited. I'm still hoping for an answer to this question that I asked a number of posts back...
We're considering picking maybe somewhere between four and six cities or towns to stay in for longer periods than just 1 to 2 days and then take day trips from them, rather than just make one big loop, seeing everything along the way. We like this idea because it would mean less frequently unpacking and dragging of luggage around. Also, Rick Steves book said that some Bed & Breakfasts give discounted rates to travelers who will be staying for several days instead of just overnight. Could anyone on this forum provide some suggestions as to which cities/towns we might look into for this purpose. Remember -- this will be a month-long trip to England, Scotland and Wales. How many "home bases" would be reasonable?
Given that you have a fair bit of time over here I would consider staying close to where you fly in for the first couple of days or so in order to get over jet lag, and not worry about a car. You'd be in London or Edinburgh, so no problems there.
There are so many options as to what to do after that that my brain is hurting!
One area that keeps coming back to me that has not been touched upon so much is the border between Wales and England. I stayed in Ludlow a couple or so years ago on a mini trip of my own.
It is a gorgeous town and would be a good base for that area. You could stay there or around there on the way up the UK or down, depending on your itinerary.
It is a good way of avoiding the less than pleasant sprawl around Birmingham.
Here are our tentative plans for days 2 through 11. (Day 1 is spent flying in from the U.S.) On Day 12, we'd head into England. Would appreciate any feedback:
Day 2 - Wednesday, September 2: Arrive in Edinburgh. Check into B&B. Rest. Walk around town. Spend night in Edinburgh.
Day 3 - Thursday, September 3: See sights in Edinburgh. Spend night in Edinburgh.
Day 4 - Friday, September 4: See more of Edinburgh. Spend night in Edinburgh.
Day 5 - Saturday, September 5: Rent car and drive to St. Andrews (1 1/4 hours). See town and golf course. Continue on to Inverness (3 hours). Check into B&B. Spend night in Inverness.
Day 6 - Sunday, September 6: Go to church in Inverness. See the sights there. Spend night in Inverness.
Day 7 - Monday, September 7: Drive to Portree on the Isle of Skye (2 1/4 hours), stopping at Loch Ness. Check into B&B. Spend night in Portree.
Day 8 - Tuesday, September 8: : Walk through Portree. Drive to Oban (3 1/4 hours). Check into B&B. See the sights there. Spend night in Oban.
Day 9 - Wednesday, September 9: Take 10-hour guided tour to Mull, Iona and Staffa (Fingals Cave). Return to Oban. Spend night in Oban.
Day 10 - Thursday, September 10: Drive to Glasgow (2 hours), stopping at Luss on Loch Lomond. Check into B&B. See the sights there. Spend night in Glasgow.
Day 11 - Friday, September 11: See sights in Glasgow. Spend night in Glasgow.
I wen to london 2 years ago in August/September, one of the great things in the East End flower marker, i'm a teenager and I hate markets/shopping and don't really like gardening (it's not THAT bad). But the flower market is very entertaining, watching everyone in strong cockney accents bartering, arguing and "selling" their prodcuts, would recommend.
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