UK travel advice
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Anonymous
| Friends are getting married in London next year and we're going to try to go. Besides London we'd like to take another week visiting somewhere else- thinking Cotswolds, the Lake District, or Scotland. DH really would prefer Scotland, I'm more open to other destinations. We'd take DS, who will be 1.5 at the time of the trip, so I don't think we'd want to venture as far as Skye. Are there other parts of the Highlands that are more accessible from Edinburgh, or areas of Scotland that would still give us a good feel for the country? Would like some nice scenery, visit castles and other cultural sites, and do some walking. Or would sticking to England make more sense? DH thinks the Cotswolds look too touristy. |
Anonymous
| Take the train to Edinburgh--unless you plan to rent a car. Edinburgh is great and you probably don't want too many change of hotels with a toddler. You could take some day trips from Edinburgh. |
Anonymous
I wouldn't recommend the train for a family in gb. It's way more expensive than in other European countries. It will be cheaper to rent a car |
Anonymous
The train is fine. If they get a car, they have to drive on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road, and then they have to park it in places where there may not be much if any parking. (Wrong side of the car is actually the harder one to adjust to). The Cotswolds are touristy, but you are a tourist. It will be what you are expecting in terms of an English countryside. The only place I found unbearable was Stratford-on-Avon. You also can do a lot of nice things from a London base. Day trip to Oxford, Bath, Windsor, etc. |
Anonymous
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Cairngorms National Park is 2.5 hours drive north of Edinburgh, and has highland scenery, museums, castles, and accommodations within the park boundary.
Loch Lomond is also lovely. As is the island of Arran. |
Anonymous
I thought Bath was amazing. I could have spent weeks there and in the surrounding countryside. So that gets my vote. |
Anonymous
Agree. And, all of this could be done from a base of London. However, OP said that DH really wants to go to Scotland. |
Anonymous
It's not if you care about $. It's many many times the cost of renting a car and driving. Especially for a family. There's a reason people tour the English countryside by car. |
Anonymous
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If you buy tickets in advance the train is usually not bad.
A car gets you easier access to the countryside though. Be aware most cars are manual though. Driving on narrow country lanes or in London is not recommended for nervous drivers. |
Anonymous
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With a week in Scotland you can certainly see some of the country. Spend a few days in Edinburgh then rent a car and head up to Perthshire to the Cairngorms. Wonderful place. There's also Blair Castle if you want to see a stately home (I've been to many stately homes and at Blair you see a lot more of the castle than the usual 7-8 state rooms most homes only show you). Dunnottar Castle is another wonderful ruined castle that can be easily visited from the Cairngorms/Edinburgh, as is Loch Lomond. Scotland as a whole has a vibe that is quite distinct from England.
If I were you I'd take the train to Edinburgh from London (or even fly) then pick up a hire car up there. It's quicker than driving directly (5 hourish compared to 7-8 driving) and UK motorways are pretty dull. A closer to London option is the Peak district. Just a few hours north in Derbyshire. Stunning rugged/wild countryside and several spectacular country houses to visit, including Chatsworth (but don't forget Haddon Hall, Caulke Abbey and Kedleston Hall). Many walking trails and charming little villages and towns. You can take the train up to Chesterfield and pick up a rental car. It could be a good compromise between Scotland and the Cotswolds as you have the ruggedness associated with Scotland, as well as the historic architecture and villages associated with the Cotswolds. Cornwall is another option. By the way, what time of year are you going? It does have an impact. |
Anonymous
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Flights from London to Scotland (Edinburgh or Inverness for the highlands) are inexpensive, especially if you book in advance (BA has flights, as does Easyjet), and will probably be cheaper than the train. I'd recommend flying because it's a long train ride and not particularly exciting - we thought about doing it this year with kids aged 5 and 2 and although they love trains decided not to bother - it's a waste of a day (the night train would have been worse and my kids wouldn't have slept much; yours might be different) - and not cheaper than flying. You can hire a car in Scotland - you won't need it in Edinburgh but you will definitely need it to explore the highlands.
The Cotswolds are touristy but also full of English tourists or Londoners with second homes there. There are many villages in the Cotswolds and I don't feel that they are overly explored by Americans and foreign tourists - many Americans seem to do day trips to the Cotswolds which is really just driving through a few villages on a bus. If you stay in a hotel or B&B in a village in the Cotswolds, staying away from the most touristy (e.g. Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Chipping Camden) then you will probably have a great time, though I don't think there is as much to do in the area as in others - not sure you'd want a week there. Another area to consider is Cornwall - it's far from London (again, you would fly or take the train and then hire a car - I wouldn't recommend driving) and is a popular holiday destination for English people. There are great restaurants, watersports, beaches, etc (though it's still England so the weather is not guaranteed!) Another possibility if you're looking for much less touristy is Wales - the Pembrokeshire Coast is beautiful. Still somewhat touristy and popular with English people is the Lake District - it can be very rainy though and the main attraction is walking. I think with a 1.5yo I'd fly to Edinburgh, spend a couple of days there, hire a car and drive to Inverness/highlands, spend a few days exploring the castles, etc, and then fly back to London from Inverness. Alternatively, I'd fly to Newquay (Cornwall) from London, hire a car and stay somewhere like Bedruthun Steps which has amazing facilities for kids like baby equipment, kids mealtimes, daycare, babysitting, etc; and as well as the beaches and beautiful scenery there are places to visit like the Eden Project, Tintagel Castle (of King Arthur legend), etc. |
Anonymous
| You can see a lot of Scotland in a week. Don't be afraid about heading to the Isle of Skye. The roads are pretty good getting there and it is absolutely gorgeous. |
Anonymous
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Fly if you go to scotland. Its only about 45 mins in the air.
Other places worth visiting to consider: Rye on the coast of Kent. Its where Paul MacCarntney raised his family and where French Lieutenants Woman was filmed (Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons). It is most beautiful. York, small city totally walkable, with a lot of history and lots of things to do and visit. Does get crowded in prime vacation times (spring break and summer mostly). I lived there 4 years and would go back in a heartbeat with my kids for a visit. Stamford in Lincolnshire. Art and antiques town ( regular markets) lovely country hotels and afternoon tea ( or Pimms) Sheringham off the Norfolk coast - rent a cottage There are more but this is a good start |
Anonymous
| Thanks so much! A lot of good leads here. And I appreciate the tip on flying to Edinburgh- figured we would take the train (and only rent a car upon leaving Edinburgh) but flying sounds easier! |
Anonymous
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I've done the flight and train between Edinburgh and London many times. With flying you have to keep in mind that while the air time is 45 minutes the overall journey including getting to the airport, checking in, waiting for the flight, then arriving and all that, then getting to Edinburgh centre from the airport altogether adds up to something similar to the train journey. As for costs, flights are cheaper if you book in advance but don't forget the cost of getting out to the respective airports.
It is, on the whole, slightly quicker but still involves more hoops to jump whereas on the train you just sit back and relax and there is none of the security hassles. And it is a pretty train ride. You can also easily arrange a stopover at York for a few hours and it's a lovely and very historic city.
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