Anybody That Can Help With UK Travel Plans?

5 years ago we did a 6 week tour of the UK, 4 weeks in England, a week in Scotland, a week in Ireland. My best advice to you is do NOT plan a drive like you are proposing. We too thought of driving around but it is so different than here. No real highways (they stop like regular roads), one lane roads that are very narrow and impossible to pass on, roads are windy and speed limits are low. Your best bet is to fly, given your limited time frame (rail is great too, but will eat up precious time). They have quick and reasonably priced flights, look at Ryanair, Flybe, etc.
 
kuhltiffany said:
5 years ago we did a 6 week tour of the UK, 4 weeks in England, a week in Scotland, a week in Ireland. My best advice to you is do NOT plan a drive like you are proposing. We too thought of driving around but it is so different than here. No real highways (they stop like regular roads), one lane roads that are very narrow and impossible to pass on, roads are windy and speed limits are low. Your best bet is to fly, given your limited time frame (rail is great too, but will eat up precious time). They have quick and reasonably priced flights, look at Ryanair, Flybe, etc.
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We'll consider what you said - thanks. I've been looking at train tickets and must be doing something wrong. It looks like it's coming in at around 750 POUNDS STERLING per person for a return ticket from London to Edinburgh.
 


I've never done Scotland, but I was just in England (London/Birmingham) this past summer.

National Rail should give you a good idea of train travel times and prices. You can usually get a good price if you book as far in advance as they will let you. It is more time than a plane ride, but it's pretty comfortable.

I flew Ryanair from Birmingham to Barcelona, and while it was relatively cheap, it was a pretty uncomfortable ride as the seats are tight and don't recline. A short flight to Edinburgh shouldn't be an issue, but just something to think about.
 
ronandannette said:
We'll consider what you said - thanks. I've been looking at train tickets and must be doing something wrong. It looks like it's coming in at around 750 POUNDS STERLING per person for a return ticket from London to Edinburgh.
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Train prices can be really expensive the closer you get to the departure date, so I'm not surprised. You never mentioned when your trip was, btw.

With that said, I'd agree more about flying over there. Just remember to check what airport you're flying out of, and how to get there!
 


starvenger said:
Train prices can be really expensive the closer you get to the departure date, so I'm not surprised. You never mentioned when your trip was, btw.

With that said, I'd agree more about flying over there. Just remember to check what airport you're flying out of, and how to get there!
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Tentative dates for England/Scotland is May 9 - 13, 2017, and then on to Barcelona to board a Med cruise May 14 - 21. We'll fly home to Calgary directly from Spain the morning we disembark. (The cruise is a "for sure", the add-on to the UK is still just a maybe.)
 
Ok, definitely you want to look as far out as the software will let you. Currently that is end Jan, so about 3 months before you could book.

National Rail is showing as low as £98 round (although it's booked as 2 one ways) pp on a Wed-Sat schedule. But it's a 5hr trip each way.
 
Definitely look into flying.
The train is great if you don't have time constraints, but there are so many delays that you could potentially waste an entire day.
I flew Gatwick-Edinburgh weekly for 4 months with either EasyJet or BA (depending on the best price each week) and it was pretty painless, the delays I encountered tended to be if I flew back to Gatwick on a Friday evening.

Have a wonderful trip!!
 
Thanks all - still having a hard time giving up the idea of driving. We drive everywhere and are totally not accustomed to being without the independence of a vehicle. We even got a rental car on our last AI vacation to Cancun and let it sit mostly unused in the resort lot so DH felt comfortable "just in case".
 
That's totally understandable, since moving from England back to Canada I am 100% reliant on my car!
The problem with driving over there is that there are waaaay too many cars for the roads, so you regularly get stuck in traffic jams. My Mom was driving from Brighton to Birmingham (should take approx. 3-3.5hrs) and got stuck in traffic so it took over 6!!!
If you only have a few days the last thing you want is to be stuck on a motorway when you could be sightseeing! Could you fly from A-to-B and then rent a car from the airport??
 
ronandannette said:
Thanks all - still having a hard time giving up the idea of driving. We drive everywhere and are totally not accustomed to being without the independence of a vehicle. We even got a rental car on our last AI vacation to Cancun and let it sit mostly unused in the resort lot so DH felt comfortable "just in case".
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I can definitely appreciate that. It's hard to let go of the need for a car, especially after we had kids. Without a car, it requires a bit more planning with regards to public transit or walking.

I'd agree with pp and rent a car in Scotland, at whichever point of arrival you settle on. Not sure how you get to St. Andrews without doing so, and that should give your husband his "fix" before flying to Barca (I was just there in July - beautiful city!) and doing the cruise.
 
Just returned from London a week ago. We did not do your itinerary, obviously. We flew into Heathrow, stayed 3 nights in London, then too Easyjet to Munich, moved around Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and then flew back from Switzerland to London for a night, then from Heathrow back to Ohare.

We did all of that on public transportation and I was definitely ready for my own car when we got back. You forget how nice it is to have a place to leave your stuff when you get to a tourist stop.

I don't think I would ever drive in London. In the country it might be a little easier. But there are a lot of cars, and the two way streets are almost wide enough to be a bike path, and driving on the left when you have to make quick decisions might get weird.

That said, a friend of our just returned from Munich and Scotland. He drove and said it was great.
 
DD just returned from 4 years in Edinburgh. We visited her a number of times while she was there and hit some of the spots you are referring to or close by.

I do not think your plan is doable. The distances are too far, the roads not always that great and you have a ferry connection.
I would definitely look into flying where possible to get as close to your destinations as possible. We prefer Flybe to Ryan air or easyJet.

The St Andrews courses are difficult to get onto and must be booked in advance. Friends golfed at the new course but booked through an agency that specializes in golf tours. At the time they could have gotten on to the old course but they said they were glad they chose the newer course as the old course was extremely backed up. They did feel that booking through an agency helped.

There is an overnight trains from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh. I believe the Glasgow train goes on to Fort Williams which might get you closer to Calgary Bay depending on ferries. It would likely be an interesting drive. The train is fairly pricey if you get a sleeper but it does save you a hotel room and is good use of your time. You can also just get a seat but sleeping may be more difficult.

There are tours from Edinburgh and Glasgow but anything to the Isle of Mull would be more than one day.
 
Our family really was looking forward to visiting the London for a few days before we headed over to Disneyland Paris. I was a little bit stressed about using public transport with a few little with us however I found this about transport comparisons from Stansted Airport to London, such a good resource if you want to give yourself a little heads up on the little things you might encounter, like where to find the Stansted & London Boarding Points are for the Stansted Express in that hugggge airport that Stansted is! Love London, but good luck with littles ones there! :)
 
I saw a groupon trip that had some days in England and some in Scotland. It included airfare, accommodations and transportation and it was pretty cheap. I'm not sure if it would work for you but it might simply things if it does work.
 
We went in May 2014 DFIL, D SMIL, DD and I. D SMIL is British so we stayed with family. Only driving was done by the UK Family. We travelled by train except when we went to the Isle of Man, we flew on Flybe. We bought BritRail passes. The passes were worth it. As DD was only 5 years old her ticket was free with the purchase of mine. The rail passes were bought here in Canada before going to the UK. Flying is also a good less expensive option to trains , but both are better than driving.
 
OP - did you think of taking the overnight train? or perhaps taking a coach bus - sometimes they are really affordable (GBP20) from Megabus (link).

Your dates are not available right now - but it'll probably be available in a month. (7hr)/ train (5hr)
Remember if you take any discount carrier to factor in their WAY SMALLER luggage size - and read the fine print.
ie: Carry-on (wheely one) is one item; backpack is one item (and NOT considered a personal bag)

Try and book St. Andrews ahead of time if you can, and dress warmly - it can get quite rainy/windy
 
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