Calling on the Brits for advice. Travel.

[bigleonski]

Hello there.
My daughter and partner are flying to London next week, to live and work for the next 2-3 years.

That gives us the excuse to visit Great Britain/Eire, something I’ve wanted since I learned as a child three of my grandparents were Irish and one a Scot. We’ve traveled regularly overseas, and once to Europe, but never really had the chance to do an extended trip longer than 2-3 weeks.

I’m thinking we’ll visit around April/May next year.
So call it 4-5 weeks, less time in London and visiting a good mate who’s just returned home to St Ives after 20 years in Oz.

So my question to you, is how do I spend my extra 3-4 weeks.
Without rushing at a million miles an hour all the time, what are the must sees, experiencing the landscape and the culture and the people without necessarily hitting the high tourist destinations.
And is April/May a sound choice as to when to visit?

I’d be grateful for any input to help me plan a rough itinerary.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TheDocAUS]

Make sure you visit York, Bath, Oxford and Cambridge for starters.

London is a given.

 

[CRH]

Hello there.
My daughter and partner are flying to London next week, to live and work for the next 2-3 years.

That gives us the excuse to visit Great Britain/Eire, something I’ve wanted since I learned as a child three of my grandparents were Irish and one a Scot. We’ve traveled regularly overseas, and once to Europe, but never really had the chance to do an extended trip longer than 2-3 weeks.

I’m thinking we’ll visit around April/May next year.
So call it 4-5 weeks, less time in London and visiting a good mate who’s just returned home to St Ives after 20 years in Oz.

So my question to you, is how do I spend my extra 3-4 weeks.
Without rushing at a million miles an hour all the time, what are the must sees, experiencing the landscape and the culture and the people without necessarily hitting the high tourist destinations.
And is April/May a sound choice as to when to visit?

I’d be grateful for any input to help me plan a rough itinerary.

Thanks in advance.

Assuming St Ives is the one in Cornwall and not Cambridge then you will be going to Cornwall, so that box is ticked.
If you want history, Chester for thr Roman Walls and the Rows which date from around the 13th century. Chester gets lots of Chinese & American tourists and is a safe place to visit.
Bath has the Roman baths plus much more, again, huge amount of tourists.
If you prefer outside and a few less tourists then Hadrian's wall, another Roman feature that separated the English from the Scottish. Plenty of remains and lots of walls to walk with good scenery. Sadly some knob and his mate cut the tree down that was in Robin Hood with Kevin Costner. You can combine this with the Lakedistrict and all that has to offer too. Or go to the East Coast and Bamburgh Castle, Holy Island (check tide times). Alnwick Castle (Hogwarts) & Whitby & North York Moors and back down to York.

Your other options are Scotland, Edinburgh & Stirling for their castles and history then the open country side for the escape. The NC500 is apparently busy in tourist seasons and if you don't want to rush just look for the best bits. Not sure on your idea of rushing but to us Brits, travelling around Scotland is much bigger than England or Wales.

South East of England has the Norfolk broads and lots of tourists go for boat holidays. I have been to the area a couple of times, some nice places but it wasn't somewhere I'd go for a holiday over others in the UK, sorry if that offends anyone. Some for North & Mid Wales, South Wales has some nice places but if limited to time my personal opinion is you have better options with more places to go.

 

[Jeremy996]

What sort of things interest you? April/May is early for the UK tourist season; do you want museums, art galleries or scenery or a mix?
If you fancy stately homes or castles, have a look at English Heritage, The National Trust and Historic Houses.

Places to visit

Enjoy 400 great days out with English Heritage, from mighty castles to peaceful abbeys, and from grand country homes to atmospheric prehistoric monuments.

www.english-heritage.org.uk

Best Days Out & Places To Visit in the UK

We have many fun days out for you and your family to enjoy across the UK. Discover things to do and places to visit near you with the National Trust.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Places to visit

Enjoy 400 great days out with English Heritage, from mighty castles to peaceful abbeys, and from grand country homes to atmospheric prehistoric monuments.

www.english-heritage.org.uk

So long as you don't mind the chaos of a private house, we can even offer a bed for a night or two. Melton Mowbray is famous for pork pies, stilton cheese, "Painting the town red!" and where Edward VIII got it on with Mrs Simpson.

 

[Chris]

You won’t need to drive at a million miles per hour (not that it’s really possible these days anyway with all the road works, idiot drivers etc)
We are in the north of England, the bits that CRH mentioned (Whitby, the lakes etc) are all relatively close. We drive for a couple of hours or so east or west and reach the coast!
I agree with you about giving London a miss, unless you are loaded and are good with languages!!!!

Funnily enough, our daughter is doing the exact same, in the opposite direction tomorrow! Heading for Brisbane. All things being equal we will probably visit next year, maybe have to do a house/ Grenadier swap for a few weeks!

 

[CRH]

What sort of things interest you? April/May is early for the UK tourist season; do you want museums, art galleries or scenery or a mix?
If you fancy stately homes or castles, have a look at English Heritage, The National Trust and Historic Houses.

Places to visit

Enjoy 400 great days out with English Heritage, from mighty castles to peaceful abbeys, and from grand country homes to atmospheric prehistoric monuments.

www.english-heritage.org.uk

Best Days Out & Places To Visit in the UK

We have many fun days out for you and your family to enjoy across the UK. Discover things to do and places to visit near you with the National Trust.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Places to visit

Enjoy 400 great days out with English Heritage, from mighty castles to peaceful abbeys, and from grand country homes to atmospheric prehistoric monuments.

www.english-heritage.org.uk

So long as you don't mind the chaos of a private house, we can even offer a bed for a night or two. Melton Mowbray is famous for pork pies, stilton cheese, "Painting the town red!" and where Edward VIII got it on with Mrs Simpson.

After I posted, I went back to bed and gave this more thought and realised I had forgotten to Mention the National Trust, as an ex member there are a lot of period properties to visit aswell as garden. I never joined English Heritage and although they do have some properties a lot seem to be more older ruins like Stonehenge and some slightly newer alternatives.
If these are your thing check opening dates especially earlier in the season, they also have days off to help maintain some properties. The major ones like St Michael's Mount in Cornwall are horrendously busy. If you plan to do a few, as some can be quite close, check price beforehand and maybe pay for membership, it is quickly recouped in 2 or 3 visits.

Love a Melton Mowbray Pork pie, and a Cornish pasty. And so much food in Scotland to try, although you can get Irn-Bru and Tunnocks teacakes south of the border if you are prepared to pay the import duties. Breakfast time, this is making me hungry

 

[Tazzieman]

Bristor, Birmingham, Manchester all worth a day if you like industrial heritage.
You can drive to the Isle of Skye and ferry to the Outer Hebrides if you have the desire/ energy.

 

[landmannnn]

A few thoughts...

April May is not a bad time as the high tourist season hasn't set it yet, although the unsettled weather might be raining one day and sunny the next.
Ireland is not called Eire, the Irish dislike that name unless you are referring to the language.Dublin is great place to visit for a couple of days.
Mentioning cities such as Bath, York, Cambridge, yes they are interesting but absolutely full of tourists so maybe do just one of them.
If you like the outdoors, a few days in the Lake District should be on your list, keeping an eye on the weather forecast.
Hiring a canal boat for a long weekend is an unforgettable experience, not cheap.

Tourist places to avoid.. Bourton on the Water and and any other Cotswolds town, Stratford upon Avon, Snowdon, Whitby, Edinburgh, Durdle door, Stonehenge and any theme park.

 

[Coullabus]

I love some of the suggestions above Apart from London which is somewhere I avoid (worked in central London for too many years)
So, thinking Scotland: Edinburgh, Stirling and Hadrians wall are all mentioned above, and all worthy of a mention. The Highlands and Islands are another world!

If you want ancient history, then the Orkney island are a real must-do. Just watch out for the cruise ship tourists. Another good place for ancient history is Kilmartin Glen in Argyll.

Most Hebridean islands are amazing, and all different.

The NC500 is a good mainland route, stunning places etc, but has been touristed to death. Hot and cold running Motorhomes and camper vans.

...and now my bias shows through: Islay is the place if you enjoy a dram. Especially the last week in May when the Whisky/music festival takes place.

The Orkney Islands: Your Travel Guide

Discover the Orkney Islands: a blend of history, natural beauty, and adventure for archaeologists, birdwatchers, and explorers.

www.wildernessscotland.com

Kilmartin Glen, Near Oban, Argyll, Scotland

Kilmartin Glen contains one of the most extensive and important collections of archaeological monuments in Britain, including stone circles, cairns…

www.historic-uk.com

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/

The Official Website of Fèis Ìle - The Islay Festival

Fèis Ìle, or the Islay Festival, is a gathering of whisky & Islay fans in the last week of May in a ten day event that defines the whisky calendar.

feisile.co.uk

 

[Tazzieman]

It all makes Australia pretty boring!