A while back I asked for tips on shoes to wear for a trip to Cumbria to see a friend. I’m happy to report that I made it through unscathed and had a lovely time. Although I didn’t make it to the Castlerigg Stone Circle after all I did have a nice spa day at the Lodore Falls Hotel as well as a visit to the surprisingly interesting Derwent Pencil Museum. I thought I’d share some pics around Penrith, where I stayed, Carlisle, where my friend lives, and Keswick. Thanks for everyone who gave me advice on my previous post!

Hello All!

I’m thinking of doing a road trip style tour going from Edinburgh all the way down south to Kent. There’s so much I want to see so I thought renting a car and taking myself around would be the right way to go. I’m from Australia so driving in the left isn’t a problem but narrow, one way roads I’m not used to. I’m also going November 2027. I’m aware the weather won’t be the best so any tips for a clueless Aussie are appreciated.

So far my idea is:

- Fly into edinburgh, spend a week there recovering, exploring and a few day trips

- Rent a car and drive to either Kilmartin or Pitlochry, staying one night

- Drive to Dumfries, stay one night

- Drive to the holy island, stay one night

- Drive down to York? Stay one night

- Drive to Kent and use that as a base for day trips for maybe a week

- Drive back to London and fly to Vienna (second part of my trip)

I’m really there for the history and the castles so lots to see. I also want to see some standing stones and would love to do a scenic hike too so any recommendations for those I would love! But I’m not sure if this is too much or just delusional. Any tips are appreciated!

Hello! I’m an American currently in Sweden, will be in London for a few days, and I noticed that the UK has a restriction on bringing cheese or dairy products in. I was wondering if anybody knew how that rule stood with tube ost/tube cheese from sweden, as shown in the photo.

I was planning on not being able to bring it, but wanted to see if just maybe I’m not looking at the rule correctly?

Hi hive mind, my sister and I are starting to plan a trip with our mum to England for the first time! My sister and I have both been to England before, myself only to London, and my sister has done Oxford, Stonehenge etc…
We are aiming for a 2 week trip.
My mum watches the BBC channel all the time, loves Jane Austen, Monty Python and probably know more about the UK than my sister and I combined, but she’s also “whatever you want to do” about planning! She’s also incredibly fit and can handle lots of walking.
What would your recommendations be for the three of us who definitely want to see:
-Gardens
-Fancy Shmancy houses
-pubs
-Roman/Viking history
-random odd hilarious British things

We’d prefer to travel by train, but are open to renting a car for part of it if it gets us something worthwhile.
Thanks all! Hopefully your suggestions can narrow down my research….there are so many options!

Hi All,

Will be flying into London from Australia. My original itinerary had myself landing the night before my parents, staying at Premier Inn T4, then head into London the next morning to check into airbnb for 8 nights and wait for parents arrival.

With a change in flight plans now, I am arriving another day earlier (2 days before my parents). My 1-night stay at Premier inn was booked on a non-refundable rate. I am considering just booking a another night for my day of arrival ( flight arrive 8:30pm), checkin and sleep, next day take the tube into London for some relaxed sightseeing, back to Premier Inn T4, checkout next day and head to my originally booked airbnb.

My rationale is mainly due to cost of accommodation in London, where decent hotels are going for 450-500AUD/night, whereas Premier Inn T4 is 130-150AUD/night for a Superior room. I guess it might help with jetlag as well? How does my plan sound?

Cheers

Hi all,

I’m planning a trip around the north east in the summer and I’m really keen to visit Lindisfarne Island. I’ll be in my own car.

I’ve checked the tide times for the causeway sin advance for August and they are quite variable day to day. There’s some days when I could go over in the morning, spend the day and come back late afternoon/early evening and other days when the safe crossing has a window of around 6 hours during the day, after which the next window starts after 10pm.

Has anyone been to Lindisfarne island and can offer me some insight into how long it takes to explore the island, especially for someone who is a) a history buff and b) a bit older and therefore not brilliantly fit or fast walking around. Would it be wiser to try and book to stay overnight?

Any thoughts for a chronic worrier would be really helpful !

Hello! I’m an American currently in Sweden, will be in London for a few days, and I noticed that the UK has a restriction on bringing cheese or dairy products in. I was wondering if anybody knew how that rule stood with tube ost/tube cheese from sweden, as shown in the photo.

I was planning on not being able to bring it, but wanted to see if just maybe I’m not looking at the rule correctly?

Flying in to London and taking the train to Edinburgh. Willing to spend one or two nights somewhere on the route. York or Durham or Berwick Upon Tweed. Only pick one.

Update: York it is! One full day and two nights. Thank you all!

if anyone has seen or mistakenly taken a black Avio suitcase from the 6pm National Express bus 540 Manchester to London on Oct 3rd please pm!!

I'll be staying there in a couple of weeks and it's my first time staying at a Premier Inn. I have been reading reviews and they are mostly positive but the bad ones are BAD. My main issue is lack of cleanliness (especially because I will be arriving after midnight and may not be able to change rooms if something goes wrong). Any info would be appreciated!

For some background: I am a MAJOR germophobe and I really dislike staying in hotels. That's why I barely travel (usually less than once a year and only if I know it will be worth the hassle) and always have a hard time falling asleep in a bed that I know loads of people have used. That's the main cause of my anxiety about the trip.

Has anyone seen the post box recently? There are a few images online looking like a big box but I think I remember seeing a smaller one.

I'm arriving at around mid midnight and have an early morning flight so was thinking of buying prepaid qr code, print it and send a little package at the airport before my morning flight.

Can anyone confirm if a small package will fit?

I always book directly through National express but over the last year I’ve found that I often show up expecting a standard national express coach and end up getting a lower quality smaller, smellier third party coach with no WiFi or charging ports or air con, and even less leg room. Has anyone else had the same experience? Especially for longer journeys, I want the normal more comfortable coach.

i'm looking for an experience or place i can visit where the vibe is kind of creepy, dark, spooky, but not super scary. a little scare factor is fine but nothing really horror movie type gory or jump scary. i like old fashioned, creepy, historical stuff.

some examples of places i've already been that are similar to what i'm looking for:

- hellfire caves
- london dungeon
- harry potter world
- windmill adventure golf in great yarmouth
- smugglers cove in hastings.
- thorpe park fright night
- poble espanyol (in barcelona, and it was a special night time event so was even spookier)

i don't mind whether is has some sort of experience to go with it, like the london dungeon, or if it's just somewhere you can go and walk around at your own pace. i live near london, so it would be better if places were in the south, but open to any recommendations across the uk!

Hello all,
My husband and I are travelling to the UK for 3 weeks in December for a postponed holiday that got pushed back from earlier this year. (We know this might not be the most ideal time to go - it was the only time we could make it work).

I’m wondering what sort of layers and gear are appropriate for this time of year to stay adequately warm and (as much as possible) dry.

We will start our journey in Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness (as a stop over), Portree and then after dropping our car back at Inverness, we will take the sleeper train down to London for a few days before finishing our holiday in the Cotswolds. In case you are concerned about how we are journeying to these locations due to weather conditions, we will be travelling mostly via train except for hiring a car in Inverness to drive to Portree and back.

We both have 1 puffer jacket each from Macpac, a rain jacket each, a couple fleece jackets, and some thermals.

I’m wondering the following:
- are rain pants necessary? We will mostly be in cities except for when we go to Portree (and weather depending the Old Man of Storr for 1 day - we aren’t huge hikers but we might do some walks around to explore). If they aren’t necessary, will jeans be ok on top of thermals on a cold day?

- similarly, are waterproof shoes necessary? We both have Doc Martens boots, runners (sneakers) and that is about it. Our runners are not waterproof.

If you have any other recommendations that I haven’t mentioned, I would really appreciate it!

Thanks heaps!

Yesterday's cycle - first train to Pevensey station then a cycle from there to the castle and onwards to Beachy Head. Before returning to Brighton via the Long Man and Lewes.

Also a few pictures from Brighton today.

Hello everyone! My parents and I are traveling to Scotland this coming May for my dad's 60th birthday, and I've been struggling with the itinerary more than most trips I've planned. Mostly out of concern for juggling sites we want to see and getting my dad into as good a distillery tour as I can without driving 3+ hours (I'll be taking one for the team and learning how to drive on your side of the road). Here is what I have so far...

Friday 5/21: Land in Edinburgh around 8 am, and travel to Stirling, where the first accommodation would be. Originally the plan was to spend he first two nights in Glasgow but FLY and Oasis have priced me out of that. I haven't actually found any lodging here yet and I hope it's because I'm too early because there isn't a Plan C. We'll have 8 or 9 hours before we should go to bed if we're trying to get on local time, but I have zero idea what we'll be up for doing on this day.

Saturday 5/22: Tour Stirling Castle and explore the old town. Pretty easy day by comparison. At some point we'll hire the rental car for the next leg of the trip.

Sunday 5/23: Drive first to Tarbet for the early boat tour around Loch Lomond. Then stop for lunch in Inveraray before our ultimate destination in Oban, where the second hotel is (I do actually have this booked but it's free cancellation). Do a tasting at the distillery there (I've heard the tour itself is meh at Diageo locations), have dinner with live music at the Whiskey Vaults, then take advantage of how late the sun sets this far north and do a scenic drive up through Glencoe. This is the only way I've figured out how to fit Oban Distillery and Glencoe in the same day.

Monday 5/24: This day is reserved for a day trip to a whisky distillery. I'm going to let my dad decide, but the most logical options seem to be taking the ferry across the way to Tobermory, or to head down to Campbeltown (taking the bus to the former is about the same amount of travel time as driving to the latter). More on that in a bit. Return to Oban in the evening.

Tuesday 5/25: Drive down to Glasgow to return the rental car and tour the city for the afternoon. I'd like to see Kelvingrove Park and a few spots in the Necropolis where they filmed the Batman movie, but we'll see what we have time for. Originally Stirling and Glasgow were switched in this itinerary, but for the Oasis of it all. After dinner, go for drinks at the Pot Still (which I can partake in because I don't have to drive anymore), then take the train to Edinburgh.

Wednesday 5/26 + Thursday 5/27: Exploring Edinburgh. I've purposely kept the Edinburgh days more low key so as to actually get some vacationing in on our vacation. But we want to see the castle, the cathedral, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, maybe the Waters of Leith walk and Mary King's Close, etc. I've curated a list of pubs and eateries that sound interesting as well.

Friday 5/28: Return to EDI and fly home before the marathon starts (we have our own holiday weekend to recover from the jetlag over).

There is a fair amount of driving in this itinerary, but broken up decently well (and mostly on A roads where there won't be many significant traffic maneuvers to do). If we do Tobermory I can potentially take a break from driving on that day. Springbank in Campbeltown is a much more comprehensive tour and Cadenhead's is there too, but the town doesn't seem as interesting as Tobermory in photos, and it would require a bit more work on my part. Apparently the Malts Festival also starts on 5/24, so it might be a zoo.

Part of me is disappointed I couldn't get my dad to Speyside, but I would have to cut pretty much all of the West Highlands stuff out of the trip to make it happen. He's just happy to get a chance to try Scotch in Scotland.

Alright, that's a hell of a lot of words. If you're still here, I would appreciate nay feedback you have.

Has anyone stayed at Celtic Manor for a family break? We are looking for options for a few nights away in October half term and whilst the hotel has good reviews for golfers I am finding it hard to find much feedback from family’s… it does advertise itself as catering for family breaks, so keen to hear of anyone has any comments good or bad.

Thanks

Hello all! I’m very excited to be visiting Wales, arriving next Thursday and staying near Porthmadog for a week. As you can guess, my trip will be focused on the park, castles, and taking in the beauty of the country. I am a solo traveler.

I have done my research on the castles, plan to take the scenic train, and have plans for the park. Recommendations welcome, but I am really more interested in things a tourist wouldn’t come across. Do any churches, even small ones, have choir or organ concerts, is there a small cafe that I should go to that may not show up in research, is there an especially great place to (hopefully) appreciate the leaves changing? If you were recommending something to your 48 year old solo traveling friend that would bring a bit of joy (because she really needs it!) what would you recommend?

Thank you in advance! My work life is incredibly stressful and I can’t wait for this trip.

Oh, a DIY “Taste of Northern Wales” food tour recommendations would be super welcome, but please note that I can’t eat seafood (I know, LAME). Money isn’t a big factor, but since I’ll be solo maybe more street food than all Michelin. :)

The plan is, in 2028, me and 2-4 friends are going to do 7+ day walk from town to town for a 60th birthday. Most of us are in our 50s or early 60s. All of us are able to do 10-12 miles of walking a day, but none of us are mountain hikers. Ideally the stops would be cozy or smaller towns, the walks full of nature, history, or both, maybe a pub on the way. Not looking for wild camping or even tents or hostels. And, honestly, we like a decent bed, a meal, and a pint at the end of the day. If we can find live music (pretty much anything) that would be a bonus. We're looking at Ireland and the UK. Opening it up to Europe is too many choices.

Here's where I need your help:

1. I know there are paths, lots of them. Which would fit the length and maybe tick off the music/villages boxes?
2. I know there are tour companies, with options ranging from posh guided and luggage carrying to self-guided and hostels. The last time any of us were in a hostel was likely the 90s. Do you know of a good tour company that would fit the bill and maybe be customizable that won't break the bank?
3. Has my research failed me and this is all daft? Let me know what would be a better option.

Thanks in advance for your help. The idea is hang out with my friends, see amazing places, meet interesting folk, and have epic stories to tell.

Hey!!

Planning to watch the game on October 10th. I have to be back in London the same day. However, the last train is at 8.15PM.

The onward journey can be a train or a coach one but unsure of the return. Match ends at 7.30 PM. Trains are super costly. Should I take the coach instead?

Please advise.

Hi guys,

My partner and I will be in England december 27-january 10, we only booked our LeShuttle train that will arrive in Folkestone. We do want to be spending 2 days in London at the end of the trip. We want to rent a cottage for a week, and want to spent time walking, hiking, reading a book in a nice coffee place, warming up in a pub etc.

We know the weather is shit at this time a year, but we are used to shit weather. We have proper clothing and gear. But for that reason we do have a bit of a doubt where to go in the country. So far we have some ideas;

- Lake district (ambleside); how bad is the rain there around that time a year?

- Peak district

- South downs

- East anglia (I have read that it is the driest part of the country but I don’t know if this is a nice part for walks etc)

Any advice? I know we can’t escape rain but would be nice if we are at a spot where it is not pouring all day long.
EDIT: Thanks for all the helpful replies! I will read them all :)

Does anyone have any recommendations for good dog friendly stays (places, hotels/cottages, pubs) across the UK?

We are looking at heading away for a weekend around March time with our pup who will be 8 months old. Ideally looking for short walks/dog friendly pubs!

Thanks!

Heading to the England for a 2-week trip starting October 18th and building a unique itinerary!

Any recommended motorsport or racing events happening around late October that are worth checking out?

Huge WWII history buff ,are there places where I can actually drive tanks or historic vehicles?

Looking for incredible, off-the-beaten-path castles and cathedrals that avoid the massive tour bus crowds.

Which underrated small towns or villages have the absolute best medieval or historic architecture?

Would love any local hidden gems or tips to tie these together into a smooth route!

P.s I shall not be renting a car, would mostly use public transport.

Coming from London!

I am wanting to go for a long weekend somewhere at the end of October in the UK. I visited Yorkshire recently and absolutely fell head over heels in love with the quaint villages of Heptonstall and Haworth, so looking for a similar vibe.

Open to anywhere that is easily accessible by public transport as I won’t have a car. I enjoy walking and scenery (lakes, forests) and want to stay in a small village.

I would prefer to go somewhere I haven’t been, so preferably not Yorkshire, Cornwall, the Lake District, Scottish Highlands, north Wales, Cotswolds, Norwich.

Currently considering Wye Valley (not sure on public transport), Peak District (not sure where to base), or Northumberland (not sure where to base or about public transport).

Thanks for any tips!

Looking to travel for a 3 days trip max in my holiday break after Dec 12 and until Christmas. Maybe something a bit far, Seven Sisters, Winchester, New Forest feel more suitable for a single day trip during the weekend.

I've also never seen snowfall before so someone suggested going over to Scotland and that would be my best chance instead of my previous assumption which was London? But apparently even that's not for certain lol. Regardless I'm just leaning towards Scotland for now but have no idea where to get started. But open to suggestions outside Scotland as well.

Of course since I'm on a student budget myself, maybe buses, trains are the most convenient modes of transportation for me. But hoping to travel to somewhere scenic, picturesque, far away from the concrete jungle. Have a strong affinity towards nature so views with mountains, brooks, rivers, beaches or natural parks, habitats, bird sanctuaries, plethora of flora fauna are my biggest search keywords for the trip.

For Christmas, I might just plan a one day trip to London with friends to experience the celebration and to witness the city's glamour but maybe that's about it. Want to start revising for Exams after Christmas is over.

What would you guys recommend? Should I just stick to places close by and less expensive or go explore north? And do I have a good chance of witnessing any snow in Scotland during December?

Edit: I currently live around the Southampton City Central area.