a friend and i are considering an england/scotland/ireland trek that lasts about a month. the itinerary is def not set yet, although of course there are a few places that are on the 'must see' list. also, due to work, we are probably going over june-july, so i know its the busy/expensive season. just wondering is anyone has any advice on a few things:
- what is the best way to get from one city to the next? ive looked at things like megabus and traveling by post- has anyone had any experience with either?
- when looking to save money on accommodations, i came across 'couchsurfing'. input?
- top cities/sights to see along the way? i like to get some of the 'tourist' sights in, but any ideas for adventures off the beaten track?
- advice on saving money? it is kind of a 'budget' trip..
and basically anything else you think might be helpful for two women traveling on their own around the uk! thanks in advance
the uk in a month
you missed out wales? whats wrong with wales? ha.
you cant come to the uk and not stop at the valleys la.
i live north wales, on the border with england. your prob best just getting in a car and driving, its a small island, if you started in scotland, just travel down, stopping at the main places, like newcastle, leeds, york, manchester, liverpool, from there you can get the ferry with your car to ireland and back, (wales is bout 40miles form liverpool too!!!) just say 'bore da' (good morning) to any local and they will get u a nice cuppa! ahha from liverpool if you continue south go to birmingham, and london. you got stone henge down the bottom too.
cardiffs a great city to go to!
like i said i live north wales, work in manchester which is 40min drive away. i cud drive to london or scotland within 4 hours. its not a big place, just rent a car and drive, u will end up somewhere.
the motorways are pretty easy to use. if you dont drive then prob the trains your best bet.
happy travels.
(dont expext it to be sunny, think we had a heat wave bout 2 years ago for a week, everyone went crazy. it just doesnt happen)
As said you should also consider Wales - and being from England I'm not as biased as La la! I did however live in the Wrexham area for a while (not far from Chester, which is a really nice town), and although the town of Wrexham itself is not much you have some amazing countryside closeby - just head west! Also in the south of Wales you have great countryside too, and the city of Cardiff!
In England, not far from Stonehenge is Avebury (with a stone circle, not as impressive but you can go up to them), and the village of Lacock - and of course Bath is down the road from there too. In Maidstone (south of London) is Leeds Castle which is worth a visit.
Driving is a possibility, though you'll probably be shocked with petrol prices. Megabus is fine for the places they go, as long as you book ahead and be prepared for a busy bus! If you consider train, you have to book well ahead otherwise it gets very expensive - and travelling in July on train will most likely be expensive anyway.
haha, oh no! i did forget wales... just to mention it though, it is somewhere we are intending on going. my friend specifically mentioned harlech, but like i said nothing is really set in stone right now so we are open to possibilities. thanks for your input, both of you!! 
i am thinking about the best way to get around. i didnt realize that it would only take about 4 hours to get up to scotland from wales! one of my main concerns with driving would be making the switch from the right side of the road to the left. has anyone had any experience with this? im curious as to how difficult the transition would be...
Quoting hollykairn
one of my main concerns with driving would be making the switch from the right side of the road to the left. has anyone had any experience with this? im curious as to how difficult the transition would be...
I've done it the other way round when I travelled from the UK to the USA. I rented a car for a week and for the first day (I drove 8 hours that day!) it was quite odd, but after that I got used to it.
The only thing you really need to be careful of is turning right as you'll be used to pretty much just turning, whereas in Britain you could be crossing over the other lane (like turning left in Canada). Also turning right/left at T-junctions. Roundabouts are quite common, where you have to give way to the right (anything on the roundabout coming at you), and remember to indicate when you're turning off it and not only when you're approaching it!
Speeds & distances are in miles not km, traffic lights go red, red & amber, then green, and you can't turn left on a red light (not sure if you can turn right on a red light in Canada, I know you can in the USA).
You can check the Highway Code online too!
Quoting hollykairn
one of my main concerns with driving would be making the switch from the right side of the road to the left. has anyone had any experience with this? im curious as to how difficult the transition would be...
I've switched several times (long periods in one area of the world, and then in another), and found it surprisingly easy. Every time, after an hour or two of driving, the only thing which really bothered me still was hitting the window-wipers when I meant to signal direction. (I usually kept doing that wrong for a week.)
Just don't grow complacent and keep reminding yourself that you have switched. The one time I caught myself unthinkingly steering toward the right side of the road was after I'd gotten in the car and just drove off, without first taking a second or two for a mental check.
well I'm from Ireland and the main problem that you will have with regards to driving I'd say is actually the size of the roads.... they are much much smaller than those of Canada, I have been on some roads where 1 car can barely fit down.... never mind 2, just be prepared to drive down a few ditches.. but thats all the fun of it!!
with regards to interesting places to visit I would definitely recommend the west of Ireland, Galway and its surronding area such as Connemara (one of the only villages in Ireland that still speaks the Irish language), the Aran islands, the cliffs of moher, the burren etc...
the south of Ireland is also just as beautiful, the ring of Kerry just has amazing views and scenery and there are some brilliant pubs/beaches in west cork towns such as skibbereen and clonakility. Dublin city I believe is very overrated and in my opinion there are far better cities to see, that have a more personal feel and are much more beautiful. if you can you should definitely try to arrange to go to a ceili which is a night of irish dance with traditional music....there is brilliant times to be had at one of them and its a great place to meet people!
with regards to advice on saving money that is something that I dont have as Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe! try to buy any clothes etc in England as a lot of the same things are being sold more expensively in Ireland due to the exchange rate!!
hope this was helpful
Gráinne
thanks for all the great info. i love hearing from people who have experienced the places first hand!
The Cotswolds is a must if you ask me. London of course goes top of the list but some cities are just not worth seeing, i mean Liverpool? what is there to see for a traveller? Leeds............?
In the north make sure you pass through York, and Newcastle and Manchester are good cities to see.
I personally like Cornwall, St. Ives, Newquay etc but it'll be a bit out of your way to be honest.
Bristol, Bath and the West Country would be good areas to see too, if you have the time.