2 weeks in England/Scotland/Ireland. Must sees, for a mother daughter duo who are active and eager to see as much as possible! Thx!
Dingle, Aran Islands, Dublin
Bath was a favorite as were the Cotswolds.
I haven’t been to England or Scotland in over 20 years, so I will leave that to others except to say that I always think a great way to get the lay of the land in a new city/area is a bike tour. They often hit the heights, however briefly, and you learn something while being active. Here’s one in London, I’m sure there are tons more:
https://www.londonbicycle.com/tours
I am also partial to Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds as I used to live there.
We went to Ireland last summer and had a fantastic time with this company:
https://www.privateirishtours.com
They will take you anywhere you want to go for however long–day trip, multi-day, etc. We didn’t use them for Dublin (where we did a bike tour, a Guinness tour, a Teeling Whiskey tour, and a tour of the Kilmainham Gaol), but rather for the West coast. We visited a sheepdog trainer and played with puppies; my husband went surfing; and perhaps our favorite activity was spending the day in Co.Mayo with a local farmer who took us around and had my teenage sons cutting peat out of a bog and stacking it! Then it was off to the blacksmith, who steered the kids in making a custom fireplace poker and we all participated in making a traditional Irish 9 Irons charm for our house; and finally the cheesemaker who showed us how the cheese was made and then we ended up sitting and chatting and eating delicious cheese and fresh bread.
There is a great facebook group called “Ireland Travel Tips” - positive, helpful, specific help in planning all aspects of travel in Ireland. Also “Tourism Ireland” gives good information.
Wow - you could easily spend two weeks in London alone with a few day trips. I’ve taken week long trips driving through Scotland and similar week long trips driving England and Ireland - not all three locations on one trip. Caveat: I am a traveler that prefers “in depth” to over views and drive-bys. I know others enjoy travel differently.
Have you thought about how, in general terms, you would like to this trip? Rent a car, trains or buses, city vs countryside, etc? I’m thinking that finding the itineraries for several guided tours would give you lots of ideas of popular stops and time frames.
There are so many “must sees” in the region. I’m looking forward to seeing the suggestions CC viewers offer!
My faves in England included Bath day trip, you can stop at Stonehenge along the way. Fave museum was the war room.
I thought Galway, Ireland was a fun town. Lots of music and a college town vibe
“london walks” are group walking tours with a theme. Check out the schedule at walks.com
A boat ride on the Thames is nice
WOW,great replies. Thank you. We are hoping to make London “Home Base” during the first week with a couple tours ( Bath, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge). We also plan on the hidden cottage tour in the Cotswolds as well as the Harry potter tour in Leeds. The other comments in this thread have me considering other ideas as well. We do plan on buying the two day London Pass to see some of London’s big attractions.
As for Edinburgh, we were advised that two full days should be good. I think we will take the train from London, and pick up a rental car after Edinburgh. I know some car companies will not allow you to ferry across to Ireland…gotta figure that one out as I think we’d like to drive in Ireland. At least until we hit Dublin. So many moving parts to planning this trip…
Thanks again peeps! CC never disappoints!
If you want to base yourself in London and take day trips out choose from, Bath, Oxford,Cambridge, Canterbury, Windsor. If then you decide to dirve/train north then stop at York for an overnight and take a walking tour of the city and tour the minster. Train/drive north to Edinburgh do Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. If you want Highlands and Islands experience drive/train to Oban on the West Coast they will have day trip ferries to the Inner Hebrides. As for Stonehenge, meh, it is just underwhelming, well it was for me, a bit like the Alamo in San Antonio, I know it is history and all that, but is this it?? Just stones in a field.
ps. Harry Potter in Leeds? I think someone is pulling your leg. If you want Harry Potter and you visit Oxford, tour Christ Church college you will get as much Harry Potter as you can handle…2 birds with 1 stone.
I did a day trip via bus to Stonehenge from London and that was very doable and I thought worthwhile. I also went to the Lake District, which is gorgeous, and visitors can go to the homes of Beatrix Potter and Williams Wordsworth.
I spent my whole trip to Ireland on the west coast and didn’t really miss Dublin at all. Favorite places: Dingle Peninsula, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Mohr and Galway. We used Limerick as a home base (close to Shannon airport) and took day trips with a tour company for most sightseeing since I wasn’t comfortable driving there. The main downside is that Limerick is not a particularly lovely city, but even nice hotels were very cheap, at least back in 2010.
Have a great trip!
We were just in Ireland at the beginning of the month when the big snowstorm hit. We missed our two days in Dublin because the airport was closed, but in the end we didn’t mind. We picked up the car in Dublin and drove to the west coast which was less than 3 hours. My H grew up in the UK so has no problem driving there. We stayed in Galway for a few days then near Limerick in the town of Adare which was really lovely and took day trips from there. We drove to Kylemore Abbey and Connemara, Cliffs of Mohr, Ring of Kerry and the National Park with the Toca Waterfall. We visited Cashel and Killarney and saw many castles and ruins. Driving is the best way to get to see a lot. We will definitely be going back to Ireland again. Try the seafood chowder at pubs along the west coast. It is excellent.
@elguapo1 and I think alike - or have had the same travel experiences. Good advice/suggestions IMHO!
I am not a Harry Potter fan, so this thought may be terribly naive, but in case you aren’t aware of the option, I will mention this. There is a very popular Warner Brothers Studio tour of the Making of Harry Potter that is a day trip from London. You can google if interested. I have not been there myself. It is on the same national rail line as the route to Bletchley Park. If you have an interest in WWII or cryptology, Bletchley is a great day out of London - unique experience. I agree that Bath or Oxford are good (long) day trip options also. I personally prefer Hampton Court to Windsor Castle, either are very easy day trips.
Have you priced out air fare vs train to Edinburgh? Air fare can be cheaper depending on your timing. Lots of wonderful places in the Highlands and Lowlands to drive to. We also enjoyed the Hebrides as mentioned above. Orkney is fascinating with Bronze Age sites and standing stones sites that are much less visited than Stonehenge. Kirkwall is a cute town, but Orkney may be too far for your timeframe.
Your trip covers too much in the time allocated for me. I personally would choose more extended time driving in Scotland or Ireland, but not both on a trip that also includes time in London. But I’m not traveling - you are! There are so many options, I’m sure you will develop a great itinerary for yourself. I’m looking forward to hearing about your plans!
Hopefully, this program is still in place. If you are traveling by National Rail to see attractions, National Rail has 2for1 vouchers for that can reduce your admission price. You download and print the voucher for the attractions you are interested in. When you arrive at the Admissions ticketing, you show your National Rail tickets and the voucher for the two for one price. Make sure you keep your rail ticket as you leave a station - there may be a machine that will “eat” the ticket, but if you can explain that you need to retain it. Last year, I used for a voucher for Bletchley Park and Brighton Pavilion. You can google the website.
I think you are being ambitious to travel to all 3 countries in 2 weeks. Fly to London and explore. Then pick Scotland or Ireland. I’m Scottish ( and biased) so i would pick Scotland. Take the train up to Edinburgh. 5 hours city centre to city centre. Tons to do. Take day trips to St Andrews, Stirling or Glasgow. I lived in Edinburgh so I have tons of recommendations if needed.
I think if you think of this as a “first trip” then you can do all three locations. Like many other places, E/S/I have deep options. But this is one trip, and if you can choose your “very best” options, then you can “save” the other (possibly better) sites for next time. Really, you can’t go wrong!
I’m following this because I’m travelling to Dublin and England with my 28 year old D this summer. (I just processed her age … eeek!) We’ve both lived in London, and we’re only stopping there in order to reconnect with family. But even after multiple visits each, there are things we would gladly revisit - Globe Theater, some museums, the Peter Pan statue.
Also, since our flight was cheaper into Ireland, we’re in Dublin for 3 days - thinking of the Cliffs of Moher tour, a day in Dublin, and maybe another day trip. No driving - I’m doing that in England, and I suspect that will be Quite Enough.
ummmmm…@stradmom, Cliffs of Moher is a tough day trip from Dublin- just the driving time is 3+ hours, and as gorgeous as it is, it is a long way to go for a view.
What about Glendalough? easy day trip to the south (Wicklow). The walk from the monastery to the upper lake is gorgeous (take the path on the west side of the lake up / east side back!). Stand at the edge of the water of the upper lake, facing the cleft in the mountains, and give yourself a moment. Even when there are lots of people around, you get an amazing sense of place.
Or, a wild card option: take the train up to Belfast, and get a taxi to the Titanic museum.
I’m a Bath native, so biased. If you have time the Mayor of Bath Guides do good walking tours, completely free - www.bathguides.org.uk which take about 2 hours. A day will scratch the surface of Roman and Georgian attractions but will give you the cream.
There is a ferry between Dublin and North Wales (Holyhead) so if you are driving and wanted a little of that you could stop in Conwy on the coast, just off the expressway. It’s a walled city with castle, a couple of Tudor houses (the larger well worth seeing, the other very small, small harbour etc). More scenically interesting in this area is the route through Snowdonia, but not fast.
In Dublin, the Book of Kells is a must for me. On a hot day for Guinness lovers, the Guinness tour!
If you want to see any of the Royal Galleries or Buckingham Palace in London it’s worth checking their website - www.royalcollection.org.uk. The same applies for some other ‘official’ attractions.
Have a great time - you are spoiled for choice.
- that's 3+ hours driving time *each way*
@collegemom3717 I’m aware of the geography. But there are van services that do the driving for you, with stops along the way. My D really wants to go there. But Glendalough is also on the table!