I’ve always wanted to visit Great Britain. Not sure when this “dream” vacation will become a reality, but would like to begin “roughing-out” a few plans.
What are some must-see sites, or anything that might be interesting for an American tourist to visit or see? (Hopefully something that will still be around when I get there, which could be several years from now).
Thank you! ************************************************************** 07-24-02, 03:37 PM cattywampus Of course you will want to see the regular touristy places,
1. Stonehenge 2. Canterbury Cathedral 3. Shakespeare's family home (what's left of it - a few bricks) 4. Hadrian's Wall (more bricks and stones) 5. Cambridge U. 6. Oxford 7. London (Parliment, Big Ben, etc.) 8. The baths at Bath 9. The Cheddar Gorge
Plus any number of other ones. If I were going again I would give most of those a pass (they look just like their pictures) and spend more time in Scotland (hauntingly beautiful), especially the north, and Wales (GREAT people!) plus Cornwall (cliffs and sea) and spend more time in London. Also, be sure to go early in the morning to Newmarket, where they exercise the thoroughbreds in the morning mist - lovely. Read up on it before you go and have a great time! You can email me for more information if you want. Catty big grin wink smile ************************************************************** 07-25-02, 02:04 AM Andyvmax In addition to the places previously mentioned, the Lake District is beautiful and well worth a visit. I personally like the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors (wild and beautiful). Scotland is a definte must, the islands off the west coast especially. Most of the whisky distilleries do guided tours if you like that sort of thing and they're normally in very scenic settings. Just don't let the weather put you off and have a great time. ************************************************************** 07-25-02, 03:28 AM ravenhair Come to Scotland, it's fab. For such a little country, we have everything you want - two big cities (Glasgow and Edinburgh) which are full of great museums, galleries, history, culture, shops, bars, restaurants. Then go up North and see the incredible scenery. Islands such as Mull and Iona are stunning, the area around Perth (only an hour or so from Edinburgh) is lovely, and if you're really lucky and go far enough north, you may even see the Northern Lights. ************************************************************** 07-25-02, 09:44 AM Cris5 Don't forget Picadilly Circus! ************************************************************** 07-26-02, 11:52 AM Shadows and Dust A big thank you to everyone who has replied. I'm going to print up this thread and save all your suggestions.
If anyone else has more recommendations to add, please do feel free to share them. smile ************************************************************** 07-26-02, 12:55 PM Firecow The previous suggestions are really great. There's much more to the UK than just London and Edinburgh!(although both of these cities have plenty to keep you busy for days on their own) Maybe you could also look up Hay-on-Wye, just a little town but famous for it's second hand book shops. The Eden Project Aberystwyth and the narrow gauge railway. Check out www.lonelyplanet.com Go to the UK and choose 'Postcards', this has a whole load of travel hints, tips and suggestions for transport, sightseeing etc. from people that have done it recently. ************************************************************** 07-27-02, 12:47 PM nerdqueendeluxe In England, how will I know which pub has the really good beer? Do they still have the Plowman's Lunch? In Scotland, where shall I go to find a place out of the big cities with lots of walking trails? I think the weather there is similar to Alaska and it won't bother me, so..what would I find best in the spring and in the fall? What months are considered spring and fall? ************************************************************** 07-29-02, 02:24 AM Andyvmax Pubs with good beer vary from place to place as the best breweries tend to be regional. Some good ones are Theakstons and Black Sheep (Yorkshire), Shepherd Neame (Kent) although these are more generally available now. As a general guide look for pubs with hand pumps on the bar as opposed to electric pumps. Ploughman's Lunch is still available though not as common as it used to be. Tourist information centres would be able to find walking trails for you in whatever locality to are. Spring is from March to May inclusive. Autumn (Fall) is from September to November inclusive but November can be a bit grim weather wise. ************************************************************** 08-16-02, 05:17 AM VivienneHa If you were thinking of touring great Britain I would suggest taking out membership of The Royal Oak Foundationwhich is the US branch of the The National Trust an organization that is responsible for the upkeep of many of Britains stately homes,monuments and also miles of it's beautiful coastline.Membership is $75 and this would give you free entrance to so many of our historic buildings including Stonehenge. All of the places so far mentioned are more than worth a visit.In case cattywampus' description of Shakespeares house has put you off visiting it,can I just say that in Stratford-upon-Avon there are 5 houses connected to Shakespeare that you can visit."New Place" which was the Shakespeare family home is long demolished (in 1759),but the house in which Shakespeare was born and brought up in,"The Shakespeare Birthplace" is the reason most people visit Stratford and that is very much still around.The Shakespeare Houses NQD,here is a site with some great Scottish walks Walking Scotland For Good beer try Camra
[This message was edited by VivienneHa on 08-16-02 at 05:31 AM.] ************************************************************** 08-18-02, 12:40 PM cattywampus Viv is right, even though not much remains of the "original" Shakespeare home I was shown, it is definitely worth seeing. But things you see regularly on TV: Stonehenge, Hadrian's Wall, etc. I would pass on, in favor of the lovely sights of the North, and those proposed by Andy. We had two weeks to drive around the country, and missed a lot of it. The Lake District is definitely a must. And by all means, ride the train if possible, and do go to pubs on Friday night: people sing, and play music - a real holiday atmosphere and great fun.
Catty (who misses Cambridge!) frown ************************************************************** 08-18-02, 08:31 PM FredPuli (Some footnotes from a Brit.) London: avoid Windsor Castle . Go to Hampton Court Palace instead; far more to see, fine situation, pleasantly accessible in Summer by river ( touristy Windsor takes ages this way!) as well as by train, lots of atmosphere and the famous maze (for losing the family in!) Richmond, nearby and also on the river, has a fine royal park with deer. 2) If you visit St Paul's Cathedral be sure to seek out Wren's tomb.The Latin text translates as 'If you seek his memorial, look around you' .Touching, when all around are great memorials to nonentities.He, the architect of it all, lies hidden in a quiet corner. 3) River Thames boat trips are well worthwhile in themselves. Elsewhere: the Lake District is very pretty but can be hellish in high season (August). Visiting " Oxbridge"? Avoid Oxford; choose Cambridge. At 45 minutes by train from London, it is a University with a city developed around it, and the local wealth is largely from high-tech and academe.Oxford is industrial by comparison.Ely Cathedral is worth a trip from Cambridge, being only a few miles away; the small town of Ely (officially a 'city')is beautiful too, on a river in the Fens (drained marshland). Beer fans in the UK should find whatever the local beers are.There is a book 'The Good Beer Guide', produced originally for CAMRA ( Campaign for Real Ale), listing pubs notable for their beer.Remember 'beer' means 'bitter', the darker brown stuff, not lager (which looks like 'Bud'). Investigate train services with www.thetrainline.com Trains are the best way for the tourist to travel between principal towns and cities. Americans don't seem to think of them; only very few cities are connected by air here(and those are almost all from London) and driving can be very tiring (and stressful, particularly if you are unsure of driving on the left!)You can always book a hire-car at the destination, in advance too. ************************************************************** 08-28-02, 06:51 AM raelene Can I please add another must see place in the U.K. and that is the Cotswold area - just beautiful little towns. Have also been to Hampton Court by river and then train home but would do it the other way round if another time. Boat trip took nearly 3 hours- train half an hour or so. The way we did it didn't leave much time to actually look around Hampton Court which was a great place
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