Best Way to see British Isles for the 1st Time?

[SRF]

Heck, London is several weeks by itself.

 

Edinburgh is a week or two itself.

 

Seeing UK a few hours at a time from a ship will NOT show you UK.

[navybankerteacher]

It is probably a good idea to pick the sort of experience you want: the cities -   picking a few which interest you and going by train between them;  or the countryside (picking an area) -say Devon and Cornwall, or the Midlands, or the North-Scottish border, and driving —- allowing about a week.  If you have a lot of time, you might pick two of the above.

 

Of course, London itself is worth at least a week —- you just need to decide whether you want to get a real feel of one part, or a quick “drive-by” survey.

[John Bull]

As previous posts, by land is the way to go.

 

By train is easiest for bigger towns and cities - places like London, Canterbury, Oxford, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, York,  Edinburgh, etc.

The network is quite extensive

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/maps.aspx

 

To avoid constant packing, schlepping, and unpacking your luggage choose a base for three or four days of day-tripping.

And buy a "two-together" railcard - the card costs £30 and knocks off about 33% of each rail fare (not during peak time on some routes). 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/pr83ccf28cfc400abe711a40cc6dd9d4.aspx

There are also day excursions by coach (bus) from those places to places of interest in the area that aren't accessible by train.

 

The train routes in the Scottish highlands are every bit as scenic as the roads.

 

.......................................

 

By rental car is best for the countryside and out-of-the-way places like  Cornwall, Wales, the Lake District, the Peak District, the North Yorkshire moors.

Driving on the left is no big deal when renting a right-hand-drive car. But even if you're fine with a shift-stick, specify auto-transmission (it'll cost a little more) to avoid using the door handle when trying to change gear. 

There are lots of little tips to keep on the correct side of the road, and there are other different rules of the road, eg no turn-out on red, no overtaking on the nearside, priorities at roundabouts (traffic circles). 

 

A car gives you so much freedom to choose your own routes, stop wherever you like for as long as you like, and hauling a carry-on case from car to room is no big deal.

City driving (and navigation and parking) is no fun - choose accommodation outside the cities & mebbe take train or bus into cities. And very definitely don't have a car in London - so visit London at the outset before renting, or at the end after handing back the car. 

 

JB  

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

...

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City driving (and navigation and parking) is no fun - choose accommodation outside the cities & mebbe take train or bus into cities. And very definitely don't have a car in London - so visit London at the outset before renting, or at the end after handing back the car. 

 

JB  

Agreed - London traffic and narrow streets, on top of having to remember to keep left, means NO CAR.  When we visit, (usually staying in Barnet) we pick up car at LHR , then try to keep M15 between us and London. Once we wanted a few days in town first, so when done we took train to Enfield where we knew there was a Hertz rental office - the language-impaired taxi driver from the station kept hearing "hurts" rather than "Hertz" and tried to insist he take us directly to a clinic.

[Canuker]

I sense, OP, that you are looking for pre-arranged, guided tour(s).
There are so many of these offered for Britain and/or Ireland it is hard to know where to begin. 

 

1.Hint: I can tell you that such tours marketed in North America are usually wildly more expensive than an equivalent tour sold from within the UK or Ireland, notwithstanding the air/cruise fare.
 

2. If you're also considering your own tour, please do not make the mistake so many NAms make when they go to the UK - renting a car. We are not talking wide open roads or speedy highways here. It's a crowded island compared with what we are used to.

 

3. In my humble opinion, the best way to see Britain (not so much Ireland), by far, is by train. They have an astonishing rail sytem that goes everywhere and is fast, frequent and, despite local concerns, on time  - by our standards.  And someone else does the driving. It's there waiting for you to seize on.

 

4. If you are considering a guided tour - do consider a tour by rail. There are several excellent UK-based companies that specialize in this, with varied itineraries. Some will even put a bespoke trip together for you.

 

5. There is so much to see and do; try to make it manageable - as someone has already suggested - by not taking in too much. Have an idea about the places / people you especially want to see and go from there.

 

6. London is not Britain. Dublin is not Ireland. Get out of the capital and enjoy the country.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Canuker

[SRF]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

City driving (and navigation and parking) is no fun - choose accommodation outside the cities & mebbe take train or bus into cities.

 

I book lodging with parking.  For cities, it is park the car and do taxi/bus/underground/Uber/feet to get around.  Much less hassle and a LOT less stressful.

 

Agree that London is NOT a place to have car.  Plus, you pay a congestion tax to be in the city.  So London to start or end, and pick up/drop off the car appropriately.

[Heidi13]

If hiring a car in UK, you should be aware of the traffic cameras - speed, average speed, bus lane, etc. Back in the 70's I could hire a car in Southampton and be at the Scottish border in 5 hrs and St Andrews in about 7 hrs. Couldn't afford to drive at those speeds anymore, even if their wasn't congestion.

[clo]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Agreed - London traffic and narrow streets, on top of having to remember to keep left, means NO CAR.  When we visit, (usually staying in Barnet) we pick up car at LHR , then try to keep M15 between us and London. Once we wanted a few days in town first, so when done we took train to Enfield where we knew there was a Hertz rental office - the language-impaired taxi driver from the station kept hearing "hurts" rather than "Hertz" and tried to insist he take us directly to a clinic.

Doesn't London now charge drivers who actually want into the city center?

[navybankerteacher]

11 minutes ago, clo said:

Doesn't London now charge drivers who actually want into the city center?

Yes - they have introduced congestion pricing.  Actually, New York is considering it as well (long overdue - especially given the excellent public transit available, which needs the revenue).

[donaldsc]

8 hours ago, John Bull said:

As previous posts, by land is the way to go.

 

By train is easiest for bigger towns and cities - places like London, Canterbury, Oxford, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, York,  Edinburgh, etc.

The network is quite extensive

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/maps.aspx

 

To avoid constant packing, schlepping, and unpacking your luggage choose a base for three or four days of day-tripping.

And buy a "two-together" railcard - the card costs £30 and knocks off about 33% of each rail fare (not during peak time on some routes). 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/pr83ccf28cfc400abe711a40cc6dd9d4.aspx

There are also day excursions by coach (bus) from those places to places of interest in the area that aren't accessible by train.

 

The train routes in the Scottish highlands are every bit as scenic as the roads.

 

.......................................

 

By rental car is best for the countryside and out-of-the-way places like  Cornwall, Wales, the Lake District, the Peak District, the North Yorkshire moors.

Driving on the left is no big deal when renting a right-hand-drive car. But even if you're fine with a shift-stick, specify auto-transmission (it'll cost a little more) to avoid using the door handle when trying to change gear. 

There are lots of little tips to keep on the correct side of the road, and there are other different rules of the road, eg no turn-out on red, no overtaking on the nearside, priorities at roundabouts (traffic circles). 

 

A car gives you so much freedom to choose your own routes, stop wherever you like for as long as you like, and hauling a carry-on case from car to room is no big deal.

City driving (and navigation and parking) is no fun - choose accommodation outside the cities & mebbe take train or bus into cities. And very definitely don't have a car in London - so visit London at the outset before renting, or at the end after handing back the car. 

 

JB  

 

You left out one piece of important information and I am not being sarcastic about this - when you are driving and your wife starts screaming at you, this probably means that you are doing something really stupid or dangerous.  Listen to her.

 

DON

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

If hiring a car in UK, you should be aware of the traffic cameras - speed, average speed, bus lane, etc. Back in the 70's I could hire a car in Southampton and be at the Scottish border in 5 hrs and St Andrews in about 7 hrs. Couldn't afford to drive at those speeds anymore, even if their wasn't congestion.

Southampton to Carlisle  is 330 miles,  and even then you are  not in Scotland. To do the journey at an average speed of almost 70 miles an hour, (allowing for no stops) even in a Ford Capri(!), is perhaps allowing for a bit of poetic licence. And of course, did you ever have the dubious pleasure of trying to get over Shap in a snow storm? 

I'm not saying you didn't do the trip in the time you say,  but as a regular  M6/A74 commuter in the 7Os, I'd say you had to be pretty lucky to regularly do the journey in the time stated.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

 

You left out one piece of important information and I am not being sarcastic about this - when you are driving and your wife starts screaming at you, this probably means that you are doing something really stupid or dangerous.  Listen to her.

 

DON

 

Not always true, Don 

Leaving from a restaurant in France my other-half did just that as I drove down the right-hand side of the road..

She wrong, me right 

Only downside - she remembers that vividly so if I ever do get it wrong she won't scream in case she's wrong again. 

 

JB 

[donaldsc]

6 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Not always true, Don 

Leaving from a restaurant in France my other-half did just that as I drove down the right-hand side of the road..

She wrong, me right 

Only downside - she remembers that vividly so if I ever do get it wrong she won't scream in case she's wrong again. 

 

JB 

 

I'll bet that she made you pause and think for a moment however.

 

DON

[Heidi13]

15 hours ago, wowzz said:

Southampton to Carlisle  is 330 miles,  and even then you are  not in Scotland. To do the journey at an average speed of almost 70 miles an hour, (allowing for no stops) even in a Ford Capri(!), is perhaps allowing for a bit of poetic licence. And of course, did you ever have the dubious pleasure of trying to get over Shap in a snow storm? 

I'm not saying you didn't do the trip in the time you say,  but as a regular  M6/A74 commuter in the 7Os, I'd say you had to be pretty lucky to regularly do the journey in the time stated.

Since my contracts were 4 months when at sea, or 3 weeks if drydocking in Southampton, the trip home was not a regular commute. We generally hired a Cortina, had 2 drivers and only stops were for petrol. Drove home from Southampton 3 times, rather than taking the train. Yes, on M5/M6 we were well over 70 mph.

 

Affirmative, I have negotiated the A74(M) in snow, which was after Canberra's drydocking. That was a much slower trip.  

[iancal]

IF our only choice was either a cruise or a guided tour  we would most definitely take the guided tour.   You will see and experience far more that you would on a cruise, IMHO.   But...they are two very different animals.

[clo]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

IF our only choice was either a cruise or a guided tour  we would most definitely take the guided tour.   You will see and experience far more that you would on a cruise, IMHO.   But...they are two very different animals.

I agree.  Our first escorted tours were in Turkey and Israel.  Our guides were superb.  I joked that our guide in Israel was Jewish but knew his old and new testaments equally well.  And we started right after breakfast in a well located and super nice hotel and ended late afternoon.  But our days were sometimes awfully long and we had little opportunity to go off on our own, especially if we were only spending one night somewhere.  We'll see if cruising satisfies us.

[navybankerteacher]

Cruising is good for reconnaissance - checking out different ports along some previously unexplored coasts;  but it tends to be somewhat frustrating when limiting you to 8 or 9 hours in places which are worth experiencing in the first place.  With some planning, you can give yourself a few days at interesting embarkation and debarkation port areas.

Edited November 15, 2019 by navybankerteacher

[SRF]

On 11/14/2019 at 1:53 PM, clo said:

Doesn't London now charge drivers who actually want into the city center?

 

Yes, and it is automated with cameras.

 

And if you not pay that day or pre-pay, they charge extra.

[SRF]

On 11/14/2019 at 1:42 PM, Heidi13 said:

If hiring a car in UK, you should be aware of the traffic cameras - speed, average speed, bus lane, etc. Back in the 70's I could hire a car in Southampton and be at the Scottish border in 5 hrs and St Andrews in about 7 hrs. Couldn't afford to drive at those speeds anymore, even if their wasn't congestion.

 

Does Waze work in the UK? 🙂

 

I know that they have GPSes with the speed camera locations loaded into them.  Radar detectors are no legal.

[John Bull]

46 minutes ago, SRF said:

🙂

I know that they have GPSes with the speed camera locations loaded into them.  Radar detectors are no legal.

 

Typo, SRF?

 

The police (?) are very open about the location of fixed cameras.

There are maps on the web showing their locations, the cameras are always prominent and painted yellow and grey, and yes, most GPS warn you of an up-coming fixed camera, on the GPS screen and an audible warning. Some also warn you that you're too fast approaching the camera.

All perfectly legal - the object being to slow drivers down, not to catch them out.

 

Mobile cameras (manually operated, usually from a white van), bus lane cameras, cameras for red-light jumpers, etc aren't so obvious.

And just to catch out locals who know the locations of fixed cameras & who speed, but slow down past the camera then speed up again, the police often locate a mobile camera half a mile past a fixed camera. I can testify to that 

 

There's a degree of tolerance in the camera speed settings. Something like 2mph plus 5%.

Our local motorway has long-term road works with average-speed cameras (ie they catch folk who get from camera A to camera B too quickly). The speed limit is 50mph - but unless there are workers in the area I average 55mph without a worry - and others push their luck even further.

 

If a vehicle triggers a camera (any camera) the registered owner must be notified and the name of the driver requested within 14 days. If not, there's no case to answer. But of course if you're renting it can take another week or two before you hear from the rental agency..

 

When I was driving coaches I used to take great pleasure in triggering a fixed camera on the way back from Brighton.

It's on a dual carriageway (divided highway), where the speed limit for cars is 70mph,.

That camera was set to trigger at about 60mph but was aimed high in order to catch only large vehicles - targeting speeding trucks (their speed limit 50mph).

Coaches also being high, they too trigger that camera - but the limit for coaches is 60mph so no worries. 

 

How do I know about these things?

I plead the Fifth Amendment 

 

JB 

[clo]

3 hours ago, SRF said:

 

Yes, and it is automated with cameras.

 

And if you not pay that day or pre-pay, they charge extra.

I think SF should do that.  They have loads of public transpo options.

[SRF]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Typo, SRF?

 

The police (?) are very open about the location of fixed cameras.

There are maps on the web showing their locations, the cameras are always prominent and painted yellow and grey, and yes, most GPS warn you of an up-coming fixed camera, on the GPS screen and an audible warning. Some also warn you that you're too fast approaching the camera.

All perfectly legal - the object being to slow drivers down, not to catch them out.

 

Mobile cameras (manually operated, usually from a white van), bus lane cameras, cameras for red-light jumpers, etc aren't so obvious.

And just to catch out locals who know the locations of fixed cameras & who speed, but slow down past the camera then speed up again, the police often locate a mobile camera half a mile past a fixed camera. I can testify to that 

 

There's a degree of tolerance in the camera speed settings. Something like 2mph plus 5%.

Our local motorway has long-term road works with average-speed cameras (ie they catch folk who get from camera A to camera B too quickly). The speed limit is 50mph - but unless there are workers in the area I average 55mph without a worry - and others push their luck even further.

 

A bit, radar detectors are NOT legal in UK, from what I understand.

 

In the US, our speed cameras are set for 10 - 12 MPH over the limit.  You really have to be over the limit.

[John Bull]

28 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

A bit, radar detectors are NOT legal in UK, from what I understand.

 

In the US, our speed cameras are set for 10 - 12 MPH over the limit.  You really have to be over the limit.

 

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q367.htm

 

Legal in the UK, SRF. 

It's radar-jamming devices that are illegal.

But detectors are illegal in most of Europe.

 

JB 

[K32682]

I worked and lived in the UK briefly and toured it extensively when I was there and on many subsequent visits.  A cruise would be a most miserable way to tour Britain.  Rent a car and drive.  Driving on the other side is not insurmountable. However, if the prospect of driving on the other side of the road is too daunting there is an excellent rail system that will take you where you want to go. 

 

I like to drive there and have done multi-lane roundabouts to single-lane roads with high hedgerows on both sides and survived.  It helps to know how to work a standard but automatics are available to rent at around double the price.  Don't be surprised if the Brits are shocked to discover the North American willingness to drive long distances.  The difference between a Brit and a North American is that we think a 100 years is a long time ago and they think 100 miles is a long distance.  

[clo]

1 hour ago, K32682 said:

The difference between a Brit and a North American is that we think a 100 years is a long time ago and they think 100 miles is a long distance.  

Love that!

 

Did you ever read Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island." So fun. Especially the gibberish that he attributed to the Glaswegians.  I remember whispering to Bob "is he speaking English?"

Edited November 17, 2019 by clo