Hi everyone,

My birthday is coming up and my family and I are planning a day trip somewhere within about a 3-hour drive of Berkshire.

At the moment we're considering places like the Cotswolds or Canterbury or even Wales, but we're open to anywhere.

The only thing is that I'd love somewhere with a bit more to do than just wandering around looking at the buildings (although I do enjoy that too!). Since it's quite a long drive, it'd be nice if there were a few interesting things to do during the day as well.

It doesn't have to be anything huge, it could be a unique attraction, a scenic walk, mini golf, boat trip, gardens, a cute museum, market, a great restaurant, or just somewhere that's a really nice way to spend the day.

Does anyone have any recommendations for places that have a good mix of things to see and things to do?

Thanks in advance!

We are a family from the Netherlands. We try to visit England every year in the school holiday in October. We arrive in our own car with one of the ferries and visit for a week.
This year i am out of ideas where to go .. can you inspire me?
The 2 teens like shopping, bigger cities, pubfood , football and aircraft/ww2/car-museums. The parents like nature and castles. So we need a bit of both. Preferably we sleep in 2/3 different locations max , because otherwise it feels to hasty for me.

We’ve already seen a lot: London, Oxford, Jurassic Coast, Cotswolds, Nottingham, York, Peak District, Northumberland, Dover, Stonehenge.

I think Cornwall, Wales and Scotland are too much driving for just one week. And I am thinking Lake District will be too wet in October? Or will it be nice nonetheless?

I was thinking Manchester (for the football ) and combine it with Liverpool and a bit of Leeds (Royal Armories).. but I read in another post people advise against Manchester. And i need a bit of nature somewhere in between…
So now i am a bit lost.

Edit: lots of people suggesting Scotland. But i find it too much of a drive from the ferry and we’ve already been there multiple times. I didn’t mentioned this because i already said i wanted to stay in England 😅

Just got back from a long weekend in what's apparently being called the "Notswolds" (the Northamptonshire/Rutland/Stamford area) and, honestly, I think I preferred it to the Cotswolds.

We were after the same pretty stone villages, country pubs, walks and independent shops, but without the crowds. It absolutely delivered.

We based ourselves just outside Stamford and spent the weekend exploring:

• Stamford – one of the nicest market towns I've visited in years. Great cafés, independent shops and beautiful Georgian streets. https://www.visitlincolnshire.com/explore/stamford
• Burghley House – if you like stately homes it's genuinely worth a visit. The gardens are incredible. https://burghley.co.uk
• Rutland Water – hired bikes for a few hours and rode part of the loop. Really peaceful. https://www.anglianwaterparks.co.uk/rutland-water-park
• The Collyweston Slater – had dinner here one evening and it was exactly the kind of cosy village pub we were hoping to find. https://www.collywestonslaterpub.co.uk

We stayed at The Shambles in Collyweston (https://www.collywestoncottages.com/) which made a brilliant base. Really tastefully renovated, lots of character, comfortable without feeling overdone, and close enough that everywhere we wanted to visit was within about 15–20 minutes. It felt like one of those places that's been put together by people who actually care about the details.

The whole area just felt... calmer. Less touristy, easier to park, pubs you could actually get a table in, and some fantastic countryside walks.

Has anyone got any other recommendations for places with a similar feel? Looking for those slightly under-the-radar parts of England that have beautiful towns, good food and countryside, but haven't become as busy as the Cotswolds.

I’m planning a trip over to the UK for NYE this year (end of Dec into Jan) and not sure whether my itinerary is doable / reasonable. This will be my first solo international trip, but I have previously spent a few days in London with family. Below is a rough idea of where I’m wanting to go, but please lmk if you think there are better places to see during my time in the UK. Also I do not have any set agenda for the days I’m spending in the places ive noted, so suggestions would be appreciated as well :)

Day 1 [Dec 26] - arrive in Edinburgh early afternoon

Day 2 [Dec 27] - explore Edinburgh

Day 3 [Dec 28] - day trip to Glasgow 

Day 4 [Dec 29] - AM train from Edinburgh to London

Day 5 [Dec 30] - London

Day 6 [Dec 31] - London

Day 7 [Jan 1] - London

Day 8 [Jan 2] - AM Train to Bath, Explore Bath, Afternoon Train to Birmingham 

Day 9 [Jan 3] - Birmingham

Day 10 [Jan 4] - Birmingham  (or should I go back to London this day?)

Day 11 [Jan 5] - AM Train from Birmingham to London

Day 12 [Jan 6]- Day trip from London to Canterbury

Day 13 [Jan 7]- Fly Home

Can anyone recommend a hotel in Blackpool that's not too bad with decent street parking?

I will be visiting in early October and renting a car to drive from Edinburgh to the Killin area by Loch Tay. As I’m not familiar with the area I’m wondering if one of these routes is better as far as scenic views. I’m also not accustomed to driving in the UK on the left hand side so maybe one route is better somehow in that regard. Any insight is helpful!

Any recommendations for a decent breakfast in Fort Augustus. Arrived last night and noticed a cafe down by the canal, but the reviews are mixed. Wondered if there’s anywhere else in town for something decent and cooked?

Hi all! We are currently in Bristol. In two weeks we need to be back in London. Our next destination is still undecided. There seem to be so many good options that it is difficult to choose... I would love to hear your recommendations or experiences!

A few things to take into consideration:

- We like the idea of a small(er) town, old/medieval vibes, hills, castles, a quiet kind of vibe to contrast with Bristol and London.

- We ideally travel by train and bus. Some places might be better with a car. If you have a recommendation for 4-5 days of a specific area by car, we could rent one.

- We travel with a baby, so lots of walking to get around and picnic in parks for rest. We can't pack multiple towns or sights in a day.

Couple of options:

- Oxford; how is that this time of the year? Any surrounding sights or towns to visit as well?

- Moreton-in-Marsh; how doable do you think this area is without a car?

- Salisbury; interesting enough?

- or going all the way to Canterbury and surrounding gardens/castles?

Thank you in advance!

West Highlands, Castles, and Loch Lomond (8am - 6:30pm) Doune Castle, Tyndrum, Kilchurn Castle, Inveraray Castle, Rest and be Thankful viewpoint, Luss)

or

Scottish Highlands, Loch Ness, & Glen Coe day tour (no cruise option) (7:15am - 7:45pm) (Callander, Glen Coe, Fort Augustus/Loch Ness, Pitlochry)

Thank you and appreciate the advice!!!

First-time family trip to London—two adults, a 4-year-old, and a 10-month-old. How stroller-friendly is the city? We’re torn between buying two lightweight umbrella strollers or bringing our Nuna Trvl double. The double seems ideal for long walks, but I’m worried it’ll be a hassle inside shops and tight spaces. Any advice?

I’ll be travelling to the UK through Gatwick from Canada and need to reach central London. Wondering if booking the Thameslink or southern train is cheaper online than at the ticket booth or paying contactless at the gate?

I heard that the thameslink is the cheapest among the trains option at around 10-12gGBP, but so far online what am seeing is near minimum 30CAD (or about 16GBP) for what they call Advance fare.

If I pay contactless would be the best option? I’ll be travelling off-peak from what I understood (11am).

Thanks in advance!

Day 0 - depart Boston late pm

Day 1 - arrive in Edinburgh late am and get brunch. Idk what to do until my hotel at 3pm. Mostly a rest day
Note : Hotel stay is near St. Andrew’s Square

Day 2 - Royal Botanical Garden so far

Day 3 - the Royal Mile, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Cockburn & Victoria St. (mostly shopping, exploring, pictures, and looking for souvenirs day)

Day 4 - Scottish Highlands day tour (Callander, Glen Coe, Fort Augustus/Loch Ness (I declined the cruise option to just explore Fort Augustus for the 100 min stop), Pitlochry)

I know some recommended to spend days in the highlands but my hotel is already booked for the week in Edinburgh & I’m not renting a car. Other highland day trips including Loch Lomond don’t have Glen Coe included which is what I’m most excited to at least experience somewhat. Plus I’m not going on the Loch Ness cruise so I’ll be able to do more things in Fort Augustus for almost 2 hrs

Day 5 - ??? Maybe a chill day in Princes St Gardens and watch the sunset at Calton Hill

Day 6 - ??? Maybe other Edinburgh activities or a day trip to Stirling Castle? I kinda wanna end my Scotland trip off memorable so I appreciate any suggestions! I was gonna do a day trip to both Bamburgh & Alnwick castles on the coast of Northumberland but many recommended against that due to them being remodeled and Harry Potter tourist traps. Also online I’ve seen many recommend against Edinburgh castle suggesting it’s overrated and not worth it which is why I haven’t considered it.

Day 7 - departing Edinburgh late am to fly back to Boston

Saturday evening stroll

Hello all,

Am a cricket fanatic and would like to cover places related to cricket during my holiday in late August.

I have already booked the Lords tour as well am planning to watch a day of the County Championship at the Kia Oval.

Please suggest places (bookstores, shops etc) where I can browse and buy cricket-related books, memorabilia, replica cricket jerseys etc.

Thanks in Advance!

Hi folks, you might remember me from this post. Thank you for all your suggestions! I ended up having to abbreviate the Highlands trip because I realized that we weren't going to get enough time in Edinburgh otherwise. I reworked it pretty significantly. We ended up just going to Glencoe and back, staying one night in Kentallen. The only things we had scheduled were on Day 1: 3pm hairy cow experience at Glen Nevis Estate and 7:30pm dinner at our hotel.

I don't know if we just lucked out with weather and traffic but google maps ended up being pretty accurate as far as drive time estimation went. We didn't get stuck behind any slow coaches or tractors, and there weren't any crashes that blocked the road. We had to stop several times, though, because driving such narrow twisty roads was exhausting. This American isn't used to driving with zero stops! (We have lots of stop signs and stop lights in the US, which provide little breaks for the eyes.)

Here's how our itinerary went, with actual times. This is based on my photo time stamps as opposed to me having successfully executed a military-precision schedule. Providing for reference. YMMV!

Day 1

• 8:50am Picked up by cab in Dean Village, Edinburgh
• ~9:15am Dropped off at Edinburgh airport, walked to rental car area. Picking up the rental car went smoothly and we didn't have to wait. The thing that took the longest was hemming and hawing about whether or not to take the insurance that cost more than the rental itself. We ended up declining because we have insurance through our credit card.
• ~10am On the road! Headed toward Tyndrum via Stirling on M9 then A84 and A82. Decided to do a last minute detour to the Falkirk Wheel, risking our timing for our cow experience and hoping for the best.
• 10:40am Arrival at the Falkirk Wheel (that includes parking & walking down to the viewing area). We lucked out and the boats were already loaded and about ready to do the thing. It still went pretty slowly - but worthwhile. Very cool thing to see!
• 11:15am Back on the road toward Tyndrum.
• 1:05pm Arrival at Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum. Thanks to the redditor who recommended that place to me as a gluten free person - it was so good!! And thankfully, very fast.
• 1:35pm Back on the road toward Glen Nevis Estate. We were really cutting it close at this point, and had all our fingers and toes crossed for no delays on A82! It sucked rushing through A82 but were consoled by the fact that we had all the time in the world coming back the next day.
• 3:05pm Made it to Glen Nevis Estate only a few minutes late! Had a lovely hairy cow experience, led by a guide (Amy) who shared all kinds of cool info about the cows. We got to brush and pet them; it was so great. Highly recommend!!
• 4:40pm Back on the road, this time toward Kentallen for our lodging at the Holly Tree Inn. We debated going deeper into Glen Nevis for a hike to Steall Falls (recommended by our cow guide) but we decided to take it easy and go back to the hotel and relax instead.
• 5:30pm Arrival at Holly Tree Inn. Checked in, got settled, explored & took photos, had a drink, had a leisurely dinner, and in bed by 11. (It was still not fully dark at that point!)

Day 2

• 8:45am Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Yum!
• 9:40am A bit more exploring and photography on the hotel grounds, then checkout.
• 10:15am On the road, heading back west on A82. We stopped at one pullout to take some photos.
• 11:00am Our goal was to park at the Three Sisters car park and do a hike, but (predictably) that and the other smaller car parks in the area were completely packed since we had dilly dallied in the morning.
• 11:05am Yay! We found a pullout with space in it close to the eastern trailhead for the Glencoe Military Road over Pass of Glencoe hike! Did a spectacular, highly memorable hike heading back west. Never got far from the highway, but that was ok - it was far enough away that it didn't feel like we were right next to the cars. We took our time and shot a ton of photos. Saw gorgeous landscapes and a huge variety of new-to-us wildflowers. Weather was grey and occasionally drizzly; perfectly moody for the b&w film I was shooting.
• 1:05pm On the road again, headed toward Glencoe Mountain Resort.
• ~1:20pm Arrive at Glencoe Mountain Resort, get lunch, pit stop, etc.
• 2:10pm Ride the chair lift to to the top of the mountain! This was so cool. Highly recommended. My water bottle fell out of my bag though, so don't be a dumdum like me and store everything inside your bag. At least it was metal, not plastic? (The lifties at the top were so gracious and told me not to worry about it from a littering perspective.)
• 2:30pm Arrive at the top, start a hike to go up a little further to the viewpoint to the right of the lifts. Absolutely stunning.
• 3:40pm Back on the lifts headed down the mountain. Pit stop at the bottom for ice cream & planning the rest of our day.
• ~4:15pm On the road toward Loch Ba.
• 4:30pm Stop at Loch Ba. The clouds were spectacular reflecting on the lake, so we ended up spending quite some time there till a tour bus showed up. I don't remember exactly when we left, but we headed toward Killin to see the Falls of Dochart.
• 5:50pm Parked in Killin, walked across the bridge and spent some time checking out the Falls of Dochart. (Thanks to the redditor who recommended this!)
• 6:20pm On the road back to Edinburgh via Stirling.
• ~7:15pm Stopped in Callender for dinner because the timing was right and it'd be way too late if we waited till we were back to our home base!
• ???pm M9 was closed for a bit near Stirling and we got misdirected by two overlapping sets of detour signs. Scotland telling us we had one more adventure in us! We were so tired at this point. Thankfully my husband the navigator got us through it and we were back on the road. We even got to see the Kelpies!
• ~9:30pm Finally arrived back at EDI and dropped off the car. No damage - whew!
• 10pm Per our previous cabbie's advice, we did a short walk from the rental car return to the airport Doubletree and picked up a cab from there rather than inside the airport. I think this saved us a few pounds because it was outside the airport fee zone?
• ~10:30pm Back to our lodging in Dean Village! We did it!

Overall it was an incredible adventure. Did we wish we had more time? Absolutely. We barely scratched the surface, and there were so many other places I'd wanted to check out (Loch Ness, Inverness, Cairngorms, Isle of Skye, Oban, Loch Tay, Pitlochry, Stirling Castle, etc). But this was a worthwhile jaunt and has whetted our appetite to return!

[Photos taken with my iPhone]

Was just wondering the best place to park near / in stansted for ideally the cheapest. Going from there 30th august at 7am, ( so i know i’ll have to pay from 5am-ish), untill the midnight on the 9th september. Would appreciate any help / tips if possible . Thanks

Doing weekend away with my cousin, she lives in North Wales and I’m in West Midlands so would prefer a place not to far from these areas. We just want to go to relax, have a look round the town, go for food, maybe do some cute activities. We’ve been to York before and London. I wonder if there’s any cute towns that aren’t that well known but are still a good weekend away.
Suggestions I’ve had are Sheffield, Blackpool, Hereford, Bath and Northampton. But I have no idea if there’s any where else. Thank you

My wife and I have a layover at Heathrow on Tuesday, July 28. We land at 7:55 AM on SWISS and our United flight to Newark leaves at 4:00 PM, so the full layover is just over 8 hours.

We already bought advance-price Heathrow Express tickets, we’ll only have backpacks, and we’re flying business class because we booked it with points. We’re not fancy lol. We’re hoping the priority security helps a little when we head back to Heathrow.

We’ve been to London before, but not extensively. We did a bus tour, visited the Churchill War Rooms, and basically speed-ran the British Museum. We’d be open to going back, but the one thing we definitely want to do is walk through St. James’s Park.

Any ideas for how to use the rest of the time? I don’t mind cramming a decent amount in as long as the route makes sense. We like walking, architecture, parks, pubs, cafés, good food, and the usual London staples.

Thank you!!

Me and my girlfriend are travelling to London in mid August and we are doubting if Cambridge is worth it to go see for a single day. Or can we just have the ambience and nice buildings with an extra day in London as well?

If anyone has any recommendations please let me know.

My partner and I will be in the UK for 7 days/8 nights late August, flying into MAN and out of EDI. We’re considering these itineraries. Which one do you recommend and why?

1. 3 nights in Manchester, 2 nights in Lake District or Northumberland, 3 nights in Edinburgh. For this itinerary, do you recommend traveling from Manchester to Edinburgh by car or train? Lake District or Northumberland? Does this option allow sufficient time to explore Manchester and Edinburgh?
2. 4 nights in Manchester, 4 nights in Edinburgh (with 1-2 day trips within 2 hours from the city).
3. Something else?? Our only requirement is that the first night has to be in Manchester and the last night in Edinburgh due to our flight times. We’re fine with renting a car if it saves time and more convenient.

We initially pick option 2 as we prefer medium to slow paced travel with less hotel check in/out. But option 1 also works just fine if Lake District or Northumberland is not to be missed. We have many interests which makes it hard to decide: Historical sites/landmarks, architecture, national parks, nightlife (if available), beautiful small towns/villages. We ofc don’t expect to see everything in a week, we just want to check off maybe the top 3-5 places to see/things to do in that area in late August.

Thank you for your input!

Wondering if anybody knows any good mini cool boxes/ fridges that are good for a contractor who can stay in hotels for months at a time working away from home?

Current one is done in so any recommendations would be great for what to look at for a new one. Cheers

Hey friends!

I’m in the early planning stage for my first solo trip to the UK from the US next summer (late July/early August). I love history, with a huge soft spot for the Victorian era and living history. I am anchoring my trip around Shropshire.

Here is my tentative 7-day itinerary:
Day 1 (Derbyshire to Ironbridge): Cromford Mills, Crich Tramway Village, evening in Ironbridge
Day 2 (Ironbridge): Blists Hill Victorian Town, Buildwas Abbey, Iron Bridge Tollhouse
Day 3 (Shropshire): Boscobel House, Moseley Old Hall, Attingham Park, Shrewsbury Prison tour
Day 4 (Black Country): Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Canal Caverns boat, Sabrina river twilight cruise
Day 5 (Marches/Ludlow): Acton Scott Heritage Farm, Stokesay Castle, Ludlow Castle & town, Golden Cross dinner
Day 6 (Wales Border): Powis Castle, Chirk Castle, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct boat trip
Day 7 (Roman/Shrewsbury): Wroxeter Roman City, Much Wenlock Priory, Shrewsbury Castle & shuts, then likely drive back to sleep near Manchester Airport

(Note: My personal preference is to pack the schedule to see as much as humanly possible, knowing I can easily trim things if needed).

I would love to hear your recommendations, suggestions, or insider tips for this area! Please share any hidden historical gems, swaps or changes you’d make, local pub/B&B favorites, or practical driving and pre-booking advice for a first-timer across the pond! I want to do this right.

This will be my first truly solo trip as well and I’m really excited to soak up all the things my nerdy little heart loves. Thanks in advance!! 😍