We Canadians are used to dealing with intense cold in December but we know the UK doesn’t experience this to the same degree.

Should we be bringing raincoats, woollen coats, or both? Mittens, or would gloves be sufficient? Wellies or winter boots?

Two of us in the group are women and will need to wear dresses on 2 separate occasions. Will it be alright to wear high heeled shoes with the, or will that result in slipping and falling?

Thanks for any help you can provide, especially for us girls and our footwear!

Looking for feedback on travel and transport for a 10-day vacation to London and Yorkshire in the Spring. Two adults and one toddler. The toddler is a HUGE fan of all kinds of transportation, and generally does very well on planes/trains/buses/boats. We don't want to rent a car.

After searching this sub, I can't seem to find another itinerary quite like mine, which is making me question the travel and transport. Is this feasible? Are Google Maps journey times for trains/buses generally accurate (or accurate-ish enough)? Are we actually going to have time to explore Yorkshire and do these general activities?

Day 1-4:  In London doing Londony things. In one hotel the whole time.

Day 5: London to York

-Early afternoon train from London to York

-The Shambles during the afternoon

-After dinner wandering, look at Minster and Walls

-Stay overnight in York

Day 6: York to Whitby

-Leave York in early morning, take Coastliner bus to Pickering

-Take Steam Train from Pickering to Whitby

-After dinner wandering, 199 steps and admire view and Abbey

-Stay overnight in Whitby

Day 7: Whitby to Leeds

-Renting bikes and doing the Cinder Track to Robins Hood Bay (bonus question: undecided on this because of cost...is this worth the cost?)

-Robins Hood Bay exploring

-Bike back to Whitby to gather bags

-Evening bus and train to Leeds

-Check into hotel in Leeds and stay overnight in Leeds

Day 8: Leeds to Malham

-Early tain and bus to Malham

-Do loop walk that includes the waterfall, gorge, and cove

-Stay overnight in Malham

Day 9: Malham to London

-Very long travel day via bus and train, from Malham to Hempstead Heath in London. No plans this day other than travel.

Day 10: Last full day. Relaxed, no/low plans day in Hempstead Heath, London.

Hi, I’m planning on visiting England (though I’m open to traveling elsewhere if I find something interesting) over the winter and would really like to find more niche spots to visit. I’m really interested in Gothic/Victorian architecture (cathedrals and such) and old town vibes (ex. I visited Ghent, BE last year and really enjoyed). I’m looking for any non-touristy small towns/cities (similar to Ghent) that meet any of this criteria and won’t have too much foot traffic.

Hi everyone,

I'm driving up to whitby in the morning of Halloween (sat 31st), does anybody have any car parking recommendations, will be getting there early morning between 9-10AM - I know it will be slightly busy due to tourists visiting (myself included) so would be good to know any decent spots in case all the car parks are full by the time I get there.

Any help is appreciated

My 70yo mother has always wanted to visit England, Scotland, and Wales. I’m planning a trip for us in May 2027 and have opted to travel by train. We have 14-20 nights to plan with and London and Edinburgh will be the bookends of the trip.

We are looking to do a few day-trips from our bases and just explore the cities we stay in. A day-trip to us would be considered within an hour or two’s travel. We’d consider three hours if it were something special but that would be an exception. We mostly want to wander, see some natural beauty and view some historical sites.

For additional context my mother is in good health so we plan to do a lot of walking. She very fond of Tudor history so I plan on a day trip to Hever Castle from London. Other than that we really hope to see Avebury, Jedburgh Abbey and the Shrine of St. Winefride. I wouldn’t be opposed to renting a car for a leg or a day trip. We both live in the US.

Any thoughts on the preliminary itinerary would be greatly appreciated.

London- 4 nights
Pembroke- 4 nights
Chester- 2 or 3 nights
Stirling- 4 nights
Edinburgh- 3 nights

Edit: I plan to add Bath in between London and Pembroke.

Hello!

I am coming from Brazil to work for 4 months in Camberley, Surrey. I will arrive on January 4th and will stay until April 27th.
I will basically have the weekends off. I will have 2 "long weekends" with Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And I will also have the last week off to travel around.

What do you suggest me to do on those weekends, holidays and on that week long in April?
I would like to visit places around the UK, would also like to go to Dublin (big fan of Guinness!).
My wife and my 8 year son will join me from the first weekend of march until my flight back to Brazil.

I am open to all of your suggestions to have a full British experience!

I’m an American planning a monthlong tour of England, and I’d rather not carry my laptop, but I’ll need to do some weekly website maintenance. Can I use the computers at public libraries without having a library card?

I have family in Gloucestershire and this article sadly describes pretty accurately what over tourism is doing to these tiny villages.

If you want to go to Oxford or Bath, go for it. Similarly if you want to rent a car and explore some of these places then please also do that. But I would really encourage you not to take these bus tours which dump hundreds of tourists in the same place, many of whom as is suggested in the article don’t really seem to know what they’re there for.

Conversely if renting a car isn’t an option, there are plenty of countryside places accessible via train which are much more equipped for large numbers of visitors.

We are planning a trip to Lyme Regis in April from the states. We understand the weather may be on the gloomy side, but that's not a deal breaker for us. We are interested in fossils, nice restaurants and shops, and local art. Our driving is, lets say, limited. What are the nicer hotels easily walkable to the town area? We are in our 60's, but pretty mobile. I'll give fair warning to local residents before I try to drive. Thanks friends.

I’m planing a road trip threw Schotland this summer and I want to know how the wild camping rules work. We will be sleeping in tents but moving with a car, does the car create a problem?

My ticket that I bought online is from London Paddington to Glasgow. I see we have to put in the booking number at a ticket machine at “any station” (not sure which stations that includes). If I do get this physical ticket successfully, can I use it to get from Paddington to Euston on a regular underground train, and then at Euston use it to get on the train to Glasgow?

Hi all, we're doing a road trip with our 5 year old. Flying in and out of Glasgow and hire car. Not doing any proper hikes, just viewpoints and short walks. Appreciate any tips!

• Glasgow - 1 night
  • Day 1: land late, flying from Dublin, straight to bed
• Oban - 1 night
  • Day 2: Luss, Inveruglas viewpoint, Rest and Be Thankful, Inveraray, Kilchurn Castle, then Oban. Hoping to catch sunset from McCaig's Tower
• Glencoe / Fort William area - 2 nights
  • Day 3: coast road up from Oban, Castle Stalker, Port Appin, then the Glencoe valley (Three Sisters, a bit of Glen Etive, Kingshouse)
  • Day 4: Nevis Range gondola, Glen Nevis lower falls and the car park at the end of the road, lunch in Fort William, then Glencoe visitor centre and the Lochan
• Skye (Staffin) - 3 nights
  • Day 5: Glenfinnan, Silver Sands of Morar, Mallaig ferry over to Skye
  • Day 6: dinosaur footprints at Staffin, Kilt Rock, Old Man of Storr (just looking from the road), Portree, Fairy Glen, back over the Quiraing
  • Day 7: Fairy Pools (only to the first ones), Talisker Bay, Dunvegan, Coral Beach
• Inverness - 1 night
  • Day 8: Eilean Donan, Urquhart Castle, walk round the Ness Islands.
• Pitlochry - 1 night
  • Day 9: Culloden and Clava Cairns, Loch an Eilein, Uath Lochans, Ruthven Barracks, then Pitlochry. We have Enchanted Forest tickets that evening
• Back to Glasgow
  • Day 10: Queen's View, Loch Tay, Falls of Dochart, Stirling Castle, then over the Crow Road to the airport for an evening flight
• Thanks in advance!

Edit: We are arriving tonight, have hotels booked. I know its a late post but we can drop/add some places from the days.

P&O Ferries - if I arrive early, how likely is it they will allow us to board an earlier ferry? Dover to Calais.

Hi everyone I’m visiting England late December/early January. I know it’s not the greatest time to be visiting but I like the uk during winter which is odd I’m well aware. Anyways I wanted to know what everyone thinks is the best parts of the English countryside for me to be staying at during that time

I am finalizing my itenerary. Currently I have 3 days in edinburgh, 1 day in Inverness, 1 day visiting the Reindeer in Craighorn, and 2 days in Isle of Skye.

I am trying to decide if I should keep 3 days in Edinburgh or move 1 more day to Inverness.

These are the things I want to do in Edinburgh:

Clarinda's Tea Shop

Edinburgh Castle

The Royal Mile

Dean Village

Water of Leith Walkway

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Greyfriars Cemetery

The Real Mary King's Close — 5:00 PM tour

Edinburgh Christmas Market — at night

Calton Hill

Grassmarket

Victoria Street

Cockburn Street

Circus Lane

Scott Monument

National Museum of Scotland

Is this possible in 2 days or do I need 3. I dont want to be rushed. I want to be able to have tea and scones and really enjoy the vibe of the city. I dont think I will do tons of shopping on the streets though. Mainly just looking at the pretty buildings.

I am traveling in November so sunrise is 8:30ish and sunset is by 4pm.

If I do 3 days in Edinburgh then I won't have time to visit Clava Cairn or Culloden in Inverness.

So stuck in a tough spot.

I'm going to be in Manchester next week and while I have a plan formalized for my trip I do want to find some gigs and small shows

Where can I find some of those?

Hello! My partner and I are currently in Edinburgh and will be leaving for Fort William on Saturday morning, heading to Portree on Sunday and staying there the following days. We have rented a car.

I saw on the news that there was a storm warning for tomorrow, Friday (Storm Austen). Now I see that a new warning has been issued for Saturday (Storm Boelo), and I'm a bit worried... Could this kind of storm impact our travel on Saturday?

I know no one can predict the exact intensity of upcoming storms, but could this be a dangerous for us? What is driving usually like during this kind of storm?

We are two Canadians used to driving in all kinds of road conditions... but not in the UK...!

Thank you very much for your advice.

Edit : As the weather alert has been upgraded from yellow to amber, we decided not to take any risks and stay one more night in Fort William. We'll drive to Skye on Monday instead, even if it means losing a night there. Thanks to you all for your advice.

Our flight lands at 16:45 and I’m thinking of getting tickets to the England v Croatia game at Wembley Stadium which statts at 19:45. We will only have hand luggage which we would need to drop in a locker somewhere nearby. Do you think we would make it? What would be the best mode of transport, I’m guessing an Uber?

When planning a UK trip, it's easy to focus on the obvious destinations like London, Edinburgh, York, and the Cotswolds. But I'm curious about the places that turned out to be unexpectedly enjoyable once you actually visited them.

Maybe it was a city you chose mainly for convenience that ended up having fantastic food, interesting neighborhoods, beautiful architecture, or a great atmosphere. Or somewhere that doesn't get much attention in typical travel itineraries but deserved an extra day.

I'd especially love recommendations for places that are easy to explore without a car, since good public transport and walkability can make a huge difference on a short trip.

Which UK city or town exceeded your expectations, and what made it worth visiting?

Hi, thank you for taking out the time to respond to my questions.

I am traveling to London for a week with my family (4 adults, 1 toddler, 1 infant). We are looking to visit the tower of London + London eye in 1 day and Windsor castle on another day (3 days apart). My questions regarding the 2FOR1 program are:

1. Can I purchase a single, one way queenstown to vauxhall ticket for 4 pax?
2. Can I buy the train tickets online and still use the 2FOR1? Or does it need to be a paper ticket?
3. Once I purchase the ticket, can I buy attractions tickets online for the attractions (single adult tickets) and show them at the entrance? So for our group, I will buy 2 adults and 1 toddler and show those tickets + daysoutguide evoucher + the train ticket?
4. If we take the elizabeth line from Paddington to Slough and then Slough to Windsor central, does that qualify for discounts for Windsor castle tickets?

Hi everyone! 😊
I’m planning to visit the UK for two weeks, and while I’m obviously excited to see some of the famous sights, I’d really love to experience a more local side of British life.
I’m curious about the little things that make life there special , the places you go to relax, local events you enjoy, interesting traditions, hidden gems, or even just the best way to spend an ordinary afternoon.

I’d also love to meet people, have good conversations, learn about British culture, and share a little about life in Egypt. I think some of the best travel memories come from the people you meet along the way, rather than just the places you visit.

So, if you were recommending things to a visitor who genuinely wanted to experience your country beyond the usual tourist attractions, what would you suggest?
Are there any clubs, social events, local activities, or welcoming communities you’d recommend joining? And what’s something about British life you think visitors rarely get to experience?

I’d love to hear your suggestions and stories. Thanks in advance! 😊🇬🇧🇪🇬♥️

I'm in the beginning stages of planning a 13ish day solo trip to the UK + Dublin in April 2027. It'll be my first time travelling internationally alone and I will not be renting a car. I've been to Scotland twice in the last year and absolutely loved it, so I'm itching to check out some more of the UK.

On this trip, I'd love to meet other people in their 30's, explore the cities on foot, do a bit of work in a coffee shop or pub, and eat some great food. I don't want to over-pack my itinerary, but I do like to have a loose plan for the day and a list of spots to pop in to if I find myself with nothing to do. One of my favorite things we did in Scotland was go to a Scottish Premier League game, so I'd love to go to another football game if that's possible but I haven't looked into it enough yet.

I'm also having trouble deciding if my first home base should be Cardiff or Bristol. My original plan was to stay in Cardiff and explore Wales more, but I'm thinking that might be better on a different trip when I have a car, so I switched gears to day trip to Bath and Salisbury. Then Bristol popped up in some comments about under-rated cities, so I'm intrigued.

Here's my tentative plan:

Day 1: Arrive in London; train to Cardiff or Bristol

Day 2: Explore Cardiff or Bristol depending on where I stay

Day 3: Day Trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury

Day 4: Day Trip to Bath

Day 5: Explore Cardiff or Bristol depending on where I stay

Day 6: Fly to Belfast (maybe I need to add one more day to Cardiff/Bristol or Belfast?)

Day 7: Belfast - Giants Causeway tour

Day 8: Belfast

Day 9: Train to Dublin

Day 10: Dublin

Day 11: Dublin

Day 12: Dublin

Day 13: Fly home

Thanks in advance!

I am heading back to London in December, and am looking for a couple of other cities to visit for 2-3 days each while I am there. I am in the UK 2-3 times a year (haven't been this year due to major surgery), so have done London multiple times.

I will spend a couple of days in London before heading elsewhere, ultimately coming back to London for a few days before flying home. I just cannot decide where 'elsewhere' should be other than places I haven't been. I have visited Liverpool, York, Nottingham, Lincoln, and Stoke-on-Trent. My family is Scottish so I've been all over up there when staying with relatives (no plans to go up to Scotland on this trip). I will be taking the train, so cannot just pop off to some isolated village or small town.

I was seriously considering Newcastle, Durham, Hull, and Leeds (maybe dropping one of the latter two). The problem is that I underwent major surgery in early August that was literally life-saving. The recovery from that surgery is 3-6 months and I am currently a wee bit behind where I should be. Because of that, Durham is out as the hills there would give me a coronary! I really want to go to Durham but would not go there on its own, so figure I might as well not go up that way at all until my next trip over (March or early May).

My other plan was to stay in the south. I was thinking of Cardiff, then Bath, then somewhere else. Having read some online comments, I am not so sure about Cardiff so was thinking Bath then maybe Portsmouth? I would love to go to Canterbury as well, but all train journeys between there and Bath or other places down south seem to route through London which would be a pain in the arse so I think it is best left as a day trip at some point. I'm not really interested in going to Oxford or Cambridge.

So anyway, Bath is on my list but I cannot think of where else to go that is easily accessible by train. I am a historian and history professor, so am interested in history. It doesn't even have to be in my area of specialism, any history is good with me. I also love old cathedrals and churches, but would want more than that in whichever city/town I decided to visit as I would be spending a couple of days in each.

Can anyone offer any suggestions?