I’ve always wanted to go to see some of the fascinating culture and countryside that is the British Isles. I’ve got a brand new passport just begging to be used and I’d like some advice.
I’m thinking of coming over (from the US) around about late May/early June and staying for about 2 or 3 weeks.
I’m more interested in seeing a variety of climates and landscapes, and some indigenous architecture, cuisine, and pastimes, but I would rather avoid obvious tourist attractions. I’m thinking of renting a car (or taking a train or bus) and traveling to some of the smaller big cities (I don’t have anything against London, but I’d rather go there when I can devote a whole week or two just for that city, and at this point I’d rather get to see more of the country than get lost in a place with lots of people). At the risk of dispelling and/or making stereotypes, I’d much rather experience a comfy pub than Buckingham Palace. However, I am interested in soaking up some good music, so I might be interested in checking out some clubs and maybe a show or two.
So, Brit dopers, tell me about the points of pride in your corner of the world. And US dopers, if you’ve been there, share your travel anecdotes and advice!
I can’t speak for the Brits, but I hear that it’s awfully poor form to attempt to mimic the native accent. Foreigners always get it wrong, and it sounds just stupid.
The first thing I’ll advise you is that Ireland is not part of Britain, or part of the UK (exception: the six counties of Northern Ireland are currently part of the UK). You’ll get along with people here a lot better if you don’t refer to the population as “Brits”, and even the term “British Isles” is frowned upon.
Right. You weren’t planning on doing that, surely?
Eve’s advice is all good, but I hope she’ll excuse me for finding “north of London” a hilarious description of the Lake District. On that subject, the only argument against that area is that it’s very popular with tourists and gets too full during the summer. You might consider the Peak District, Snowdonia or Northumberland as alternatives. The Scottish Highlands can’t be beaten for mountain scenery and is the only part of Britain where you can feel at all far from towns and cities.
Most places will be easier to navigate by public transport than by car and you may find places slower to reach than you would be used to back home, even though the distances will seem very short.
Here’s a thread suggesting a few things to do in London (for future reference perhaps, or in case you change your mind). The reason why we have so many museums and galleries here is because we can’t guarantee good weather – we had a wonderful summer this year but that might be our ration for the decade.
Cities worth visiting (no particular order) - York, Edinburgh, Brighton, Belfast, Durham, Bath.
Things to avoid (overrated, overpriced or just full of Americans )…Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Windsor Castle, any ‘day trip’ from London, Oxford…
The Highlands are certainly beautiful - but North Wales is equally so, and often overlooked. It’s also much easier to get to from SE England. And it has castles ‘n’ history ‘n’ stuff all over the place.
Ireland is absolutley worth visiting - although again, to escape the tourist hoards, get out of Dublin and don’t head for the south-west. Better to go across to Galway, up to Derry and back via Belfast.
To save too much driving (motorways can be horrendously busy), you can get cheap internal flights - the no-frills carriers are all listed here: http://www.whichbudget.com/
Right, 'cause if there’s one place that doesn’t have tourists, it’s Galway.
Try Donegal instead. It’s that much more off the beaten track, and very convenient to Derry (a recommendation which I second). Also try the Glens of Antrim, north of Belfast.
All right! Me too! Eve, have you had the opportunity to check out Glendalough in Ireland? That is the most amazing cemetery I’ve yet seen, though the one in Key West was definitely absorbing. Then there is Pere LaChaise…
We too had a good time in Galway, and enjoyed music and Guinness. We were there in March, several years ago, maybe it wasn’t so touristy then.
I agree that Wales has beautiful scenery, and some of the most fascinating ruins in the UK. Talley Abbey is very atmospheric, and we had the entire place to ourselves.
For interesting climates/landscapes, the northwest coast of Scotland offers the north Atlantic drift: palm trees in the quaint harbor town of Plockton, and subtropical Inverewe Gardens in Poolewe. Inverewe Gardens
Most people in the UK would identify themselves first as English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish rather than British. And using ‘Brits’ to describe the inhabitants could be seen as insulting by some, especially amongst those of a celtic bent!
No-one’s mentioned Liverpool yet? I feel offended on the behalf of my home city. A very good place for music, for obvious reasons, but even apart from that it’s a wonderful city, particularly in summer when it’s not so cold by the water. It’s also much, much closer to the Lake District than London! You can also get down to North Wales pretty easily.
And if you’re into that kind of thing, as so many people seem to be, the graveyard is nice. Which might sound utterly ridiculous, but it is. It’s so old that people who died of the plague are buried there, and the gravestones are covered in trailing ivy and the engraving is wearing away. There’s also a Wiccan coven who meet there and a martial arts school who practise there.
Don’t bother with public transport; rent a car. Public transport is far too restrictive. Great Britain has so much history it’s difficult to know where to start. Pick some areas and get guidebooks.
)…Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Windsor Castle, any ‘day trip’ from London, Oxford…
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