I am going to Glasgow next August for Worldcon. I am planning on spending about 3 weeks looking around the UK while I am there. What would be a good travel book to use for making plans on what to see and where to go?
I suppose it all depends what interests you: cities, countryside, culture, history, lazing about,…? We’ve all got plenty of suggestions ourselves of what to do, before you get near Amazon, but it’ll also help find something more relevant than Lonely Planet.
All of the above basically. Eclectic tastes and a lot of curiosity mean I want to spend about 3 years looking around, but I can’t get that much vacation. 
I enjoy all of the touristy things and finding stuff off the beaten path. Doesn’t narrow it down much I know, that is why I am having a hard time making plans.
Lok
OK, well for basic planning-where-to-go, I’d suggest the Eyewitness series of guides - they easier to start off with than the in-depth information of Lonely Planet and Rough Guide.
As for a few ideas of what to do: well, you’ll be on the doorstep of the Edinburgh Festival, a chance you really shouldn’t turn down. You’re also well positioned to head into the Highlands, for some of the best scenery in Britain. Other than that, there’s pretty much something to explore wherever you go…
If you do want more in-depth info, I would go with Rough Guides over Lonely Planet every time.
Though some may find the amount of information overwhelming, I agree with Colophon about the Rough Guide.
Northwest Scotland is worth your time.
Inverewe Gardens is an interesting spot.
Agree with Gorillaman about the Edinburgh Festival. It’s well worth it.
Never heard of the Eyewitness stuff before. Will give them a look.
The Worldcon people have mentioned the Edinburgh Festival. Would it work to stay in Glasgow and basically commute to Edinburgh for a few days? That would be one less place to stay I would need to find. And I know that Edinburgh is pretty full during the Festival.
Lok
Yep, Edinburgh’s under an hour from Glasgow by train, and they run until about midnight. Plenty of people will be doing the same thing. And getting accomodation in Edinburgh at festival time can be a nightmare. (I took a look at the Worldcon page, and all their advice about this kind of stuff seems pretty good)
Don’t forget to take your Babelfish with you for those hard to translate quaint Scottish expressions.
Nah, I will just do like I did when I visited Australia. Nod my head and laugh. The guy talking about getting dumped by his girl didn’t care for it, but it mostly worked. 
Lok