Help with Travelling to the UK

[CalgaryFan1988]

I was looking into doing the England/Scotland/Ireland trek one day in the next couple years and was wondering if anyone could give me some input.

What is the best time of the year to visit? cheapest way to get there? etc...

I have heard that hostels are the place to stay, and that it's beautiful country to backpack through. Any input would be much appreciated.

[cheevers]

I have only been to Dublin and London, but plenty of good hostels, I stayed in one called City Hostel, really nice, had its own bar, and was in either East or West Kensington, close to the tube.

Check out canadian-affair.ca, which always has the cheapest flights, but also check out the YYC thread and ask Chris Myden as that guy is the god of deals.

Also I highly recommend going to a soccer game when your over there. Tickets can be hard to get as you have to be a registered fan of the club, but Fulham, who are in the premier league and a decent side have a neutral end where anyone can sit.

[cmyden]

What is the best time of the year to visit? cheapest way to get there? etc...

May or early Juneish, before the crowds, but still decent weather, and a chance of getting a cheap flight. Air Transat into London Gatwick or Manchester is usually cheapest. Can get to Manchester and back for $550ish after tax at at the moment in May 2010.

Once you're there, can just fly everywhere for next to nothing. SkyScanner.net will help you with that.

[cmyden]

Thanks for reminding me, forgot to tell people about the free copies of Lonely Planet that are being given away. If you have an iPhone/iTouch might want to check out the YYC thread.

[4X4]

This might be dated info, but I really regret not paying a bit more to stay more central in London. When I was there in '06, the tube only ran until 11 or 12pm. I chintzed and payed for a hostel a few more stops down the line (to save a few pounds), and subsequently had to leave the nightly festivities earlier, to ensure I'd get to the hostel before lock out. If I had a do-over, I'd spend the extra cash to be within walking distance (or even taxi distance) so that I could really enjoy the nights.

[cheevers]

Also if your going with a few people take a look at some hotels, I have stayed in a couple when there was 3 of us that was cheaper than some of the hostels I have stayed in.

[CalgaryFan1988]

thanks guys, exactly the kind of info i was looking for, much appreciated.

[CrusaderPi]

Ask Peanut.... if she ever gets back.

[FlameCity]

B&B's are another good option . . . that's what we did when we went to Scotland. I went at the end of August, (the Edinburgh Tattoo happens around then, great event) the weather was great then still really warm not that much rain . . . usually just drizzled in the mornings and was great the rest of the day. There's a hostel in Scotland that's in a castle, can't remember the name right now I'll see if I can find the name of it, I remember it was about a 1km walk from the train stop.

Edit:

Found it. It's in the Highlands (if you're going there) near Culrain

Carbisdale Castle

[NBC]

Most B&B's here in the UK operate on a per person per night (pppn) rate. Simply put if you are a single traveler, you will pay between £20-40 for one night. If you are two, then the rate effectively doubles. Depending on the cost for a single, it sometimes isn't worth it for 2 people to stay for £80 per night. You can get much cheaper accommodation than that - but it depends on where you are staying.

Lots of rural pubs have rooms to rent as well.

If you are somewhere and you really don't care much about amenities, Travelodges can be a real bargain. There is one near to where I live that has rooms from £19 per night. You don't get much, but you aren't in hostel-style accommodation which can be nightmarish.

In regard to places to go/see, etc, the only thing that I will say is that the nicest and most interesting parts of the UK (especially England) are found outside the cities - London being the exception. A lot of British cities are kind of crap - expensive and not that interesting. Whereas if you are able to get to places a bit off the city-tourist path, ie, The Lake/Peak District, Cornwall you'll find decent and less expensive places to visit.

Depending on when you go, you might have a hard time getting in any soccer matches. The domestic season ends in May and doesn't start until mid-August.

Weather wise who knows when the best time to visit is. To be honest the past few Aprils have been great. Currently it is 17c and sunny here. Doesn't sound like much but it is absolutely glorious right now. Last few summers have been dreadfully bleak, cool and wet. October might have been the nicest month last year. So far April has been superb.

Whenever you come bring an umbrella!

[icarus]

Yep I have seen more sun here the past week than pretty much anytime last summer with the possible exception of the end of June. The countryside is gorgeous anywhere in the British Isles. Lots to do in cities like London or Edinburgh too but and if you're a first time visitor you probably wouldn't want to miss them, but otherwise I love the idea of backpacking through the rural areas. The Cotswolds, North Wales, the Scottish Highlands are all great candidates for a good long hike.

[sa226]

I second the B&B (also called guesthouses), you can find them quite cheap and most have breakfast included in the cost of the room for the night. So you get decent accomadation and you don't have to pay for a meal.

As far as getting around the UK if you know your schedule well in advance you can get a friggin steal on easyjet, however you have to get to one of the regional airports from heathrow to fly on easyjet. Both the train and discount airlines over there are cheaper the earlier you book, unlike over here where there can be random seat sales at random times.

Also the sleeper train is an option as you knock off two birds with once stone (transportation and accomadation) for one price.

If you have an Iphone or Ipod touch, you can save on a ton of weight from guidebooks and maps with apps from the app store for cheap. There are some great interactive apps for transit systems in various cities as well.

Thats all I got for now.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by cheevers

I have only been to Dublin and London, but plenty of good hostels, I stayed in one called City Hostel, really nice, had its own bar, and was in either East or West Kensington, close to the tube.

Check out canadian-affair.ca, which always has the cheapest flights, but also check out the YYC thread and ask Chris Myden as that guy is the god of deals.

Also I highly recommend going to a soccer game when your over there. Tickets can be hard to get as you have to be a registered fan of the club, but Fulham, who are in the premier league and a decent side have a neutral end where anyone can sit.

I've been to games at a few Premiership stadiums and there was no need to be a member of the club. Membership is required to buy some advance tickets or away match tickets, but otherwise it's no different than buying tickets to a Flames game.

[Hack&Lube]

You should definetely wait until there are no more active volcanos in Iceland.

A couple of friends who have paid thousands for trips to Europe in the next month or so may end up not being able to go.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by valo403

I've been to games at a few Premiership stadiums and there was no need to be a member of the club. Membership is required to buy some advance tickets or away match tickets, but otherwise it's no different than buying tickets to a Flames game.

In London? Aside from the crappier fixtures and Fulham's matches, I've found that most tickets don't even reach general sale.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Addick

In London? Aside from the crappier fixtures and Fulham's matches, I've found that most tickets don't even reach general sale.

Not in London, but I don't think this thread was limited to that. Even in London it's much like Flames tickets a couple years ago, you either have to get lucky or buy in the secondary market. You don't have to join a supporters club to get into the ground.

[Suzles]

Depending on when you go taking in a rugger match at Twickenham is a sight (and sound) to behold and no oicky soccer fans to contend with.

[cgy2london]

played a couple seasons over there....do NOT go over in the winter. you will freeze your a$$ off, coldest place on earth. problem is its half the price to get over there in the winter. avoid Heathrow if possible, flying from Calgary i think you can fly to gatwick though, on thomas cook, KLM and theirs one more escaping my mind, just look into and avoid heathrow. if you end up going in the winter and wanna catch some hockey let me know and ill tell you where to go.

places i would recommend......
LONDON
-tower of london
-covent gardens ( pubs galore)
-camden market
-at least one museum
-we will rock you in the west end

check out, manchester SUPPPPPER CHEAP compared to London, especially if you like curry food (pretty far though)

reading is a pretty cool place to, close to London with out the London price

cardiff-great time

the list goes on, winter and fall has the fooball too if i remember

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by Suzles

Depending on when you go taking in a rugger match at Twickenham is a sight (and sound) to behold and no oicky soccer fans to contend with.

Wow, to everybody that posted, thanks a bunch, lots of good educational information here. I'm loving getting different ideas of things to do that i never even would have thought of.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by cgy2london

played a couple seasons over there....do NOT go over in the winter. you will freeze your a$$ off, coldest place on earth. problem is its half the price to get over there in the winter. avoid Heathrow if possible, flying from Calgary i think you can fly to gatwick though, on thomas cook, KLM and theirs one more escaping my mind, just look into and avoid heathrow. if you end up going in the winter and wanna catch some hockey let me know and ill tell you where to go.

places i would recommend......
LONDON
-tower of london
-covent gardens ( pubs galore)
-camden market
-at least one museum
-we will rock you in the west end

check out, manchester SUPPPPPER CHEAP compared to London, especially if you like curry food (pretty far though)

reading is a pretty cool place to, close to London with out the London price

cardiff-great time

the list goes on, winter and fall has the fooball too if i remember

Curious why you'd recommend Gatwick over Heathrow, I've never experienced more of a pain in the ass (and a costly one at that) getting into a city than dealing with a flight into gatwick.

And cold? Really? Not compared to a Canadian winter.