I just finished my second ever flight, I decided to take the mantle and do a big solo trip in the uk despite travelling only once beforehand, and it was one of the most freeing and satisfying experiences i have done, anyways onto a quick review:

london (5 nights): in the planning phases for london, i did not conceive how huge of a city it is, its practically a small country, you can hop on the tube or a bus and drive for 1-2 hours and be 2 streets away from where you started, coming from a country where 2 hour drive gets you across the whole place, this was incomprehensible at first, and every stop felt like it was town center, it just stretches on and on... personally i tried to focus on the less busy parts of the city out of naivety that im better than a tourist, but buckingham and greenwich ended up being some of my favorite stops, along with the national gallery and hyde park.

leeds (7 nights): not a lot of note, mostly stayed there to meet up with people, but it was a good introduction to how nice some sleeper neighborhoods can be, huge old churches stand in the middle of the street with gravestones from the 18th century, streets of endless brick houses, green open spaces. it was a different kind of ordinary than what i was used to, and it helped me acclimate into the culture a lil bit. also they have nice malls

wales (snowdonia-betws-y-coed) (3 nights): after wrapping up with the big cities for a bit and heading to wales, i was really whiplashed by the transition from the cities to the village vibes. the village is right on a big river with beautiful waterfalls, surrounded by deep deep green forests and endless sheep herds. climbing snowdonia thru pen-y-pass and always getting knocked off by the wind, seeing the deep olive orange colored mountains being engulfed by fog (or clouds?) as i climbed was amazing, despite not being able to see anything at the top. then going around Llandudno and the north of betws, missing the last bus back and walking in the rain for 2 hours, which was also a highlight and one of the funnest experiences i had

lakes (keswick) (3 nights): coming to lakes i made an active effort to not look too much up about the place, i arrived at my hostel and got a hike route from an old fellow that was staying in my room, i went ahead and followed it (catbells - high spy - dales head - robinson - buttermere), which took me around 6 hours due to my legs still being crashed from snowdonia, but the challenge and the views were definitely worth it. sadly thats where lakes peaked for me, the following 2 nights i spent mostly just resting up so i dont tear up any muscles, i found that the town (keswick) is pretty much just tourist traps, i also had the misfortune on arriving by the weekend so the town was filler with old white haired folks flooding every corner. it was less of my type of thing, my noteworthy places ive been to are The Round for nice hamburger and mac n cheese and friars craig. if i ever find myself coming back to lakes, i would definitely stick to the mountains for the entire duration.

edinburgh (2 nights): due to my flight before preponed, i had to spend less nights than i wanted in scotland, so i mostly sticked to edinburgh, tough the city is very beautiful, and offers lots of nice stuff you can manage in a day, starting from craigmillar caslte i went to arthurs seat and explored the cities historic locations more, but what i did enjoy a lot about edinburgh is how young it felt,i was seeing people my age (around university age) more than any group of people, and it felt nice and strange compared to the other stops, that was mostly filled with tourists and old folks. I would definitely need to come back to edinburgh and scotland to see more of it!

the conclusion is, uk was really great place for first solo trip, esp with how nice the public transports are (at times (excluding the prices(not on weekends))), and the diversity of colors and views really satisfied my urge to see some autumn colors. cheers!

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.

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.

I have a concert to attend in eventim apollo (west london) and im travelling from Basildon. (Not today, in a few weeks)

Could anyone help me with what’s the best way to get to and from fenchurch street station to eventim Apollo? It’ll be in the evening, around 5ish and then I’ll travel back home at around 10.30/11ish.

I’m not very confident on the tubes on my own and I’d love some advice please as I’m not sure what’s the best line to get there as the fastest, easiest route.

Thank you! 😄🚇

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!

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!

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.

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! 😊🇬🇧🇪🇬♥️