Clueless American seeks advice in visiting UK

I suggest you read Bill Bryson's 'Notes on a Small Island' before you come here.It is witty,perceptive and informs the world that the city of Durham is a truly wonderful city.Durham's student population should be revising for exams when you visit and allow you a clear run at the ale houses.As far as hotels etc. are concerned I tend to book into university halls-even in term time some have spare rooms.Imperial college in London is very handy for the Kensington Museums.Do the south of England by all means but don't forget the north.

Bob,
all very good advice so far ,but don't forget to include Scotland in your intinerary well worth the journey,the locals are not still covered in woad, dispite your man Mel Gibson's thoughts.A couple of other things,If you can, hire a car[it makes life a lot easer getting around than public transport, sorry folks] and you should be able to get one with reasonable rental costs as part of your flight deal.Don't use hotels if you can help it, generaly they are not as good, and certainly not as cheap as stateside, go Bed&breakfast if you can. Try this company, we have used them all over the UK.and can highly recommend them, each place is individualy checked out and [generally they are of a higher standard than that of the usual hotels] if they do not come up to standard there dropped.
BED&BREAKFAST NATIONWIDE tel.01255 831235
P.O.BOX 2100, email: office@bbnationwide.co.uk
CLACTION ON SEA. Website: http://www.bedandbreakfastnationwide.com
ESSEX
CO16 9BW
ENGLAND.

I hope this all helps and if you wish anymore information about them or anything else give me a email at arthur.bird@tesco.net
and I would be pleased to help. one further bit of advice ,please do not join the gawpers at Buck house at feeding time, it only encourages the inmates to want more!
oldie.

ag,
sorry to disillusion you ,but there is a whole new country outside London waiting to be seen [I didn't actually mean bob to drive around with the rest of the lunatics]But you are absolutly correct with regard to traveling within London, Public Transport is undoubtably the best way to get about ,But the world doesn't end at Watford anymore
oldie.

Personally I'd avoid London completely if you're at all bothered about being blown to bits by terrorists.

Be safe

P

Hi Bob

If you make it to Norfolk (the sticky-out bit, 100 miles north east of London), you're welcome to visit for an evening etc:

Norwich is a fine historic city.

e-mail as per my profile.

FWIW, here are my totally biased thoughts on Merrie Englande:

- Visit the Lake District. It is calming and magical. There are great walks and not too many people, also something oddly continental about the architecture.

- Cornwall is great. It has hills, wind and warm rain, the odd palm tree and its own unique art scene, especially if you make it as far as St. Ives. The people are like Hobbits (that is meant as a compliment) and some of the countryside is like The Shire.

- Devon is like Cornwall, with less surf and more underground parties. They make wine there from just about anything.

- Bath is nice for Regency buildings and limestone.

- Cambridge is more fun than Oxford: narrow streets and cobbles; bicycles, poetry; shrinks and clever students full of hope.

- Scotland, yes indeed. See Edinburgh and don't forget to head off to the islands: visit the Iona Community.

- If you don't have time for (southern) Ireland, go to Liverpool. Find a forum user to stay with and make them take you out drinking.

- London is full of treasures, but like everywhere these are seldom key stops in the guidebook. Maison Bertaux's patisserie in Greek Street; Queen Mary's Gardens in Regent's Park; Hampstead; the Serpentine Gallery; Odin's Restaurant in Devonshire Street; the night view from Waterloo Bridge. If the weather's nice, take a trip out to Hampton Court.

Trains are fine if you've got a sense of humour. Seeing the Tube once during rush hour should be enough for any sane person. Hire a decent car for trips out of London, and try to suppress an incredulous guffaw at the bill when you fill it up.

Have a great time.

Bob

If you get to Salisbury, or indeed any cathedral make sure you try out the echoes for which our places of worship are famous.

If you shout loud enough it can reverberate for up to 30 seconds before full decay.

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and Happy

Bob,

Bryson is a good starting point but ultimately gives a distorted, if witty and charming view of us. The resultant abrasiveness of what you will undoubtedly encounter might come as a shock. Don't let it put you off though, and certainly give London a go. I'd recommend the sir john soane museum, which is eccentric and free. Avoid some of the stuff in the guide book and wander round on foot in places like hampstead (not just the heath), borough market, primrose hill. Maybe take in a game of footie, Arsenal would be the place to start if you can get a ticket.

The lake district is indeed beautiful but actually gets quite congested, nevertheless see it on the way to scotland which is really stunning, just bear in mind that the west coast is infested with infuriating midges at that time of year, though if you dont mind that then hire a car and head for the coast and islands such as skye and lewis.

Also, head west from london and drop in to both bath and wells. you could see both in a day, transport allowing, then head on to devon where I'd recommend a morning in dartmouth then onto dartmoor itself, hopping from one village to another.

dont know much about staying in cities except that it costs a lot, however yoth hostels are quite cheap and can be a good way of meetin people, just remember you might need to book. Search on the internet, beginning with 'yha' hostels. There are plenty of independent ones too. I satyed in a great one on skye, will try and find name, but was near 'the quaraing'

cheers

roman

quote:

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Originally posted by P:
Personally I'd avoid London completely if you're at all bothered about being blown to bits by terrorists.

Be safe

P

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P, What sort of comment is that?

Bob

Don't forget to bring bubblegum and nylons for the ladies.



Stephen

If you do vivit Salisbury, try and find the Wyndham Arms, the original home of the Hop Back brewery and try some of their excellent ales - espeically the Summer Lightning (careful though, they are stronger than they taste and are very moreish). These are very popular with visiting Americans that I know.

Obviously don't attempt to drive afterwards.

Bob,

I'm from London and will be totally biased, but I have lived in Scotland before and also other parts of the planet - South Africa, the US and the Far East.

What you make of London depends on what sort of person you are. London is big on everyting contemporary and avant-garde: music, art, dance, etc. It is all here in abundance, and you can enjoy it big time. London is also incredibly cosmopolitan - you get a fascimilie of the world here, you really do, and there is an incredible richness to that. If you visit areas of high ethnicity you can sample the food, culture, music and art when you are in the area. There are downsides for sure, it is an expensive place to live for starters, but I have never found anywhere in the UK to offer such a richness of diversity that is available here.

regards

Dev

ps. you would be welcome to visit when you are here.

Bob
You can't get to the UK and not see London! Get a plan, make an itinerary. You have lots to see and you need to see as much as you can, but Scotland, with all due respect guys, is a hell of a trek for a short visit. Maybe at the end.
Go in and out of London, and let us know where you will be and when. I'm in Brighton and you are welcome to stay for a couple of nights.

Bubblechild - Scotland is not in England.

The rest of you - what a disgrace. Not a single mention of a trip to Wales.

PS: That's not in England either. I think some of us may have gone too far beyond "flat earth" to be rescued!!!

"where as the further North you go (or West) the more relaxed and civilised it becomes"

You've not been to Salford then I take it Tom.

Matthew

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If you can't persuade the forum to put you up avoid the big hotels esp in london unless you are rich

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That's not true. There are plenty of hotels in the centre of London which offer special deals most of the time. I'm staying in Drury Lane next week in a nice hotel for the same as typical B&B.

No more Premier Lodges for me.

quote:

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to offer such a richness of diversity that is available here (London).

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Mile after mile after mile of dirty buildings, noisy congested roads and litter.

Spend a couple of days there to tick it off your list, and then get the hell out and see Cornwall, Wales, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Cumbria, Durham, Northumbria, and the west highlands of Scotland. Sometimes I think the air pollution has addled the brains of Londoners who think it even comes close to most other parts of Britain.

Jez is of course describing a visit to England desingned for someone like him rather than someone like Bob -- a mistake which a lot of people in this thread seem to be making.

I think Bob needs to be a little more specific to avoid this "My region is better than your region" form of tourist advice.

Matthew

I think Bob should also reveal whether he prefers to visit the places locals enjoy, or to visit the typical tourist attractions. Also, whether gaining an appreciation of the people or gaining an appreciation of the geography is more important.

quote:

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Originally posted by Jez Quigley:

Mile after mile after mile of dirty buildings, noisy congested roads and litter.

.

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Plus 320 acres of Kew Gardens.

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and Happy

Bob,

Feel free to PT or call me at home -- I can help you put together a 'must-do' list, and having lived equal parts in the UK and US, might be able to provide a different perspective.

cheers,

Dan

"Matthew is of course defending the usual "I live in London and it has all I need" mentality rather than excepting that it is very parochial place and the rest of the country has far more too offer."

Matthew was obviously pointing out the flaw (or at least presumption) in the various arguments made and had said nothing about the merits of London vs other parts of the country.

Tom was obviously, flushed with the excitement of his recent re-location to Scotland, projecting his notions of London dweller's motivations and views onto someone he barely knows because he would like some public validation of his decision to live up a hill

Matthew

First--Thanks to everyone! I appreciate the input.

Apologies if I didn't give a clear enough idea of what I'd like to do. I really want to see the War Museum, Buckingham Palace, Cambridge Univ., and presumably some of the other more touristy places. I also want to visit Naim and meet as many forum members as possible. I don't know if it's feasible for an American, but I'd love to do the Chunnel and visit Normandy. Perhaps the next trip...

Ideally I would be there 7-10 days, with time both in and out of London. I grew up outside NYC, and the cosmopolitan nature of London is a positive for me. And I'm glad I can use public transportation to get around--I'm used to driving in cities with horrendous traffic, but would really rather not.

I was fortunate to have visited Scotland in 1996, courtesy of Linn. Got to spend some time just wandering both Glasgow and Edinburgh, and look forward to returning at some point.

Best,

Bob

Its simple really, if you like cities then London is a must. For all that its grubby and exhausting, as an urban experience of immense variety it is without parallel in this country. I've lived here all my life and feel I know it pretty well, yet there are large chunks ive never set foot in, and I still uncover all sorts of delights in areas I thought i'd exhausted. But I'm not blind to its downsides and get out of town as often as poss.

All the other areas mentioned have their merits, and nearly anywhere will offer greater potential for relaxation, cleaner air, natural beauty and all that stuff, but dont let anyone kid you that theres a city (in the UK) that has more going on than London.

roman

Bob
Im surprised no one mentioned the theater or the symphony in London. Order your tickets in advance simply be calling the theater directly.
Your tickest will be waiting when you get there.
BTW, dont forget to look RIGHT when crossing the road
My wife and I honeymooned in London about 8 years ago. We stayed in a nice hotel called The Hampshire near Leister( spelling?) Square. Walking distance to Trafalgar Square as well as the subway.
We also stayed for about 7 days. Spending most of our time seeing London (much to see) as well as taking a day trip or two outside the city.
BTW, if anyone wants to know, your Canadian