England itinerary.

[Fango]

I'll be traveling to England this month if I could only find a good spot to sojourn... can anyone recommend me of a location where I could really see England? especially medieval museums and big-big libraries. ;)

Thanks!!

[ihrocks]

Fango -- London is loaded with things to see, including the British Library and the Tower of London. Kew Gardens and Windsor Castle are worth the day trip to go visit. Bath is a gorgeous place and there's countryside surrounding it that's just breath-taking -- oh and they've got those Roman ruin things too, but I've yet to see them since I go to Bath to visit a friend and we end up chatting somewhere until it's very late. And very nearby England is a little country called Wales, which I hear is loaded with medieval stuff. And a place I've always wanted to visit, but haven't yet, is Cornwall.

Enjoy your trip!

[Fango]

Wow... thanks ihrocks, that's very helpful. I'm already booking hostel there for ten days. I hope that's enough to see all the glory and majesty which is London. :)

[mono]

Unfortunately, I have never traveled internationally (and I live in the United States), but I have heard of many lovely places in England to visit, depending on your area. Apparently, all London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, and Newcastle have features of their own worth seeing - many metropolitan areas. ihrocks mentioned Bath, which I have heard very good things about, especially some of the opera gardens covering several acres - an area mostly dominated by scenic nature. Otherwise, people have told me that Oxford, Canterbury, and Cambridge all have historical sites worth seeing.
Have a great trip! :)

[Beaumains]

Fango, you should skip England entirely; go to Ireland, Scotland, or Wales instead. Those are the cool regions of Britannia. :lol:

Seriously though, you should pay a visit to York or the region of Cornwall while you're there. They are both very interesting (in my opinion).

[Scheherazade]

You should spare 3-4 days to see the the British Museum (http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/) and the National Gallery (http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/). Also, Madame Tussaud's (http://www.madame-tussauds.co.uk/) as well...

Hope you have a wonderful time in the UK, Fango! Safe journey! :)

[Fango]

Thanks!
You guys are so nice. This forum theme should be puppies! :D
How far are Oxford, Canterbury and Cambridge from London? Too many things to see, too many things to do! I know I'll be a basket case... but keep throwing in names, I'll be listing everything in my itinerary.

[kilted exile]

Oxford, Cambridge etc are not too far from London. If you rent a car you could probably drive to them in a couple of hours from London. Actually imho the best way to see the UK is by renting a car and staying at hostels/bed&breakfasts along the way.

[ihrocks]

Oxford, Cambridge etc are not too far from London. If you rent a car you could probably drive to them in a couple of hours from London. Actually imho the best way to see the UK is by renting a car and staying at hostels/bed&breakfasts along the way.

Now I would have said a rail pass was the way to go, but then I hate driving! And the best way to see London is on foot! Take the Tube to your general destination for the day and then walk your legs off!

Fango, I've made two trips over and I still haven't seen everything I want to see. Of course, I would see more if I didn't spend so much of my time in pubs talking with people I've met online. But one of the charms of England is the warm and very friendly people. There are lots of websites that can give you information on free/very inexpensive things to do and see.

[Mark F.]

I remember visiting York whn I was young, not medieval but an old Viking settlement, there's lots of stuff to see there. Well, you could always go to Nottingham if you feel like seeing Robin Hood's Sherwood forest. If your more interested in architecture you can check out Cambridge with all it's old colleges.
There's lots to see in London, the tower, Buckingham and loads of museums (Tates is my fav.).

[Fango]

I assume that me and my dad won't have a driving licence there.. I mean, the steering wheel is on the right side, right?! but the rail pass sounds like a good idea. My problem is that I would have no clue where to find hostels along the way. Hm, call that a part of the adventure eh? I just don't know how adventurous is my dad willing to be... I'll see, good suggestions!

[Fango]

Right, well, just asked him and he's whimpering about how he hates to stay in a difference place each time... I don't know... maybe he has a good point, I guess we're not really backpack travellers.

[ihrocks]

Right, well, just asked him and he's whimpering about how he hates to stay in a difference place each time... I don't know... maybe he has a good point, I guess we're not really backpack travellers.

Should he change his mind, try:

UK Hostels (http://www.yha.org.uk/)

I stayed at their hostel at St. Pancras and it was much nicer than the hotel in Piccadilly I paid three times the price for the following year.

[Koa]

Yay UK hostels... as I don't have my host anymore (long story), next time I need my dose of Englishness I'll have to actually pay for an accomodation... :(

Sigh, England... Last year I visited a few places, I loved Birmingham most, the main square (Victoria Square) almost moved me to tears... Though I just generally walked around cities rather than seeing many museums (though I liked the industrial museum in Derby... very historical). I was actually shocked in seeing that many museums had no entry fee :eek: But the fact that they closed like at 5pm was hard for my organisation, lol here in summer we avoid going out before 5pm if possible!

I've been to York and the famous cathedral there is really impressive. When I went there I was a bit hungry and I thought ok, cathedral then lunch... Well I stayed like 2 hours in the cathedral (there is also and underground part to visit) and I basically thought I would faint cos I was starving!

I also enjoyed walking around Manchester... When I visited London in 1999 I loved it and decided I'd love to live there, but now I'd like to live in Birmingham or Manchester as well...who knows...

[Koa]

Btw great site ihrocks! They even have a job vacancies page... as soon as I'll be free from any commitment here, I might give it a try...

[ihrocks]

Btw great site ihrocks! They even have a job vacancies page... as soon as I'll be free from any commitment here, I might give it a try...

I have to say, the folks at the St. Pancras hostel were just fantastic. Mostly college-aged, from all over the place, very friendly, and as accommodating as they could be.

[Fango]

York's Cathedral - check!
St. Pancras hostel looks too... urban, you know? maybe something less municipal, more green and fresh... more.. quaint! hah, found that sneaky word. Quaint.
I'm considering the Globetrotter Inn atm... but I guess we'll get all our answers at the travel agency eh? I hope to be in England before the weekend.

[Koa]

*sighs* England. There are so many places I want to see before I try and settle down there, that I doubt if I'll ever actually make my dream come true...

[ihrocks]

*sighs* England. There are so many places I want to see before I try and settle down there, that I doubt if I'll ever actually make my dream come true...

Now Koa, we must both keep our spirits up! You are ever so much younger than this ancient, broken down, ol' ihrocks, so you have lots of time to make your dream come true. And even in my advanced years, I haven't given up the dream. I'll meet you in front of Nelson's Column one of these days! :)

[Koa]

LOL @ Nelson ;) ... I love too many places, I want to do too many things, and that makes it so confusing that I often end up not doing any of those... And I want to do everything quick cos I feel old...

[Fango]

Well, it's finally booked. I'll be in England the day after tomorrow (practically tomorrow if you consider the fact it's 00:00 when I'm making this post).
You guys bombarded me with places to go, unfortunately I'll only be travelling for 6 day :( (though I'll be alone). I'm sure it's not enough, but I hope to make the most of it anyway. I won't be visiting Wales or anything too far from London though.

So far my listed sites:


British library
Tower of London
Royal Botanic Gardens (questionable)
Windsor Castle
Cathedral of Saint Paul
Westminster Abbey
The Temple Church
Flea market (to buy some puffy clothing ;) )
Charles Dickens house (questionable)
Cromwell South Kensington
Shakespeare Globe Centre
Belfast Morgan

I'm currently going through the pocket guide I bought... thus the list shall be enhanced! :)

Fango,
a dopey tourist