Vacation tips for England

[Albino Boo]

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Sweet child of mine! I said Wiltshire... not that cess pit annex Swindon! The land of Ham and Bustards, and the buffer zone of pleasant that sits between nice.
I am from Chippenham, and it was living in the crux of RAF Lyneham that caused me to join up.

At least they only burn them in Devizes... we can't speak of the depraved fates that become of government money collectors that find themselves in the remote areas in the vicinity of Pewsey or Tidworth... Heaven knows, I can't even think of a name of a town/village in SW Wiltshire... I don't think anyone has ever returned! :S

My dear Chap I'm from Bath and we only have the Mayor bury 2 tourists alive every autumn to ensure a good crop of tourists next year. You sure it wasn't the several large holes in the ground at Corsham that caused you to join?

Bath is quite frankly my favourite place. From the Rugby team (Finally picking up again from that slow period) to the markets and small businesses, to the incredible architecture (that I am yet to see any other city with the same feel)... Hell even with Wednesday nights at Po Na Na's!

I tell you what... that visit in Corsham was awesome! I wanted to be involved in all the cool shit like that. Cue 10 years later and older Watson working in a bunker properly... cue all the romantic attraction melting away leaving a dreary stain of despair and anguish...

Yeah after 20 lean years things at Bath are picking up again. Jeremy Guscott used to live 5 doors along from me and Richard Hill is about 100 yards away. You do know that Po Na Na's is known as bog island to Bathonians?

Yeah I used to work down one of the holes at Corsham and in the Winter I never saw the sun, it got very depressing. Don't talk to me about bloody fire drills, the boss had them cut another exit into the Box workings because it was taking 3 hours to get back to work after a fire drill.

 

[Ben Halstead]

Suggested route North would be London -> Cambridge -> Lincoln -> York -> Durham -> Edinburgh. Stopping along the way to check-out Hadrian's Wall. These are all relatively easily accessible by train, and are some of the prettier cities we have to offer.

I really recommend Durham, and it's a great place to spend a couple of days, especially in the summer, and its Cathedral is really quite a lovely example of pre-Gothic architecture (though perhaps less grand than York Minster)

More generally, try to find smaller Bed & Breakfasts rather than big Hotels, you'll usually save money and get a more personal service. I hope you both enjoy your visit!

 

[Galletea]

My wife and I honeymooned in England. Stuff we learned:

2. Travel by train when you're there, and book the tickets early. England has a world-class transit system, and my wife and I never felt the need for a car.

This is the most useful post Ive spotted so far, it's stuff us locals don't think about.

You should definitely book train tickets early. Once you work out which cities you want to visit, then look for cheap tickets, there are a number of sites that deal in reduced rate train tickets and the prices vary from hour to hour, so you can save a load of cash if you're a little flexible about what time you want to leave and arrive in various places. Also make sure, if you have to change stations, that the tickets you book leave you enough time between the train arriving at the station and the next train leaving, as there are often delays. (This might be obvious stuff but I don't know how much traveling you do.)

 

[JoJo]

If you're coming down to the Isle of Wight, why not stop off in Dorset [http://www.visit-dorset.com/] on the way? We're right next to Wight and have have some of the best classic English countryside in the country here and a coastline so spectacular the UN designated it a world heritage site [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Coast]. Plus all the cider you can drink! I swear we're not all bumpkins... okay, most of us are..

You're a Dorset Lad? I'm Wiltshire!

Yes, born and bred, as far as the records go back! I always forget about you guys up in Wilts, seems a nice part of the country from what I've seen though, I'm envious you have Stonehenge. If we ever get independence down here, you'll be welcome to a visa

 

[Robert B. Marks]

2. Travel by train when you're there, and book the tickets early. England has a world-class transit system, and my wife and I never felt the need for a car.

Woah! Really? Considering we never shut up about how bad they are, I'd think international-tourists would think the same. guess not

Let me put it this way - Canadian trains are expensive (I priced out a trip to the East Coast once, and it would cost less to fly - and this was with booking the train tickets months in advance), and don't run everywhere. When we visited England, we never felt the need for a car. If only Canada had such a good transit system...

 

[Albino Boo]

Let me put it this way - Canadian trains are expensive (I priced out a trip to the East Coast once, and it would cost less to fly - and this was with booking the train tickets months in advance), and don't run everywhere. When we visited England, we never felt the need for a car. If only Canada had such a good transit system...

It rather depends on what time of day you get on the train. An off peak fare , ie after 9.30 am , to London from where I live is £43 the same fare before 9.30 is £93. Uk trains are ok to get around if you don't have to rely on them to get to work.

 

[Edith The Hutt]

I'm living in Cambridge and it's lovely here! Would definitely recommend you spend a few days here, check out the colleges, museums, food etc. And why not spend a lazy afternoon with a punt boat down the river. If the weather is good, it's a great way to spend the day!

Woo! Another Escapist in Cambridge!

I'd second the recommendation for Cambridge, we're about 45 minutes from King's Cross (although the train station is about a mile from the historic centre) which makes us a fairly popular tourist destination for good reason (most of our city centre is at least 200 years old).

I'd definitely recommend coming in Summer sometime after June. Most of the students have gone by then and the colleges open up to visitors. Also the weather's better and you don't get flocks of cyclists going to and from lectures on the hour.

While there are a lot of punt touts out there (a punt is a small, shallow-bottomed boat not entirely unlike a gondola) I'd recommend heading to the Quayside [https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/11,+Cambridge,+Cambridgeshire+CB2+1SD/@52.2015224,0.1160153,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!1m2!2m1!1sMill+Lane,+Cambridge!3m1!1s0x47d870a335cd2787:0xfa9c17337a0b6926?hl=en] by Magdalene College to get a punt tour, they'll take you through all the interesting bits of the river, which in pleasant weather is wonderful.

 

[Flames66]

They're not "hidden" extras, neither is anyone trying to "deceive" you, since we all know about state taxes here.

I consider any price that is not included on the label hidden. I have the same problem with online shopping. I cannot stand websites that hide their postage costs on a separate page. Include it in the overall price or don't bother.