I got so much help here with advice for our trip that I'm going to write up some of our experiences here in the hope that others will find them helpful.
First and most importantly, we had a wonderful time in England, Wales, and Scotland; it was exactly the right trip for our family at this time. London was exciting, the countryside was beautiful, the festival in Edinburgh (all we really saw in Scotland) was busy and fun. People everywhere were terrific, helpful and kind, and often quick to quick to laugh and see the humor in a situation--and this applied as much to the Londoner with roots in the Caribbean or Subcontinent as to the ruddy faced Yorkshireman I was joking with near Buttermere.
For practical matters:
Transport around London is easy, and I can't imagine there's a better deal than the Travelcards, which come in one and three day increments. The cards to Zones 1 and 2 would get you to most places visitors would be interested in except Kew Gardens and Richmond. Childrens cards are half price. There are often service outages on weekends, but between buses and the Tube you can get anywhere from anywhere.
For transport to and from Heathrow, Heathrow Connect is a good deal, about £7 adult, one way to or from Paddington, kids half price. It makes some stops so is slower than the Express but at less than half the price it's a bargain.
As there are five of us, for our round-the-country trip we rented a minivan through Enterprise, having found a deal at one particular location that was better than AutoEurope could match (though they were very helpful). Enterprise was good to deal with and there were no surprises, except that they couldn't pick us up as usual because we were out of 'the zone' for the particular branch (Tower Bridge).
Driving through London traffic the first time was a bit of a terror but only briefly, the 'wrong side' issue quickly became natural. Narrow country lanes can be a challenge, esp. in Wales where they can be steep and have drops and aggressive hedges on the sides, but again one gets used to it. We ran into some traffic around some metropolitan areas but nothing worse than you find in any US city; also sometimes the A roads were slow when following lorries which are limited to 40mph, but they'd often pull off to let cars by.
In fact drivers in Britain were amazingly courteous; roundabouts work well as everyone seems to go along, people will 'let you in' when you need to change lanes, and there's very little tailgating. I made a couple of blunders and got only mild horn toots for my rudeness. I would tell anyone who's a decent US driver to not worry about driving in Britain at all. We got around most of the country with a simple OS map of Britain, but local maps (small enough to include walking paths) helped in areas like the Lakes.
Phone: I already had a GSM phone, bought from Mobal, but I had it unlocked as I didn't want to be locked into Mobal's high rates. On our first day I went to one of the ubiquitous Carphone Warehouse stores and bought a SIM card, from their inhouse Mobileworld line. The card comes with £10 airtime credit and costs...£10! So it's a bargain. Call rates are 5p/minute to the US, which was going to be my main usage. There are many other options; I don't think you can go far wrong and I wouldn't worry about this being something you 'have to do' before getting to the UK.
The currency exchange rate is obviously against Americans at the moment, so economizing where possible is important for most of us. Fortunately no one in my family cares about luxury or regards shopping as entertainment. We had an excellent budget hotel in London, the Rhodes, whose genial owners made us feel very much at home. Away from London we stayed entirely at YHA youth hostels, which cater to families a lot these days. Costs there were at £99/night or less--sometimes much less-- for the room and breakfast. The hostels all allow self-catering, so we saved considerably by making many of our own dinners and packing lunches. Outside that, in London shops like Pret a Manger and Eat are reliable for tasty sandwiches and the Wagamama noodle restaurants a relative bargain (though still £40-50 for dinner for us five with a couple of beers or glasses of wine).
For a change we sometimes had pub meals, which were generally quite good. There is a huge emphasis in the UK now on fresh local food, from produce to sausages, and I gather this has quite turned food around in the last decade. Even in a very small place (say the tiny Yorkshire hamlet of Hardraw) you're likely to find a pub menu with some appealing choices featuring local ingredients. I had a basic Cumberland-sausage and mash (+ terrific chutney) meal at the the George in Southwark, London, that might have been my favorite of the trip. There is obviously much finer cuisine on offer in London, but that's not what we were there for. (I'm sorry to say that we didn't quite make it to the Borough Market, the timing just wasn't right.)
After our first few days in London, we picked up the van and headed west, stopping at Avebury for its enormous stone circle, then spent the night at a small castle hostel at St Briavel's in the beautiful Wye Valley near the border with Wales. Next day we saw the ruins of Tintern Abbey and the castle of Raglan, which the children loved clambering over. Next was mid-Wales at another, more rustic hostel up in the hills between the ocean and Dolgellau (pronounced Doll-gath-lee) where we went for a 'short easy' walk that took much of the day—and gave us our first exposure to wind blowing a cold mist right in your face—refreshing! Next was a stay at the small farmhouse hostel above the town of Rowen in the (again) beautiful Conwy valley, N Wales. While staying there, we visited the castles of Caernarfon, Conwy, and Harlech, all spectacular in their own ways. On the hill above the farmhouse is a Bronze Age burial chamber--a great short walk by itself. The weather was interesting; I think we had rain every day but also bright sunshine, and the valley always looked spectacular late in the day.
Leaving Wales we went into the Peak District, stayed at the Hartington Hall youth hostel and visited Haddon Hall, a gorgeous and historic manor house beautifully maintained by the original family who built it (I think). It apparently owes much of its survival as-built to having been forgotten about for a couple of centuries!
Then it was up to the Lake District, which I'd wanted to see for years. It's wild in a peculiar way in that the mountains are actually not that big: only 2700' or so, but just a few miles from the coast so they are quite steep and you get a real feeling of ruggedness. (And of course nowhere in Britain is really 'wild' at all, having been mined, terraced, farmed, and grazed, for thousands of years.) The northern part of the Lakes is the steepest and most rugged, and attracts the hardcore walking enthusiasts. Think Boulder or New Hampshire, then think of it all in an area maybe 30 miles square. We saw families with babies and people well into their 70s everywhere we walked; I was really impressed at how many people, of all ages and from (seemingly) every walk of life are outdoor enthusiasts. We stayed near Buttermere Water and Helvellyn--the former hostel is a good bit 'nicer' than the latter, which is a bit rough and ready. My wife vetoed doing the 'high peaks,' as she didn't like the more scrambly walking or the starkness up there, but we had wonderful walks around Buttermere, and along the side of Ullswater. We spent one day in the southern Lakes, Ambleside and Hawksbill, but they are much more 'done' and though they're pretty, I wouldn't stay there in the summer.
After the Lake District we spent a night along Hadrian's Wall, then went up into Scotland. We only had a couple of days there, which we spent at Stirling, just N or Edinburgh. Stirling has a neat castle on its peak, and I know there is plenty around there to do, but we took the train into Edinburgh both days, saw its castle (liked Stirling's better), and saw two hilarious shows at the Fringe. One of them was 'Bouncy Castle Macbeth,' which may give you an idea! Edinburgh was lots of fun and I'd go back there anytime; I can also see why people return to the Festival and Fringe year after year.
Then back to England, with a stop at the Holy Island to see Lindisfarne. The latter is a small castle or fort on a promontory of this tiny island (it's cut off at high tide), which was turned into a house around 1900. As compared to other historic places we visited, this one you'd want to live in. (It was one of the few National Trust sites we visited; some of their properties have odd hours, for example we missed Calke Abbey because they're not open Thursdays or Fridays.)
We next spent a couple of days in Hawes, Yorkshire. We gave this area short shrift and I'd love to go there again. The hostel is an unremarkable modern building but it is particularly friendly and well-run, so we really enjoyed our stay there. My wife liked Yorkshire more than the Lake District. Nice walking through the dales, green everywhere, pretty villages and lots of sheep!
Then a brief stop in Cambridge, and a visit to the 'Green Knowe' house in Hemingford Grey. Some of you may know this house from the books; it's open to the public at limited hours and is a VERY satisfying visit. After this 17-day day odyssey (and I'm aware that this was hardly 'slow travel'!) we were back to London.
My son said that he loved London because it's 'so big but also so small.' I see what he meant as we spent a lot of time exploring neighborhoods which were once distinct towns: Southwark, Camden Town, etc. We weren't much interested in the usual tourist fare and skipped the Tower, Buckingham Palace, etc. Instead we sought out smaller pieces of history, like a still-functioning c.1700 coaching inn, the George, in Southwark, or Samuel Johnson's house in Clerkenwell, or the 'Old Operating Theater,' also in Southwark.
We saw two Shakespeare plays at the Globe, with the cheap (£5) standing tickets: 'Love's Labours Lost' and 'Merchant of Venice.' Both were pitched very broadly and the former especially was quite bawdy, though probably no more than in Shakespeare's own time. Lots of codpiece jokes! Both entertained an 11 year old boy, which is pretty remarkable; he and his sisters were quite sympathetic to Shylock, a good reaction. I see that 'Merchant' was singled out in today's New York Times (8/26) as being a particularly strong example of London theater!
We went to the street markets at Camden Lock and Spitalfields on our last weekend; both were big hits especially with the children, who got some cool souveniers for themselves and their friends. Camden especially was a success: it's crowded and has lots of narrow passageways it's easy to get lost in, full of vintage clothing and (would be) punk shops and stalls--actually perfect for teenagers! We had walked up there along the Regents Canal from Little Venice, so that was a very satisfying Saturday. Spitalfields is actually a nicer market, with more designers selling their own wares and good vintage material. Both have great food stalls too!
Dennis Severs' House in Spitalfields was a hit with everyone as I'd hoped. Monday night by candlelight is really the way to experience this remarkable---well, what is it exactly? It's far from a museum, more like a theatrical event without any actors but with the most amazing stage setting you've ever seen.
We did a few of the Walks (www.walks.com); the favorite by far was Haunted London led by Sean, which traversed a narrow part of the City while dusk fell. With more time we'd certainly have done more of these walks.
We didn't spend much time in museums at all; again we'd have done so with more time but we wanted to see London, not spend time inside. My son and I did spent much of a day at the Imperial War Museum, which was impressive, and the girls spent that day at Kew Gardens and Richmond—an even trade I think.
We spent several evenings walking along the S Bank of the Thames; it's one of the world's great promenades. By the end of the trip I think London felt very comfortable to our kids and I know that at least two of them could have navigated it by bus and Tube by themselves quite easily.
Everyone enjoyed the trip, and I know the children have had a good first exposure to international travel. My son particularly found it easy to make friends with other kids at hostels and has at least one new pen pal--a good sign for his future, perhaps. It's not always easy to travel together, but we did very well. And after three weeks we had a very full and satisfying experience. To top it off I have come back home to start work on a movie--a job I didn't have before I left, and one which is a big relief to me as I'm freelance!
Though another family trip like this is a long way off, I intend to check in on this forum and hope I can be of help to other travellers. Thanks again to everyone for your help!
I just want to say - what a brilliant post. You would get a job with the English/Welsh/Scottish tourism boards tomorrow!
I live in England (an Irish exile of 30+ years) but have not seen a lot of the places you describe and now you have inspired me to travel more around the British Isles. Thank you!
Hello Alan, As Felcity says it is a pleasure to read about your experiences here in the UK even though it is "fast" travel.
I am particularly pleased that you found Youth Hostels to be so good. We used them when our children were in their teens especially those up in the Derbyshire Dales and we all found them to be a wonderful way of seeing the UK on a budget.
Now next time you need to look south ...
Wendy
Posts: 2745 | Location: Lightwater Surrey U K | Registered: 30 March 2003
I figured somebody would have beat me to it - but nobody has. So let me be the first to recommend that you convert your narrative to a Trip Report. I am sure it would be very interesting & could offer plenty of tips to other planning a similar excursion.
Alan, I also wanted to thank you for your very informative post. It was good to get all the details of your trip! I was especially interested in the part about the Lake District. Our family hiked through this area on our Coast-to-Coast walk across England, and spent an unexpected night at an isolated hostel not too far from Buttermere. (We ended up hiking out to Buttermere and taking a bus to Grasmere... long story!)
I agree with Doug that you have the material for a great trip report, and you could do a good part of this just cutting and pasting. You could also add some photos. This is something you could share with friends and family too.
You can read more about Trip Reports here and then get started here.
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