jacktarnold Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Hi all, I've always wanted to travel to the UK. And want to know from the UK members and other members who have traveled to the UK any advice you would have. I'll be graduating from college this May and would be looking to be traveling late summer early fall. It would be me, my wife and most likely my 2 year old daughter. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markmurase Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I really enjoy the UK. There's a lot packed into a relatively small area. I think late summer early fall is probably good timing - less busy than peak summer. Of course, the UK weather is a bit of a lottery. What are you looking for - history, scenery, shopping, sport, food, nature, quirkiness? The UK is not cheap, so some planning can help keep costs reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainQuintero Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Warwick castle, really great and best preserved imo Chatsworth house, great to visit plus the adventure playground is all up in trees, it's amazing! There's animals for kids too Whitby - the seaside town where bram stokers Dracula is set, really great little town and loads of sites Is there anything which you like to do hobby wise or interest wise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vortigan Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Warwick castle, really great and best preserved imo Chatsworth house, great to visit plus the adventure playground is all up in trees, it's amazing! There's animals for kids too I'll endorse both of these 100%! Great days out,both.Also visit the city of York if you get a chance.Wonderfully historic city,absolutely dripping with evidence of its Roman and medieval past.Great shopping,lovely restaurants and an all round good vibe to the place.I hope you all have a great time over here 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blakes Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Also if you like the outdoors the Lake District is a must. Lots of picturesque towns and villages. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacktarnold Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'm into history, my wife not so much. However, we would consider ourselves foodies and would love to experience all of what the UK has to experience in terms of food, but really looking for places that are a must see but not necessarily the touristy places. Probably be 7-10 in duration. As for hobbies, I'm a huge car guy, like my beer and whiskeys so any distilleries or whatnot would be appreciated also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallclub Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 and would love to experience all of what the UK has to experience in terms of food, I'm too old and too French for not finding it funny (even though I know that things have changed a lot in this area) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehdg Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'm too old and too French for not finding it funny (even though I know that things have changed a lot in this area) Was thinking the same thing! Other then high tea, shepards pie n fish n chips I'd stick to the indian restaurants for food there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blakes Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'm too old and too French for not finding it funny (even though I know that things have changed a lot in this area) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacktarnold Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'm too old and too French for not finding it funny (even though I know that things have changed a lot in this area) Not that it has to be amazing fine dinning, but there has to be different options than the town I'm currently in. In my town you either have Mexican food, more Mexican food, Applebee's/Chili's or more Mexican food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainQuintero Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Food wise, if you're going to the Peak District or Lake District it's always been great and is always getting better: loads of cosy pubs with simple honest food from local farms. Nearly every farm around here has a shop for its produce and it's all hand reared free range etc. there's even a herd of water buffalo near me now! Going into cities the food gets bad, just chain restraint crap. If you stick to the countryside where the history is then you'll be full of steak pies, fresh salmon, local beef, rare breed pork etc not to mention real actual beer!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouisMazzini Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Some great advice above, but for cigars....here is a list of great hotels....the Lanesborough taking the cake for fine cigars and spirits and great service whether you want a monte 4 or an OR BHK from the Elie Bleu humidor... http://www.thehotelguru.com/best-hotels/uk-smoking-hotels http://www.lanesborough.com/lanesborough-garden-room For cigars, I was not a big fan of JJ Fox. No disrespect intended, but just not the place for me. They do have an awesome historical area with Winston Churchill's chair, and the brilliant Oscar Wilde's outstanding bill. lol Davidoff is a magnificent shop. I went there and met Eddie Sahakian (Jr.). I am confident in telling you that you will not find a gentleman on par with this man in any shop. He is a wealth of knowledge, extremely generous with his time, and happy to lend advice and assistance. I only bought about 100 pounds worth of cigars, but you would have thought I bought the store. He was a real cool cat, and sent me to the Lanesborough should I have wanted to enjoy a fine cigar in privacy with my wife and have peace and quiet and great service. I remember going to the Lanesborough and asking for the cigar lounge. When I went there, I said Eddie Sahakian said to come here....they said, any friend of Eddie is a friend of ours. There were folks buying handfuls of Partagas 150, 155, etc. Big money. I bought a cognac and a Cohiba Esplendido. I was treated exactly the same as the big spenders. Can't say enough great things about that setup. Hope you have a great time. I can't wait to go back. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouisMazzini Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Ah! But for smoking....I suggest bringing your own sticks. The taxes as well as VAT make the prices ridiculous. A few special finds in the UK I'm willing to shell out cash for, but for the most part.....I was happy to pack my cigar caddy and smoke outta that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejewell Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Was thinking the same thing! Other then high tea, shepards pie n fish n chips I'd stick to the indian restaurants for food there! I agree. haha. and even the pie and fish n chips get old quick. lol. There is a lot of good stuff in London as far as history. Went there for a few weeks on a study abroad. I'm a nerd So I really liked all the museums, and visiting the Royal Academy. However, you're not gonna find any good distilleries or cheap cigars there! haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwsaw63 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I'm into history, my wife not so much. However, we would consider ourselves foodies and would love to experience all of what the UK has to experience in terms of food, but really looking for places that are a must see but not necessarily the touristy places. Probably be 7-10 in duration. As for hobbies, I'm a huge car guy, like my beer and whiskeys so any distilleries or whatnot would be appreciated also. If you're into history make sure you hit the British Museum in London. I would normally also say the Imperial War Museum but I think it's closed for renovations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallclub Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 If you're into history make sure you hit the British Museum in London. Yes, and the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich; you can go there by boat from London… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbritish1976 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Yes, and the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich; you can go there by boat from London… Don't go past Greenwich though Like Deptford or woolwich if you value hanging onto your wallet Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Twain Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 We took a month in the UK for our 25th anniversary in 2001. A very memorable trip. We rented a vehicle and went to the southwest, up into Wales, up to Scotland, then back to London. We had a great experience staying at bed and breakfasts. We'd go into a town, find the Visitors' Center, then they would pick a place they thought suited us and call them and set us up. We met so many interesting people, both other travelers and the B&B keepers that way. The only place we had lodging booked in advance was in London, everywhere else was easy to arrange on the fly. Everything's interesting, even everyday things like grocery shopping. If you're a golfer, walk a few links courses. Royal North Devon was amazing, and of course St. Andrews, but really there were lots of great courses. There's so much to do, it's all a matter of choosing. Good luck and enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugomarink Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Yes, you don't go to the UK for the food but there are some jewels here and there. If you're in London, check out Borough Market. It's a big farmer's market but there are some excellent food stands. One that particularly stands out is called ROAST. They serve a pork belly and applesauce sandwich that is to die for. And for cigars, I agree the Davidoff store in London is the place to go, but the sticks aren't cheap! You can easily drop a few hundred in there just purchasing a big handful of cigars. And apparently some of the hotels in London have some nice cigar lounges. I did not get a chance to check any of them out when I was there last year but hope to next time I'm there. And if you're a sports fan at all, be sure to check out an EPL soccer game. So much fun. The fans are quite passionate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar300 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I'll endorse both of these 100%! Great days out,both.Also visit the city of York if you get a chance.Wonderfully historic city,absolutely dripping with evidence of its Roman and medieval past.Great shopping,lovely restaurants and an all round good vibe to the place.I hope you all have a great time over here York and Lincoln are a good day out, and Vortigan......your inbox is full.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fosgate Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Spent many of weekends in London in the early 90's. Usually went with some British troops we hung out with in the pubs of Trier Germany. I was shocked how friendly people were half expecting a NY attitude. Couple of guys liked having fresh fruit so we would frequent the small out doors shops and chat with shop keepers as they were always awesome to chat with especially after you hear "Oh, your a Yank!" with an ear to ear grin. Just sitting down outside a shop with a paper is enjoyable as we would have some people near us strike up a friendly conversation. As suggested, hit the outskirts in the small communities as those places have the best food. Traveled up to Edinburgh Scotland to the Edinburg Castle military tattoo (which was awesome) and over to Glasgow. Plenty of pub crawling, distilleries and breweries to visit and great people along the way. We often traveled cheaply in Europe using the Eurail Pass but unfortunately the UK doesn't participate far as I know. Maybe someone can mention otherwise if there is a similar system established. Also stayed in a lot of guest houses since we were never in the same place, (often by invite) but if your traveling with the family they would probably enjoy the hotels mentioned here. I would suggest do some of the touristy stuff but get up early and go meet some of the locals. There is just so much to do and there is never enough time! Also suggest going to a football (Soccer ) match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainQuintero Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I was going to say try to catch a Glasgow celtic-rangers derby at the Celtic ground but forgot about the decision that killed the SPL :S West ham V millwall would be good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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