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The GF and I have decided to take a trip to the Uk this July.  We bought the airline tickets already so we know the dates, now we just have to flesh out the details.

Right now we have a general idea of an itinerary, 4 days in London, 3 days in the Peak District, 3 days in Northumberland (Hadrians wall and then Hogwarts) and then 4 or 5 days in Scotland, starting in Edinburgh and then moving on to maybe Inverness and some hiking in the Highlands.  We plan on taking trains and/or buses between the major locations and then either hiking or what-have-you our to the particular sites.

I could use some help with specifics of things not to miss that may not be in the guidebooks or things we really should miss even though they are in the guidebook.  I particularly need some help fleshing out the Edinburgh and Scotland portions.

Thanks for any info you can provide! :heart:

For Scotland stick to the East coast, it's drier and generally prettier. Take the coastal train up from Edinburgh to Aviemore or Inverness. From there check out the Orkneys, Loch Ness and the Highlands if you're into staggering natural beauty. There are some cool castle ruins in that part of the world as well as Aleister Crowley's old digs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boleskine_House).

The British public transport system takes some getting used to and is an acquired taste. You will use a lot of cabs because outside of the major cities, busses are virtually nonexistant, especially if you leave England at least that is my experience.

Ironwood will have more on that subject however

Check train prices early, it can make a big difference to how much you pay (http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-train-tickets).

I am available for PM's and visits in person.

If that's something interests you.

When you go north of Glasgow/Edinburgh, multiply estimates of travel times by a factor of 1.5 or 2.  Maybe by 3 on the west coast.

I'll second Orkney, I enjoyed the hell out of it, especially Skara Brae.  Do not plan to rest in John-o-Groats.  Although if you are only allotting 4-5 days for all of Scotland, I'd suggest either doing the highlands or Orkney because of travel time.

If you go through Port William, give them the finger for me.

I'll give you drier, but you're well off base with generally prettier. Mountains, lochs, islands, even the plants that thrive under all the extra rainfall. The southwest Grampians has the best mountain hiking in Britain. The West has stunning scenery that is unique from that in the East and vice-versa. If you've only got time for one part of Scotland or another that's fair enough, but to write off one side of the country in favour of the other is daft. Not least because it only takes a couple of hours to go from the East side to the West side at any given point.


This is not true. Public transport is generally good in Britain - perhaps not up to the standards of some parts of continental Europe, but you can get around very easily. If you choose somewhere spectacularly remote, you may find yourself using a daily bus service and staying overnight, but its pretty hard to find somewhere populated that a bus doesn't go to. However, there are a lot of small companies serving some of the less populated areas, so it can be hard to find comprehensive timetable information.

http://timetables.showbus.co.uk/

The Turnberry resort in Ayrshire (Western Scotland) is amazing.  Activities for the wife include an amazing spa that has won tons of awards and tours about the countryside.  Activities for you would include an amazing golf course that is one of the best in Europe, lessons in falconry and trout angling.  The food is superb as well.

I prefer Turnberry over Gleneagles, but if you are stuck in the shit infested hell that is Eastern Scotland it is worth a trip.

I'm from St Andrews. You'll not convince me that a coast containing the city of Glasgow is a better proposition than the Firth of the Tay.

I really liked Glasgow.  It was in stark contrast to most of the rest of the places I've been in the UK in that it was cheap, the food was good, and it wasn't overrun with tourists.  I also highly recommend letting Ironwood pour scotch into you.   :grin:

A warning for Murgos: the one time I went to Europe in July, I found the summer heat combined with a complete absence of cooling technology (AC, ice) terrifying.  If you're from a temperate climate (like me) or used to having every building air conditioned in the summer (like most of the US), you may have a similar experience.  Since that trip I've only gone in the spring or fall, and found the climate much more to my liking during those times.

In fairness it all depends on the general weather too. Summer in the UK last year was about two weeks, the rest of the time it was cool and damp. Few years before that it was pretty warm, hell London was very much the sort of weather that you need AC for and nowhere in the UK has AC. However if you're going to be in the North and Scotland mostly I'd recommend just bringing an umbrella.

Also I will say definitely stop off in Durham for a few hours if you're going up to the Scottish east coast. It's on the way and has probably got the greatest Norman cathedral in Europe (which probably means also the world). There's more to it but from a sightseeing perspective that's all you really need, take a few hours out of travelling for it at least.

I skipped the umbrella and wore water-resistant overclothes.  Worked out pretty well for me, YMMV.  I spent more time outdoors than I might have otherwise.

If you have to buy supplies, Scotland rolls up the sidewalks at 5pm.

I know it's just about the ends of the earth, relatively speaking, but I will never forget my trip out to Isle of Skye in Scotland.  Everyone warned against this; waste of time, too far, weather will be horrible, etc.  We were rewarded with 4 of the most beautiful summer days imaginable.  Ben Nevis doffed his tam for us on the way out (did not climb) and seeing the Highland Games played at Portree (along with all of the piping; brilliant stuff) will stay with me forever.

Skye was super.

Book train tickets in advance, you'll save a packet.

The first thing you should do when you are making your way into london is to acquire an Oyster card (https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do). They're a lot less hassle than paper tickets and you'll save the £3 deposit in the first 1-2 trips you make. Over four days you'll save a decent amount of money.

In London, walk as much as possible, use buses as a first alternative to walking. Only use the tube for long journeys; you'll see a lot more and be more comfortable on the buses.

If there were two things I would reccomend to people visiting London, they are the houses of parliament tour (http://www.parliament.uk/about/visiting/tour.cfm), and the london eye (http://www.londoneye.com/). As a Londoner I still consider these things worthwhile and fun. I have done the parliament tour twice, and both times have been really pleased. It's not too long, the building is absolutely stunning and the history, anecdotes and insight into the day-to-day of politics are done very well. The eye is great because it is an awesome way to see the city, but is fairly short and fits in well with a day of activity without clobbering your schedule. The museums in London are great, but not entirely different to any of the ones in DC. As far as palaces go, I personally think Hampton Court (http://www.hrp.org.uk/hamptoncourtpalace/) is probably the most impressive.

Avoid Oxford Street like the plague. If you want an atypical shopping experience head for Liberty's or Harrod's. The new westfield shopping center is quite nice, but is no different from 99% of nicer malls in the US (except for the food court, which is really really good).

There are no good fish and chip shops in London. You should have fish and chips at some point in the UK, but you can probably find better stuff in Scotland. If you really want to impress your GF, book tea at the Ritz (http://www.theritzlondon.com/tea/) (n.b. they won't let you in unless you are in a suit). It's pricey, but the food and atmosphere are totally decadent.

The majority of the interesting castles in the UK are in Wales and Scotland, if you're after that sort of thing, try and schedule it for those parts of your trip.

That's all I can think of for London off the top of my head, I'm happy to field more specific questions though.

I'm from the east coast of Scotland (born in Edinburgh) and I disagree. The east coast is geographically bland compared with the west coast. The prettiness comes from towns and villages, not nature. I prefer spectacular mountains beside the sea, wide open spaces and remote villages down single-lane roads where you have to dodge sheep, which is what you find on the northwest coast. As a kid before we emigrated to Australia, I went for holidays at a place called Mellon Udrigle (http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/mellonudrigle/mellonudrigle/index.html), near Laide (south of Ullapool) and I visited again in 1997. That place is magical to me and if I could go anywhere in Scotland after Edinburgh, I'd head there.

As for Edinburgh itself, I'd do three things:
1. Arrive by train at Edinburgh Waverley station and walk up the stairs into the middle of Edinburgh. You come up bang in the middle of the city, between all the landmarks, and your jaw drops. It is stunningly beautiful, with Princes St on one side and Edinburgh Castle with the Royal Mile on the other. It's one of the only remaining true European capitals that wasn't destroyed by war or bombs, and you get a sense of what was lost in other European cities.

2. Walk along Princes St (shopping and sightseeing) and along the Royal Mile (taking diversions into side streets and pubs, avoiding tourist traps).

3. Climb Arthur's Seat (hill overlooking Edinburgh) for the views. Soak up the views until you can soak no more, then go down into the city and find a nice pub.

Do NOT go to Harrods if you are a fat woman or Kylie Minogue.  They will toss you right out!

Confirmed.  Maybe the best fish and chips I've ever had were from this dingy little takeaway place on Great Western Road in Glasgow that had a line out the door at 9pm.  I wish I could remember the name of it.  Everything I ate in Scotland was very respectable, including the haggis.  Most of the food in London is pretty meh, except for some of the nicer pubs (the ones I remember liking are the Engineer and the Princess Louise).

You're presumably talking about The Philadelphia down towards Kelvinbridge. It's owned by the people who run La Parmigiana next door. That's my part of town. :)

Spend at least one Friday and Saturday night in a populated Scottish city. I recommend Glasgow.

In terms of London what are you thinking of seeing? London's big enough that there's usually something for everyone. And if you're picky about food, ask first. It's difficult to get good, reasonably priced food in London without a bit of knowledge first.

Disagree, eating in London is really very good now, and continues to get better all the time.

Breakfast: Canteen (http://www.canteen.co.uk/)
Lunch: Mother Mash (http://www.mothermash.co.uk/), Cha Cha Moon (http://www.chachamoon.com/) or The Blue Posts (http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub1610.html) (an unassuming boozer that does a great plate of sausages, beans and chips for under £3)
Dinner: Troubador (http://www.troubadour.co.uk/) or Tate Modern Restaurant (http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eatanddrink/restaurant.htm) (get a window seat at night and enjoy the view of St. Paul's and the city).

edit: Agree with the poster before me. There is a lot of great food and many great places to eat, but a lot of them aren't obvious.

edit2: Avoid Giraffe and Wagamama. These chains used to be good, but quality has fallen dramatically over the last couple of years.

God I fucking love London.

Possibly the only major, major, major city I truly love. I wish the time I'd spent there was longer, because I will never ever, ever go back.

The weather in the UK made me want to stuff Mother Nature in a pillow case with a bunch of scorpions and then beat her with a sock full of rocks and razor blades.

The food has gotten better, it's still mostly shit compared to the other major cities on mainland Europe.

Adding to the fish 'n' chips advice: if around Edinburgh they ask you something that sounds like "sa'an'sa'as?" they are asking "salt and sauce?" to which you should answer "yes". They will add salt and brown sauce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_sauce) (never tomato sauce) to your fish 'n' chips.

Chips should be eaten with Salt and Vinegar at the very least.

Fixed. Brown sauce on chips is sacrilege.

True, brown sauce with fish is odd too.

Vinegar is a must though.

It's An Eternal Question (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR_lgrtxWT8)

However, I can confirm that Sam stayed just opposite Kelvinbridge, so Righ was probably right.

Oo, that sounds right!  And the scaffolding in the streetview (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&ei=IeDHScqaI5qqtQOGq6GDBw&ie=UTF8&layer=c&cbll=55.875041,-4.280649&panoid=HNSSFICbgjiTV0K2cnj07A&cbp=12,197.38283951974284,,1,3.525578450766206&ll=55.875076,-4.280773&spn=0,359.986889&z=17) photo explains why I couldn't find it by retracing my steps.  Thanks, that's been bugging me.

As Ironwood's link points out, it's an Edinburgh-Glasgow cultural difference. Do as the locals do.

Well, if we manage to hit both Glasgow and Edinburgh I am sure I will try both styles, my girlfriend though has long been known as a malt-vinegar and salt kind of a gal (though she has a bottle of HP in the fridge).  I showed her this thread and instantly got in trouble for my passing remark to her as 'The' girlfriend so, I won't be doing that again. :(

However, as helpful as everyone is being, everyone also has a different opinion on what to do in Scotland.  Maybe if I narrow down some dates it will help?  The current plan is that we should be leaving Newcastle on the morning of the 13th for Edinburgh and then catch a train back to London on the morning of the 18th for five nights of what-have-you in Scotland.  We don't think we want to spend more than 2 nights in Edinburgh, or any city, so that means on the 15th we'll hop on a train, the question is to where?

We do want to go hike at least a little of the country side, so far I have heard votes for Inverness, The Orkneys and the Isle of Skye.  Do any of you have links to some hiking paths or other information around those areas that we could use to help make a decision?

I forget Ironwood, do you live in Glasgow or Edinburgh?

Beats "a" girlfriend.   :why_so_serious:

See?  That's what I thought.  :ye_gods:

He's all Glasgow. East (Edinburgh) vs West (Glasgow) in Scotland is culturally quite different. They're not very far apart, but the accents are also different. Sean Connery is from Edinburgh. Billy Connolly is from Glasgow.

Women.

I believe that you can do the touristy Edinburgh stuff in a day or two, then go to Glasgow for some live music and actual culture on a pub stool.  The People's Museum was mildly interesting.  For me, it was loads of fun chatting up the locals in a pub.  Even the homeless were entertaining.  Also things got very interesting in an outdoorsy way once I headed up the A82-to-A83, seemed like lots of spectacular green places to hike.

I'll say, however, if you want to do Skye or Orkney especially, you'll want to bee-line for those from Edinburgh.

See, now I keep thinking that Ironwood is from Edinburgh and stuck in Glasgow.  I don't know why I keep thinking that.  Maybe because he's so posh like one of those English people.

The only good thing to come out of Edinburgh is Innis & Gunn.

If I recall correctly, the thing that clinched my decision not to go to Edinburgh was Signe's description of it as being full of people from Surrey.  I'm not even exactly sure where Surrey is, but Edinburgh is forever cast in my mind as the Pier 39 of Scotland.

So basically this thread says yes London, yes, Peaks District, yes, wherever, but mainly Go to Scotland (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4B2v6O5AMY).

I also love the east coast of Scotland, particularly the quaint fishing villages near St. Andrews.

But you should really consider the West Highland Way (http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/home.asp) for a hiking trip. If any of you remember the film Rob Roy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114287/), much of it was filmed in that area.

I've not really been North of the border much but around Northumberland you should also consider Lindisfarne (if pretty islands and ancient monasteries are your thing) or Alnwick castle which is probably one of the nicest castles in the country, as well as Durham to risk repeating myself.

In London there's loads of things to do as everyone has said, I'd throw a recommendation in for the John Soames museum (http://www.soane.org/). It's near the Old Bailey and Inns of court if you're in that area and it's a really awesome little museum. Free entry but if you're going during a holiday period make it something you do early as it's very small and you can get queues. Having lived in London for a long time I'm not great with touristy things there, I wouldn't actually recommend the London Eye but then it's not the kind of thing I like anyway, if you enjoy great views a whole lot it's fantastic I guess. Definitely visit Harrods, mostly for the food courts, they're fun to wander around. If you're near Picadilly I'd say visit Fortnum and Mason if you enjoy shopping or just looking at really expensive things.

Pretty much anything else I could recommend or tell you about you'd either find in a tourist guide or is really more places I like to go and I'm really not sure how they'd scale. Oh apart from the Monmouth coffee company (http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/ourshops.htm) if you like coffee at all, it's a really cute little shop.

I'd say Lake District over Peak District but there is a really cool little village in the Peak District called Eyam and if you're nearby then you should go. It's a fascinating place that went into voluntary isolation in 1665 after the Bubonic Plague hit the place.  Lake District, on the other hand, is more impressive generally IMO. Also, the best motorway services in the country are there - Westmorland Services in Penrith. Useless knowledge if you don't have a car but I recommend it to anyone who happens to be on the M6 going past it.  Seriously. One of the best Full Englishes I've had.

London: go to a place called Garlic & Shots on Frith Street. It's a restaurant and bar. Everything they cook has garlic and they have a drinks menu with 101 different types of (mostly vodka based) shots. It was set up by a pair of Swedish Goths. They have a sarcophagus in the basement.

Don't go to Birmingham - you won't like it. Nobody does.

Wales is a beautiful place too (yes, I'm biased) but sounds like you're determined to go North.

As bars go, Garlic & Shots is definitely one of the best.


This.

Garlic and Shots?  Together?  Why that's preposterous!   :awesome_for_real:

I know someone mentioned High Tea at the Ritz earlier in the thread but I'm not planning on bringing a jacket and tie with me; I plan on living out of a backpack as much as possible.  However, my girlfriend really does want to do high tea, so, is there somewhere more casual that emphasizes the food and yet is still recognizably high tea?

Also, thanks Baldrake for the West Highland Way link.  That was exactly the sort of thing I was looking for.

Hm, ... I plan to spend an academic year in Scotland in 2010. This thread reminds me of the paperwork I have to finish for that.

Is there anybody on this board with some knowledge about Scottish universities ? I have to pick one.

I study English and European history, if that helps.

St. Andrews and Edinburgh universities are both very stong academically. St. Andrews does have a significant demographic bias towards upper and upper-middle class students. St. Andrews is more rural, Edinburgh is more urban.

You're really not wired up like normal people, are you ?  I'm not really posh.   :grin:

As to University, I went to Stirling.  It was awesome. 

Yes, that's entirely unhelpful.

Ok.  I'll stop considering you posh and consider you sporty instead.  I can only remember so many categories, you know.

I misread "sporty" as "portly". :ye_gods:

Ironwood, Portly Spice?

General Zod is not portly!

I only have five categories.  I can't manage more.  There is Posh, Sporty, Scary, Baby and Ginger.  I haven't got around to putting everyone in their category yet.  So far, only Cheddar is in Ginger, although Scary is filling up quickly.  I think Ironwood would probably be better suited to Scary since he's not Posh and I don't know if he's Sporty.  I used to just have Hard and Soft but Soft people starting complaining and wanted to be Hard.  I can't understand why people objected to being Soft!

See?

Which category do you put yourself in?

The secret bonus "bonkers" category, clearly  :awesome_for_real:

Oh please.  You can't tell me you people don't put everything in little boxes, too. 

Sure I can. I don't.

Just my victi..  er, nevermind.

Yet.

Everyone gets their own box with a recent f13 avatar on the lid.

I have seven categories. Ironwood is grumpy.

She's angry because she wanted you to post pictures of her here.

Special pictures.

 :awesome_for_real:

Well, it beats Dopey.

And I never stuck in enough in School to be Doc.

St. Andrews has an excellent reputation but you will be in a very small town with a railway station and a hundred miles of nothing around you. If you're not bothered with remoteness and/or really like Golf it could be a good call, also obviously if the department does the kind of stuff you like and that's what matters then you're sorted.. As people have said also a lot of posh twits.

Edinburgh is also a very good university, awesome city and frankly it's probably where I'd pick. Glasgow's another good university but I have only ever driven past the city. I'd recommend having a look at the modules the departments offer and where the research interests of the people there lie. I'd be a lot more help if you looking at doing Philosophy :awesome_for_real:

Back on topic: Afternoon tea, two possible alternatives would be having it at the tea rooms in Fortnum and Mason's. I doubt that would be cheap but probably not more than the Ritz would be, quite an 18th century type decor in the main one. If you like more modern, airy sort of places there's the Orangery by Kensington Palace that's about £11 for a standard afternoon tea. It's a nice location and pretty gardens to look at it, I'd say you could get away with wearing whatever to either, probably not shorts and sandals.

Thanks for coming back on topic NowhereMan.  I was getting worried that I was going to have to come in here and smack some peeps into order.   :drill:

I'm in Newcastle - Northumberland is a very beautiful, but somewhat overlooked part of the UK and hence it's not so full of tourists as somewhere like the Lake District. Alnwick Castle and gardens is good (which I'm assuming you've looked at, given the Hogwarts reference), though it's bit pricey to get into. If you do go there though, check out the treehouse restaurant as it's excellent.  Durham Cathedral is really impressive, especially if you can get to the top without giving yourself a heart attack. If the weather's good (it does happen sometimes, honest!) get yourself out to the Northumberland coast as it's perhaps the most unspoiled in England. I'd recommend this pub (http://www.shipinnnewton.co.uk/) though if you haven't got a car getting there may prove somewhat difficult as it's really out of the way.

If you're staying in or around Newcastle for any length of time and need recommendations for places to eat or things to do then pm me.

Also bear in mind Durham Cathedral has a castle literally across the green from it that also has loads of interesting little bits and guided tours. If you're going around Easter or during the Summer (forget exactly when you're travelling, can't be bothered to reread :awesome_for_real:) it will also not be full of students.

fakeedit: If you're there for the first week of July, University graduation is going on. Lots of people in fancy academic dress which is kind of cool but you won't be able to get near the Cathedral or castle. If this is the case don't bother with Durham unless you fancy a pub crawl or really want to see crowds of students in gowns and hoods. The North East generally though as brake7 said is really beautiful and not nearly as frequented with tourists as everywhere else pretty seems to be. Depends on what you want but if you fancy somewhere that's not going to have many backpackers or other tourists I'd recommend spending some time there.

Even if you don't go to the tea room, please do go to Fortnum and Mason's. Sure it's a bit weird, but they've got all tons of funky stuff in there that would be hard to find anywhere else.

Durham is awesome, also Lincoln is an often overlooked place to visit. Go to the top of Steep Hill where you have a Norman cathedral on one side of the market squareand a mediaeval castle on the other. See the Magna Carta which is kept in the castle and buy the best tea in the world from Imperial Teas a few yards from the top of the hill.

We'll be in Newcastle from [tentatively] about the 10th to the 13th so, hopefully we will miss all the graduation stuff.  We have a little bit of free time planned so it sounds like a trip to Durham Cathedral is definitely in order.

Saying "Best Tea in the World" probably clinches it though, I am half convinced that the reason she wants to go is so that we can pick up some special Teas.   :awesome_for_real:

Imperial tea I think is Lincoln rather than Durham (mostly because I don't remember it) though the description of the two is similar enough to confuse me, Durham has a 1216 copy of the Magna Carta in the Cathedral :awesome_for_real: I'd personally also warn you against the tea room on palace green (outside the cathedral and castle) if you go. Their stuff is pretty meh and not cheap. Leanord's coffee house is a bit tougher to get to but one of the nicer ones in the city, it's down in Fowler's Yard off Silver street. If you see the sign for Rumbletum's, follow it and keep going past it (do not be fooled by quaint name, it's horrible) and that gets you down to it. Of course that might all be a bit too much trouble for a random passing visit :) Also if the weather's good seriously consider getting a rowing boat and messing about on the river. It's fun and shouldn't be full of rowing crews at that time.

If she wants tea then definitely hit Fortnum and Mason, they've got a crap load of their own brand teas. Also when you're in Edinburgh you might want to hit the Whisky shop, there's one in Victoria street and one in Princes mall. There's a few of them around the UK but it seems more appropriate to go while in Scotland.

Just remember that what EVERYONE is not telling you is to watch out for the CRICKET ball sized hail that is everywhere in the UK.

You should probably PM this to Schild.

You could take 2-3 days doing the West Highland Way alone and, at this time of the year, it can be bloody lovely.

That said, the time I did it, it was a couple of months earlier and I ended up freezing and damaging my knees.  So, you know, Warned and all that.

I'm reading the dates here (drunk) and I can't see the month.  Are you talking next month or what ?

Eat mah balls.

MIDGES (http://www.midgeforecast.co.uk/2008/default_wide.asp?pageid=29)

If short of time, taking the West Highland Line up to Balmaha and walking the section down the less traveled side of Loch Lomond is worthwhile. Or get off at Crianlarich and climb Ben More and Stob Binnein (http://www.munromagic.com/RouteInfo.cfm/17) for the views.

There's a decent site that describes the sections of the West Highland Way (http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/). And a walking site (http://walking.visitscotland.com/munros/) that lists the mountains. Here's (http://www.stevenfallon.co.uk/crianlarich.html) the two mountains I mentioned as part of a rather more ambitious route that takes in five more.   :drill:

Yeah, yeah, West Highland Way. Just be prepared to lose some red stuff (http://www.midgeforecast.co.uk/2008/default_wide.asp?pageid=37).

A little short of three weeks in July.

Goddamn I reckon I've lost, over the years, my entire body weight in blood to those midges. The only place I found up there where I was safe from them was the far west side of Iona, only because the constant wind was so strong that even the ninja superbastard midges couldn't fly against it.

Also, the Peak District is great, don't miss it if you're planning on passing that way. There's some great walks around Edale, Hathersage, that kind of area. Very different from the Scottish countryside - a lot less "picture postcard" beautiful, but awesome regardless. I find it interesting because in ancient times it was such a strategically important area. Lots of history there. And no midges!

I'll be in Canada in the middle of July.

Hmmm.

Yeah for clarity, apart from the initial endorsement of Durham as a place to visit, everything else in my last post referred to Lincoln.

Who did you piss off?

Swing through Seattle and I will buy you pints until you fall down. Or I do.

I don't drink but I can help.

Heading to a wedding solo, so probably won't be able to manage that.  Would be awesome if I could fit it in somehow.  You never know.

Heck I'll be up there next month.

Toronto, even.  :ye_gods:

Toronto?

Right, I'm heading over there from the 17th June to 1st July.  Flying to Halifax and heading to some place called New Brunswick or summat.

I suspect not.  More investigation needed.

The good news is that with those dates I probably won't miss a Murgosing.

You what this thread needs? A derail.

What's fun to do in Atlanta?

Drugs.  Shoot Guns.  Both.

Great time of the year to go.  Enjoy the mosquitoes, black flies, horse flies, deer flies, stable flies and no-see-ums!

Well let's see, I live there so I should know this. It highly depends on what you're into, but I'll break it down for you.

Sports: The Atlanta Braves are your best bet as they play all the time and Turner Field is a pretty cool venue. If I was going to do it coming in as a tourist I'd get the club level "All-You-Can-Eat" seats for ~$60, which includes unlimited food an beers in addition to your ticket. The jumbotron is also the biggest in pro ball, so it's another thing to check out.

Beer: The Sweetwater brewery does tours and tastings, which a great Atlanta brewer if you've never had it. It's probably the best local beer in Georgia.

Events: The Georgia Aquarium is the world's largest and very very cool looking. If you have never seen a whale shark the size of a Buick swimming over your head as you walk through the giant tunnel under the water, you're missing out.

Bars: The Virginia Highlands are the most popular place to hang out if you're white. If you're not and into more rapper bars or clubs, you go to midtown. I don't go to Midtown. Anyway, the Highlands has a great place call the Dark Horse, also Limerick Junction Pub, and a wine bar at Murphy's. Plus there's tons of good local restaurants there.

Food: Stay away from the high end stuff, as it's not really respresentative. If you're like me, you have to go to the Varsity for a chili dog, which is also the world's largest drive-in. For breakfast, I like a country hamsteak and eggs at a small diner called the Silver Skillet, which was featured on Diner's Drive-ins and Dives. For dinner, I'd hit up South City Kitchen, which does contemporary Southern that's a combination of down home and Savannah seafood creations.

Strip-Clubs: The Cheetah is considered Atlanta's best, fully nude club. I went there once for a bachelor party, and it's a quality establishment. You can expect to pay for it though as nothing is cheap there. Hot chicks though.

Watch the sun set behind the Pillars of Hercules as you overlook the Strait of Gibraltar, while your Libyan slave reads you stories of the Tyrrhenian conquest. Beware of Athenians and any change in water levels.

Hmm... from a quick perusal of that list it sounds like the Sweetwater brewery (though I'm not sure how I'd convince my teetotal uncle it's a good idea) and the aquarium are where I'll be going. I don't think either of my uncles are going to want to visit the strip club so that's probably out. Not entirely sure how much time I'll have and whether I'll be able to persuade anyone else it's a good idea. My uncle's been coming down to Georgia every year for the last 15 or 20 (in that ballpark) and has never actually visited Atlanta, I have no idea if I'll be able to change that but I'd like to see more than just the airport.

Plus the aquarium will give me a chance of meeting all those merfolk around Atlanta, wonder if there are any sexy ones with fish part on the top and the lady parts on the bottom? :awesome_for_real:

There are several gay strip clubs here, if that's what you mean. :grin:


Careful what you ask for!

If your uncles are sticks-in-the-mud, the new World of Coca-Cola is next door to the G. Aquarium.  Let me know if you want to go and I can order up some half-price tickets.  Protip: don't drink the Beverly.

If you go to The Varsity, be sure to go to the one on North Ave.  That is the real one, the largest drive-thru in the world, and it's just not worth getting the chili-dog-shits at any of the other ones.

If you are into live music, I am partial to Eddie's Attic.

 :awesome_for_real:

EDIT: #1 advice for a UK vacation?  Lots of beer.  When you're leaving the country if your Beer Mass Index isn't at least 3% you've failed.

So, to bring us back on to UK trips, we were wondering if it would be a better idea to stay in Durham rather than Newcastle for that portion of our trip?

Durham seems like it would be a bit more pleasant a town without being so far out of the way that it makes getting around inconvenient.

I'd say go for it. They're only 15 minutes apart by train if that's how you're going to be getting around. If you're driving staying in Durham means not having to navigate your way into and out of a city if you're using it as a base for visiting other places. Accommodation wise in Durham you might be able to get a cheap deal at one of the colleges since they'll all be empty and a lot of them do B&B outside of term time, provided they aren't full with a conference. The Victoria Inn (http://www.victoriainn-durhamcity.co.uk/pages/accommodation.htm) has some rooms that look nice and it's also a fantastic pub you must visit when you're there. The other pub you've got to visit is the Dun Cow (University education is useful!)

Newcastle is a lot nicer than it used to be, although Durham is more picturesque I guess.

As stated, they're really close to one another so you're not going to loose much picking one over the other.

Ok, the planning is nearly done.  We have a couple of more questions about the Scotland portion of the trip.

After we stop in Edinborough for a day or so we think we want to walk part of the West Highland Way but we're not sure which part of it.  At the moment we are thinking we take a bus from Glasgow to Drymen, walk the Way from there to Rowardennan on one day, spend the night in Rowardennan and the next day walk on to Inverarnan and take a bus back to Glasgow.

-Or-

Take a train from Glasgow up to The Bridge of Orchy and then walk to Kingshouse, spend the night in Kingshouse and then the next day walk to Kinlochleven from where we catch a bus back to The Bridge of Orchy and then take the Train back down to Glasgow.

Can anyone who lives in that area or been to those places help provide us with a little bit of insight?

Thanks!

http://www.wagamama.com/


Go here and eat.  It's awesome.  I like the ones at Covent Garden and Soho.  The night life in London is very cool.  I recommend as much as possible. 

Wagamama used to be great, but portion sizes are constantly shrinking and quality has slipped. You can certainly do much better in London for sure.

When I did the WHW, I took a drive up to Fort William and started from there.  I got about 2 3rds in with around 3 days of travel.  We took it easy.

The walk was lovely, the stops were nice and scenic with pubs and the weather, apart from one day where it just lashed it down, worked for me.

In honesty, I think it's better to go that way.  You feel you're returning to home, so it's an easier journey.

Apropos of nothing, my work is directly opposite the Wagamamas in Glasgow.  It's lovely.  And staffed almost entirely by totty.

That's too bad.  That used to be one of my favorite places.....

I can't speak for the Glasgow ones, but the London ones aren't a patch on what they used to be. I'll still go to them for lunch or a quick eat because the service is fast and the food is still decent; it's just not as good as it used to be.

If you're in London you should probably head to Cha Cha Moon (http://www.chachamoon.com/), which (like Wagamama) was started by Alan Yau. Unlike Wagamama it hasn't been sold on to another firm.

That's a pretty tough decision. I assume that you've been reading up on it and have an idea of what they involve? The Loch Lomond sections are easier walking with spectacular views of the Loch. You end at the Drover's Inn which is a hoot on a good night. Rannoch Moor is true barren moorland - also amazing scenery. But its tough walking in anything but good weather. When I walked the WHW, I took in a few mountains, but I think Rannoch Moor was the most tiring part. As with any exposed moorland if the weather breaks, its fucking miserable. But I don't want to dissuade you of that option - if the weather is good, its just astonishingly beautiful.

I would plan for doing either and choose which based on the weather. I'd much rather walk Loch Lomond than Rannoch Moor & Glencoe if you have that particularly West of Scotland weather of light wind and persistent drizzle.


The first time I ever walked the WHW, this wasn't true - I was at boarding school in Helensburgh at the time. However, provided "home" is something you look forward to returning to, I concur.