Planning a trip to the UK

[Signe]

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.

[Oban]

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

[Samwise]

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.

[Tale]

So basically this thread says yes London, yes, Peaks District, yes, wherever, but mainly Go to Scotland.

[Baldrake]

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 for a hiking trip. If any of you remember the film Rob Roy, much of it was filmed in that area.

[NowhereMan]

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. 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 if you like coffee at all, it's a really cute little shop.

[DraconianOne]

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.

[K9]

London: go to a place called Garlic & Shots on Frith Street.

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

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

This.

[Murgos]

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

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.

[Der Helm]

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.

[K9]

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.

[Ironwood]

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.

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

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

Yes, that's entirely unhelpful.

[Signe]

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

[Baldrake]

I misread "sporty" as "portly".

[Engels]

Ironwood, Portly Spice?

[Nevermore]

General Zod is not portly!

[Signe]

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?

[K9]

Which category do you put yourself in?

[apocrypha]

The secret bonus "bonkers" category, clearly 

[Signe]

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

[Hindenburg]

Sure I can. I don't.

[Nevermore]

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

Just my victi..  er, nevermind.

[Signe]

Sure I can. I don't.

Yet.

[Yegolev]

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

[Righ]

I have seven categories. Ironwood is grumpy.

[UnSub]

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. :(

Beats "a" girlfriend.   

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

Special pictures.

 

[Ironwood]

I have seven categories. Ironwood is grumpy.

Well, it beats Dopey.

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

[NowhereMan]

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 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

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.

[Murgos]

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.   

[brake 7]

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.

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 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.

[NowhereMan]

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 ) 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.

[Mosesandstick]

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.

[IainC]

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.

[Murgos]

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.   

[NowhereMan]

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 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.