Best Ever Albums

Re: Visiting The UK

Tha1ChiefRocka — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 04:13:11 GMT

Author: Tha1ChiefRocka

Posted: 04/12/2020 08:13

Haha, I knew this wouldn't be too far away. I've just talked to my buddy, who I would probably be traveling with, and I think what we've got now would be late May of 2022 as a starting point. A while off from now, but I like to plan trips way ahead of time. Thanks to those who gave me some tips originally; that was some helpful stuff. Hopefully everything is back to seemingly normal by that date and time.

Re: Visiting The UK

Tha1ChiefRocka — Mon, 5 Aug 2019 15:34:38 GMT

Author: Tha1ChiefRocka

Posted: 08/05/2019 19:34

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I think I'm shooting for the summer of 2021 at this point; I have to delay it a little bit to save up some scratch.

Re: Visiting The UK

Patman360 — Fri, 2 Aug 2019 15:14:32 GMT

Author: Patman360

Posted: 08/02/2019 19:14

Acktland wrote:

(when I went, the taxi driver took me to all the places the English shot Irish 😲 free tour).

There's a lot of those about, there's a monument erected on my farm back home for this reason!

Temple Bar is extortionate price wise, even by Dublin's standards (and Dublin is fucking expensive), it's a good night out for the most part though and stays open quite late in comparison to your standard Irish pubs, I'm more at home in the smaller Irish cities though in terms of nightlife, can't recommend Galway enough though, obviously I'll recommend Cork as it's my home town and I'm biased (and I've yet to find food to match that found in Cork elsewhere in the world, Edinburgh being second place currently, which is a city I love to bits for so many reasons) and Belfast is a decent spot if you don't stray too far off the beaten path (pro-tip: don't bring your British mates to a republican pub, cause things can get dicey).

Re: Visiting The UK

Acktland — Fri, 2 Aug 2019 11:20:53 GMT

Author: Acktland

Posted: 08/02/2019 15:20

Hey man. If you're after countryside I'd recommend Cornwall; the scenery is stunning and decent surfing (I'm told - definitely not a surfer dude myself), also for scones.... research cream and jam etiquette before arriving! Then across the Severn Bridge into Wales (Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire Coast). Liverpool for the music scene and a bit further north into the Lake District which is beautiful (although loads of tourists (irony)) - Wordsworth, etc.
West Coast of Scotland is wild and there must be a distillery thereabouts.... Edinburgh in the east (fringe festival on now), then south into Newcastle for a bottle of dog (Newcastle Brown) as mentioned previously. Yorkshire Moors are further south - Whitby on the coast (where Dracula entered England in the book - they have a couple of themed festivals each year) - for fish n chips (and dodging Seagulls). York, Leeds, Nottingham, Cambridge, (Slough... maybe not) into London for a blast around the tourist sites and brewery tours (the Travelodge just down the road from Kings Cross station is about £80 / night (small room, no frills or food/drink). The exchange is about $1.20 to the £ and getting stronger

Dublin - some cracking bars in Temple Bar (when I went, the taxi driver took me to all the places the English shot Irish 😲 free tour). Or maybe the west coast where it seems every president descendants hailed from!

No idea if that has helped at all but there is loads to see - all down to interests, time and money

Re: Visiting The UK

HigherThanTheSun — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 18:15:10 GMT

Author: HigherThanTheSun

Posted: 02/17/2019 23:15

How long are you planning to stay for and how far away from London are you prepared to venture?

Re: Visiting The UK

gussteivi — Sat, 9 Feb 2019 06:28:09 GMT

Author: gussteivi

Posted: 02/09/2019 11:28

What's wrong with good 'ol fashioned Airbnb?

Re: Visiting The UK

Hayden — Fri, 8 Feb 2019 23:24:14 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 02/09/2019 04:24

Tha1ChiefRocka wrote:

I'd like to go an tour at least one good Scotch maker while I'm there. Although I'm afraid they would have to drag me out of there 😁

Nothing wrong about being dragged out of a place. Highly underrated.

And yeah, don't fear hostels. I've stayed in European hostels that are leagues nicer than North American motels. There's a whole variety really, especially in eastern Europe. Only reason I ever even made it to London was because I got a heavy discount on a hotel because their fire alarm kept malfunctioning in the middle of the night (which, during my stay, it didn't 😁 ), but it's def an expensive city to stay in, so consider your options. 3-4 nights can easily run a month's rent in other parts on England.

Re: Visiting The UK

Tha1ChiefRocka — Fri, 8 Feb 2019 22:30:02 GMT

Author: Tha1ChiefRocka

Posted: 02/09/2019 03:30

StreetSpirit wrote:

You're only 23? For whatever reason, you struck me as someone a little older. Late 20s or early 30s.

Hostels are a good option if you're on a budget and planning to spend most of your time out exploring anyway. I know that crappy movie gave hostels a negative reputation but I've never had a bad experience staying at one. But there are shoddy hostels out there. Do your research before booking one. You might really enjoy Scotland. Probably less expensive than London, a little more laid back, and close proximity to The Highlands for that bucolic experience you're after.

As for rideshares, Uber was not allowed in London for a little while but it is now. But I'm sure there are domestic rideshare options, and taxis are still plentiful.

Anyway enjoy your trip whenever/wherever you go.

Thanks for the input Street. Yeah, Eli Roth didn't do any favors for the Hostel business. I'd like to go an tour at least one good Scotch maker while I'm there. Although I'm afraid they would have to drag me out of there 😁

(It's funny you said that about the age thing. Another user said the same thing in a PM. I thought I had mentioned my age before, but it's very common for people to say that about me. And you haven't even seen me!)

Re: Visiting The UK

CA Dreamin — Fri, 8 Feb 2019 21:20:10 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 02/09/2019 02:20

You're only 23? For whatever reason, you struck me as someone a little older. Late 20s or early 30s.

Hostels are a good option if you're on a budget and planning to spend most of your time out exploring anyway. I know that crappy movie gave hostels a negative reputation but I've never had a bad experience staying at one. But there are shoddy hostels out there. Do your research before booking one. You might really enjoy Scotland. Probably less expensive than London, a little more laid back, and close proximity to The Highlands for that bucolic experience you're after.

As for rideshares, Uber was not allowed in London for a little while but it is now. But I'm sure there are domestic rideshare options, and taxis are still plentiful.

Anyway enjoy your trip whenever/wherever you go.

Re: Visiting The UK

Tha1ChiefRocka — Fri, 8 Feb 2019 19:06:15 GMT

Author: Tha1ChiefRocka

Posted: 02/09/2019 00:06

Quote:

I found what most people said was far away was actually quite close.

Ah, yes, the old compact cities. I've heard this before. That's a good thing to remember.

@ Jimmy

Thanks!

That's a lovely bit of concierge work you've done there. London would be nice for a few days, but the more pastoral and bucolic places are what I'm after. Need to see what Wordsworth was talking about in that Lake District 😉 .
I've never stayed in a hostel, but I assume the one's there are probably better than most other places in Europe.

Good call on the trains, I didn't know that. I have no qualms about a Travelodge, I've stayed in some shabby places before. No cash for the bus is a good tip. How are the cabs? Or has Uber taken over cities outside the US as well?

Everything is currently frozen where I am, so I'm not in any hurry to see things frozen elsewhere.

I don't know where the teeth thing came from, but I've always found it hilarious.

On another note, have you ever flown Icelandair? They recently started flying to the Kansas City Airport, and they're the cheapest option by a couple hundred bucks.

Re: Visiting The UK

Jimmy Dread — Fri, 8 Feb 2019 06:19:10 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 02/08/2019 11:19

A lot depends on what you want to get out of your trip to Blighty I guess...

Sightseeing? London obvs, but a trip to the Lake District, the fishing villages of Cornwall, the vibrancy of Brighton, donkey ride at Blackpool, a bottle of Newcastle Brown on the Tyne, take in a Premier League football ('soccer') match or even a game of cricket at Lord's depending on when you visit, record shopping in Portobello, Notting Hill, Camden and Soho (if you need a guide I'll happily show you the best shops) or Bristol if you prefer, a stately home (Blenheim Palace - Churchill's old gaff - or Hampton Court worth a trek), Windsor Castle and see if Queenie's in, have a pint of real ale at a West Country pub on the village green and pretend you're in The Kinks, travel to Stonehenge and stand miles away from a load of tall stones (and then go home and wonder what all the fuss was about), see a gig at the Brixton Academy, go punting down the Thames at Henley, visit Nick Drake's grave in Tanworth-in-Arden and leave a guitar pick behind. You could even venture into Cymru and learn a new language, or Scotland and get wankered on Buckfast (which comes from Devon). Norn Iron has Giant's Causeway which is a load of rocks, and probably more flags being flown from roundabouts than you've ever seen (and that's in full knowledge that you're from The States, where I know you guys love your flags).

In terms of lodgings and travel, trains are stupidly expensive so would suggest if you're on a budget use National Express coaches. Hostels probably not a bad idea - an average hotel would set you back £120 a night in London, but if you're outside the smoke then there's bargains all over the place if you look on booking.com and such. London buses might not accept cash but others outside London do. The cheapest national chain is probably Travelodge, but they're very basic so don't expect The Savoy. If you know when you're going book them up way in advance and it might work out pretty economically savvy.

Avoid visiting in January and February (weather and people are miserable) and I'd wait to see how Brexit unravels - you could be walking into a civil war, and if not everything might have tumbled down in price that $1 might get you £10 or something mad. Although I doubt it, 'cos us Brits will probably just shrug our shoulders and learn to get on with whatever happens.

Oh, and we don't all have horrendous teeth. Fuck knows where that misrepresentation of our national dental hygiene came from.

Re: Visiting The UK

Hayden — Fri, 8 Feb 2019 01:08:18 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 02/08/2019 06:08

Bring an umbrella and up your coffee budget.

Only been to the UK once (London), but really dug it. As an American you'll probably consider it an easily walkable city, especially in better weather. I found what most people said was far away was actually quite close. Being said, if it's 2am and you need a bus, just take note they don't accept cash 🤣 (at any time of day I should add).

(the rest I'll leave to the UK members who know a lot more)

Visiting The UK

Tha1ChiefRocka — Fri, 8 Feb 2019 00:07:33 GMT

Author: Tha1ChiefRocka

Posted: 02/08/2019 05:07

This is not going to happen for awhile, but, after I get my first real job, I'd like to take myself a vacation. I've only been out of the country once, and I went to Italy, Austria, and Germany, but this time I'd like to go to the UK and maybe Ireland if I have enough money/time. Once again this won't be happening for awhile,maybe one or two years from now, but it doesn't hurt to start planning. If any of the members from the Former British Empire could give me some helpful tips for travel, or lodging ideas, I would be thankful. As it stands now, I'm a 23 year old bachelor (24 by the time of this trip) and I'll most likely be traveling alone, because the rest of my friends will either be unemployed or still in school.

Thanks (or "Cheers", I guess :D)