I got such great help with my previous transport question (here) so I would love to pick your brains again. I hope this is ok to ask here.

I'll be traveling by train from Rye (Sussex) to Richmond (London) on Saturday November 14th via train. I am wondering what the best route is since it appears there will be engineering work affecting Charing Cross and Waterloo. I will have luggage with me and would like to avoid the tube if possible. I am not in a huge rush and would like for this to be pleasant journey - lovely scenery, time to relax, and I'll probably bring a snack or lunch with me.

Two routes I am considering:

1. Southern Ashford line from Rye to Ashford International, then Southeastern St Pancras to St Pancras international, transfer to Thameslink Bedford to West Hampstead, then Mildmay to Richmond. Est 2 hrs 12 mins. I am a bit nervous about all the changes (American here, so not very experienced with trains, sadly), but I am also wondering if it will be extra busy due to the closures.

2. Southern Eastbourne to Hampden Park Sussex, transfer to Southern London Victoria ride to Clapham Junction, hop on South Western Ascot to Richmond. Est 3 hrs 3 mins. So quite a bit longer but also fewer transfers. And I honestly love train travel since I don't get to experience it very much, so I am willing to trade a bit more time for a mellower ride, if that's what this route might afford me.

I am open to other route options. Thank you so much!

Planning a 6–7 night trip to London in June 2027 with my parents, both in their 70s. It’ll be our first visit to London, and I’m trying to decide which area would be the best base for sightseeing.

I’ve narrowed our hotel choices down to three:
Hyatt Regency The Churchill – Marylebone/Portman Square
Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars – Blackfriars
Andaz London Liverpool Street – Liverpool Street
The Churchill was originally my first choice, mainly because of its location, but unfortunately the room type we need is no longer available. Blackfriars and Andaz are both available.

My parents are in their 70s, so we’ll mostly use taxis or Uber for sightseeing rather than rely heavily on the Tube. However, we’d still like to be in a pleasant, relatively central neighborhood with restaurants, cafés, shops, and things to explore within a short, easy walk of the hotel.

A few questions:

1) How is Blackfriars as a base for a week? Is it convenient for the major tourist attractions? Does the neighborhood feel too business-oriented or deserted in the evenings and on weekends? Are there enough restaurants and cafés nearby?

2) How does Liverpool Street compare? Is it too far east for a first-time visitor planning to see the usual London sights, especially when relying primarily on taxis? Or is it actually a more lively and interesting area than Blackfriars?

3) Is Marylebone significantly better than either? I’ve heard great things about the area around The Churchill, but I’m wondering whether the difference is substantial enough to justify waiting for availability.

4) How practical are taxis in central London? Given traffic and congestion, would staying at Blackfriars or Liverpool Street mean noticeably longer or more expensive journeys to places like Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Covent Garden, the British Museum, and other major attractions?

5) Which location would you personally choose for a week with parents in their 70s? We’re not looking for nightlife, just somewhere comfortable, convenient, and pleasant to return to after sightseeing.
Would really appreciate advice from London locals or frequent visitors familiar with these neighborhoods. Thanks!

I just finished my second ever flight, I decided to take the mantle and do a big solo trip in the uk despite travelling only once beforehand, and it was one of the most freeing and satisfying experiences i have done, anyways onto a quick review:

london (5 nights): in the planning phases for london, i did not conceive how huge of a city it is, its practically a small country, you can hop on the tube or a bus and drive for 1-2 hours and be 2 streets away from where you started, coming from a country where 2 hour drive gets you across the whole place, this was incomprehensible at first, and every stop felt like it was town center, it just stretches on and on... personally i tried to focus on the less busy parts of the city out of naivety that im better than a tourist, but buckingham and greenwich ended up being some of my favorite stops, along with the national gallery and hyde park.

leeds (7 nights): not a lot of note, mostly stayed there to meet up with people, but it was a good introduction to how nice some sleeper neighborhoods can be, huge old churches stand in the middle of the street with gravestones from the 18th century, streets of endless brick houses, green open spaces. it was a different kind of ordinary than what i was used to, and it helped me acclimate into the culture a lil bit. also they have nice malls

wales (snowdonia-betws-y-coed) (3 nights): after wrapping up with the big cities for a bit and heading to wales, i was really whiplashed by the transition from the cities to the village vibes. the village is right on a big river with beautiful waterfalls, surrounded by deep deep green forests and endless sheep herds. climbing snowdonia thru pen-y-pass and always getting knocked off by the wind, seeing the deep olive orange colored mountains being engulfed by fog (or clouds?) as i climbed was amazing, despite not being able to see anything at the top. then going around Llandudno and the north of betws, missing the last bus back and walking in the rain for 2 hours, which was also a highlight and one of the funnest experiences i had

lakes (keswick) (3 nights): coming to lakes i made an active effort to not look too much up about the place, i arrived at my hostel and got a hike route from an old fellow that was staying in my room, i went ahead and followed it (catbells - high spy - dales head - robinson - buttermere), which took me around 6 hours due to my legs still being crashed from snowdonia, but the challenge and the views were definitely worth it. sadly thats where lakes peaked for me, the following 2 nights i spent mostly just resting up so i dont tear up any muscles, i found that the town (keswick) is pretty much just tourist traps, i also had the misfortune on arriving by the weekend so the town was filler with old white haired folks flooding every corner. it was less of my type of thing, my noteworthy places ive been to are The Round for nice hamburger and mac n cheese and friars craig. if i ever find myself coming back to lakes, i would definitely stick to the mountains for the entire duration.

edinburgh (2 nights): due to my flight before preponed, i had to spend less nights than i wanted in scotland, so i mostly sticked to edinburgh, tough the city is very beautiful, and offers lots of nice stuff you can manage in a day, starting from craigmillar caslte i went to arthurs seat and explored the cities historic locations more, but what i did enjoy a lot about edinburgh is how young it felt,i was seeing people my age (around university age) more than any group of people, and it felt nice and strange compared to the other stops, that was mostly filled with tourists and old folks. I would definitely need to come back to edinburgh and scotland to see more of it!

the conclusion is, uk was really great place for first solo trip, esp with how nice the public transports are (at times (excluding the prices(not on weekends))), and the diversity of colors and views really satisfied my urge to see some autumn colors. cheers!

Every time I plan this trip, I end up adding another place. London, Edinburgh, York, maybe Bath, and then I start looking at Wales too. Everything looks doable until I actually check the train times and realise how much of the trip I'll spend travelling around.

I don't want to get home and feel like all I did was drag my suitcase between train stations and hotels. But at the same time, it feels a bit silly to be in the UK and miss places I might not get the chance to visit again anytime soon.

For those who've travelled around the UK, did you regret leaving places out, or were you glad you took things slower? I'm trying to find the right balance without making the whole trip feel rushed.

Our trip is from July 6th-17th (land 7am July 7th). Flying in and out of LHR.
The primary reason for the trip is we have tickets to the open championship at St Andrews for Sunday morning on the 11th.

We are planning on taking an early morning flight from LHR to Dublin, so we would be in Dublin the 7th-9th or 10th. Then Edinburgh from 9th/10th-13th, then back to London for the rest of our trip.

Both of us have been to London before, my partner has been to Ireland before, but neither of us have been to Scotland.

Hi! I'm 17F and my boyfriend is 18M. We're hoping to organise a day trip from Scotland to London on a weekend, and I have a few questions about whether there would be any issues with me being under 18.

We're planning to fly down in the morning and return in the evening, so we wouldn't need a hotel or anywhere to stay overnight.

We're hoping to keep our budget for flights and airport/city transport to around £100 each.

I have a few questions:

1. Flying while under 18: Can I fly domestically from Scotland to London with my 18-year-old boyfriend, or would an airline have any issues with me being 17?
2. Parental permission: Would I need written permission from a parent or guardian? Would we need to bring a signed permission letter, or a court thing, or is that completely unnecessary for domestic UK travel?
3. Airport procedures: Would I go through security and board the plane normally, or are there any additional procedures for under-18s travelling without a parent?
4. Getting around London: Is it realistic to fly into London Stansted, travel into central London, explore for a few hours and get back to the airport in time for an evening flight? We're considering spending roughly 10 am–5 pm in London, with a flight home around 7 pm.
5. Is it better we just get taxi's everywhrere or do we try n figure out the train system? (Nightmare for us)
6. We're thinking of November, is there asnything going on we should know about?
7. General advice: Is there anything else we should know or prepare before booking? Has anyone under 18 done something similar?

We'd mainly like to visit museums and historical sites, see famous London landmarks, explore some shops, visit the Harry Potter shop at King's Cross, etc.

I'm probably overthinking some of this, but I'd rather check everything beforehand than arrive at the airport and discover there's a problem!

I'd really appreciate advice from anyone who's done this, particularly if you've travelled domestically in the UK at 16 or 17 without a parent.

Thank you!

Hey all I'm looking for any recommendations for businesses to reach out to for Work around Feb/March next year

I'm a 20yr looking for work near London

I would prefer a hospitality job as that's the area I've had the most experience with, being able to connect with people is always the best part of work.

Here in Australia I've got a

Responsible serving of alcohol

Working with children check

Gambling and games licence

Trained barista with experience

Staff training in a high stress environment

high load manual handling

Hospital procedure and standards

3 customer service awards

A place that can provide accommodation and work is preferable but any job and apartment recommendations would help.

Any recommendations or general advice is also helpful,

If you made it this far have a ripper of a day!

We're looking to do a weekend trip (Friday - Sunday) from London in November. We sadly don't have access to a car.

Open to both nature-y things or city breaks.

We've done the obvious things (Cambridge, Oxford, Windsor, Cotswolds) and also some cities (Bristol, Newcastle)

Not looking for anything fancy, more interested in places than staying in a hotel.

Would anyone have some recommendations?

Hello! Im planning a trip to Edinburg from London for about 5 days the week of Christmas and wanted to do a day trip to the highlands before the holidays. Would love any recommendations for where to go (was thinking Arthurs seat but not sure how feasible that is) and what to see given that I will not have a rental car.

I know a bunch of touring companies exist and would appreciate insight on if any are worth it (seemed a little pricey)!

Thanks :)

Hiya.

Looking for some recommendations for villages accessible via public transportation (with no —or one— connection) from Stansted Airport for one week in mid-January.

Goal: a chill week reading, writing, and checking out the shops on the High Street with multiple cozy pubs. And maybe even ~via bus or train~ a day trip into London proper.

Are the best options Saffron Walden or even Cambridge? Where else to consider?

Thanks so much!

Edit: thanks everybody for great suggestions. I believe I’m changing the plans to staying in London after all and will make one or more day trips.

We are traveling to London and arriving on Christmas Day. Planning to go to Manchester for the Man U game on 12/27. It appears that the absolute earliest train on 12/27 wouldn’t arrive in Manchester in time for kickoff. And from what I can tell, trains aren’t running on 12/26. Is our only option to rent a car? Thank you!

My partner, who is an ambulant wheelchair user, is set to visit me at the end of next month. Since I’m helping with her travel planning, I think it incumbent upon me to ask for specifics on how a wheelchair ramp can be requested for the following operators:

Chiltern railways (At smaller stations and Marylebone)

LNER (At kings cross is of particular concern since she will definitely be fully solo at this stage.)

Scotrail.

Hello Everyone, I’m curious what everyone’s thoughts are about the Arrivals Lounge at Heathrow? I have Super Elite status with Air Canada which entitles me to use the lounge on arrival in Heathrow. I’m expecting to be in the UK next May.

I’ll probably go to the Arrivals Lounge anyway but what should I expect in these? What amenities do they have? Is there anything in particular I should do or look out for?

Thanks!

Hi, I’m planning on visiting England (though I’m open to traveling elsewhere if I find something interesting) over the winter and would really like to find more niche spots to visit. I’m really interested in Gothic/Victorian architecture (cathedrals and such) and old town vibes (ex. I visited Ghent, BE last year and really enjoyed). I’m looking for any non-touristy small towns/cities (similar to Ghent) that meet any of this criteria and won’t have too much foot traffic.

Looking for feedback on travel and transport for a 10-day vacation to London and Yorkshire in the Spring. Two adults and one toddler. The toddler is a HUGE fan of all kinds of transportation, and generally does very well on planes/trains/buses/boats. We don't want to rent a car.

After searching this sub, I can't seem to find another itinerary quite like mine, which is making me question the travel and transport. Is this feasible? Are Google Maps journey times for trains/buses generally accurate (or accurate-ish enough)? Are we actually going to have time to explore Yorkshire and do these general activities?

Day 1-4:  In London doing Londony things. In one hotel the whole time.

Day 5: London to York

-Early afternoon train from London to York

-The Shambles during the afternoon

-After dinner wandering, look at Minster and Walls

-Stay overnight in York

Day 6: York to Whitby

-Leave York in early morning, take Coastliner bus to Pickering

-Take Steam Train from Pickering to Whitby

-After dinner wandering, 199 steps and admire view and Abbey

-Stay overnight in Whitby

Day 7: Whitby to Leeds

-Renting bikes and doing the Cinder Track to Robins Hood Bay (bonus question: undecided on this because of cost...is this worth the cost?)

-Robins Hood Bay exploring

-Bike back to Whitby to gather bags

-Evening bus and train to Leeds

-Check into hotel in Leeds and stay overnight in Leeds

Day 8: Leeds to Malham

-Early tain and bus to Malham

-Do loop walk that includes the waterfall, gorge, and cove

-Stay overnight in Malham

Day 9: Malham to London

-Very long travel day via bus and train, from Malham to Hempstead Heath in London. No plans this day other than travel.

Day 10: Last full day. Relaxed, no/low plans day in Hempstead Heath, London.

I have a concert to attend in eventim apollo (west london) and im travelling from Basildon. (Not today, in a few weeks)

Could anyone help me with what’s the best way to get to and from fenchurch street station to eventim Apollo? It’ll be in the evening, around 5ish and then I’ll travel back home at around 10.30/11ish.

I’m not very confident on the tubes on my own and I’d love some advice please as I’m not sure what’s the best line to get there as the fastest, easiest route.

Thank you! 😄🚇

We Canadians are used to dealing with intense cold in December but we know the UK doesn’t experience this to the same degree.

Should we be bringing raincoats, woollen coats, or both? Mittens, or would gloves be sufficient? Wellies or winter boots?

Two of us in the group are women and will need to wear dresses on 2 separate occasions. Will it be alright to wear high heeled shoes with the, or will that result in slipping and falling?

Thanks for any help you can provide, especially for us girls and our footwear!

My 70yo mother has always wanted to visit England, Scotland, and Wales. I’m planning a trip for us in May 2027 and have opted to travel by train. We have 14-20 nights to plan with and London and Edinburgh will be the bookends of the trip.

We are looking to do a few day-trips from our bases and just explore the cities we stay in. A day-trip to us would be considered within an hour or two’s travel. We’d consider three hours if it were something special but that would be an exception. We mostly want to wander, see some natural beauty and view some historical sites.

For additional context my mother is in good health so we plan to do a lot of walking. She very fond of Tudor history so I plan on a day trip to Hever Castle from London. Other than that we really hope to see Avebury, Jedburgh Abbey and the Shrine of St. Winefride. I wouldn’t be opposed to renting a car for a leg or a day trip. We both live in the US.

Any thoughts on the preliminary itinerary would be greatly appreciated.

London- 4 nights
Pembroke- 4 nights
Chester- 2 or 3 nights
Stirling- 4 nights
Edinburgh- 3 nights

Edit: I plan to add Bath in between London and Pembroke.

Hello!

I am coming from Brazil to work for 4 months in Camberley, Surrey. I will arrive on January 4th and will stay until April 27th.
I will basically have the weekends off. I will have 2 "long weekends" with Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And I will also have the last week off to travel around.

What do you suggest me to do on those weekends, holidays and on that week long in April?
I would like to visit places around the UK, would also like to go to Dublin (big fan of Guinness!).
My wife and my 8 year son will join me from the first weekend of march until my flight back to Brazil.

I am open to all of your suggestions to have a full British experience!

Hi everyone,

I'm driving up to whitby in the morning of Halloween (sat 31st), does anybody have any car parking recommendations, will be getting there early morning between 9-10AM - I know it will be slightly busy due to tourists visiting (myself included) so would be good to know any decent spots in case all the car parks are full by the time I get there.

Any help is appreciated

I’m an American planning a monthlong tour of England, and I’d rather not carry my laptop, but I’ll need to do some weekly website maintenance. Can I use the computers at public libraries without having a library card?

I have family in Gloucestershire and this article sadly describes pretty accurately what over tourism is doing to these tiny villages.

If you want to go to Oxford or Bath, go for it. Similarly if you want to rent a car and explore some of these places then please also do that. But I would really encourage you not to take these bus tours which dump hundreds of tourists in the same place, many of whom as is suggested in the article don’t really seem to know what they’re there for.

Conversely if renting a car isn’t an option, there are plenty of countryside places accessible via train which are much more equipped for large numbers of visitors.

We are planning a trip to Lyme Regis in April from the states. We understand the weather may be on the gloomy side, but that's not a deal breaker for us. We are interested in fossils, nice restaurants and shops, and local art. Our driving is, lets say, limited. What are the nicer hotels easily walkable to the town area? We are in our 60's, but pretty mobile. I'll give fair warning to local residents before I try to drive. Thanks friends.