<p>If you plan on Scotland let me know- I am Scottish.</p>
<p>I also have never been to Ireland. If I had known I would eventually live in the US, we would have probably made te effort to go over for the weekend.</p>
<p>My advice is to pick a couple of places to visit and then travel from there. You get so much more feel for a place then constantly moving from hotel to hotel.</p>
<p>I second the suggestions on Bath and York. Lots to do see and do for all interests.</p>
<p>If it was me…
night or 2 in London
Train to York… 3/4 nights
Train to Edinburgh… 3/4 nights
Train to St Andrews… day trip or overnight
Fly back from Edi</p>
<p>I would recommend that you not try to do too much in the short time that you have. If you have a particular interest in Wales, I suggest devote your first week just to Wales and then move on to Ireland. You’ve received some good suggestions for attractions in Wales, including Snowdonia and Caernarfon I believe. if you want to spend more time in England, then I might suggest Llangollen, which although quite Welsh is easily accessible from England. If I had only a few days in England I would spend them in the Cotswolds, e.g. Bibury, Lower and Upper Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, and take advantage of the wonderful public footpaths. You could add Oxford and Bath as day trips.</p>
<p>Similarly, in Ireland I wouldn’t try to do too much. I used to live in Dublin and I know there is a lot to see and do there, but for a first taste of Ireland I would try to avoid places overrun with tourists. County Wicklow, just south of Dublin, is a jewel. The monastic settlement of Glendalough is well worth a visit but has been ‘discovered’ so go very early in the day.</p>
<p>Please avoid Killarney. The Ring of Kerry is beautiful but save it for another trip in off-season. Killarney is the biggest tourist trap in Ireland. If you want to go to southwest Ireland, I would suggest West Cork as an alternative.</p>
<p>Donegal in the northwest is rugged and beautiful, much like Scotland, and off the major tourist trails.</p>
<p>As with Wales or England, I would choose one region and stay there. It will be much more relaxing.</p>
<p>Another suggestion: if you plan to drive, ask for an automatic. Driving a standard in Ireland and Britain is fun, but unless you are used to driving on the left it will be less stressful if you have an automatic. Also, don’t be fooled by the short distances between site: the drive will inevitably take longer than you think.</p>
<p>My husband and I took a trip to Scotland to celebrate my 50th birthday this past September and October , along with his brother and wife. We rented a boat and cruised the canals between Falkirk and Edinburgh. Think of it as a leisurely motor home on a very narrow river.
One of the best vacations we have ever had !
We had the pleasure of visiting small towns at our own pace while getting to the big city.
The destination was because of my life long desire to visit the roots of my family heritage
It all came together nicely …we went expecting lousy weather and meh food but we got lucky.
It isn’t for everyone, but we will definately travel this way again and I cannot wait to see more of Scotland. I have never met friendlier people anywhere I have traveled to</p>
<p>We did the boat rental in Holland about 10 years ago, lje. It was interesting. We had too many captains on our trip. :)</p>
<p>My husband has Welsh roots and I am part Irish, so we were kind of thinking along the same lines of finding our roots. However, the more I look around, the more I see of Scotland’s countryside, the more interesting it looks.</p>
<p>I haven’t always live in Manchester! I moved here about 18 months ago from Bristol (SW England). Truth be told I’ve never been to Scotland either. In fact, the furthest north I’ve ever been is Lancaster (about an hour north of Manchester!) There’s just never been any reason to go to Scotland / Ireland. That said, it’s possible that I’ll end up visiting both this year (although N Ireland would only be on business, not for pleasure) and it’s not like I’m not well travelled - I’ve been everywhere from Australia to India. My grandmother’s the same - she’s been all over the world, even emigrating and later returning to the UK (which she did at a time when it was relatively unusual to travel abroad) but has never visited Scotland. </p>
<p>Truth be told, I think there’s an element of not going because it’s close and therefore always easily accessible. When I lived in Bristol there was a large park about a mile away (really pleasant - with deer and a stately home, free to enter) which other people travelled from miles around to go to… and I went there about twice a year, when there was a major event on.</p>
<p>Agree with Irish Doctor’s comments about Ireland. We mix tourist sites with visiting family so have been in Dublin a few times but you might enjoy an Ireland trip better w/o Dublin. (I only go there b/c I have family there.) Ireland’s countryside is beautiful. While the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary is a tourist destination, the nearby Cahir Castle and Glen of Aherlow were amazing. The Office of Public Works has a great site that groups national heritage sites by geographic area. Just search OPW Heritage Ireland. We liked having one destination each day, but we were with our children.</p>
<p>If you plan to book an automatic car, book early, as the car hire firms have far more standards than automatics. We brought a handheld Garmin GPS with us and it was worth every penny. Driving on the opposite side of the road with a stick shift on tight winding roads can be tiring. The distances and travel times are deceiving to anyone used to American highways. By the time we arrived in Killarney, we couldn’t bear the thought of driving the Ring of Kerry so just moved on.</p>
<p>I had business in Dublin a few years back, followed by a week or so on my own that I used to explore Galway, including Yeats’ wonderful Thoor Ballylee, a “rough castle” near Gort, and also the Aran Islands. This was in August, a great month to eat lobsters from Galway Bay and share a long table with tourists from all over Europe - but I wished I’d planned ahead for lodging. Also, needed more layers!</p>
<p>@MDmom…we had no captains…we were on our own . Both my husband and his brother have extensive boating experience, but it wasn’t really needed for the most part with this type of travel. You kind of can’t go wrong , at least with the route we traveled
The odd thing about the trip and my desire to visit my family’s country of origin was that I am the only one in my family who has ever wanted to see it, which seemed odd to me. I thought a lot about my grandmother, my great grandmother ( since they were the only ancestor’s I knew with roots there ) and wondered why they had no interest in seeing it…I know why my mother doesn’t and it is because of her extreme fear of flying. I know that things were so much different back in those days , but still didn’t understand why some immigrants came to America , particularly from the UK and seemed to never look back and leave a lot of traditions behind them. That seems to accurately describe my heritage , so it was very meaningful for me to make that connection…I took it all in like no place I have ever visited , and it didn’t hurt that it happened to be beautiful and such lovely people</p>
<p>We had a lovely 4 day trip to Northern Wales a couple of years ago. Lots of castles, scenic places, historical places. Just beautiful. We used Welsh Dragon Tours [Welsh</a> Dragon Tours](<a href=“http://www.welshdragontours.com/]Welsh”>http://www.welshdragontours.com/) whom I highly recommend. Irene and Rob can customize a tour to any length you want, seeing the sights you’d like to see. I’ve driven myself in the UK, but it is much more relaxing to have someone else do the driving. We enjoyed our 4 days in Northern Wales so much we did a 7 day tour of Scotland with them last year - had another brilliant time. We found Welsh Dragon Tours very reasonable for what you get. Not much more than a package tour and you get a customized itinerary and your own driver/escort.</p>
<p>We’ll be there this summer as well, although it’ll most likely just be me and DS on this leg of the journey as DH will have left for home – someone has to work :)</p>
<p>I’m wondering just how difficult it is to manage driving in the Welsh and English countryside. I’ll be the only driver and I’m worried I’ll end up on the wrong side of the road. Roundabouts are challenging enough without having to remember to stay on the left.</p>
<p>We like taking trains, but I think to see the countryside they are not the best option. I am a bit concerned too about the left side driving. My hubby scares me a bit in this country. ;)</p>
<p>About the boats, we did not have a captain either: we had three men who wanted to be captain and none had boating experience. We entertained the locals as we tried to maneuver the flat-bottomed boat on moving water. The thought brings back such lovely memories.</p>
<p>Bumping this up. We just talked to our friends who are in England. We think we may do southern England ( they are in County Kent), and then go over to Wales. They plan to drive us…can’t beat that.</p>