OT: Coming to England!

[myboss57]

So, the wife and I are officially heading to the UK in June! I am stoked, I was in Harrogate and York a few years back, but it was for work, so I didn't see much or do anything real touristy.

I'd like to see if any of you UK folks have any suggestions for things to see and things to skip - touristy stuff, but also maybe stuff that's a little off the beaten path as well.

Our plan is starting in London for a few days, then off to Chepstow (the wife has some old friends there apparently), then Liverpool, maybe into Manchester, hopefully through York again, and then into Scotland (Oban, for the distillery tour! Yeah!). Then we leave out of Glasgow to head back home.

We plan on renting a car, but I know the rail system is pretty stellar in Europe in general, but I'm thinking the freedom of having a car would just be easier. I was thinking from London, we could do day trips to Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and Dover. But that's about as far as I got!

So, suggestions please? Thanks a lot if you read through this and can help out!! We really appreciate it!

[the dirty tricks]

When you are in London...

my first thing to do would be Abbey Road for the crossing, closest tube is St Johns Wood I think....also I would head to Denmark Street for guitar heaven, everything you could ever need is a shop or two away, vintage and new....I love it! Closest tube for this is Tottenham Court Road, 2min walk......

A few links below:

http://www.vintageandrareguitars.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.angelmusicguitars.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/directory/1092/47616.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.beatlesstorelondon.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (if you like The Beatles)

Good luck guys, have a good time!

Andy

[OrangePaul]

If you like spectacular coastal views I would visit Worms Head on the Gower Peninsular, South Wales...not too far from Chepstow. On a clear day you can see right across the Bristol channel to Devon and Cornwall (also nice) and Lundy Isle....the view goes on forever....
Was also a spectacular sky as i remember when we went, but you're not forced to be so lucky

[jackincaves]

If you're in Liverpool it's definitely worth going to Manchester at least for the day as it's only 40 mins away by train.

I've lived in Liverpool for three years and haven't really done any of the touristy things though so I don't know what to suggest other than The Philharmonic pub. Great beer and an amazing building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philharmon ... _Liverpool

The Albert Dock is great for museums etc; the Tate Modern is there.

[Le Chat Noir]

My suggestion is to look out for Le Chat Noir gigs - would be great to add another forumite to the growing list of people I've met in person on here!

Secondly, if you do get a chance, head down here to Devon - beautiful countryside and coastline, lots of nice things to do. It sounds like you're generally headed North though!

[Mrjones2004x]

Come to my house and bring your rig! We'll really go for it and drive the Neighbours insane!

[myboss57]

When you are in London...

my first thing to do would be Abbey Road for the crossing, closest tube is St Johns Wood I think....also I would head to Denmark Street for guitar heaven, everything you could ever need is a shop or two away, vintage and new....I love it! Closest tube for this is Tottenham Court Road, 2min walk......

A few links below:

http://www.vintageandrareguitars.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.angelmusicguitars.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/directory/1092/47616.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.beatlesstorelondon.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (if you like The Beatles)

Good luck guys, have a good time!

Andy

Sweet! I'll definitely have to try and check out Abbey Road, and that Beatles store looks crazy! Thanks!

If you like spectacular coastal views I would visit Worms Head on the Gower Peninsular, South Wales...not too far from Chepstow. On a clear day you can see right across the Bristol channel to Devon and Cornwall (also nice) and Lundy Isle....the view goes on forever....
Was also a spectacular sky as i remember when we went, but you're not forced to be so lucky

I'm thinking we'll be able to do this, I'm planning on trying to do little day trips out of the cities we are visiting. We're heading to Chepstow to try and see some old friends of my wife, but it may not work out (in which case we'll have more time to explore on our own!). This sounds really nice.

If you're in Liverpool it's definitely worth going to Manchester at least for the day as it's only 40 mins away by train.

I've lived in Liverpool for three years and haven't really done any of the touristy things though so I don't know what to suggest other than The Philharmonic pub. Great beer and an amazing building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philharmon ... _Liverpool

The Albert Dock is great for museums etc; the Tate Modern is there.

That pub looks amazing! That's going on the list for sure. When I went to the UK before, we flew in and out from Manchester, so I only saw the city driving in and out of it. Definitely want to see it this time around.

My suggestion is to look out for Le Chat Noir gigs - would be great to add another forumite to the growing list of people I've met in person on here!

Secondly, if you do get a chance, head down here to Devon - beautiful countryside and coastline, lots of nice things to do. It sounds like you're generally headed North though!

That would be pretty awesome. Let me know if you have any gigs in June and if we're in the area, we'll definitely try to make it out. When I was there before, Shai Hulud (a band from the states that I LOVE) played in Leeds (which I was close to). I didn't find out until a day or so later - so bummed!
Yeah, the farthest south I guess would be London, give or take. Maybe we can swing out that way on our way over to Chepstow though. We're really just wingin' this!

Come to my house and bring your rig! We'll really go for it and drive the Neighbours insane!

That would be awesome. I've been wanting to get my RV100 up to 11 for some time now...that would certainly be a great test run to get those tubes cookin'!

[Jabberwocky]

I might leave Oban out of your trip if I were you. I work there regularly, and whilst the surrounding countryside is stunning, in June the place is packed end to end with 'Blue Rinse' tourists who arrive in huge buses and throng the cheap hotels. Every second shop is a cheap Tartan shop and the place is pretty run down generally, however, my opinion might be skewed by the fact that I have to be there. Others seem to enjoy it's seedy charm.

For whisky, you should visit the island of Islay, which is maybe 40 miles south of Oban. In my opinion the finest Malts in the world are made there. There are 10 distilleries on the island including the king of them all - Laphroaig....oh yus!

Whilst in Scotland, definitely visit my home town of Edinburgh, capital of the country and splendidly furnished with mighty fine architecture, a plethora of marvellous pubs and restaurants, the odd palace and castle. The place is turgid with history. WhistleBinkies is a late night music venue with normally 3 bands or artistes a night doing their stuff from about 6.30 pm to 3am. Place is usually knee deep in drunk students but if you walk on top of them it saves your footwear getting sticky on the spilled beer. Plenty to see and do in the city for sure.

Enjoy your trip when it comes.

[myboss57]

I might leave Oban out of your trip if I were you. I work there regularly, and whilst the surrounding countryside is stunning, in June the place is packed end to end with 'Blue Rinse' tourists who arrive in huge buses and throng the cheap hotels. Every second shop is a cheap Tartan shop and the place is pretty run down generally, however, my opinion might be skewed by the fact that I have to be there. Others seem to enjoy it's seedy charm.

For whisky, you should visit the island of Islay, which is maybe 40 miles south of Oban. In my opinion the finest Malts in the world are made there. There are 10 distilleries on the island including the king of them all - Laphroaig....oh yus!

Whilst in Scotland, definitely visit my home town of Edinburgh, capital of the country and splendidly furnished with mighty fine architecture, a plethora of marvellous pubs and restaurants, the odd palace and castle. The place is turgid with history. WhistleBinkies is a late night music venue with normally 3 bands or artistes a night doing their stuff from about 6.30 pm to 3am. Place is usually knee deep in drunk students but if you walk on top of them it saves your footwear getting sticky on the spilled beer. Plenty to see and do in the city for sure.

Enjoy your trip when it comes.

That's a damn shame to hear about Oban! I love their whisky! Maybe I will re-think that part of the trip then and check out Islay instead. I had Laphroaig before (a 10 year) and actually didn't like it, but that was a while back, and maybe also that the 10 year just isn't for me when it comes to that brand. Thanks a lot for the tip! Edinburgh sounds pretty awesome, so I'll have to check that out for sure!

By the way, the wife and I are vegans, does anybody know of good places that serve the more "traditional" UK fare in a vegan form?

[nguideau]

As we have chatted about before, my wife and I had our honeymoon in London. My favorites were the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and the Tower of London.

If you have nice weather, the Royal Observatory and surrounding grounds are beautiful, and just a nice place to be outdoors.

The Tower can be kind of hectic, and is obviously a tourist staple, but I think it is a must-see. It's just an amazing structure and has so much to enjoy. Even if it's busy, it didn't feel that crowded to me because it is so big.

I found Denmark Street/London music shops to be insanely overrated. It was the main thing that I wanted to check out at the time, but would now be at or near the bottom of my list with the benefit of hindsight. Not that there weren't nice music shops, but the hype is too much for them to live up to, IMO. And especially coming from the States, you'll throw up in your mouth a little bit when you see the price tags on pretty much any American-made product.

[myboss57]

As we have chatted about before, my wife and I had our honeymoon in London. My favorites were the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and the Tower of London.

If you have nice weather, the Royal Observatory and surrounding grounds are beautiful, and just a nice place to be outdoors.

The Tower can be kind of hectic, and is obviously a tourist staple, but I think it is a must-see. It's just an amazing structure and has so much to enjoy. Even if it's busy, it didn't feel that crowded to me because it is so big.

I found Denmark Street/London music shops to be insanely overrated. It was the main thing that I wanted to check out at the time, but would now be at or near the bottom of my list with the benefit of hindsight. Not that there weren't nice music shops, but the hype is too much for them to live up to, IMO. And especially coming from the States, you'll throw up in your mouth a little bit when you see the price tags on pretty much any American-made product.

That's right, Greenwich! Thanks for the reminder. Definitely want to try and get out there. We don't mind doing a few touristy things - I mean, we are going to be tourists! But we also like to try and get into the local scene and culture as much as possible too, to really experience something fun. The only gear I plan on trying to actually buy would be if the wife and I can make it to Matamp and I "just have to have something" and can sell her on it! I'm not counting on that by the way...

[jackincaves]

+1 for Greenwich. Get the DLR to Cutty Sark and the market is right outside. On the weekends it's really nice and you can get a river taxi up the Thames from there to Embankment.

[Ronnie Robinson]

Edinburgh and York both BEAUTYFUL and highly recommended as is Winsor Castle -the history in that place will blow your socks off but it takes several hours to look round

Yes Denmark Street highly overated and over priced

[myboss57]

+1 for Greenwich. Get the DLR to Cutty Sark and the market is right outside. On the weekends it's really nice and you can get a river taxi up the Thames from there to Embankment.

Sweet! That sounds pretty nice. I really hope we can fit all this in! We'll be in the UK for two weeks, so I think we can, just want to see a lot though!

Edinburgh and York both BEAUTYFUL and highly recommended as is Winsor Castle -the history in that place will blow your socks off but it takes several hours to look round

Yes Denmark Street highly overated and over priced

Windsor Castle looks amazing, from what I looked at on Google Maps. I've been to York before, loved it! The Shambles was really neat to walk through too, as was Clifford's Tower, and the whole wall walk around the city - really nice time there!

[Sooner]

My Favs in London:

The boat ride from Westminster tube station to either the London Tower or the extended version to Greenwich returning via the tube. If you make it to Greenwich you can walk through the tunnel under the river and take the Docklands Light Rail back.

Abby Road crosswalk near St John’s Wood tube station.

Portobello Road market early on a Saturday morning.

Camden Town markets on a Sunday.

Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, SOHO, Trafalgar Square areas. Don’t take the tube from one to the other. It’s faster and more scenic to walk.

King Street from Sloan Square Tube station to The Big Easy Bar-B-Q & Crab Shack: http://www.bigeasy.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; It’s an upscale area that’s not too touristy.

Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers Restaurant in Kensington: http://www.stickyfingers.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Harvey Nichols restaurant at the top of the OXO Tower: http://www.harveynichols.com/oxo-tower- ... restaurant" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Day trip to Brighton.

I wouldn’t even think about trying to drive a car around in London. The tube is fast and the upper decks of the busses are great. I’ve seen it rain every day in London during June so bring umbrellas! The ones that automatically open and close are best…