Miss Clinique

Brilliant itinerary, can I suggest a tour of Kent as well, some beautiful beaches, oysters in Whistable lots of historic sites and castles.

Former Lancastrian

6.Spend a night in Whitby, wander around and enjoy the fish and chips.

Id consider this as a punishment for missing out on Blackpool

Souvy

It's a chalk cliff, nothing more.

Not an ugly cliff, I agree, but hardly one of England's biggest attractions, unless you are suicidal.

comet555

Lol,

I'm making a mental note to not speak badly of anywhere we happen to visit!

dbd33

Well, not everywhere can be the Tower of London or Camden Lock. For a place outside the M25 I think it's attractive and the steady stream of jumpers adds a piquancy. Mind, if my Mother didn't live nearby I don't suppose I'd bother.

Souvy

There is only one Tower and only one Camden Lock. There are plenty of attractive cliffs.

My mother also lives relatively close. During some of my stays with her, Beachy Head becomes very attractive, for a variety of reasons.

DigitalGhost

Yes, but I bet that they wish they were now.

Editha

If you are starting in Ireland, then I don't think you can expect to see very much of England, Wales or Scotland, in the time available to you. You are going to have to be very selective about your itinerary. El_Richo's tour would be exhausting. England is not like NZ, or Canada. You will spend half your time stuck in traffic jams if you try to drive everywhere. Consider using the train for some of your travelling; it is often faster than driving.

I think it would be a pity if, on your first visit to the UK, you did not see London. It is, after all, on most rankings, the second city in the world, after NY. Ignore Teacher1000, who should clearly never have left Canada. The whole 3 weeks would be inadequate to experience everything that London has to offer, but 3 days is the minimum. While you are there don't miss the British Museum, which is absolutely free (as are the V&A, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery etc.etc.). The Tower of London remains a favourite with tourists, for good reason, but nowadays most people also want to go on the London Eye, and visit the Globe Theatre. Don't fail to use the Thames River Bus for great views of the city from the water.

I'd avoid the other large English cities on your first trip, but the suggestions of Bath and York are very good.

In Scotland, I'd aim to visit Edinburgh. Unless you have Scottish ancestry, or you are really anxious to find the British scenery most like Canada's, then I wouldn't go as far as the Scottish Highlands.

Most foreigners seem to like the Cotswolds, which fits with their idea of the quintessential English countryside, possibly because every TV Miss Marple is filmed there. For that reason, it is a bit of a tourist trap, but I would still recommend it. However there are many other gorgeous areas of countryside including most of the West Country (Cornwall, Devon and Somerset), and the Peak District. Wales has also got some lovely countryside and villages.

Many British attractions are closed during the winter. If you are planning to travel between October and April, check that the places you want to see will be open.

Partially discharged

Agree on many aspects. Despite having being brought up in the greater M/CR area, I recall going back there 5 and 10 or so years after emigrating with canadian girlfriends at the time and them saying 'is this it?'. M/CR is a hard place to sell unless you're into MUFC, the whole madchester scene or canal street or if you are into grit porn.

To me, the Highlands are beautiful, remote and peaceful. The mountains are lower than Canadian mountains but are generally without trees and in many ways are more accessible than canadian mountains.

Couldn't agree more with the Peak District....lovely vistas, nice pleasant towns and generally visited by 'locals'.

DandNHill

Lol, but they hold a special place in my heart!

Mind you some of the little villages in Sussex are gorgeous. Maybe nothing special on the grand scheme of things.

Former Lancastrian

It looks like a few people who used to live in the UK never left the sarf and ventured north of the Watford Gap
Visit the scenic North West in other words from Chester upwards.
Come on how many Canadians or even UK residents have been for a ride on a donkey on Blackpool beach, thought they were in Paris when looking at Blackpool tower, swam in the pristine waters of the Irish Sea, walked down the prom eating fish and chips out of newspaper and then throwing up after one of the rides on the pleasure beach.
The Trough of Bowland, Pendle Hill, Liverpool, Lancaster etc etc

Not everything in England historic or scenic is south of Birmingham.

MarylandNed

Agree - the North of England has a lot to offer. As you say, Chester is definately worth a visit. Someone already mentioned York. There's also the Peak District (Buxton is worth a visit) and the Lake District (Scafell Pike is England's highest mountain). I also like Yorkshire - especially around Whitby, Scarborough and Robin Hood's Bay.

I used to live/work near Liverpool but not sure I'd go out of my way to visit. The ferry across the Mersey is cool to do. There's also the Cavern Club and other assorted Beatles related sites but Liverpool is hardly a tourist magnet. I like the city and know it well but I can't say that I'd send my friends there on holiday. Same goes for Manchester - I lived there for 6 years and loved the city. There a few good places to visit (e.g. tour of Old Trafford for football fans) but, again, not somewhere I'd send someone on their holiday.

gillyd65

Hi Check out this thread on the Moving Back to the UK Forum, The Rovers Return section and look for Postcards from England. Its from a French guy who has been visiting different areas of England over the last year or two. He has many pictures on what England has to offer from coastal towns, quaint villages and historical cities. It really is worth looking at. And I agree please don't take any notice of teacher1000, she does't like England too much!

Editha

This is their first trip to the UK, which is why I didn't mention the North. But, I agree Chester is lovely, as is Caernarfon in Wales, and I'm also fond of Ludlow and Carlisle. If in the Peak District, Chatsworth is a must, plus Haddon Hall and Hardwick Hall. York has been mentioned, but not the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales. But you could go on and on, couldn't you?

comet555

Great tips guys, you're going to keep me busy for a while!

I'm not sure if we'll fly into Dublin or Ireland. Will first have to decide if we're going to do the trip in September or a different time period. I hadn't thought about things closing in the winter, even though I don't really plan on going then it's still good to know just in case.

Will check out that Postcards from the UK thread.