Jason

Hi, i was thinking of doing a 4-5 tour of Ireland (republic and GB) Wales,
Scotland and England, but NOT london this coming may/june. When I was in
london last year, I went almost broke. HOw do prices (purchasing power)
compare in the rest of Britain? Last year in most of Europe I was living
comfortably on 35-50 Euros/day (and at 50 euros I was really living it up).
I would like to keep it in that range for this trip. Thanks!

Miguel Cruz

jason wrote:
    > Hi, i was thinking of doing a 4-5 tour of Ireland (republic and GB) Wales,
    > Scotland and England, but NOT london this coming may/june. When I was in
    > london last year, I went almost broke. HOw do prices (purchasing power)
    > compare in the rest of Britain? Last year in most of Europe I was living
    > comfortably on 35-50 Euros/day (and at 50 euros I was really living it
    > up). I would like to keep it in that range for this trip. Thanks!

London is a lot more expensive than the rest of the UK.

I also find Ireland more expensive than the UK, but I've been told that's
just because I don't know what I'm doing. By Irish people, who then drag me
off to expensive restaurants.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world:
http://travel.u.nu
New mini photo-feature: Life in DC:
http://travel.u.nu/dc/

Marie Lewis

In article , Miguel Cruz
writes
    >jason wrote:
    >> Hi, i was thinking of doing a 4-5 tour of Ireland (republic and GB) Wales,
    >> Scotland and England, but NOT london this coming may/june. When I was in
    >> london last year, I went almost broke. HOw do prices (purchasing power)
    >> compare in the rest of Britain? Last year in most of Europe I was living
    >> comfortably on 35-50 Euros/day (and at 50 euros I was really living it
    >> up). I would like to keep it in that range for this trip. Thanks!
    >London is a lot more expensive than the rest of the UK.
And there are so many other beautiful places to visit. Do you prefer
towns or the countryside?

If it is the countryside, might I suggest the Ribble Valley in
Lancashire, the spot where the Queen has said that, if it were possible,
she would retire to.

If a city, then try the great, lively and increasingly attractive city
of Manchester.

The Lake District also is wonderful, as are the Yorkshire Dales, the
Highlands and Islands of Scotland, the Derbyshire Peak District, etc.

Come North!

--
Marie Lewis

Deborah Moulton

My husband and I did a 20(or so) day car-tour of England, with 1 day in
London. Time was mostly spent in midlands (He's from Leicester) and up
north via York, and then Scotland. Had decent prices along the way by
staying in BnBs, ranging from $40 -$60 US per night.These places were
very nice, and I'm sure you could find better prices than that if you
wanted fewer amenities. These arrangements I made on-line before going
(abouta month to 6 weeks beforehand). Have great suggestions,
particularly up in Scotland if you make yer way that way. We loved the
BnB so much, we stopped right there, ended up skipping Wales and spent
an extra 5 days.

In Birkwood/Inverness area I've got recommendation ($40 per night)
fabulous room with a large additional sitting room with TV/VCR/terrifc
view. The couple was so accomodating they yet us use their washer and
dryer. Highly recommend.

Also another good recommendation in York, but I'll have to look it up.

Please let me know if you'd like them, and I'll look up the info for you.

Deb



Marie Lewis wrote:

    > In article , Miguel Cruz
    > writes
    >> jason wrote:
    >>> Hi, i was thinking of doing a 4-5 tour of Ireland (republic and GB)
    >>> Wales,
    >>> Scotland and England, but NOT london this coming may/june. When I
    >>> was in
    >>> london last year, I went almost broke. HOw do prices (purchasing power)
    >>> compare in the rest of Britain? Last year in most of Europe I was
    >>> living
    >>> comfortably on 35-50 Euros/day (and at 50 euros I was really living it
    >>> up). I would like to keep it in that range for this trip. Thanks!
    >> London is a lot more expensive than the rest of the UK.
    > And there are so many other beautiful places to visit. Do you
    > prefer towns or the countryside?
    > If it is the countryside, might I suggest the Ribble Valley in
    > Lancashire, the spot where the Queen has said that, if it were
    > possible, she would retire to.
    > If a city, then try the great, lively and increasingly attractive city
    > of Manchester.
    > The Lake District also is wonderful, as are the Yorkshire Dales, the
    > Highlands and Islands of Scotland, the Derbyshire Peak District, etc.
    > Come North!

Richard Antisdel

In article , [email protected] says...
    > My husband and I did a 20(or so) day car-tour of England, with 1 day in
    > London. Time was mostly spent in midlands (He's from Leicester) and up
    > north via York, and then Scotland. Had decent prices along the way by

I also would like to learn the details of the BnB's you used during your
trip.

What car agency did you use, and were you satisfied?

Richard Antisdel
Owings Mills, MD
USA

Carl White

I would happily pay $40 a night to miss Wales !!

Carl
England

"Richard Antisdel" wrote in message
news:MPG.17fc082-
[email protected]...
    > In article , [email protected] says...
    > > My husband and I did a 20(or so) day car-tour of England, with 1 day in
    > > London. Time was mostly spent in midlands (He's from Leicester) and up
    > > north via York, and then Scotland. Had decent prices along the way by
    > I also would like to learn the details of the BnB's you used during your
    > trip.
    > What car agency did you use, and were you satisfied?
    > Richard Antisdel
    > Owings Mills, MD
    > USA

Padraig Breathnach

"Carl White" wrote:

    >I would happily pay $40 a night to miss Wales !!
What a mistake. Send me $280 and I'll happily do a week there for you.

PB

NC Penguin

--------------------------
It's not clear where in the world you will be travelling from. At the moment, the US Dollar is weak against the UK Pound so everything in the UK will probably seem expensive.

So, I hope that by May/June the exchange rates change to your favour.

London is the most expensive place in the UK but when travelling anywhere, you're better off avoiding the touristy hotels, shops and restaurants where prices can be inflated just to make more money out of the unwitting tourists.

Therefore, my suggestion is to select a number of towns/places of interest and get in touch with the local tourist office for information. With that, you can do a search on the web for places to stay, places to eat, etc.

Have a good time wherever you go.

Jason

"NC Penguin" wrote in message
news:426134.1033060934@britishexpats-
.com...
    > Originally posted by Jason:
    > > Hi, i was thinking of doing a 4-5 tour of Ireland (republic and GB)
    > > Wales,
    > > Scotland and England, but NOT london this coming may/june. When I was
    > > in
    > > london last year, I went almost broke. HOw do prices (purchasing
    > > power)
    > > compare in the rest of Britain? Last year in most of Europe I was
    > > living
    > > comfortably on 35-50 Euros/day (and at 50 euros I was really living it
    > > up).
    > > I would like to keep it in that range for this trip. Thanks!
    > >
    > --------------------------
    > It's not clear where in the world you will be travelling from. At the
    > moment, the US Dollar is weak against the UK Pound so everything in the
    > UK will probably seem expensive.
    > So, I hope that by May/June the exchange rates change to your favour.
    > London is the most expensive place in the UK but when travelling
    > anywhere, you're better off avoiding the touristy hotels, shops and
    > restaurants where prices can be inflated just to make more money out of
    > the unwitting tourists.
    > Therefore, my suggestion is to select a number of towns/places of
    > interest and get in touch with the local tourist office for
    > information. With that, you can do a search on the web for places to
    > stay, places to eat, etc.

what does this have to do with what I asked?! I know where I want to go, my
quesiton was one of economical matters...


    > Have a good time wherever you go.
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

]
Oy, what did I say in the original post? I wanted to spend no more than 50
euros a day. This is what I want my purchasing power in Ireland and the UK
compared to. and why are you blathering on about London? I clearly stated
in the OP that I am not planning to visit london. I just don't understand
what compels people to read a post that contains some very clear and
specific question, and then insist on offering a vague and general reply,
providing answers that really do nothing to help the orginal concerns of the
the OP.

Marie Lewis

In article , jason
writes
    >I just don't understand
    >what compels people to read a post that contains some very clear and
    >specific question, and then insist on offering a vague and general reply,
    >providing answers that really do nothing to help the orginal concerns of the
    >the OP.

A word of advice. This kind of retort will not help you.

People generally want to help but not to have their well-meaning help
thrown back in their faces.

To be on topic, you will have some difficulty in living on the budget
you mention, because of the exchange rate. wherever you wish to go in
the UK and Eire. Hostels are possible and walking or cycling, rather
than hotels and our very expensive public transport system.

Visiting the USA is very cheap for us who live in the UK because the
exchange rate is favourable to us.
--
Marie Lewis

Joan McGalliard

jason wrote:

    > > Therefore, my suggestion is to select a number of towns/places of
    > > interest and get in touch with the local tourist office for
    > > information. With that, you can do a search on the web for places to
    > > stay, places to eat, etc.
    > what does this have to do with what I asked?! I know where I want to go, my
    > quesiton was one of economical matters...

I always book B&B by contacting the local tourist office. That's the
best way to find what's available and at what price.

It's good advice, don't flame.

Not: Youth hostels come in at about 18UK per bed, and B&B are around
30-50UKP for a room. Food at tourist places are not much cheaper than
London.

Really depends where you want to go - and do you drink. A couple of
pints a day would really eat into that budget.

joan
--
Joan McGalliard
http://www.mcgalliard.org

mwe

jason wrote:
    : Hi, i was thinking of doing a 4-5 tour of Ireland (republic and GB) Wales,
    : Scotland and England, but NOT london this coming may/june. When I was in
    : london last year, I went almost broke. HOw do prices (purchasing power)
    : compare in the rest of Britain? Last year in most of Europe I was living
    : comfortably on 35-50 Euros/day (and at 50 euros I was really living it up).
    : I would like to keep it in that range for this trip. Thanks!
    :


No doubt I will get my head bitten off as much as everyone else,
but trying to be helpful:

50 Euro is around 32 GBP. Not clear if this includes your
accommodation or not, but I think you would be hard put
to live in hotels anywhere in the UK for this price, let alone London.

B&B you might get away with 20 GBP/night.


People usually say that the midlands and north is cheaper than
the south, but a lot of costs are fairly uniform over the whole
UK...it's really hard to generalise.

Eating out is generally exensive, but pub meals can be
great value, if you like that kind of atmosphere
(but beer seems to be getting very expensive, as another
poster warned).

Food in supermarkets on the other hand, can be very cheap,
so if your touring mode permits it, in order to stay on
a budget, you might be advised to buy the sort of food
you can carry and store easily, can prepare easily or
eat cold, for at least one meal a day, and only "eat out"
one meal a day.

Compared to continental Europe, I would say our
fast or convenience food is not good value,
except things like ready-made sandwiches and rolls, etc,
which are now widely available, varied and good quality.


Trains are generally expensive, unless you are prepared
(and lucky enough to find) to search out the right kind
of bargain fare. Over long distances, buses are much
cheaper, especially to/from London. Personally, I prefer
the train, if possible, especially as you can get into
interminable traffic jams on the bus, can't move around,
and if there is a toilet, it may not be working....
...but these may not be issues for you.


Haven't been to Ireland for a few years, but we used to
find it slightly cheaper than here. The Punt was slightly
weaker than the pound, which helped, from our perspective.
I presume there will have been some inflation due to
the Euro, and Ireland's continued growth.

--
[email protected]

Marie Lewis

In article ,
Tim Challenger writes
-
    >There's Lidl in the UK ?
    >Another teutonic grocery firm conquers the nation of shopkeepers.


May I remind you that we are members of the EU. Of course we have
European supermarkets here.

In addition to Lidl, in my small town we have Aldi and Netto.

Of these I prefer Lidl because there is no background music.
--
Marie Lewis

Miguel Cruz

Marie Lewis wrote:
    > Tim Challenger writes
    >> There's Lidl in the UK ?
    >> Another teutonic grocery firm conquers the nation of shopkeepers.
    > May I remind you that we are members of the EU. Of course we have
    > European supermarkets here.
    > In addition to Lidl, in my small town we have Aldi and Netto.

Don't need to be in the EU. We have Aldi all over the US too.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world:
http://travel.u.nu
New mini photo-feature: Life in DC:
http://travel.u.nu/dc/

Not The Karl Orff

In article ,
[email protected] (Miguel Cruz) wrote:

    > Marie Lewis wrote:
    > > Tim Challenger writes
    > >> There's Lidl in the UK ?
    > >> Another teutonic grocery firm conquers the nation of shopkeepers.
    > >
    > > May I remind you that we are members of the EU. Of course we have
    > > European supermarkets here.
    > >
    > > In addition to Lidl, in my small town we have Aldi and Netto.
    > Don't need to be in the EU. We have Aldi all over the US too.

I wouldn;t say all over. Certainly no in the N.W. (yet)