Short UK break for a young couple that don't drive
xxdeebeexx
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Hi my Sons girlfriend is visiting from USA at the end of November for 10 days. This is her 2nd visit and wants to see a bit more of England.
They are both 21
My son doesn't drive so the hotel/accommodation needs to be fairly close to the train station.
She would like to see :-
Countryside, something cultural, historic, different.
We live very close to London so anything other than London would be ideal.
She did suggest the Isle of Skye - how doable is that?
Oh and they're on a budget.
any suggestions would be brilliant.
tia
dx
They are both 21
My son doesn't drive so the hotel/accommodation needs to be fairly close to the train station.
She would like to see :-
Countryside, something cultural, historic, different.
We live very close to London so anything other than London would be ideal.
She did suggest the Isle of Skye - how doable is that?
Oh and they're on a budget.
any suggestions would be brilliant.
tia
dx
0
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I'll second York, and also mention Bath. Both direct trains from London, with central train stations and historic, compact cities that are easy to walk around. Bath might be a bit of a scrum/more expensive at the end of November as they have a Christmas market. Not sure about York.
There are Travelodges in both cities close to the main stations, and probably Premier Inns as well.
I think the Isle of Skye might be a bit too much of a trek, and at the wrong time of year - not much daylight in November.
Skye is a bit off the beaten track if she only has 10 days, better to fix going there when she's over for longer than 10 days.
Could go to Edinburgh for a couple of days, though.
Cardiff is also possible - early train there, explore the city and late train back, or overnight stay, think the Travelodge is about 10 minutes' walk from the station, either that or Premier Inn, or there's one or other (could be both now) near Cardiff Bay and that's about 20 minutes walk from the station.
If it was do-able in the time allowed I would add Bath, Bristol and Exeter to the above ……. and York, although that would probably be pushing it.
It probably goes without saying, as if your son is a non-driver he probably already has some kind of rail card, but get a TwoTogether railcard as the savings will mount up. There are often offers included with the railcard (theatre discounts, and that kind of thing) and also if you hunt around on the internet you can probably get the railcard cheaply too (Tesco Clubcard used to have them on their list of things which can be bought with points - hopefully still do) - and also the likes of Quidco and TopCashback feature them too. And don't forget the PlusBus tickets if they are exploring the larger towns and cities anywhere.
In some areas you can get rail rover tickets -
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/rangers_and_rovers.aspx
The Cornwall one could be a good bet if you take up the suggestion of exploring some branch lines.
As an overseas visitor, the girlfriend will be eligible to buy a Britrail pass
https://www.visitbritainshop.com/world/travel-and-transport/britrail-passes/
or they can each get a £30 16-25 railcard which gives a third off fares https://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/
Alternatively, a single £30 'two together' railcard for the pair of them to use together can be ordered online beforehand if you supply digital photos and gives a third off fares
https://www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk/using-your-railcard/the-benefits/
You can also purchase the last two using Tesco Clubcard points
Rather than travelling long distances, they might consider places like Oxford, Canterbury or Norwich. The train journey between Reading and Oxford, through the Thames Valley, is one of my favourite journeys because of the countryside. Perhaps they could take a slow train and get off at Goring and Streatley, in the heart of the glorious landscape. There is a pleasant rural youth hostel within reasonable walking distance of the station: https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-streatley-on-thames
Oxford itself is full of attractions, including the university parks and botanical gardens, as well as Christchurch Meadow.
Sadly she has her mind set on Skye.
I've checked on Google to see what times it gets dark and the days are so short.
At least I have a lot of alternative suggestions if they (hopefully) change their minds.
The hints and tips and details are brilliant, thank you. I might take a couple of trips myself once I've bought my rail pass with my Tesco points.
thanks again
dx
In which case see if you can encourage her to choose which places on Skye she wants to see. Skye is actually rather large: getting from one end to the other by bus would take about four hours.And since on most routes there are only a couple of journeys per day she really needs to plan in detail. Unless she has a valid driving license and could hire a car somewhere like Inverness.
An additional point is that accommodation there is fairly limited, so advance bookings are a very good idea.