Hopping across the pond...(travel advice wanted)

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so, my bff (also a member here: Nights_Like_These) and i are in the beginning stages of planning a trip to england--we're aiming for late sept/early oct this year--and we were wondering if anyone here who lives in england or has travelled there previously could offer any advice/suggestions on things to do and see whilst journeying in albion.

we'll likely stay in london for a few days when we first arrive to recover from jet lag and acclimate, but beyond that we will probably spend most of our time in the north and lake district; i personally would really like to see hadrian's wall and perhaps do a walking tour along it, but other than that we have nothing set in mind as to what else we would like to see in the area. we plan to be there for about 10 days-2 weeks and would like to see (area-wise) as much as is possible in that time frame. i would like to see the british museum and the tate while in london, but other than that the city doesn't hold my interest so much as getting a feel for the country itself.

this trip has a personal significance for me a few reasons: firstly, the only reason i can afford to and therefore have the opportunity to make such a trip, something i thought i'd never be able to do but always dreamed of, is because my maternal grandfather (grandad) passed away last september, being predeceased by my maternal grandmother (nana) several years earlier, and left me a small amount of money--just enough to make such a journey. both of them were born and raised in london, and came to canada after they were married to start a family. they ended up settling in the same city where i was born and grew up, and i spent a LOT of time with them as a child, especially after i began school and my mom went back to work. their home was a rare safe space for me, and i always felt very loved there--i have many happy memories with them, especially my nana. so this trip is a way for me to re-establish a connection with my family history, to close a loop, as it were.

any tips, suggestions, etc--are welcome and appreciated.

bumped

I haven't really got any tips for you, but I really do wish you both all the very best for your trip.

I hope you find us to be welcoming to you.

thank you, babybird--we hope so too.

bumped

I don't really have much to suggest, except that the wildlife is somewhat different from Canada. This is the Western jackdaw, related to crows and ravens and magpies. It looks somewhat like a smaller crow, and the adults have a grey neck. They are often in larger groups than crows or ravens and are pretty smart. These jackdaws don't live in the New World so you're not likely to see one in Canada. You're likely to see them in Britain, they also live in cities.

I wanted to suggest Hadrian's wall but you already mentioned it. There are also some remains of old Roman towns but they are mostly in the south (Caerwent for example is in southern Wales). And Stonehenge of course, which is not too far from Caerwent.
If you are close to London you could even visit the mainland via the Channel tunnel to Calais, visit Normandy or Waterloo or something.

In the north of England there are probably a bunch of railroad museums, industrial revolution stuff, medieval castles and such. I've never been to Britain, though I could drive there in a few hours.
The weather right now isn't that great I think. Lots of rain all over Europe. Could have changed by the time you get there, you never know. And be careful if you go swimming in the sea, the tides are pretty strong, a few weeks ago two people drowned in the North Sea.

Hadrian's Wall ??

Forget that stuff. Dress up and stay in London and hit the party scene ! ! You could easily luck out and wind up with a British husband (who would be quite agreeable to come back to the States with you.)

first of all, are you aware that not all women who are single are perpetually husband-hunting?--in fact, some of us aren't looking at all.

second of all--neither i not my friend are from the states. we're canadian: and it says that pretty clearly under our avatars.

p.s.--about the dressing up for the party scene in london: you are aware this is a forum for people on the spectrum, right? parties are not my scene. i'm much more interested in seeing the countryside than spending any more time in the big city than is necessary. i have a big city about an hour down the road from me (toronto)--generally speaking, big cities are overrated.

She is Canadian. And I'm pretty confident they have party scenes and potential husbands in Canada too. What they don't have in Canada is Hadrian's Wall (and jackdaws!).

C'mon StarvingArtist---you're going on vacation! I hope this is a vacation from the nastiness of life as well.

I hope you enjoy your trip; I've never been to the Lake District--but I heard it's beautiful there.

I would also recommend, if possible, taking a tour to Scotland as well. I, myself, have always wanted to see the Scottish Isles and the Scottish Highlands---I am so envious that you are going!

If you drive, I recommend that you get acclimated to (1) manual transmissions; and (2) the fact that Britons drive on the other side from North Americans.

Also: DO NOT TAKE A CAB IN LONDON!! !! ! From Heathrow, the fare to Central London is about $160! I think the US and Canadian dollars are still in relative parity--so it doesn't matter whether one thinks in Canadian or US currency.

The Tube is very easy to access from Heathrow. Very easy to navigate, in general. Where will you be staying in London?

I recommend the Fish and Chips--but not in Central London; instead, go to one of those schwarma places--they give you lots of chips (fries) as well. LOL...I just realized that you don't eat greasy foods, actually...forget this advice (unless you want to cheat a little).

Things are quite expensive in England, for the most part. The exception is the supermarkets. Bread is actually quite reasonable--at less than $2.00 a loaf for some really decent bread. Sainsbury's is pretty good.

Have a nice trip!

Forget about all those guys who hoot and holler at you!

If you have specific questions, maybe I could answer them.

London is my favorite city of all and I've been to London many times. I can't say I'm an expert but maybe I can give you some tips if you have any specific things you'd like to know!

Where else in the UK are you planning to visit/stay?
I know a little bit about Manchester and Edinburgh. And I've stayed in Bristol, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Glasgow before.

Hmmmm, apparently you're not familiar with our sense of humor ....

If you're going to Hadrian's Wall,you're near Newcastle which is a good city to visit,as are the 2 main Scottish cities Glasgow and Edinburgh.

As well as The British Museum you might also like "The Museum Of London" as it tells the story of London (and life in Britain really) from Roman times to the present day,in quite a light-hearted and informal way.

I actually took a trip to Scotland last year myself so we won't be heading that far north during this trip for that reason. I loved my time in Scotland though and I'd love to go back. I did a sort of tour of the whole country, which was excellent for a first time visiting a new place, but I found it a bit overwhelming just in the amount of information being thrown at you in such a short amount of time. lol So many stories, dates, place names...makes it hard to retain a lot of what you're learning. I'd love to go back to the Highlands especially though (although I enjoyed the cities as well), there's really nothing quite like the Highlands in my opinion. We stopped at the "Three Sisters" when we were driving through to our next destination and I can honestly say that I've never stood anywhere more beautiful in my life.

Have fun on your trip, the lake district is beautiful. try to avoid driving in London much, its quite hectic.

if you are in London for a couple of days there are lots of sights to visit, depending on your interest, like the Sherlock Holmes museum, Buckingham palace, tower of London and the science and natural history museum.

PM hyperlexian as she is from canada and moved to north england so should have good cross cultural advice.

If you like when you set a date and have booked tickets I could organise a meet up in central london so you could meet some members there, they always have a good turn out.

In london you would like the victoria and albert museum, and science and nat hist ones and they all on same street, next to hyde park. But dont do too much at once or you will burn out, ALL touristy places or places of interest are very very crowded and overwhelming here.

Dont go to stone henge as it is in a cage and you cant get close, I went to hadrians wall and it is not much different to any other roman ruin. You should visit whitby if you can as it has lots of stuff about dracula, tea rooms and beautiful beaches and walks. http://www.visitwhitby.com/

another nice place is stratford where shakespear is from http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/

and warick castle https://www.warwick-castle.com/

and definately york city and its viking museum http://www.visityork.org/

and nottingham is lovely and you can visit the giant oak tree of robin hood http://www.experiencenottinghamshire.com/nottingham