UK/Ireland travel questions, please!

[Charles H]

Hi everyone - I did not know there was a travel section on the forum! With so many Brits and Irish folks here, I figure it is a great place to ask for suggestions.

 

Nerida (my wife) and I are traveling to London from Australia on April 1. So far we've organised everything until April 20. Just quickly, we arrive at Heathrow early in the morning on April 2, and then fly to Manchester about noon. We're there for two nights (doing a Peak District small group guided tour), then train to Liverpool, where we also have two nights. I was disappointed the Maritime Museum there is closed for massive renovations, but still lots to see. We then go by train to Edinburgh, where we are based for a week, including a 4-day tour of the Isle of Skye and Western Highlands. Nerida has been there before, in 2015.

 

We then go to Inverness by train, where we are based for a week, including a 3-day tour of the North Coast 500 and day trips to Loch Ness and Cairngorms National Park. We intend to leave Inverness on April 20... but we've no idea exactly where (or how) to go from there! We have to be back at Heathrow by the evening of April 29, to fly home the next morning... but (clearly) I have not done any intensive research yet, for these nine days.

 

Thinking of a guided tour around Ireland for maybe 5 days, perhaps, OR going to other places in England on the way south. We can't rush around and do bits of both - we're both 65! If we go to Ireland, Dublin, and the Cliffs of Moher, but obviously there's much more than that! My wife has been there before, too, but her memory is not that useful! She didn't go to Northern Ireland.

 

If England, we'd particularly like to visit the Lake District, where I know we can get around on regular local bus routes. Other possible places include (in no order, or in any geographical logic):

York/Dales (although we've been there before, in 2014; I was born in Harrogate and lived in York until we moved to Australia in 1963)

Lincoln (including Bomber Command museum!)

Yeovil (including Fleet Air Arm museum; my father flew strike and ASW planes from HMS Eagle and HMS Bulwark, etc, in the 1950s-early 60s) - possibly could go there en route to London, even if we go to Ireland first. And perhaps Cornwall etc, if we stay in England.

London itself - would like to do a trip on the Thames (if even possible) from the Barrier to the Estuary, *especially* if any sort of "hop on/hop off" river services exist. Have been to London before, staying in West Brompton, so of course I know it is expensive.

 

Any suggestions/comments would be much appreciated, please!

 

cheers!

 

Charles

 

[Philly1860]

G’day Charles,

sorry for not replying sooner, I’m just over the flu (It hit me hard). I’ll pm you later today with my comments on Irish leg of your trip.

 

Regards

Colin.

[Rob G]

Your plans are made, but why fly into Heath-deleted-row? Fly direct into Manchester instead, save yourselves all the faffing about with the LHR mess and a flight change. I took my Mum across to Notherrn Ireland last year (for her 80th, coincidentally we were there at the same time as you will be, early April), and that's what we did; the airport was in the middle of a huge upgrade, even with that it was a better experience than the lunacy of LHR.

[Farmer matt]

Hi, if you choose London, there are indeed River bus services although I have never tried to use them. TfL are the umbrella for the majority of London' s transport (tube and bus). The river is contracted to Uber . Link below will give idea.

 

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/river/about-river-bus?intcmp=1516

 

Some sightseeing tour bus operators include a river 'cruise' in their itinerays too.

Much of central London itself can be seen most easily on foot, 

or the top deck of a bus. Journeys to places like Hendon for the RAF Museum are best done on tube. For service buses and tube you will need a pre -paid Oystercard ticket. 

Hope you enjoy your trip.

 

Matt

[-Ian-]

In London, definitely visit Greenwich (or even stay there and use it as your base when visiting the central London attractions), far less crowded than central London but plenty to see (maritime museum, Cutty Sark and the Observatory being the highlights) and some nice pubs, restaurants and shops. You can get the river bus or the DLR from there to central London. If there's clear weather and you have the time,  head a little further east to take the cable car across the Thames, it was a bit of a white elephant as neither end is much of a visitor draw but it does gives a brilliant view down the Thames to central London. 

Edited February 1 by -Ian-

[Fatcawthorne]

On 1/31/2025 at 8:05 AM, Farmer matt said:

Hi, if you choose London, there are indeed River bus services although I have never tried to use them. TfL are the umbrella for the majority of London' s transport (tube and bus). The river is contracted to Uber . Link below will give idea.

 

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/river/about-river-bus?intcmp=1516

 

Some sightseeing tour bus operators include a river 'cruise' in their itinerays too.

Much of central London itself can be seen most easily on foot, 

or the top deck of a bus. Journeys to places like Hendon for the RAF Museum are best done on tube. For service buses and tube you will need a pre -paid Oystercard ticket. 

Hope you enjoy your trip.

 

Matt

You could combine a tourist bus trip and your river boat trip with this:

 

https://www.londonducktours.co.uk/

 

For travel in London I would get a pre-paid debit card (assuming that an Oz bank will fleece you for small value card transactions abroad, if no penalty/charge then your own contatctless debit card will do!) to use the bus & tubes as you can tap in and out (but remember to tap out on the tube where there are not gates) with your debit card rather than stumping up for an Oyster Card or two.

If you're doing tourst traps like Covent garden, or Theatreland then that's where the London Transport museum is.

 

If you're a true digger then Surrey will be playing Somerset at the Oval 25-28 April, and it's just round the corner from the Imperal War Museum.

[Farmer matt]

Sadly I think the DUKWs stopped a few years ago because the slipway they used got compulsory purchased.

As @-Ian- says the cable car doesn't really go anywhere, but is easily reached and gives an excellent view over the estuary as well as inland, and only takes a few minutes.

 

Matt

[Paul821]

The key questions are: what are your joint interests, what have you done on previous trips and will you be relying on public transport or a hire car?

 

From what you have said about your already organised itinerary, I would suggest touring the South/South West. We have had three  excellent breaks in Exeter, Plymouth and Salisbury. Each time we used a mixture of rail  Ranger/Rover tickets, along with buses, to get around. See http://www.railrover.org/

 

My personal view is that unless you have something specific you want to see avoid central London.

[Philly1860]

Hi Charles,

Just sent you another email with more info for the Irish leg of your trip.

David Campese (Campo) did have a shop in the Rocks but it apprantely closed a goog few years ago.

 

Regards

Colin

[Charles H]

Hi everyone - I am very embarrassed, because somehow I have missed all your replies, apart from the PM Colin/Philly1860 sent me, sorry!

 

I shall reply in the next couple of days. Thanks very much to everyone. We've finalised our trip now... but from all your suggestions, maybe we can one day do *another* UK trip!

 

cheers!

 

Charles

[Black Knight]

If you travel out of the UK to Ireland and back you'll have to purchase the special electronic travel authorisation (ETA), that is being introduced about now

 

See here, scroll well down the page;

https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control/before-you-leave-for-the-uk

[Charles H]

Black Knight - thank you for your reply. I'm sure we are OK, but I absolutely want to check, in case I am missing something in my understanding.

 

My wife is Australian, and we applied for and had her ETA approved about a month ago, to visit the UK. I can't see anything on the website indicating she still needs a further ETA to travel from the UK (Manchester to Dublin) and then eventually to from Dublin to London, before we fly back to Australia. I was born in England, and have a British passport, and have (seemingly) confirmed I do not need any ETA for UK to Ireland to UK travel.

 

HOWEVER - if you still think I should double check this, or am simply wrong, PLEASE tell me! Of course I need to make absolutely sure all is OK. We leave Australia on April 1, and we're booked to fly to Dublin on April 23.

 

Thank you!

 

regards,

 

Charles

[Charles H]

On 1/31/2025 at 2:02 PM, Rob G said:

Your plans are made, but why fly into Heath-deleted-row? Fly direct into Manchester instead, save yourselves all the faffing about with the LHR mess and a flight change. I took my Mum across to Notherrn Ireland last year (for her 80th, coincidentally we were there at the same time as you will be, early April), and that's what we did; the airport was in the middle of a huge upgrade, even with that it was a better experience than the lunacy of LHR.

Hi Rob G - where in Australia are you? We initially intended to "work our way North" to Liverpool from London, so that's why we booked to LHR. I had ideas of visiting the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovil, or possibly Canterbury. Being either west or east, it had to be one or the other. We ended up choosing to visit Manchester and Liverpool briefly, then head to Scotland for most of our trip, then (after a couple of days in the Lake District) on to Dublin.

 

I've been to LHR twice before, and found it OK. Same with LAX (although that was a long time ago). I didn't even think of Manchester as an international destination, but as you say, it is indeed an option we could have considered.

 

Edited March 2 by Charles H

[Charles H]

On 1/31/2025 at 6:35 PM, Farmer matt said:

Hi, if you choose London, there are indeed River bus services although I have never tried to use them.

Thank you! If we ever get back to the UK again, I *really* want to explore the Thames as thoroughly as I can, from the barrier to the estuary. Yes, I have been seduced by Sir Tony Robinson's TV series, I guess.

[Charles H]

On 2/2/2025 at 4:02 AM, Paul821 said:

The key questions are: what are your joint interests, what have you done on previous trips and will you be relying on public transport or a hire car?

 

From what you have said about your already organised itinerary, I would suggest touring the South/South West. We have had three  excellent breaks in Exeter, Plymouth and Salisbury. Each time we used a mixture of rail  Ranger/Rover tickets, along with buses, to get around. See http://www.railrover.org/

Yes, we'd like to do the South/South West, too! We can only hope that, health permitting, we may have one more big international trip in us... so, it is going into the wishlist!

[Charles H]

On 2/2/2025 at 3:44 AM, Fatcawthorne said:

You could combine a tourist bus trip and your river boat trip with this:

 

https://www.londonducktours.co.uk/

 

For travel in London I would get a pre-paid debit card (assuming that an Oz bank will fleece you for small value card transactions abroad, if no penalty/charge then your own contatctless debit card will do!) to use the bus & tubes as you can tap in and out (but remember to tap out on the tube where there are not gates) with your debit card rather than stumping up for an Oyster Card or two.

If you're doing tourist traps like Covent garden, or Theatreland then that's where the London Transport museum is.

 

If you're a true digger then Surrey will be playing Somerset at the Oval 25-28 April, and it's just round the corner from the Imperial War Museum.

Thank you! We've been to the superb Imperial War Museum... but although I love cricket, no time to stay and watch a County game, I'm afraid.

[Paul821]

30 minutes ago, Charles H said:

Thank you! If we ever get back to the UK again, I *really* want to explore the Thames as thoroughly as I can, from the barrier to the estuary. Yes, I have been seduced by Sir Tony Robinson's TV series, I guess.

Anyone who wants to explore the Thames keep you eye out for the PS Waverley trips.

 

https://waverleyexcursions.co.uk/plan-your-cruise/departure-points/thames/

 

Chance to cruise the Thames on a paddle steamer. They usually run for a few weeks in the autumn.