Trip to United Kingdom and Ireland

Hi,

I've taken the ferry from the UK to France before with a car, but can't remember the charge, although I remember it was expensive.

If I were you, I'd leave the car at home and just pay for yourself to get around. Less chance of getting lost too.

I hope you have a great time.

 

Hi,

The ferry from France (or Eurotunnel) is probably the cheapest method if you bring your car. Ferry crossing is about 60-90 mins, tunnel is about 30 mins. Neither are cheap, however. Ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich takes about 6 hours, not a lot in the way of facilities on board - couple of restaurants, bar, arcade, shop and small cinema.

Bear in mind fuel in the UK is expensive - around £1.30 - £1.40 per litre for petrol, more for diesel.

Have you considered an Interrail ticket? 8 days within one month will set you back €218 currently, and will cover the whole of the UK mainland. There are other options to cover Ireland as well, or a Europe-wide 'global pass' which will cover your journey from Slovenia's border through Europe as well, I think it will get you a discount on ferries or Eurostar from Paris/Brussels to London also - but check the Interrail site. Interrail isn't valid in your home country, so you'd need an extra ticket to the border station (Villach if memory serves me correctly - it's a long time since I travelled through the region).

I think Wizzair fly from Ljubliana to Luton, I think Ryanair has UK bound flights too.

If you want any more info on UK rail travel let me know and I'll see if I can help (I work for a train operator here). If you want links to any relevant websites drop me a PM

As for your question about similar trips, I've travelled Europe-wide both on my own, and with friends. Never had any problems, you will find the UK is more expensive than you are used to in Slovenia. Us British are also a bit more reserved than many Europeans - whereas when travelling in Europe I often find myself chatting to random strangers, that doesn't happen so much at home.

Hope that helps

 

hello The Different,
I am in the UK to so feel free to pm with questions.
The main issue I would say is for you to drive in the UK,as it's on the other side and can take a bit to get used to..making it potentially a bit dangerous ,as the last thing you want is to have an accident.
The UK has a pretty extensive bus network,which is a lot cheaper than the trains..unless you go via Interrail..I done this twice throughout the whole of Europe and yes it's a good way to meet other people,get ideas about where to stay,eat ,what to see etc..
In terms of Ferries/the Channel Tunnel occasionally there can be very good discounts,so keep an eye out for this..unpopular times/dates will be a lot cheaper than peak season..
Also, I probably wouldn't have a problem 'welcoming you' for a couple of nights...other EC members in the Uk may do likewise..

 

Hey! I live in the UK, though I don't drive so I don't know about the ferry cost... I do know however that car is probably the best thing to do as the trains are RIDICULOUSLY expensive and annoyingly complicated.

In terms of places to see, you should definitely come to Brighton- it's the gay hub of the UK

 

I see we're all telling you different things, which isn't too helpful. Yes, if you don't book trains in advance then they can be complicated and stupidly expensive (£10 for an hour long journey... a lot more in the south-east of England).

If you want flexibility and simplicity, then I'd recommend booking a cheap flight and single-country interrail ticket (and since you're less than a year from 26, it's your last chance to do it cheaply!). It wouldn't be valid in Ireland though, except for the British-administered northern part - a shame!

As someone else has said, pretty much everyone I know from a mainland European country has said that we're a lot more reserved when it comes to strangers, especially in England and Wales. I don't mean this in a hostile way, so don't worry about that, but we'd just come across as aloof or introverted. Nevertheless, it's probably a great idea, I'd just be a little daunted doing it on my own.

 

ive never got the ferry to the uk, but i think it would go to dover or somewhere in the south. i could be wrong though.

if you were wanting to be more near london, then that would be a good 4 hours drive perhaps. you havent said where you are going but bear in mind many bridges/toll roads charge for you to use it because its a quicker route than sitting in loads of traffic. rush hour starts from 5pm.

london has a congestion charge if you go and take the car into central london the charge is something like £4 or something stupid expensive. newcastle has a toll bridge (the tyne tunnel) which is quicker than the m1 or whatever the road that connects it is, and that is like £3 a car or something. so its not cheap to drive about places really.

newcastle has a metro system, which is super easy to use. that also connects to sunderland and a bit further from that. its not that expensive, its around £4 for a day ticket last time i checked. if you were going that way there is a park and ride system though, the car park is £1 from callerton parkway then you can jump on the metro to go into central newcastle which is haymarket/monument.

londons underground system is extortionate! you can get a travel oyster card im nearly sure, top it up before you leave and just scan it when you go through the barrier, its like a credit card but for the tube which saves you money if you are making more than 2 journeys a day or going sight seeing in london. most museums are free, so you wont spend anything to get in.

if you are going anywhere in scotland, glasgow they have a subway system that you can use to get round.... just like an underground really like in london sort of. you can easily catch the train to/from glasgow central to/from edinburgh takes about 1hr and you can explore edin in a day really. glasgow is much bigger. the only public transport edinburgh has is busses which are shite! wouldnt reccomend.

if you are going to sheffield/manchester they have trams, just like trains on the roads really. they can cost from £1.20 a single way (ones in sheff dont have a return ticket so you might have to buy two singles) or day rider which is £4 something. wouldnt reccomend driving anywhere in sheff as you dont need to, cuz o the trams they take up most o the roads anyways lol.

if you book in advance many trains are discounted.
rule of thumb though the further north you go in the country the cheaper everything is and the friendlier people are!

if you are looking for hotels to stay, dont stay at travelodges! gross and dirty places most of them! premier inn is the best budget hotel chain costing £29 a room up to £49 which isnt that bad, or the ibis in sheffield is 'okay'.

tip: if you ever get lost, DONT ask anyone in london for directions! go into a tube station and go to the info counter and ask for help there.

sorry if this is info overload! but idk what you wanted to know about public transport

 

I did a trip like this, I was 21 turning 22, with a friend of mine. I am from the US, she was from Finland, and we met in Ireland. We went all over using railpasses and ferry. Although I prefer road trips in the US, I found the rail to be way more convenient in Europe, no worries about driving and laws, parking, and breakdowns, plus petrol costs. Consider that having no car makes it way easier to tour big cities, and what is Europe without its cities? Of course, it depends on what you want to see.

We went all over Ireland and the UK, and paid for a few things separately that were not covered by the railpass (Eurail I think?) and it was fine - we saw small towns, medium, and large cities, went from the North to South and East to West. Then we crossed to France and did another 12 countries! There was not much problem with needing plan ahead, the only thing we had decided when getting there was which countries we wanted to see, and a few relatives and friends to visit - we did all the planning and last-minute deciding when we got there. I found it easy, as the trains are frequent and go pretty much everywhere. A few times we got out and took a bus (like to get through Northern Ireland), the tube, or the ferry to make crossings, carrying our backpacks with us. It was great because without a car we had no responsibility to caring for it and parking it properly while we set off to explore, so we did everything we felt like and were pretty much on our own schedule.

Check out all the options and compare prices, and see if your age, or if you happen to be a grad student, gets you any discounts. We went for the summer, which was lovely, but I believe if you go in an off-peak season you'll save a lot of money.

In both Ireland and the UK, I personally found that all the really touristy areas, I was disappointed in, and all the wide open spaces outdoors and small towns kind of blew me away with how great they were. My favorites were wild areas of Scotland, a small town outside of Bristol where my friend had relatives, and small towns in Southern Ireland. I learned the most from Northern Ireland, where my friend had research to do - at the time there was a lot of violence and some bombings and being around places like Londonderry/Derry was kind of politically complicated (we had to make sure we used the right name for a ticket there and for directions depending on who we were talking to) - but we kind of fell in love with Belfast at the same time.

 

A few things I meant to post earlier, but I got sidetracked...

Unlike most of mainland Europe, there are no trains in the UK where it is compulsary to hold a reservation or supplement. Also, again unlike most of Europe, any reservations you do make are free, subject to seats being available to book.

Ireland has a rail network which covers most of the major towns. However, the level of service can often be poor, with only two or three trains a day o some routes. However most of the trains are new or nearly new. Northern Ireland is still politically complicated, but there is no particular reason to fear violence as an outsider (although as with any city watch out for trouble brewing and steer clear).

Ireland has an extensive coach network, never used them so can't comment on fares or reliability, Bus Eireann is the main company. In the UK there are too main operators, National Express, and the budget operator Megabus. Both offer pretty cheap city-to-city fares, if you plan ahead.

As someone earlier said, rail travel in the UK can be confusing, as there are so many companies, but in reality it is no more confusing than travelling in say Germany or France.

Interrail tickets for the UK only cover the mainland, NOT Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is covered on the Irish ticket.

If I think of anything else I'll be back

 

The Lake District can be a little hit and miss with public transport, and that's coming from a Cumbrian. Trains do run through a lot of the main Cumbrian towns but you've really got to pay attention to the timetables (depending on where you need to go and how long you're staying out).

For the most popular tourist destinations you'll have fairly good public transport but if you fancy taking a trip outside of the tourist attractions you will find it easier to hire a car. The big tourist towns (Keswick, Ambleside, Windermere) are pretty well serviced and the city of Carlisle is very accessible, providing you're not in a rush to go anywhere then the services are adequate. The Go Lakes website is very informative in regards to public transport and if you have not already I would always recommend browsing it to gain an idea of how to get around without a car.

 

ooooh as someone said before megabus! its amazingg can get fares from £1 but more often than not its around £20-30 long distance all over the uk but then again you may just be better off on those because you prob will be getting a single which may only come to £15-20. way cheaper than national express and any trains.

national express are a company which have coaches for long distance also which are cheaper than trains. i would reccomend doing that if you can or megabus. the busses are small and cramped though and you have a certain luggage allowance, if you are claustrophobic i wouldnt reccomed that.

you really dont need a car tbh. public transport is more than enough and reliable and more often than not on time. but then again thats coming from someone who doesnt go to touristy bits of the country so idk how much help i am lol. :\

virgin have the nicest train staff. if you can, go with virgin i always do. someone said trains are confusing.... they arent that bad if you take advantage of the train staff who are there to help you ! if youre going on a long distance journey and you have another connecting train to catch to get to your destination you can ask the train staff what platform your next train is on and they can tell you and the way to get to the platform when youre on the train so you can just follow the directions when you get off and worry over.

if you are in a city and you want to get to a town/city (say a few hours up) not that far from where you are then use first bus. they operate in nearly all towns/cities im sure. its a cheaper way of getting to a few towns/cities up rather than the train. they run regular apart from weekends, public transport is a bit hit and miss. first bus can take you up to 2 and 1/2 hours away. a 2 1/2 hour journey to say e.g carlisle is around £8 single way.


ive been to stonehenge im nearly sure.... cant remember how i go there though. ill get back to you on it. *googles* website says bus is the cheapest.
Stonehenge.co.uk - Your guide to Stonehenge, the World's Favourite Megalithic Stone Circle

there is a stop on the train when i go somewhere and it goes through lake district, so i think its pretty accessible.
Lake District National Park - Getting here

giants causeway
Giant's Causeway - How to get here - National Trust

and lastly all the national parks website
National Parks in the UK | Britain's breathing spaces

there is also the option of taxis. pretty expensive though for what they are, but if you are only going a short way it should be a pretty fair fare.

i would personally say spring would be best, not too cold but certainly not 'warm' and its still in the low season im sure... is it not? you certainly dont want to visit scotland in winter, weather is really unpredictable. fall is when the kids are out of school so places might be a bit manic with everyone visiting xyz and traffic might be bad due to holidays, that said though i dont drive! just going off what i can remember from when i had school holidays off school lol.

again i feel like ive written an essay sorry!

 

I went in the summer, and I would say, unless you really can't afford it or really hate crowds, do it then. You want to enjoy your trip since it's maybe a once in a lifetime thing, and summer has both beautiful weather (it's not like the UK and Ireland are known for being hot) and is easier if you are backpacking for a long period to pack light.

Also, I'm going to give you my personal experience and please others chime in to disagree with me if you think I'm wrong - I found both Stonehenge and Giant's Causeway to be lame. I was excited to see both, but here's what happened: we went to Stonehenge for the day with her Bristol relatives. It was the middle of the day, sunny, just a circle of stones where you could not get a single view of it or picture without people being in it. There was a lot of talking and headphones in different languages that will give you a tour of what it means. We sat down in the grass and had a picnic - but there is a busy road near it to lead people to the site so the view was very - ordinary. If I ever went again, I would only do so if I could go during sunrise and be sure not a lot of people or cars would be there, to try to really feel something from it. It's not a spiritual experience by any means otherwise.

As for Giant's Causeway, that is a trek. We took a bus there, and as we were running out of time, the time we ate out of our schedule to go there was significant to us. We got there in the middle of the day, and there were the rocks, and they were cool, but it looked exactly like it did in pictures (not more dramatic as things sometimes do in person), and they were not very big. If you're used to dramatic rock formations in the US you may feel let down because they are not enormous and impressive in the same way, but it is certainly a stark landscape that would be beautiful -again if not in the middle of the day with people all over and little kids climbing on them. We were much more impressed by the small towns and isolated landscapes along the coast that had no tourism at all. Galway also felt too touristy, and for me that ruins the exotic feeling of going somewhere new when it's all commercialism and international people like yourself. It's hard to get a sense of local culture that way. For me isolated places, or big cities where you want to see culture (we saw an Irish play in Dublin for instance) are the best.

People correct me people if you disagree,I wouldn't want TheDifferent to miss out on something good just because I had a bad experience!

My prices would not be that useful to you - I went 10 years ago, and they have changed a lot since then. Our UK portion was covered by a general Eurail pass at the time. All I remember was that we crossed to France on a ferry without reserving a room for about $100US which was a ton for us but necessary, and that we didn't have too much trouble affording the few trains and buses we had to take outside of what our tickets covered as long as we did not expect beds or first-class space.

 

Hi The Different, I can't p.m. you as I am not a full member so here are some more tips:


yes the buses I mentioned are intercity busses;the country is de-regulated so this means there are different companies around but the one with the most extensive network is National Express-they also own a train line..
Sometimes you can travel from say London to Manchester for just £1--all booking via internet of course..and it depends on time,day..
Sometimes you can get a cheap train ticket but never that cheap...
What I probably do is plan out a rough itinerary but otherwise probably just book bit by bit over the internet..both for travelling and accommodation,You say you wanna come over in the autom/fall so that's not peak season for travelling and you'll probably get around quiet cheaply.
Also, you could consider car -sharing;
again, that's probably best between big cities and you do it via internet;
Don't forget that in the Uk universities start end of Sep/beginning of October so there will be lots of students travelling about..good for hitch-hiking/car sharing etc.
Alternatively, you might consider hiring a car for travel between cities/into the country side but otherwise if you are in bigger cities either walk or use public transport.
As other have said, driving in London is expensive and 'mad'..The cosets I have come to driving into London is a main access route until I have a subway station and then leave the car.
It's similar in other big cities, Birmingham/Manchester--I'll try and avoid driving as its no fun..and that despite being used to driving on the left.
I think if you stay in touch I (and others) will be able to help you with the trip quite well and having a few people you 'virtually' know could make your trip a bit less scary...

 

If you want to go to some smaller towns you should definitely come to Bath! The city dates back to roman times and has a hot spring, you can still see the roman bathhouse. The architecture is amazing and the people are lovely. Just google image search Bath you'll see!

Sorry to rave so much about where I live but I do love it here and I think you'd like it, it's one of the top tourist destinations in the UK besides London.

 

Those would be amazing shots, I'm a photographer myself. I got a lot of incredible pics on my trip. I know Stonehenge does let people in at dawn, I'm not sure how late they do - but especially if you're not at either location in peak season, you should not have so much trouble seeing them without being disturbed and being in the moment. I agree also that Bath is a great place to go. Maybe Spring, as late as you can manage, would be the best time. Both Spring and Fall would be beautiful, but I myself am very sensitive to cold and if you've ever seen pictures of the Northern landscape there aren't a lot of trees out near the coast to protect you from the wind! Brrr... May would be great if you could manage it, so it's warmer and the kids are still in school.