Rasputin314

(Also posted in Off-topic)

http://www.s2000online.com/forums/showthre...?threadid=12854

I'm going to Paignton, England for a two week business trip. Three of those days will be a long weekend. This is my first trip to the UK, and my girlfriend is also flying in to meet me for those few days. We are thinking Stonehenge, Buckingham palace, and a castle or two, but don't really know what's worthwhile and what's a tourist trap.

If you only had three days to visit London and the surrounding areas, what would be the "must see" or "must do" activities?

Thanks in advance for all the advice and suggestions!

PS I'll be on the lookout for euro-spec S2000s!

PPS I could possibly be convinced to visit my local ZAINO distributor and bring some along...

Ross

Blimey, three days huh.
Well, if you have the energy then you can do lots of London itself in 3 days. My top places would be -
Millenium Wheel - great views over London, tickets can be bought on the day.
Tower of London/Tower Bridge - Right next to each other, the Tower of London is where all the royalty used to get imprisoned/executed, crown jewels are here also.
Buckingham Palace - worth a look, though not sure about going in.
St Paul's cathedral - The whispering gallery and the building generally is very nice.
Houses of Parliament - including Big Ben
The Globe theatre - reconstruction of Shakespeare's original theatre.
Millenium Bridge - Right beside the Globe, the famous wobbly bridge that was open 3 days, and now won't open till Christmas.

As for outside of London, Stonehenge isn't a bad idea, and any of the older towns, like Bath or Oxford or Cambridge are worth a look if you can get there.

Hope that helps, enjoy the trip.

Ross

SimonJackson

It depends on what you want. If you like history then you know already that our country is for you.

If you want to see a wide variety in your 3 days - you should make an effort to get out of london...

Obviously, in London there is the London eye - A huge wheel which takes half an hour to do a revolution (A bit like a 2 CV engine!). The view is very good in fine weather. You may not have fine weather. Queues are not so big now - 30 minutes max.

There are great shows in Shaftsbury avenue. All can be booked easily enough.

There are plenty of royal attractions - The tower of London, etc.

The British Museum or the Victoria and Albert are both very impressive too.

Outside of London try and head west to see Stonehenge it is beautiful. It is about 1hr 30 mins. It isn't that expensive and if it is open to the public you should enjoy it. However...

A further 15 minutes west is Avebury which is a village within an ancient stone circle. It is very impressive (Nice pub too). Huge Stones are everywhere and the sheer scale is boggling. It's a good walk around Avebury and its ancient ramparts. If the weather is fine then this can be extremely enjoyable.

You could visit Highclere castle (built by the same man who designed and built the house of commons). This is just south of Newbury which is about 1 hr 10 minutes from London. Fantastic gardens, wonderful building, and very relaxing. This weekend they are arranging a craft fair.

You could visit Winchester Cathedral - This is a very historic town which still has its history on show. This is about 1hr 15 minutes west of London.

You could take a drive to Leeds castle in Kent. It is surrounded by a moat and is very good.

You could drive for just under 2 hours and visit the motor museum in Beaulieu in the New Forest.http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/. I took my girlfriend there and even she was impressed - It is far more than just a museum and the New Forest is beautiful.

If you were keen you could take a 3 hour drive towards Gloucestershire and visit Sudeley Castle which is incredibly beautiful. It dates back over a thousand years and is like stepping back into history. It is in the heart of the Cotswolds an area of outstanding beauty. While there you could choose to visit Broadway which is a beautiful cotswold village. Snowshill Manor is just 3 miles away and is again an extremely interesting and beautiful place. On the way back you could go to Roman Bath and then drive into London on the M4.

Just outside London is Hampton Court. This is an historic palace that again is very impressive. It is about 30 minutes from the centre of London.

North of London is Oxford and this is well worth a visit. You could visit Blenheim Palace which is another stunning location.

Anyway, it very much depends on what you enjoy. Let me know and I will give you some more dynamic ideas quite happily......

Now where did I put my old man's slippers....!???!

Regards,
S.


[Edited by SimonJackson on 04-26-2001 at 02:07 PM]

NJHB

I agree with both the posts above but would also add Windsor Castle as a possible visit. This is just on the outer edges of Greater London.

sgrant

Brands Hatch and Lyddon are both just an hour down the road.


just a thought....

s