Trip to London (Page 3): If you have a car visit Stonehenge, Portsmouth for starters. Rail service is fantastic. London is a great city. Ken S.

kschwegl Loc: Orangeburg, NY

tinkerbell2 wrote:

I am fulfilling a dream, and traveling to England in May for 2 weeks. Can anyone advise me of wonderful sights to photograph? Also, if anyone has a suggestion of places to go, I'd appreciate it.

If you have a car visit Stonehenge, Portsmouth for starters. Rail service is fantastic. London is a great city.
Ken S.

moses0

I second the boat trip down the Thames. I got great photo's from it. You can take a short trip from Westminster to Tower Bridge with running commentary giving info and humor.

Hal81 Loc: Bucks County, Pa.

We have a lot of good hogs living in the UK. How about trying for a meet up. Im sure there is some that would like to see someone from our group and show you around.

aggiedad Loc: Corona, ca

Since you may encounter a rainy day or two, use that as an opportunity to visit museums. We visited the Victoria and Albert in the morning and the British in the afternoon. Both are wonderful.

therwol Loc: USA

RKL349 wrote:

I know this is off subject, but don't forget to take a power converter so you can charge your batteries. They are cheaper if purchased in the states.

Most chargers for cameras, laptops, tablets etc. these days work fine at any voltage between 110 and 250. You just need a plug adaptor. They sell them in travel stores, online or even in some of the supermarkets over there. (This is NOT true of hair dryers and Sonicare toothbrush chargers, by the way. Get a dual voltage hair dryer or buy one over there if you need to. The American Sonicare brushes can be charged by plugging into the 110 razor outlet they have in bathrooms over there. If you just use a plug adaptor with 250 volts, you'll fry it.) Read the fine print on anything you want to plug in over there.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

If you do rent a car and travel, make sure you request an automatic unless you are comfortable driving a stick shift. If you do that and decide to go to Stonehenge then take a couple of days and visit Avebury, West Kennet Long Barrow, Salisbury and Bath. England is relatively small but very densely packed with history and opportunities for experiences and photography.

Think of the old adage, in England 100 miles is a long way, in America 100 years is a long time!

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

aggiedad wrote:

Since you may encounter a rainy day or two, use that as an opportunity to visit museums. We visited the Victoria and Albert in the morning and the British in the afternoon. Both are wonderful.

Only two?

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

John N wrote:

I've not spent any real time in BATH, but I'm told the Roman remains are worth a visit.

I was at University in Bath in the 1970s. The Roman Baths and the Museum and associated things are well worth visiting. When I was there then the Roman museum took around 45 minutes to an hour to visit. When I went back about a decade ago there had been so much new excavation that the Roman museum took half a day.

I was also lucky to be there at that point in time. We had our graduation ceremony at the Assembly Rooms (good for Jane Austin fans) our graduation dinner in the Pump rooms, and in between we went swimming in the Roman Baths with music from a rock band!

Don't forget Bath Abbey either, or the Georgian architecture. As one person said about student accommodation, "Bath doesn't just have slums, it has curved slums!" c.f.. Royal Crescent, the Circus and others.

therwol Loc: USA

Peterff wrote:

If you do rent a car and travel, make sure you request an automatic unless you are comfortable driving a stick shift.

Over the years, I've noticed more and more automatics available for rent in the UK, and the price differential isn't so much now. I drove a manual stick for many years before renting one over there. I just couldn't get used to the fact the first and second were away from me, and third and fourth (and fifth) were toward me. I'd start in third, "downshift" to fourth etc. Not good in the middle of a roundabout at low speed. Rent an automatic.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

therwol wrote:

Over the years, I've noticed more and more automatics available for rent in the UK, and the price differential isn't so much now. I drove a manual stick for many years before renting one over there. I just couldn't get used to the fact the first and second were away from me, and third and fourth (and fifth) were toward me. I'd start in third, "downshift" to fourth etc. Not good in the middle of a roundabout at low speed. Rent an automatic.

Well as they say, whether going from the US to the UK or the other way round, you go to change gear and open the driver's door instead!

JosephSF Loc: Sonoma County CA

[quote=Skate]You can get from the airport to London by bus or train (Gatwick Express goes to Victoria Train Station---not the same as Victoria Coach Station).
I have listed the places most people want to see:
I recommend an all-day pass (Zone 1+2) or one that lasts longer. You can get them when you go underground to ride the tubes. Just ask for the all-day pass or other extended passes....

You covered all the basic landmarks that any milquetoast tourist could ask for except where to go to the loo. Oh, wait, you did that as well. Saves the OP a lot of energy in thinking or exploring at all. Nice work.

philmurfin Loc: Bakewell, Derbyshire UK

johneccles wrote:

Don't tell everybody they'll ruin it

You're right, stay south!

Geezer Loc: Capreol, Ontario, Canada

A lot of Hogs have mentioned the Tower of London. That's a must see! But a lot of tourists are not aware of the "Ceremony of the Keys" which they do every night when they lock up. The tickets are free for about 50 people. Check on the net. I don't know if 2 weeks is enough notice for them, but give it a try.
Have fun on your trip!

therwol Loc: USA

Geezer wrote:

A lot of Hogs have mentioned the Tower of London. That's a must see! But a lot of tourists are not aware of the "Ceremony of the Keys" which they do every night when they lock up. The tickets are free for about 50 people. Check on the net. I don't know if 2 weeks is enough notice for them, but give it a try.
Have fun on your trip!

This has to be booked months in advance. We were there last September and waited too long to book it. We did take a guided walking tour through the place. You won't get much out of it unless someone explains the history. The Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) also give Jack the Ripper walking tours on their own time for extra income. I think you can book online or just ask one of them when you're there.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

philmurfin wrote:

You're right, stay south!

I thought Derbyshire was in the south!