Ironbridge Gorge would be a good place to visit on their way to some of North Wales' castles, such as, Harlech, Caernarfon and /or Conway....then on to Holyhead and catch a ferry to Ireland.
If they could squeeze in Chester, then the Lake district, on the way back - even better.

Hi Willie .... your friends may need to give some further thought to this:

We'd like to rent a car and and head north, seeing worthy sites on the way, then possibly ferry to Ireland, before flying back to London for our return flight.

British rental companies generally are not too keen on their cars being taken across to Ireland, especially if the intention is to leave them there as part of a one-way rental. Those companies which do allow this sort of rental sometimes apply a different tariff, and they would usually charge various extra insurance, breakdown and one-way rental drop off fees.

They may actually find it more economical to terminate the rental at a UK airport or ferryport, and then hire another car when they arrive in Ireland.

David

jdybnsn,

Thanks for the recommendations, but I suspect they will be heading up the east coast, overland at Loch Ness and down the west coast for the Stranraer Ferry.

I don't think they are anti Welsh (I suspect the wife may be a fan of Tom Jones), it's just a matter of logistics.

David,

Good call on the rental car, I agree it needs some thought. I had forgotten about that little trick by the rental companies.

On that subject, I wonder if they still charge extra for NI insurance and how they justify it.

Regards

WillieG

Hi - I can highly recommend the OTHER port in Ireland worthy of a visit - Roslare in Wexford. We have spent many summers as my dad's family are all living in wexford. The beach (Curracloe Beach) is glorious and we have been burnt on the fine and not so fine days! The beach scene in saving private ryan was also filmed here so has a claim to some fame. But its just a suggestion

However, travelling north from london, I would always recommend Bath - its defintiely worthy of a visit! I can also recommend this restaurant in the heart of bath, truly outstanding service, ambience and food. http://www.tilleysbistro.co.uk/ and a place to stay I would recommend is http://www.milsomshotel.co.uk/bath/bath.html

Hope this is of some help

Hi
Very often visitors from abroad only seem to hear about the same places.
London, Stratford up on Avon, (I live in Warwickshire) and there are other towns in this county worth visiting, I live in Nuneaton, where the writer George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) who wrote" Mill on the Floss", "Silas Marner" and many more, was born.

What about trying the East Coast of England, visit a nice seaside town, like Skegness. It has improved over the years, and doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Its not as brash as Blackpool, not such a big pleasure beach, but its a nice little seaside town. Another seaside town like Bridlington, there are may places on this coast worth a visit.

Regards
Dawnie-Rob

Wouldnt advise taking the car to Ireland, if these people are coming in the summer the ferry can work out rather expensive and there are a lot of no frills airlines operating several times a day from the UK.

Time for a reality check!

10 days isn't enough to even consider what they are doing - they will end up spending all the time travelling and seeing nothing - to try and fit in Ireland and get something from the trip along with everything else will be impossible.

Why not leave the car in Scotland & fly to Ireland (Ryanair from Aberdeen, Glasgow or Edinburgh to Dublin currently from 14pence!!!)

Wow,

I never realised that there were so many places of interest. I have sent a link of this page to my American friends so that they can read up on HT themselves.

I really appreciate the suggestions on travelling to Ireland. The cheap flights definately sounds like a worthwhile option.

And lastly, my friends confessed to being Tom Jones fans (well the hubby is) and they recently attended a TJ concert in USA. No reports of underwear being thrown at the stage!

Regards and happy holidays

Willie G

One other point they should consider - if they plan to be in Edinburgh in August they will be able to catch the festival BUT hotel rooms will be scare and expesive so they'll need to plan ahead.

Willie ... with regard to flying to Ireland and hiring a car, I would suggest they check out Dooley Car Rentals who offer very reasonable rates and no additional insurance or breakdown charges for cross-border travel within Ireland.

David

For a small country there is so much to do in the uk, I suggest they have a look to see what events are also on when they are planning to come in scotland they could go to highlands games and in other places i'm sure there are plenty of festivals and galas etc they would like to see.

give them this site so they can ask more questions themselves , lonely planet could be a good buy for them if they are planning to come across, gives plenty of recommended places to visit and were to stay and eat etc.

Ideas for days out HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Pippy

Avebury is always worth a visit,
if they drive up to scotland, they shouldn't miss Loch Ness and Gretna Green and the Hadrians wall
If you visit Loch Ness there is a total beautifull waterfall just north of it ...

Wow, I am gobsmacked whenI think of how little I knew about UK. It seems that everyone has really good suggestions. But, you must understand, that it would be impossible to discover or enjoy everywhere mentioned in one trip. Looks like my friends will just have to try and make the best of it.

What I have suggested is a trip up the east coast of England and Scotland. Stop off and visit Nessie, before heading south down the west coast to the ferry ports.

Don't have much info on Ireland, but I have said that Guinness sampling is a must.

I hope that these plans do not upset any of my fellow HT's from the parts of UK that I have missed.

Cheers

WG

you could mention to your friends that Wales is also part of the UK and has some fantastic scenery and places to visit!!!!! and the welcome you receive from the welsh people is like no other.
a very patriatoc welsh lady.

I am sorry if I offended anyone from Wales (or other parts of the UK). That was not my intent. Indeed, I have some friends who enjoyed their visit there so much that the considered relocating.

It's an unfortunate fact that my American friends are on a limited timetable and I was only able to outline areas that I has some knowledge of. Thet's why they are being steered towards York, Edinburgh, NE scotland, Loch Ness and the West coast.

I would like to visit Wales some day, as I have been told it is very nice and the people are very friendly.

Regards

WG

I am sorry if I offended anyone from Wales

I don't think you offended anyone Wille, I think you realise that Wales deserves an independant trip all of its own.
Sarah

Wales is definitely worth a visit, especially the North Wales coast, my personal favourite is Llandudno, Wales's largest resort and a great centre for visiting Conway and Snowdonia. Uniquely situated between the Great and Little Ormes with two wonderful beaches, the award winning North Shore with its punch and judy and donkey rides and the quiet, sand duned West Shore.
Llandudno has kept its Victorian and Edwardian elegance and splendour, despite its modern attractions. It has, at 2,295 foot, the longest pier in Wales, built in 1878 in a spectacular Indian Gothic style of cast iron and brackets of iron lacework, a lovely walk in the evening.
Happy Valley gardens are the starting point of the aerial cable car to the summit of the Great Orme, which with a length of over a mile is the longest aerial cableway in the British Isles with the most spectacular views.
Higher up the valley is the Llandudno artificial ski slope and toboggan run.
The Great Orme Tramway is a remarkable historical survival and celebrated it centenary in 2002. With a gradient of 1 in 4, it is one of only three cable hauled street tramways still in existence world wide. The other two are in San Francisco and Lisbon, Portugal.
The annual Spring carnival each year, the May bank holiday weekend becomes Llandudno's Victorian Extravaganza and Festival of Transport when the main shopping street is closed to traffic and becomes home to traditional fairground rides and vintage and veteran vehicles of all descriptions.
It is a great place for a family holiday but you can cram a lot into a couple of days because it is all so conveniently located.

And of course, while you are on the west coast, we must not forget Liverpool, named as City of Culture for 2008, with its maritime heritage, the Albert Dock complex, its beautiful buildings (more grade I listed buildings than Bath), Mersey Ferry and besides that, us Scousers are great people! If you want a quick trip to Ireland we have loads of daily flights from John Lennon airport and if you don't have the time Liverpool is the nearest thing to Ireland in England, most of us have Irish in their blood and we have plenty of Guinness.