My wife and I have been blessed to travel quite a bit. Our 10th anniversary trip was to the UK in 2009. We had 12 days, and we were able hit the obvious highlights: London for 4 days, a Bath-Lacock-Stonehenge (after hours) tour, Edinburgh for 4 days (with a day at Dalhousie Castle), Fife coastal road day trip to St. Andrews and then inward to Loch Lomond, and then a couple of days in Dublin. Great trip. A highlight tour that matched our means and timetable at the time.

It was incredible. To this day my favorite trip. And although I agree with my wife's general philosophy of not repeating trips because the World's too big and why repeat when there's something new to discover, I want to repeat the UK, but dig deeper.

SO, my 50th birthday, my retirement year, and our 25th anniversary all happen in the same year (2024). What I want is a much deeper dive into the UK. IF...if possible I'd love to do a month so I can dig deeper and explore nooks and crannies.

My main focus is in the truly ancient. I will retread some ground. I'd like to visit Bath (sans tour guide so I can linger) and Stonehenge again, and then I want to strike out to new and exotic locations. I want to hear from the Forum here. What are the truly great places in the wilds (famous or not) to visit? Standing stones, burials, ancient villages, etc...those kind of things. Places to hike. Places I can go running about to look at while the wifey reads by the fireplace or in the well appointed garden.

I'm looking to compile a list of everyone's favorites, again, famous or not. Some places are famous for a reason and should not be missed, and some places are criminally unknown.

Thanks!!

Hi Scott,
The English Lake District, Cumbria is a must in my view. Glorious scenery of lakes and mountains (think big hills and crags up to just over 3000 feet), quaint towns and villages, standing stones at Castlerigg near Keswick, Roman forts (remains) at Ambleside and Hard Knott, and close by is the impressive Roman Hadrian's Wall and associated and well preserved ruins of Housteads and Vindolanda. Add in the light Eskdale and Ravenglass Railway (La'l Ratty as it's known), and the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway along the shores of the lake of Windermere.

I agree with Daffy above, but would also throw in the Peak District, Avebury stone circle and some of the Cotswolds. Much has become tourist magnets with the advent of Covid caused 'staycations' but if you can time it to avoid school hols then that would help. North Scotland has to be a must, but not in midge season!!!

Hi @scottmitchell74 long time no speak!

Ancient eh? Hmmm, well the wife's over 50 now.

Seriously though. In Gloucestershire is Chedworth Roman Villa. Website is here...

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/chedworth-roman-villa

Moving East from there is the Rollright Stones. These are just down the road from us, they are a small collection of standing stones. Personally, we've been here 18yrs and never visited them, although we drive past them a few times a month. THe website is here...

https://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/

If you're coming over to the UK for a month, you might want to see if you can get a National Trust membership. It will give you a book of all their sights and the membership card will get you free access is some places, free parking too. I don't know all the ins and outs of the benefits, but the wife and I went to Avebury stone circle earlier in the year and her membership card got us free parking. Normal price, an eye-watering £7!!!

Then, how about a Victorian Tower Brewery in the shape of Hook Norton Brewery?

https://www.hooky.co.uk/

If you reckon you'll do any of these three, get in touch and we could catch up for a coffee.

If I think of anything else I'll post again, these are just the first things that popped into my head.

Awesome everyone! Keep 'em coming!

The goal is to take literally every suggestion and then research them and figure a way to distill them down into a doable itinerary. 

I'll suggest adding Yorkshire to the itinerary.

Probably easiest to base yourself in the City of York itself  - a good walk round the walls, and the bonus of the National Railway Museum.

If you like castles, we've plenty of those to consider - Skipton, Bolton Castle, Richmond, Scarborough, Pickering, Helmsley to name a few of the more well known examples within a couple of hours of York.

You like Henges? - check out Thornborough https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornborough_Henges, or Standing stones - there's the 'Devils Arrows' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Arrows

Open hiking countryside? - the only county to offer a choice of two national parks - the "North Yorkshire Moors" or the "Yorkshire Dales"

Have to agree with Daffy's reply. The Lake District is one of my favourite places on Earth, and having done everything that Daffy mentions, can thoroughly recommend it. You could throw in a few mountain climbs too (I've done Hellvelyn, Great Gable, Skiddaw and Blencathra).

Of course, for something really cool, you could always try Australia! 

Well I'm not going to suggest anything specific yet.

BUT, as you are American what's your definition of "truly ancient"?

100 years maybe     



Does 500 years count, or is 1000 years or more better?

If your looking for Roman or Iron Age stuff then I would recommend looking at English Heritage sites, rather than the National Trust, as they have the really old stuff such as Hadrian's Wall and Stonehenge.

Regards,

John P

Quote from: jpendle on September 11, 2021, 12:55:47 AM
Well I'm not going to suggest anything specific yet.

BUT, as you are American what's your definition of "truly ancient"?

100 years maybe     

Visiting Texas a few years back, an American said to me "in the USA 100 years is a long time, but in England 100 miles is a long way"!

If you want really old stuff piled on top of each other in one place then you must go to Orkney and Shetland. Overnight car ferry from Aberdeen, and allow three days in each. Amazing...

Quote from: jpendle on September 11, 2021, 12:55:47 AM
Well I'm not going to suggest anything specific yet.

BUT, as you are American what's your definition of "truly ancient"?

100 years maybe     




Does 500 years count, or is 1000 years or more better?

If your looking for Roman or Iron Age stuff then I would recommend looking at English Heritage sites, rather than the National Trust, as they have the really old stuff such as Hadrian's Wall and Stonehenge.

Regards,

John P

Yeah, good question. Of course if it's on the way I'm not passing up something interesting that's "only" 3,4, 500 years old, but I'm talking about 1000+, but with a real emphasis on pre-Roman stuff. That said,  there's a lot from the immediately post-Roman through Shakespeare that I'll go out of my way for.

Good question, which I only partially answered. 🤔

How about Winchester, capital of erstwhile Wessex ?

It is only a few miles from the Watercress Line preserved steam railway.

Gilbert White's house is also nearby (famous 18th century naturalist).

Portsmouth/Southsea is worth a visit. From there you can take a trip to the Isle of Wight by (small) hovercraft.


Bon voyage !

Visit the    narrow  gauge railways  of Wales . Do  a quarry tour! Check  their  zipline  !

See the castles. Do Snowdon ( Yr wyddfa ) by rail.

and copper  mines  on Anglesea

Stonehenge is now roped off so you don't actually get to touch the stones unlike when I played on them as a child.. so a visit to nearby Avebury is worth while, the stones aren't as big but the circle is larger and you can walk up to them.
Also in the area, Old Sarum, the original Salisbury,  in an  2500 year old hill fort. Lived in till 1333  It's worth visiting.
Then you've got the new church in Salisbury, replacing the one on old Sarum, the new cathedral 636 years old. (My aunt lived in the grounds, she was a retired missionary, there are quite a few houses there).
I could mention Ludgershall castle, which I was a minor part in excavating, ancient hill fort, Romans were there,  mostly medieval , through to army use during WW1 .

It's impossible to go anywhere in the UK without falling over something historical,
Web sites, to look at:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
https://members.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
https://cadw.gov.wales/

Wales has everything on your list and much more besides.

Gorgeous coast and mini mountains.
Luscious woodlands.
Ancient castles.
Trains!

Steven B

Wales has castles Caernarvon, Portmeirion for the wife , Porthmadog, Welsh highland and Ffestiniog.  Cumbria, I.agree with Mike Daffy  , mick, George. A breathtaking scenic ride on the Settle and Carlisle plus the Cumbrian Coast line and plenty to do with words worth  Beatrix potter