[Skooz]

I'm jealous. My ancestors were from the Scottish borders. I'd really love to visit one day.

I've wanted to visit the UK all my life. This year I decided to make it happen.

Two weeks with Britrail combing England, Scotland and Wales. No agenda. No schedule. I'll decide where to go when I get up that morning.

[Windflier]

I once worked for a large construction outfit that sent me to the south of England for a big renovations project. I wound up living there for about a year.

At Christmas break some Scottish friends invited me up for the holidays. Scotland was getting hammered with arctic blizzards at the time, so I declined.

After returning home to the US, I regretted not staying until spring so I could visit during better weather.

Ah well. It’s on my bucket list now.

[fortes fortuna juvat]

>>Two weeks with Britrail combing England, Scotland and Wales. No agenda. No schedule. I’ll decide where to go when I get up that morning.<<

That is, by far, the best way to travel for the purpose of sightseeing. My wife and I have traveled all over Europe and North America with only a general idea of where we intended to go, but no timetable and no advance reservations. We would fly to any airport, rent a nice car, and hit the road. That was during our thirties through our sixties. Now we’re in our seventies and no longer have the stamina or the steady nerves to go it alone, so instead we do Globus and Cosmos coach tours and big-boat cruises, not like winging it but still highly enjoyable.

[kiltie65]

Buy the “O[pen to View” pass (it cost $40 when I went years ago) and you can go through all the castles, open country historical homes, historical sites, for free for one month after they date stamp it at the first site you view. Absolutely a bargain. It comes with a guidebook listing the hundreds of places you get to view so you can eyeball the book and see if it is somewhere you want to go.You can also purchase a eu-rail (sp) pass where you can hop off and on trains throughout Britain for free for an amount of time you deem needed. These must be purchased beforehand. We only were there three weeks, so I passed on my open to view pass to an American couple we passed on the street before we left.