To all my friends from the U.K.

[Joe the Gnarled]

Hello there,

My wife and I are planning a vacation across the pond this time next year. We are looking at the last week in October. That week appeals to us because travel will be cheaper and we love Halloween.

I was looking for some travel advice. Will the weather be terribly rough by the end of October? What sights do you suggest? Any cost saving tips?

We both have English and Scottish heritage and have been wanting to make this trip for some time. It seems there are too many sites we want to visit in only 5-6 days. Possible on the list right now is Stonehenge, a bus tour of London, Windsor, Oxford (have to stop at the Eagle and Child pub), Chester/Liverpool, and maybe Edinburgh.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Butterfly]

If you're staying around London, you should definitely consider adding a tour of the Tower with a visit to its ravens. Official Tower Of London Tickets, Events & History

Rail tickets are generally expensive to or from London if you ask for a ticket straight through. Instead ask for a cheaper option. If you ask for the cheapest option, they have to tell you, but usually won't if you don't ask. It usually involves splitting up the ticket to a station just outside the city, then on to wherever you intend to go. you will have to carry several tickets but it saves a lot of money.

 

[CupofJoe]

Stonehenge is great and undoubted wonderful but I would suggest Avebury. It is larger in area and you can touch the stones [they do frown climbing on them though]. Near by there is West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill, which all have their virtues and are worth a look. And if you go to Avebury you might meet a very nice man called Terry who is the [head] Druid at the site and tells a good tale or two himself.

Whatever the weather, it will be colder outside London compared to elsewhere in the South of the UK [5°F or more usually]. Edinburgh? I don't know but colder and wetter I would guess.
It can be stormy in October in the UK but it can be pretty windy and rainy just about any time. You will need a water proof and I’d add a good brolly too.
Money Saving Tips?
Don't go to London
All of the UK [especially the South] is expensive but London is eye-wateringly expensive.
I stayed for three nights in Paris for the price of one night in London only a few weeks back. and Paris is known for being costly...
The great museums of London are out of this world [The Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert (V&A) are about 100 yard from each other, and the British Museum is only a few Tube stops away]. There are dozens of other museums in London, hundreds really. I suggest the Museum of London and the British Library as places well worth a visit that might be forgotten. The British Library often has amazing, wonderful and often thought provoking displays and the Museum of London is a great place to learn about London’s history from the neolithic on to the second world war.
Personally I don't like Oxford or Windsor, but maybe I've been lucky enough to go there often enough to see their faults and not their good points. Tourist Windsor is just the castle and a few shopping streets – there is Eton College just across the river and you can walk along the Thames and [not] feed the Swans. Oxford is an industrial town with a very pretty few university buildings and grounds [which maybe closed to visitors during term].
You can always do a tour of where they build the Mini car...
Travel around the UK is expensive but you can buy cheaper tickets in advance if you pick a specific time and train and travel out of peak hours. For advance tickets you can sometimes get better discounts if you travel first class. You get more luggage room, bigger seats, power sockets for your phone/tablet/computer and on longer trips [London – Edinburgh] the seat will often come with a meal. On shorter trips it isn't worth the extra.
Reserving seats is always a good idea.

 

[A.A. Kingsbury]

I have been to Oxford a number of times, to the eagle and child as well. (Had my bachelor party there, involved a 'A worlds end' type pub crawl.) The pub is easy to miss as its on the outskirts slightly but well worth it. Regarding places to stay in London if you book well enough in advance you should try the Travelodge. (Travelodge Hotels and Motels | Great Deals, Cheap Rooms & Rewards) The wife and I try to make it down to London at least once a year to grab a show. We usually get a booking at the Travelodge for around £35 for a double per night. They have them all around London. They're nothing special but the way I see it is that your going to London and these other places to look around, not spend the whole time in the hotel room. Also when you book it once 90% of the time give you a voucher off your next stay when you can use towards Oxford or Edinburgh.

Asking about the weather is akin to asking 'how long is a piece of string.' as you can never know. Pass experience though, by the end of October it will generally be on the colder side, possible drizzle as well. I'd recommend warm clothes and a mini-umbrella. On a side note Halloween is not a major thing in the UK so it will be different and less of a spectacle but if you end up being here on or around the 5th November(Bonfire Night) you should be able to catch one of the fire work displays, can get crowded but it is eye catching.

__________________________________________
WWW.THECROWNSOFALMACH.CO.UK

 

[Joe the Gnarled]

Thank you all for the helpful input. We are thinking perhaps a bit earlier in the year due to the weather, maybe late September or early October. If anyone has any other suggestions please don’t be shy. We do not get to travel that often, I want to make the most of it.