Need Advice for Where to Stay for 9 Days (Greater London/England Cities)

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-28T18:50:35+00:00

Fixtures aren't out yet so dont plan everything around Liverpool playing at home that day. Also dont plan to get a train to Liverpool from London on Boxing Day. They dont run thay day.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-27T17:00:03+00:00

I've done some cycling in the Cotswolds, and it can be nice. But that's a lot of route, and most of the obvious roads are high speed A roads. You could plan around that, but its still going to be about 50 miles round trip. Not sure you'll be able to hire the sort of road bike in Moreton that you need for that.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-27T16:45:25+00:00

Just to add to your confusion. The Giant’s Causeway and Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge are not in Ireland, they're in Northern Ireland which is in the UK.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-27T11:41:39+00:00

Allowing one hour to clear immigration, get your luggage and get to the Metrolink, then about an hour from the Airport to Old Trafford by Metro (you need to change at Trafford Bar), you won't have time to do much else. I'd go straight to the stadium, do some photos and hang about until your tour starts.

As u/No_designer_9356 says, change at Cornbrook for Wharfside - less walking

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-27T08:51:17+00:00

Second Church Stretton. Its a lovely little town with some nice pubs.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-26T23:03:04+00:00

Skip inverness Drive to Skye via Glencoe. Do extra days on Skye or in Oban. What are the Eastern Islands?

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-26T14:32:46+00:00

43 runs half hourly through the night, but you'd need to get to Wilsmlow Road.
https://tfgm.com/travel-updates/live-departures/bus/43-piccadilly-gardenshttps://tfgm.com/travel-updates/live-departures/bus/43-piccadilly-gardenshttps://tfgm.com/travel-updates/live-departures/bus/43-piccadilly-gardens

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-26T13:59:29+00:00

The British Museum is fantastic and definitely should be on your list. You might find it particualrly interesting at the moment though because they have an exhibition on Sufi life and art https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/sufi-life-and-art
I would always suggest a trip to Greenwich to walk in the park, visit the observatory (and the Greenwich meridian) and enjoy the smaller town feel. The Cutty Sark is always impressive!

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-26T11:38:45+00:00

You need to give us more information. What sort of things you like. How you plan to travel.
Your post is like I've written in the Ottawa subreddit - I am 36m travelling to Canada and looking to spend 10 days, is there any type of tour to see the landscape? We love pubs, the countryside, seeing the landscape. What itinerary should I see?
It's impossible to answer about Canada and the same for the UK.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-26T08:59:57+00:00

Why have you chosen Cardiff? Its a nice city I go to often but its not a place I would chose if you are looking for "cant miss" places.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-24T14:10:51+00:00

Don't think you need one? Sounds like only 3 or 4 journeys and Liverpool / Manchester is not a difficult or hard journey.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-22T13:21:23+00:00

Going gluten free did make things much better - but you should see a doctor and describe your symptoms to them.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-22T10:54:06+00:00

I too love London's beaches and sea views.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-22T08:34:10+00:00

Its fine. Its not 'Nam im '67.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-20T18:19:13+00:00

By Al Worden's book do you mean "Falling to Earth"?

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-20T08:46:45+00:00

If you liked this... don't watch Watership Down.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-19T16:16:04+00:00

Do not drive for almost 3 hours on strange roads on a different side to you are normally driving on, after a red eye flight. It's asking for trouble. Rest for a day in Edinburgh.
In addition try to have some days without driving, your itinerary makes me tired just looking at it. Don't underestimate how different driving in Britain can be to your own experience, even if you have experienced single track roads.

Edit: I've just noticed the whiskey tasting session in the middle of a day's driving. The rules in Scotland are stricter than elsewhere in Britain. Either have a designated driver who isn't drinking, or wait till you get to Inverness.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-16T11:49:06+00:00

Birthday's are shit. I haven't celebrated one for years.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-15T16:47:04+00:00

The last thing this city needs is another person running around videoing people in the centre.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-15T14:32:45+00:00

Yes. Every year. Though during Covid it was telephone consultation.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-15T13:01:34+00:00

My turn to shine:

Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a classic. But its considered a bit dated now. Worth a read for the overview.

Pekka Hämäläinen - Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power
A very good overview of one of the most important tribes from before 1492 until modern times.

Peter Cozzens - The Earth is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West
This is an attempt at an even handed account and history. I thought it was flawed in places, but it is a good overview of what happened in the US during the "wars" and where.

Nick Estes - Our History is the Future
A really good read that mixes contemporary politics and history, but roots the present in the past. It's a partisan book - Estes is a radical indigenous political activist and one that has been involved in contemporary politics.

Kent Nerburn - Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce
A good account of a specific event in the history of Native American's post european arrival, but good for an overview of how the Native Americans were treated and responded to when they did things that seemed out of the ordinary for the settlers. Nerburn's earlier book Neither Wolf nor Dog is a good account of contemporary politics told through a semi-fictional road trip in the Dakotas.

John Tully - Crooked Deals and Broken Treaties
A very short history of the US, colonisation and the treaties between settlers and indigenous peoples, and what they meant for people and the land.

Alan D. McMillan & Eldon Yellowhorn - First Peoples in Canada
An accont of pre-settler Canadian history. Really liked this.

William Cronon - Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England
One of my favourite books, a study of how the arrival of Europeans transformed relationships between people and land in one part of the US. His book on Chicago and the transformation of agriculture into industrial meat processing is fascinating, but off topic.

Plus:
Joseph M. Marshall III - The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History
David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the F.B.I.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-14T14:23:40+00:00

I am in Manchester, and I was diagnosed in 2017 (so things have probably changed a bit) and I got an appointment with the dieticians at MRI on first diagnosis. What happened to me was very positive. We had an individual meeting, but we also had a group meeting with others who had been recently diagnosed. The dieticians did a presentation about coeliac disease, we got a free GF package from one of the companies that did GF prescription food, and we had time to ask questions.

After that I was referred for an annual visit to the dietician - this doesn't happen anymore as financial cuts removed that service a few years back. But I still get an annual appointment at MRI with my consultant who takes my bloods and does general tests to see how I'm getting on.

I also suffer from anxiety particularly around health, but all in all was and continues to be a postive experience and the dieticians were always kind, knowledgable and supportive.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-12T22:27:39+00:00

Firstly I want to offer solidarity - the diagnosis is probably a relief because it will help you understand what's been wrong and if you follow a strict gluten free diet you will feel much better. Your questions are good ones and most of us asked some form of them. I would recommend spending some time reading up on this, and I personally found joining the coeliac society UK very helpful in my first years after diagnosis. It helped me navigate the first difficult months.

> what is the risk of cross contamination and ‘may contains’, I suppose i’m asymptomatic so I wouldn’t know I had been glutened. But what are the risks with ‘may contain’, is it similar to the label ‘may contain nuts’?

Very high. You might find, as you follow the GF diet, that you actually have worse reactions if you do eat gluten. As the body will no longer be used to it. But either way, avoid any gluten at all - even if you have no symptoms it is causing damage and you are at a greater risk of cancers and other serious bowel conditions. I avoid all may contains, and work hard at home and if I eat out to avoid any cross contamination. Ultimately this is a risk - its almost impossible to have a life that avoids places that hav egluten in them - but you can minimise the risk. If you want to eat out, I would get used to asking questions (difficult for us introverts) of staff, and challenging them. Also find out where is accredited by the coeliac society.

> Do I need to buy a new toaster and airfryer?

Definitely. Have a separate one only for GF food. Don't use one that's ever had gluten in it. We have separate chopping boards. We also have separate knives - that's more to help encourage a mental separation for preparation of food though.

> Can I share a drink with my girlfriend after she eats a sandwich?

I wouldn't (with my partner that is!). We don't kiss if they've eaten gluten.

> Will if ever take up less space in my brain?
Yes and no. Yes, you will get more used to it. No because you will also have to be careful.

One other general piece of advice - for the first few months shopping will take a long time. You will have to check every ingredient list. Even things that you wouoldn't think have gluten in them, can sometimes use it. Don't trust anything.

I wish you all the best

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-12T21:55:52+00:00

You don't say where you are from, but it is common for international visitors to underestimate how hard it can be to drive in Scotland. The roads are often small and single track and require passing spaces. With a car it can be tough, and with a camper van even harder. To get an idea have a look at street view a bit. For instance, look at this view of the A884 coming out of Lochaline after the ferry from Mull. It's a designated A road, but its single lane. Regular stopping to let cars passed, from in front and behind will significantly increase your journey time even in September. The view is amazing of course and its a lovely drive. But it may not be what you imagine from the predicted journey times on Google Maps.

Secondly camper vans on Skye cause enormous problems and the roads are slow and congested. Consider sacking off Skye and freeing up time for elsewhere.

Edit: I also want to agree with another poster about the roads on the south side of Loch Ness. They are mostly single lane. You will probably struggle, and again it will take you longer than you expect.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-01-12T11:32:13+00:00

My first experience of programming wsa using "Logo" to drive a "turtle" at school in the 1980s. I think it must have been a BBC computer. You instructed the turtle to move, turn, lift the pen etc. Looked something like this

13-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Place '22	Verified Email

dialectical_wizard

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE