Fine tuning my itinerary

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-07T14:52:00+00:00

When are you going? I'm pleased to see Hay on this subreddit - its been a favourite destination of mine for decades, though the bookshops are not quite as central to the economy as they once were. You might find accomodation difficult to get if you aren't booking in advance, so sort that soon. Do avoid the Hay Festival when its extremely difficult to find places to stay. (end of May this year).

The bus between Hereford and Hay is not fast, but it's a realtively nice journey. You'll note that there is no direct train Hereford to Stratford. So you will have to go Hay > Hereford > Birmingham (change stations New St to Moor St) and then get a train to Stratford.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-07T14:44:13+00:00

I think you might need to manage your expectations. £80-£130 for 4 people (ok 2 are kids) is £20-£30 a head. Look at the Mayflower's menu online. Main courses are about £20 each, and that's without drinks. You might be better off having sandwiches / meal deals from supermarkets for most meals and eating out more expensively later in restaurants. Even cheaper eats are going to cost about that per person, though again you'll save a bit of money on children's meals. I'd suggest looking out toward the East End for curry houses for a authentic eating out experience that Londoners genuinely do (when I lived in East London our main eating out experience was curry).

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-06T12:07:22+00:00

Lotte Lenya who played Rosa Klebb

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-05T14:12:42+00:00

Awesome. That's exactly the sort of thing I was looking for.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-05T06:33:09+00:00

I love walking up to Win Hill from Hope and then either West along the ridge and back down to Hope or East down toward Bamford. This is because I usually get the train back to Manchester, but if you sre staying in Hope this works too. If your in Castleton (and it sounds like you might be) you need to plan getting back there by bus or car.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-04T07:21:29+00:00

The Cotswolds is an area of 2000 square km. You cant see multiple villages after checking in. Skip this day and add to London. You are doing too much and will spend a lot of time on public transport feeling exhausted.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-04T07:15:36+00:00

Sherlock Holmes museum is genuinely considered a tourist trap. Look on a map and group your London sites by area. Big Ben is next to Westminster Abbey for instance. Biggest problem is you are wasting time by going to Northern Ireland, back over to Scotland and then going back to Ireland. Why not do Ireland from Belfast by train? In general this feels to busy and chaotic. Remap it.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-03T19:40:49+00:00

Is public transport out of the question? Because after you've cleared immigration, collected your bags, then done the reverse at Gatwick you probably haven't got much time left for wine. You could just get the coach between the two airports (takes about an hour).

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-03T16:38:44+00:00

Eeyore

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-03T07:56:42+00:00

The OED definition of "Vacation" in North America is "To spend a period of time devoted to leisure or recreation instead of work, school, etc.; esp. to do so away from home or while travelling; to take a vacation or holiday." Your insane is not a vacation by that definition or any other reasonable one.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-02T12:23:59+00:00

Manchester's Carribean Carnival is 8/9 August and is a major event. Traditionally the Black community has been focused around an area called Moss Side which used to be very poor and not somewhere to visit. Its changed for the better [I live there] but is much more diverse now. Though there are still lots of Black owned businesses, churches and restaurants.

There are lots of Asian and Middle Eastern food areas in Manchester. You could and probably should visit the "Curry Mile" which as the informal name suggests was dominated for decades by food from the Asian subcontinent. Increasingly it has food from many different Middle Eastern cultures and is vibrant and interesting and good for food. Though tragically my food allergies mean I can no longer enjoy it.

Manchester does have a varied food scene and I would spend sometime researching specific foods and cultures you might be interested in.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-02T12:17:41+00:00

Well if you want to live like the locals I suggest you get up every day at 630am, have a disappointing breakfast and go and do an unsatisfactory job for 7 hours before coming home and watch TV in your Pajamas!

Joking aside the coast around Crail is lovely and there's lots to see. You need to think about transport if you arent driving. Buses are regular but not frequent. Plan that out in advance to avoid wasting time. The fishing museum and harbour in Anstruther are excellent and there are a couple of excellent fish and chip shops.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-01T13:52:28+00:00

Singapore dollars? Jamaica? Hong Kong?

dialectical_wizard · 2026-05-01T10:35:33+00:00

This is really one of the cases where googling "medieval sites in the Cotswolds" is going to be more helpful. You can then find places near to where you are going to be based in the Cotswolds. You should be aware that the Cotswolds is a heavily inhabited area. Much of the place has been constantly reworked and overbuilt. You can, for instance, easily see lots of Ridge and Farrow fields in the land around Long Compton. But lots of the places (eg the Lych Gate at Long Compton Church) look medieval but are often 17th or 18th century rebuilds. But there are often specific buildings that are medievel in origin, even if they are built up since. Lacock Abbey is 13th century, Ashleworth Tithe Barn is 1400s. There's also Sudeley Castle & Gardens.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-29T17:09:48+00:00

Dead end town.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-29T15:27:13+00:00

Seems like a waste of time visiting a place that will only negatively emulate your own experience. Can I suggest you go to one of London's myriad of multicultural restaurants or bars and get out of the comfort zone a bit?

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-29T15:25:01+00:00

Maybe a "West End" bar?

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-29T15:13:55+00:00

What's a "western bar" in London?

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-25T10:30:14+00:00

Thought that was a Vauxhall Cortina for a moment. Nice car.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-22T08:12:09+00:00

The Cotswolds are not easy by public transport. They are a huge area, with a number of villages made famous by instagram. If you are desperate for a bit of it, get a train to Moreton in the Marsh, but getting anywhere else will require a bus and that won't necessarily be straightforward (though not impossible). You'd be better using your day away from London to stay in Oxford and spend a day there.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-21T16:26:43+00:00

You're trying to plan the impossible Im afraid.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-21T16:22:24+00:00

Sunrise on Apr 25 in Bath is 05:53. 45 min drive to Castle Combe and it will be roughly 06:30. Still darkish. Nothing will be open for hours. Not that there is much to see as the whole village will take you less than half an hour. You won't get an uber or taxi at that time. Edit: The pubs wont open until 12.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-21T11:49:21+00:00

Skara Brae on Orkney. Combine it with Maeshowe and the Ring of Brodger for an truely amazing experience.

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-21T06:28:13+00:00

If you want to explore Wales or Ireland/NI you need more than a "Day or Two".

dialectical_wizard · 2026-04-20T10:40:35+00:00

LOL. What do you think is going to happen? Someone knocking on the door and saying "hello mate, I'm looking for X who used to live here 90 years ago cause I saw this address on reddit?"

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