Expert: Alun Hill MCIJ - 8/18/2009

Question
Hi Alun.  We are planning a trip to England next year.  We would like to travel around the country by train, rail pass probably.  We'd like to know how to get information or a guide that you could recommend that would help us link train stops to interesting villages or country inns.  We visited a few years ago but travelled mainly in Scotland.  We found driving a bit scary with all the Americans trying to get used to driving on the opposite side of the road.  We like counrty house hotels, village inn/pubs, hand pulled ales:)etc.  We hope to have 2 full weeks to explore.  Thanks for any suggestions.

Paul from London Ontario Canada.

Answer
Hi - thanks very much for your question!

Yes, driving in Scotland can be hard work!

The problem you'll have is that the trains tend to serve the main cities, with some slower, occasional, branch lines into the country - and you need to get to a hotel for each night!

There are several guides to UK and trains at Amazon, but if you can give me some idea of your budget, I'll happily make some recommendations.

A train pass alone can be quite expensive - and unless you are going to use it extensively, you can buy very cheap tickets in advance, via the internet - for example London to Manchester can vary between £6 and £180 approx.

That said, the best part of a train pass is that you can just get on and off "as you wish" - and if you like where you are - and there's accommodation within budget  - just stay there.

Can I also just check that you DO mean "England" specifically next year please?

Alun Hill, MCIJ
Editor http://www.IsLondonExpensive.com