Rob

I have four weeks holiday in mid January and I have booked a flight to meet two Aussie mates living in Liverpool. We are all heading up to Scotland and across to Ireland. I would like some suggestions of where to go and where to avoid based on your experiences. It is my first time to Britain and I am really looking forward to seeing heaps and having a good time. I'm 22 years old and live in Sydney. Thanks for your help!!

Cathy

Hi Rob, <BR>If you are crossing from Scotland to irelaand at that time of the year you have two options a) sail and risk cancelled ferries due to bad weather b) fly. If you want to sail take a foot passenger fare or acr with 4 people to belfast or Larne and then drive around it is relatively safe although that depends on the outcome of the review of the peace process which is going on at the moment. This way you can see some of northern ireland prior to driving around the republic and there are some interesting tours in belfast about the Troubles etc. However cancelled ferries are common in winter time due to storms. If you decide to fly then check out the chepa no frills airline Ryanair from an airport outside Glasgow to Dublin for very cheap flights. you could fly direct to Dublin with them. Rent a car to travel outside Dublin. You then could fly back to britain. However if you are sailing from Scotland to Northern ireland and bringing a car there are direct ferries from Dublin back to Liverpool. Ferries seems to be your best option but watch out for the weather etc. In ireland you should be avoiding all the tourists at that time of the year, do check out Dublin (I think you would enjoy the Guinness Brewery tour) good pub although expensive and touristy is the Porter House with its own specially brewed beer, it is in Temple Bar (very popular with tourists but lots of places to eat, do try Burdochs for fish and chips - excellent - it is near Christchurch),budget style accommodation can be got from Jury's Inn Hotels (the one in Christchurch is the best location - you pay by the room rather than by the person. With 4 people it would work out cheaper than a hostel and more comfortable. Cork and the whiskey distrillery in Midleton (30 minutes from Cork) is worth a trip and so in Galway (the only time of the year to brave Galway so as to avoid falling over more tourists than natives). Hope this helps and by the way the drink is cheaper outside Dublin rather than in it.

Ed

<BR>We just returned from Eng/Scotland and enjoyed Edinburgh for several days. Glassgowseemed too big and we skipped it. St Andrews is a beautiful town and more so if you golf, it is just one and a half hours north of Edin. The West. Highlands and Oban on the coast were also scenic. Driving through the mountains needs some care but they are beautiful. We used BB's and booked ahead with the tourist board. There are good train deals out of London to Scotland and good bus tours to the north out of Edinburgh. Would recommend the Ard Na Said BB in Edinburgh, take a bus ten minutes downtown for 70 pence. Plenty of info on the forum, I used it extensively before going. A good on line BB system is Smooth Hounds, check it out.

Jo

Best recommendation - book one of the "Hop on Hop off" UK and Ireland trips aimed at backpackers. You get off where you want dropped right at your accommodation, stay as long as you want, and get back on when you're ready. There's different companies - your Aussie friends will easily be able to find suitable companies in the TNT magazine (a free magazine aimed at budget trravellers from Australia, NZ, South Africa and Canada). The bus is also a great way to meet like minded (and aged) travellers.

Sheila

A couple of questions, please. <BR> <BR>What do you like? <BR> <BR>How will you be travelling? <BR> <BR>How long do you intend to spend in Scotland? <BR> <BR>Ceud Mile Failte (A hundred thousand welcomes) <BR>