Alright, so I got this idea to do a tour, you know, hit up Ireland, Scotland, and then England. Seemed like a decent plan to see a bit of everything. People were saying, “Oh, ten days, that’s just enough time.” Yeah, “just enough” if you plan on not sleeping much and living out of a suitcase like a pro. For me, it felt like a whirlwind, a real blur from start to finish.
Stitching the Whole Thing Together
So, I sat down and tried to map it out. The goal was to tick off some of the main spots. You start in London, obviously. Then I figured, might as well pop over to Stratford-Upon-Avon, see Shakespeare’s old haunts. From there, the plan was Liverpool – gotta get some of that music history in. Then, it was up to Newcastle, before crossing over into Scotland for Edinburgh. And to cap it all off, a hop over the water to Dublin in Ireland. Sounds pretty straightforward when you list it out like that, doesn’t it? Well, paper plans and reality are two different beasts.
Moving Myself Around – That Was the Real Job
Now, getting between all these places, that’s where you really earn your travel stripes. They tell you trains are the way to go for the medium to long hauls. And mostly, they are, I guess. You spend a good chunk of time squinting at websites, trying to make sense of timetables and fare options – places like, uh, what was it, nationalrail something or other. Then, for poking around inside the cities themselves, it’s mostly buses. Which means more looking up routes and times, maybe on something called traveline. It’s a whole lot of screen time just to figure out how to get from A to B. Let me tell you, some days it felt less like a vacation and more like a logistics exercise.
- London: It’s London. Big, sprawling, and yeah, it’ll empty your pockets if you’re not careful. Did a ton of walking. My feet were not happy.
- Stratford-Upon-Avon: Pretty, sure. Lots of old-timey buildings. And swarms of other folks looking at the same old-timey buildings.
- Liverpool: I liked Liverpool. Had a gritty, real feel to it. You could definitely sense the history there, not just the music stuff.
- Newcastle: Well, Newcastle was on the route. We, uh, saw it. It’s a city. Check.
- Edinburgh: Now, this place was genuinely impressive. That castle looming over everything, the winding streets of the Old Town. Yeah, that was cool.
- Dublin: Lively, definitely. And the pubs, well, they live up to the hype. Felt like a good place to end the chaos.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Look, you definitely cram a lot in. No doubt about that. You see famous things, you take the pictures. But it’s constant motion. Packing, unpacking, rushing for the next train or bus. By the end of those ten days, I was properly worn out. Did I “explore the best” of the UK and Ireland like some brochures claim? I saw a highlight reel, that’s for sure. But “exploring” felt more like “glancing at high speed.” Maybe if you’ve got one of those private guides and a driver, it’s all smooth sailing. But when you’re wrestling with it yourself, it’s an adventure, alright. A tiring one.
I distinctly remember one afternoon, stuck trying to get from one city to another, the train was massively delayed. I ended up missing my connection, of course. My grand dinner plan turned into a squashed, lukewarm pasty I bought from a little shop in some godforsaken station, wondering if this was the glamorous travel life everyone talks about. It’s not all picturesque landscapes and smiling locals. A lot of it is just problem-solving on the fly. So yeah, I did the tour. I have the photos. And honestly, I’m feeling a bit tired just remembering all that running around.
