From: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: info on travel to UK
Date: 16 Oct 92 18:07:30 GMT
Reply-To: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Organization: COMANDOS Project, Glesga Yoonie

chorley@vms.ocom.okstate.edu wrote:
> c059vin@utarlg.uta.edu (DANIEL VINCENT) writes:
>> I'm planning on a trip to UK [...] I'm planning on going north to scotland
>> and would like to know any real good places to see and about some good
>> cheap accommodation.
>> I would also appreciate any info about mode of travel thruout the UK.

> 2. If you like low budget accommodation, join the International Youth 
>  Hostel Federation .

Since you can join at the hostel anywhere in the UK for a trivial extra fee,
save this until you're sure you'll need it.

> 3. Buy a Britrail pass.

Maybe.  Cost it out first; if you're not using trains a lot it may not be
worth it.

> 4.I would spend a bit more money on the flight and fly American Airlines to 
>  Manchester: a) this puts you closer to Scotland the English Lake District
>  and North Wales/Snowdonia

But the connections north from there are awful.  A slow local train to the
mainline and then the West Coast rail line, which is much slower than the
London/Edinburgh one.  You could do London to Edinburgh quicker than
Manchester to Glasgow, now that the east coast line's been electrified.

> 5.Buy all photographic equipment film and batteries in the U.S. before you 
>  go and if you buy a new camera try a roll or two in it first.....Develop  
>  the film when you get back and carry the film and camera for hand 
>  inspection.

I second the "try it first", but the rest is misleading on several counts.
While cameras and film are cheaper in the US, colour print processing
isn't, and Kodachrome processing is sufficiently better in quality that you
might want to pay the (significant) extra for the UK process-paid stuff
(it's actually developed in Paris depite what the label says).  And you
*cannot* get film and cameras hand-inspected at any British Airports
Authority airport now: that includes all but tiny airstrips.  It's
*illegal* for them to do it now so don't waste your breath arguing with
them.  In practice they won't X-ray it if it's on your person and doesn't
set off the metal detectors, but that means having it on plastic spools or
cassettes, which ordinary amateur film isn't.

> 9. Edinburgh (pronounce it Edinboro) is nice

Pronounce it Edinbrr (listen carefully when you get there, it's not a sound
that's easily described without using formal phonetics), or "Edinber" if
that's too difficult.  "Edinboro" stereotypes you as a typical US newbie.
I don't think the US pronunciation of "-boro" is used by the locals for
any -borough or -burgh in the UK.

Usual advice: ask at tourist information offices; that's what they're there
for, and they do a good job (generally better in Scotland than in England,
and the Edinburgh one is especially helpful).

Daniel: it would help to say *when* you're intending to go, as a lot of
activities in Scotland are seasonal.

-- 
--  Jack Campin    room G092, Computing Science Department, Glasgow University,
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