Planning Your Trip to the UK

My father is in the Navy and met my mother in England where they were married and then moved back to the United States. Every year we would travel to Scotland, where my mom is from, to visit her family and do some sight seeing. Over the years we have been just about everywhere in Scotland and quite a few places in London as well. I’d like to share my most memorable sightings and suggest that if you’re lucky enough to book a trip over there, to stop and visit a few.

I’ll start first with London. We often flew into the Heathrow airport, would rent a car, and spend a few days putting around London before making the drive to Scotland. My first suggestion would be to see the Tower Bridge. It is even more beautiful in person than in the pictures especially at night when it’s all lit up. They do have a schedule for openings, it opens once a week, so you can plan your trip around that. It’s not necessary to see an actual opening to witness the beauty of the bridge.

My second suggestion would be the changing of the guards which takes place at Buckingham palace. The palace alone is a sight to see and if you catch the changing of the guard it just adds to the experience. The guards always look amazing in their red and white uniforms and big black hats. The nicest part of this is that it’s free to watch.

The last must see attraction would be St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was built between 1675 and 1710 after the one before was burned down. It is the fourth cathedral to be built here. Bring good walking shoes and energy because the stairs leading up to the gallery are a decent climb. The climb is worth it though, you cannot beat the views of the city from the top.

Moving along to Scotland. The first place I suggest is going to a town called Inverness. It is a beautiful place with lush landscaping and amazing views as far as the eye can see. It also happens to be home to Loch Ness which is 23 miles long and famous for the monster that lives in its waters. There are plenty of hoky items depicting the monster in the town to bring back for your friends and family.

The amazing city of Edinburgh is a must see as well. This city is great for anybody looking to do a little shopping. If you can’t find it in the stores here it probably doesn’t exist! The castle, of course, should be visited too. It’s very grand looking cut into the side of a mountain and overlooking the city. The greatest thing about this city and all the others are the B&B;’s that are happy to take in a last minute guest.

Off of the Ayrshire coast is a castle called Culzean Castle. It is, hands down, my favorite castle in Scotland. Unlike many of the castles which are in ruins, this one is fully intact with beautiful furniture, paintings and drapery decorating the inside. The back of the castle opens up over a cliff on the water lending a spectacular view for anybody residing inside with windows facing the back. The gardens all around the castle are also amazingly built and cared for.

Any experience in the UK is bound to be a memorable one. The people, the places and the food make for such a wonderful time it has nothing to compare. Sometimes just stopping into a pub, having a pint of cider and fish and chips for a meal is enough sight seeing for one day. I hope these places are as special to you as they are to me and good luck in your travels!