Suggestions Invited from UK / Scotland Members

capt_mahajan

Oh, I usually do, but it is bad form to laugh at a fellow mods humour too many times

It may even be against the rules

Nick-H

There are certainly street signs in at least one area of London where the street signs are in an Indian Language as well as English! But not Tamil, yet, I don't think, although plenty of shop signs in that language, and possibly one or two in Malayalam.

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

capt_mahajan

Drifting further offtopic, I was amused on a BA flight to hear announcements in Hindi first, then followed by English and Gujarati. Indication of their majority clientele, I guess- on the Indian sector.

mridula

While you guys are at it, I would be in Oxford for nearly a week. Are the walking tours worth it? Which one would you recommend? How expensive is punting? I have been there before, so the place is a little familiar.

Also what would you do if you had a few hours in Leeds?

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mridula

http://www.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia/

Uncle_Martin

As nobody competent has bothered to reply I would suggest that

1] A good walking tour of Oxford would be well worth while as the guides patter could make the experience more vivid.

2] Visit the Pitt-Rivers museum as well as the Ashmolean.

3] Punting is much more expensive if you get too drunk to return the punt and collect your deposit or if you fall off whilst trying to be casual/over confident with the rhythm of polling the thing.

4] Leeds ... you could always do what I did last time I was stranded in Leeds for a few hours ... check time of departing train ... leave station and acquire (i)plastic beaker(s), (ii)screw top bottle(s) of Chianti, (iii) some good quality salami (iv) some other anti-pasti (v) some ciabatta bread and finally (vi)a bottle of sparkling water and then return to a sunny part of the appropriate platform and picnic

5] Remember that its harder to make "changing trains at Carnforth" into a performance piece these days, but arriving in Barrow-in-Furness with a hangover is still, arguably, the most appropriate manner of arrival.

And 6] there are better ways to spend your time and money than most of options 3] onwards .... surely someone, somewhere will know of nice things to do in Leeds ...

Kingstonian

Only ever passed through Leeds on the train.
But googling "things to do in Leeds" found this, among others:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attract...England.h tml

Re the Cotswolds - didn't see that anyone else had answered the "where?" question - if you're heading to Oxford from London, just head west (A40) or north west (A44) from Oxford, and you'll soon find yourself in the picture-postcard, chocolate box lid land of the cutest English villages you can imagine - complete with busloads of tourists, overflowing carparks, queues down the delightfully pretty streets for the quaint tea shoppes, and so on. Check out Stow in the Wold, Bourton on the Water, Moreton in the Marsh, and many many others. Go in the evenings, if you have a car, and you'll miss the worst of it, and can find some really nice places to eat/drink - but .... BOOK FIRST!

Mr & Mrs P - hope you have a great time - just don't forget to pack for three seasons

Nick-H

Haven't been to Leeds, only visited Oxford once or twice.

I don't know why we never went to Oxford, it wouldn't have been that far from my Warwickshire childhood; we often went on days out to the Cotswolds.

Yes, chocolate-box stuff (well, English chocolate boxes; I'm not sure this idea is understood in the same way in India as in England, I had to explain to Mrs N) --- pretty cottages and everything built in the distinctive yellow-colour stone. Beautiful countryside too.

England's a lovely place.

Pity about the climate...

Anyway; looks like Cotswolds is good for Mridala as well

Mickey S

Not at all... The reason it's so green and lovely (and this is also particularly true of Wales and Scotland) is that it rains. It's lovely to live in a country where it's rarely too hot and you don't need air-conditioning.

Nick-H

Brrrrr....

But yes, you need the rain for the green. Just a pity it happens all year!

Ali-Monbeam

Leeds is good for shopping and you could go to the royal armouries museum.

Mickey S

This is a list of annual rainfall (in inches) in a selection of European cities:

Bergen: 82
Milan: 39
Cork: 43
Zurich: 43
Manchester: 35
Rome: 31
Amsterdam: 30
Dublin: 30
Frankfurt: 25
Moscow: 24
Paris: 24
Berlin 23
Barcelona: 23
Copenhagen: 23
London: 23
Stockholm: 20
Madrid: 17

And although total rainfall is not the whole story, the truth is that England (and especially London) actually receives a great deal less rain than is commonly believed.

Nick-H

I'm British.

Of what possible interest could rainfall in European cities be to me?



This has been brough to you by the Stereotypes'R'Us Department....

Selkie

Ooh no, an organised tour..... only if you really have to! They are guaranteed to take you to all the tourist traps and whiz through the best bits... you'll lose all the ambiance and atmosphere of the place... far far better to hire a car and buy a copy of Lonely Planet for the UK/Scotland; it'll have all the info in it you need.

capt_mahajan

Can't resist, sorry

Is it safe to travel to the UK?

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/311329.html

Nick-H

Generally, yes.

But single men should not walk the streets alone after 6.00pm.