England travel

[vitobn]

Once again, thanks for all the great replys. But I noticed no one mentioned the "Britrail" pass. Is this not a good idea? I would also like more info on Bed and Breakfast. When I asked the question, "Where is a safe place to stay" I actually ment a "good neighborhood." I don't want to hanging out with crack heads.... Thanks, God Bless Great Britain!

Speaking of that, I have a stupid question. What's the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom. I know it it involves Ireland some way..

[annavc]

Regarding the Britrail pass - probably find no-one mentioned it because not many Brits actually use it. Beyond that I can't really help on that one I'm afraid.

Our proper name is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain consists of the countries of England, Wales and Scotland but not Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes all of them. That's the short answer anyway!

[dzug]

I can't be specific about the Britrail pass, but in general railpasses are only worth while if you do a LOT of travelling. It is often cheaper to pay as you go.

You'd have to do some research to work out what is best for your plans. Price the journeys you think you will make and compare with the pass price.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

The Britrail pass is only available to non-residents of the UK, so not everyone here is familiar with it. I used to work in the rail industry and met many tourists who used it. Basically, it's an absolute 'must' if you're going to be a lot of touring but probably not worth the money if you'll be mainly staying close to one or two bases.

B&Bs in safe neighbourhooods? Well, I've just checked on the locations of all the London B&Bs listed here:
http://www.hostelworld.com/ryanair/findabed.ph p?ChosenCountry=England&ChosenCity=London& amp;PropTypes=GUESTHOUSE
All of them meet your definition of 'safe' but, if you want to choose between them, a little more information might help:

Cosmo House is in Bloomsbury. This is the area in which the British Museum is located. It's in the heart of London and very convenient for all the main tourist attractions.

The Royal Hotel is also safe, central and well-located.

Anwar House is in the Borough of Kensington & Chelsea which is very 'upmarket' and close to the heart of the city

Personally, I'd probably opt for one of those three places but, in case they're fully-booked, I'll tell you about the others as well:
Stratford Lodge is, unsurprisingly, in Stratford. This is on the north-east of the city, just a few minutes away from central London by tube or train. The area isn't particularly attractive but it's safe and fairly convenient.

[Buenchico]

Bluebell Mansion is the closest to Heathrow and the area is quite pleasant but it's far less convenient than the previous places.

B&B London is in Crouch Hill which is a fairly pleasant area but it's not particularly convenient for central London (and the owners seem to want to impose conditions upon when you arrive and depart).

Lonsdale Lodge and Conifers Guest House are both in the Ilford area. There's nothing wrong with this area but it certainly wouldn't be my first choice of location. Once again, its not as convenient as some of the other places.

Becmead B&B is at Tooting, Melrose House is at Penge, and Warwick Lodge is in Surbiton. These are all towards the outer fringes of London and accessibility isn't as good as with the places at the start of this list.

If we've managed to convince you that York might be worth a visit, you can search for B&Bs in York, here:
http://www.roomcheck.co.uk/scripts/accomsearch .asp?dc=YK&wc=YK&accommType=SV&tg= ../yk/img/header_stay.htm&bg=../yk/img/foo ter_new.htm&css=newdms
(York has got loads of B&Bs and I'd be extremely surprised if any of them are in an area which you wouldn't regard as 'safe').

The home page for the official York tourism site, from which you can find out what the city has to offer, is here:
http://www.roomcheck.co.uk/scripts/accomsearch .asp?dc=YK&wc=YK&accommType=SV&tg= ../yk/img/header_stay.htm&bg=../yk/img/foo ter_new.htm&css=newdms

Thanks for your kind

[Buenchico]

. . . comments regarding my previous post. If you've got further questions, just ask.

Chris

[jno]

just a small footnote to Chris's excellent posts: Stratford in east London isn't the same place as Stratford-upon-Avon, which is Shakespeare's home town and 80 or so miles from London (just south of Birmingham) - somewhat overcrowded with tourists but still, I think, a pretty old town.

[Cathyhuns]

www.specialplacestostay.co.uk tend to be in the country so would be "safe" but that means they are not usually in towns. They are usually more like staying in someone's home than a commercial B&B. All are inspected every year and those who use them tend to give feedback to the company on what the places are like. The one's we've stayed at (4 or 5 in the last 2 years) have all been lovely. They're not usually too expensive either.