I’m going to Glasgow, Scotland for a short visit next weekend and will attend a conference there. I plan to stay there for a few more days after the conference is done.
Can somebody give me some suggestions for travel, or even help? I hope to reduce my expenditure to the minimum amount as possible as I can.
Any help is so appreciated.
THX in advance.
I usually end up going with KLM which stops in Bangkok then Amsterdam. Usually don’t need to wait around in airports too long and flying with them. Might not be the cheapest though - I think last time I went back it was about NT$35000 return. For accomodation you could try a travellodge which usually have more reasonable rates.
If you’re looking for a place to stay McLays Guest House is a good value.
McLays Guest House
264/276 Renfrew Street, Charing Cross, Glasgow, G3 6TT, Scotland.
Tel:+44 ( 0) 141 332 4796
Thanks for your replies. As to traffic, is it good to rent a scooter there? and how much would it be? If it’s too high, I will take the bus.
Besides, I’ll also go to London from Glasgow for about 3-day visit, and any suggestion for the means of transportation?
Thanks
[quote=“xern”]Thanks for your replies. As to traffic, is it good to rent a scooter there? and how much would it be? If it’s too high, I will take the bus.[/quote]The bus should be OK. There’s also a subway train service: spt.co.uk/Travel/subway.html
The occasional taxi wouldn’t set you out of pocket too much either.
I suppose you could try to rent a scooter. It’s not very common though and it often rains in Glasgow as in anywhere in the west and indeed the whole of the UK.
Long-distance coach would be the cheapest but would take a long long time and be tiring. Probably no on-board films either.
The train could be OK but a bit pricey unless you book in advance and get a special deal.
You might want to look at flying from Glasgow to London with a budget carrier such as Easyjet. Again it’s cheaper if you book in advance, but the prices generally are really not too bad. My brother recently flew Bristol - Edinburgh for less money than a train ticket would have cost.
BA seem to be doing some reaonably priced flights to the UK via HK at the moment. I think they also fly London to Glasgow so it might be worth looking to see if you can book a ticket to Glasgow via London, and get a stopover on the way back. Not to sure about what to do in Glasgow, but the shopping is highly recommended (apparently, not really my thing). Edinburgh is only an hour away and has loads for tourist such as the Castle, Dynamic Earth, Royal Mile ghost tours, the new parliament (if they ever finnish building it) etc. Very walkable city too. Don’t bother with a scooter. Hardly anybody uses them and the rules are a bit more strict than in Taiwan. Buses, train and taxis are the way to go, as well as a lot of walking.
As to accommodation, I’m considering to put up my tent to reduce the fee. Is it ok and safe to camp in parks? and is there public showering service in UK? (I just finished my round-island trip doing things like this almost every night, so I am thinking about to do the same thing in UK)
BTW, what is the recommended route from GLA to LONDON by bus given 3-day limit?
THX
[quote=“xern”]Is it ok and safe to camp in parks? and is there public showering service in UK?[/quote]No, no and very seldom, respectively. You do not want to pitch a tent in any inner city in the UK. There’ll be plenty of campsites out of town but then you’ll have to spend a fair bit of time getting there.
Why don’t you try a youth hostel? They’re clean, safe and pretty cheap.
syha.org.uk/
[quote=“xern”]BTW, what is the recommended route from GLA to LONDON by bus given 3-day limit?[/quote]I don’t understand the question. There are plenty of direct coaches from Glasgow to London. You don’t need to worry about the route.
The very quickest coach takes almost 8 hours. The journey there and back would take a sizeable chunk out of your allotted 3 days.
nationalexpress.com/neh.cf
Have you checked the Easyjet site yet? Believe me, there are some cheap flights out there.
[quote=“joesax”]
[quote=“xern”]BTW, what is the recommended route from GLA to LONDON by bus given 3-day limit?[/quote]I don’t understand the question. There are plenty of direct coaches from Glasgow to London. You don’t need to worry about the route.
The very quickest coach takes almost 8 hours. The journey there and back would take a sizeable chunk out of your allotted 3 days.
nationalexpress.com/neh.cf
Have you checked the Easyjet site yet? Believe me, there are some cheap flights out there.[/quote]
That’s because I’m considering to visit places along the route instead of heading straight to London.
Thx
You could try hitchhiking. You’ll meet some interesting people. Just don’t be a weasel hitchhiker - buy your driver a meal when you stop along the way.
In three days? No chance. Traveling by bus direct takes most of the day, so 2 days for travel, one in London. Even that is hardly worth the trouble.
Xern, why don’t you spend the whole time in Scotland? It would be cheaper, more relaxing and every bit as interesting as going to London.
I haven’t spent nearly as much time as I’d like in Scotland but a couple of tips – Edinburgh, as Butcher Boy suggested. The beautiful west coast with its islands, and whisky. The lochs.
Lots of info. here;
visitscotland.com/
Youth hostels are great and can sometimes organise tours – see the link above.
joesax is right
Trying to visit London as well in such a short time frame is not a good idea. You will hit every place for about five minutes and get nothing but travel exhaustion from the trip. Find a Youth Hostel in Glasgow and use it as a base to explore Glasgow, Edinburgh and the surrounding area. Plenty of historical stuff, some amazing scenery, great pubs open till the early hours (careful which ones you use though 
) and deep fried mars bars. 
Also go to thetrainline.com. If you book your tickets in advamce you can get really cheap tickets, but they are usually inflexible so take a bit of time to plan things.
[quote=“joesax”]Xern, why don’t you spend the whole time in Scotland? It would be cheaper, more relaxing and every bit as interesting as going to London.
I haven’t spent nearly as much time as I’d like in Scotland but a couple of tips – Edinburgh, as Butcher Boy suggested. The beautiful west coast with its islands, and whisky. The lochs.
Lots of info. here;
visitscotland.com/
Youth hostels are great and can sometimes organise tours – see the link above.[/quote]
Because I have a friend in London and some London perl hackers to visit, I wanna stay in london for a while.
Is hitchhiking common in UK? I never tried this before. If it’s an interesting thing to try and it’s common in UK, then why not?
Just so long as you know that “a while” in your case will be just one day.
What’s a perl hacker? (sorry off topic I know but I’m very intrigued)
Perl is a popular programming language. Please go to perl.com/ for details.
[quote=“xern”]Is hitchhiking common in UK? I never tried this before. If it’s an interesting thing to try and it’s common in UK, then why not?[/quote]It used to be more common. Not so common any more due to safety concerns etc. If you’re careful it could be an interesting way of getting about. But bear in mind that as the direct coach takes 8 hours, hitching will most likely take much longer.
Anyone has used Lonely Planet book, Scotland and England edition?
I can buy them for reference if anyone has the books.
THX