best city : first time UK visitor !!

[sudanese]

Hello everyone

I started this thread cos i will soon be in the UK, and i am not sure about the UK city that is most suitable for me!

I will be busy doing exams and stuff untill mid May. I will have already seen London and Manchester by then. After that i can go to any place, for a couple of weeks.

I want your advice please cos this will be my first visit to UK.

I was thinking of Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. I tried to search for information online but haven't been able to get what i want.

an Ideal city (not necessarily of the bove 3) for me would be:
- have relatively reasonable cost of living
- have easy transportation inside the city and to other cities in Britain.
- close to easily accessible beautiful country areas( can come back on the same day)
- not have exceptionally horrible weather( relative to UK mile in May-June.
- have many historic places nearby, especially castles that i can visit and come back in the same day.
- where i won't have problems finding a new interesting( and not expensive) place every day, well , most days.
- only little percentage of the population are very rude, xenophobes and unfriendly( don't get offended please ) .

I know it might be dificult for a city to meet all these criterea. so I am open to other points of view as well. It would also be great if someone can mention the most important pros and cons of Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
Also the Must see attractions that i should visit regardless of where i will stay ( including London)

Thank you in advance mile:

[princealbertofb]

Brighton?
Edinburgh is a good idea.
Liverpool?
Cardiff?

[colinmackay]

I was thinking of Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. I tried to search for information online but haven't been able to get what i want.

Of those three, the only one I don't like is Birmingham. But that may just be me.

an Ideal city (not necessarily of the bove 3) for me would be:
- have relatively reasonable cost of living

Anywhere outside of the South East of England could be considered to have a "reasonable cost of living".

- have easy transportation inside the city and to other cities in Britain.

Glasgow has an excellent internal transportation system. As for travel to other parts of Britain, then anywhere on the East or West coast main lines in my opinion. That would mean London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh.

- close to easily accessible beautiful country areas( can come back on the same day)

You are never too far from some really nice countryside. It is a small island. I think I read somewhere that the maximum distance from the coast you can get in the UK is 70 miles, so there must be some countryside within that anywhere.

- not have exceptionally horrible weather( relative to UK mile in May-June.

It is pot luck. I've been in Inverness on a beautiful day while it was pouring in London. As a general rule, the west coast is a couple of degrees warmer than the east. (The east coast is on the North Sea and the Arctic Ocean is just around the corner, while the west coast gets the warm waters from the Atlantic).

- have many historic places nearby, especially castles that i can visit and come back in the same day.

Edinburgh, without hesitation. The entire city centre is practically a museum piece.

- where i won't have problems finding a new interesting( and not expensive) place every day, well , most days.

Not Edinburgh, then.

- only little percentage of the population are very rude, xenophobes and unfriendly( don't get offended please ) .

I find Glasgow to be a much friendlier city than Edinburgh. (I grew up in Edinburgh but now live in Glasgow). But Edinburgh has a larger gay village.

Also the Must see attractions that i should visit regardless of where i will stay ( including London)

If you are going to Edinburgh, then Edinburgh Castle. Stirling Castle (an hour from Glasgow or Edinburgh) is also worth a visit. Edinburgh also has the Palace of Holyrood House (the Queen's official residence in Edinburgh)

[princealbertofb]

I'd like to add Norwich but I don't really know it very well and Marshlander would be better suited to give advice about it. How about Cambridge or Oxford? Very touristy or course but really beautiful to see too. I'd also thought of York but thought it would be expensive. I also quite like Leeds.

[marshlander]

Norwich is "a fine city" - it says so on the road signs as you enter. I love Norwich, but it is a bit out of the way for some people. There are rail connections to London and Cambridge and flights from its airport to ... Lapland on Tuesday and Wednesday mile: (actually other places too, but mostly via Amsterdam). Norwich is close to the sea, the beautiful Norfolk Broads waterway system and some of the most delightful countryside. The east may be a little cooler than the west sometimes, but we generally have more sunshine. If I had to live in a city, Norwich would be at the top of my list.

Everywhere in the UK has its share of xenophobes, so it depends more on who you get as your next door neighbour. The situation has been unbalanced by a sudden and considerable movement of people from Eastern Europe into some towns. For that reason I would probably avoid Wisbech (known to locals in recent times as "Wisbechistan"). But it's not a city so unlikely to be on your list.

Received wisdom is that Northerners are friendlier. At least that's the propaganda they spread. I was in a room full of northerners in Manchester on Sunday, but no one spoke to me unless I spoke to them first. They congregated in a bunch at one end of the room and ignored us southern visitors. That happens in the south too .... I guess it is probably just me people don't like, then

If you are planning on travelling around the UK by train, be aware that it is often VERY expensive, so choosing your base is going to be important. There are good and bad points about all the cities mentioned so far. Cambridge and York are also fine and interesting places. Cambridge, may be a bit expensive, but it is less than an hour from London by train, is stuffed with culture, and has easy links to the main north-south rail system across my favourite railway line through the Fens.

[peterinmalaga]

In Scotland I would go for Glasgow: the scenery around Glasgow is stunning and you have all the amenities of a big city - and Colin too!
In England I would go for Manchester or Liverpool for the same reasons - well you wouldn't have Colin. The area of Liverpool to live in is Aigburth - cheap, attractive and trendy. From Liverpool or Manchester you can get to North Wales (castles and mountains), The English Lakes - the best scenery, The Peak District or the Yorkshre Dales easily. You can fly to any of the 3 cities I mention and other transport links are good.
Birmingham is the arsehole of England.

[sudanese]

Thank you Colin, Marshlander, Peter and Albert
what u wrote is very helpful ..

according to your advice i think i will exclude Birmigham, people here don't seem to really like it ( what's wrong with it ? well.... u can send that in PM :biggrin

Norwich is worth a visit but doesn't seem a suitable place for someone who may need to go to any part of britain quickly and easily.

Cambridge : expensive

Edingurgh and Glasgow: I will defintely visit Edinburgh to see the castles. but i think a place in the middle of Britain would be more suitable to stay at because of the distance thing ( am i right ? or it is not a big deal ? )

Colin you didn't mention Loch Ness and Its monster :biggrin:, I thought it was the most important thing in Scotland !:biggrin:

If you are planning on travelling around the UK by train, be aware that it is often VERY expensive, so choosing your base is going to be important.

that's an important point.
I had a look at this map British Rail Principle Routes
I guess the place where I will stay should be on one of the thick lines :confused:

York, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool seem to be in a perfect place on the rail line and in the middle of the country ( or did i misinterpret that map ? ) , especially Leeds but no one mentioned it in the above posts

So far I am leaning more to Manchester and Liverpool, but i also want to know a bit about leeds, and also whether York is more expensive than Manchester and Liverpool, also what are the main differences between Manchester and Liverpool?


thanks you again gentelmen mile:

[colinmackay]

In Scotland I would go for Glasgow: the scenery around Glasgow is stunning and you have all the amenities of a big city - and Colin too!

Aw... Shucks!

In England I would go for Manchester or Liverpool for the same reasons - well you wouldn't have Colin.

Manchester is a good choice too. It is also very dear to me because that's where I came out. :biggrin:

[joseph]

newcastle.becase it is museam and that and nice.and it is castles aswel i went to anick castle and dunsonbuer.an the beach

[sox-and-the-city]

I think we all know i'm going to say Edinburgh, what with it being made of awesome in every way. It's got more cultural things to do than i had to full appreciate in my 18 years of living there and sweet, friendly people (just like me hehe).