Second Free Trip to the UK - Edinburgh - York - Whitby - Hastings - Portsmouth - Southampton - Cotswolds

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Day 1: Due to the flight, I arrived in London a few hours later than expected. It was already evening when I left Gatwick Airport. Fortunately, I had last year's Oyster card and had checked the airport express to Victoria in advance. I swiped the card directly and waited at the designated platform. Here’s a complaint: many London Underground stations have no elevators, and it’s quite tiring if your luggage is too heavy or too large.

After getting off the subway, I walked a short distance to the Holiday Inn London - Regent's Park. I rushed to check in and sleep. Some of the planned activities for the afternoon of the first day were deleted, and some were moved to the itinerary of the second day.

Day 2: Free day in London, the only day of this trip in London. It was basically a walking route. The original plan was King's Cross Station - Charles Dickens Museum - St. Paul's Cathedral - Millennium Bridge - London Eye - London Dungeon - St. James's Park - Hyde Park - Buckingham Palace - Kensington Palace. The entire route can be completed if you are good at walking, walking and sightseeing. It takes about a day. If you are short on time or don't want to walk too much, you can take a bus along the way, but it takes about the same time, only you walk less. Since we had already seen the London Eye to Buckingham Palace last year, we didn't get up too early. We planned to finish the Millennium Bridge and walk to Blackfriars Bridge to take a bus to Kensington Palace. But in reality, because the child was tired from playing, we took a bus directly back to the hotel from there. PS: It's best to go to Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station early, as there are fewer people and you save time queuing.

Day 3: Glasgow - George Square - Glasgow Cathedral. Since we had activated the BritRail Pass the day before, we went to the train station after breakfast and took the train without reactivation. This was also one of the tasks of going to King's Cross Station the day before. Since the pass allows you to take any train, it is recommended to choose trains with lower fares for that day, indicating that fewer people bought tickets in advance and there will be more empty seats. It took over 4 hours to reach Edinburgh. We got off and took bus 26 directly to the hotel. After checking in, we immediately returned to the train station and then back to the station to take a train to Glasgow. There were many trains, about half an hour. Glasgow's George Square is right outside the station. Following the street, you can see the University of Glasgow and street views along the way. We strolled to Glasgow Cathedral, then walked back to the train station and arrived at the hotel around 8:30 PM.

Day 4: Calton Hill - Royal Mile - St. Giles' Cathedral – The Elephant House – National Museum of Scotland. Last year we visited Arthur's Seat, Holyrood Palace, and Edinburgh Castle, so we skipped them this time. This was the third time I visited Calton Hill, but the first time with my wife and child. The feeling was different. Compared to Arthur's Seat, the view from here might be slightly inferior, but still nice. Then shopping on the Royal Mile was our daughter's favorite; she didn't feel tired walking the whole way. At the end is St. Giles' Cathedral. Then a short walk south leads to The Elephant House (very crowded). The National Museum of Scotland was nice, but I wasn't very interested; I mainly accompanied the child. It was a good place to shelter from the rain.

Day 5: Rosslyn Chapel – Craigmillar Castle. After breakfast, we found that it had been raining all night again, but it stopped when we were about to leave. It took over an hour by bus to reach Rosslyn Chapel. The chapel is not large, with few visitors, but it has rich content and a Chinese introduction. It is a filming location for the movie 'The Da Vinci Code'. I was particularly impressed by the story of the 'Apprentice Pillar'. Next to the bus stop outside Rosslyn Chapel, there is a local restaurant where many locals were having afternoon tea and chatting. The food was good. After lunch, it started raining again, but we still went to Craigmillar Castle. Since Google Maps didn't show the path from the road, we walked along a road without a sidewalk, which was a bit dangerous. Halfway, someone told us there was a small path for walking. When we arrived, we found that the castle was exactly as we had learned: full of character. Although we had visited Neuschwanstein Castle in Munich, Castel dell'Ovo and Castel Sant'Elmo in Naples, Château de Chantilly in Paris, Windsor Castle in the UK, Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Wray Castle, and even Eilean Donan Castle, the most beautiful castle in the UK, this one was unique – a ruined castle with no decoration, just its original state, with simple introductions to tell the purpose of each room, evoking a strong sense of history.

Day 6: After breakfast, under a light drizzle, I boarded the train to York. After over 2 hours, I got off at York Station, quickly checked into the hotel and dropped off luggage. After a short rest, I returned to the station and continued by train to Selby. After about 20 minutes, we arrived. At 6 PM, everything except the restaurants was closed. Not far from the station is Selby Abbey, the venue for Jay Chou's wedding. The abbey is actually quite large. We had a simple meal and returned to York. The day's itinerary ended slowly.

Day 7: We originally planned to go to Whitby, but when we arrived at the station, we found that the train to Middlesbrough was delayed, so we would miss the train from Middlesbrough to Whitby. So we decided on the spot to leisurely stroll, eat, and shop in York city. However, later we discovered the York Pass, which includes not only the York card but also cruise buses, etc. – a great value. Due to time constraints, we spent quite a while shopping on the Shambles, so that day we only visited York Minster, Clifford's Tower, the Chocolate Factory, and Barley Hall. Clifford's Tower offers a panoramic view of York. The Chocolate Factory should be a favorite for children, allowing you to taste various chocolates while listening to introductions. York Minster was built early, but its current form is the result of repeated reconstructions, yet it remains magnificent.

Day 8: The weather in York today was relatively cooperative; it didn't rain much. After breakfast, we started today's itinerary. We leisurely fed ducks by the River Ouse, waiting for the 11 AM river cruise. It lasted about 45 minutes. The captain introduced York's history while we enjoyed the riverside scenery. Due to the wind, we returned to the cabin to shelter from the wind. After the cruise, we visited JORVIK Viking Centre and York Dungeon: York was once taken over by invading Vikings, and the current name 'York' evolved from the Viking word 'Jorvik'. At the Viking Centre, we took a time car to explore the life of Vikings in York from 948 AD, with life-sized models and real objects. Children could also make Jorvik coins there. The York Dungeon was a bit scary; during simulated killings, water sprayed (to simulate blood splatter). My wife was scared, but my daughter wasn't; she thought it was fun. Afterward, we dined at ASK ITALIAN, which was included in the York Pass. Finally, we boarded a sightseeing bus at the nearest stop, basically took a lap around York, and got off at the stop closest to our hotel.

Day 9: Originally, we planned to take the train to Whitby early in the morning and arrive before noon, but the return to York would be after 6:30 PM because of the train schedule. So we made an impromptu decision: first take the train to Scarborough (the place famous for the song 'Scarborough Fair'), then take the double-decker bus X93 between Scarborough and Whitby. The family ticket was only £11. This way, we arrived in Whitby at 10:30 AM, leaving time for visiting Castle Howard in the afternoon. I must mention the scenery along the X93 route. Last year, we drove the entire UK trip, but because it was a small car, the views were mainly on highways, which were not very scenic. In scenic areas, the roads were narrow with limited visibility. To enjoy the view, we had to stop the car. But with the X93 double-decker bus, this wasn't a problem. Along the way, we saw English countryside, small towns, and seascapes. After an hour, we arrived in Whitby. The bus stop was very close to the train station (though the train from Middlesbrough takes a longer route). Getting off the bus, I suddenly felt like I was in Switzerland – water, boats, and families fishing for crabs together. This is a very cozy town. We quickly walked along the road to our first attraction, the Captain Cook Museum (also in New Zealand, etc. – here is where Captain Cook grew up; he was born in nearby Malton, on the way from York to Scarborough, where we got off for Castle Howard). In the museum, our daughter completed a small task: finding the patterns marked on the paper in different exhibition rooms. This greatly increased her interest and helped us learn more about Captain Cook's life. After the museum, we followed the main road to the 199 steps. It wasn't too hard to climb. Since I've gotten older, I tend to avoid stairs, but once I climbed up, I reached the highest point of Whitby, where you can see the lighthouse in the distance and the entire town. If we had more time, we could have enjoyed the view longer, but we had to move on to our final goal: Whitby Abbey. This place is really worth visiting – like Craigmillar Castle, it's a ruin but with a true sense of history. After admiring and taking photos, we headed back. Our daughter likes to visit small shops everywhere, but here she cooperated and gave it up. Online, they say the fish and chips here are good, but maybe we chose a random shop. Over the past two years in the UK, I feel the fish and chips in Fort Augustus were better. We returned to Scarborough a little after 2:30 PM. At that point, our best choice would have been Scarborough Castle, as we would have had plenty of time and wouldn't have been rushed back to York. But we still proceeded to Castle Howard as planned. We got off the train at Malton at 3:10 PM. Before getting off, we noticed that the bus from Malton to Castle Howard had already stopped running. So we quickly took a taxi, costing £13 for 10 minutes. This allowed us to enter the Castle Howard estate before 3:30 PM (Jay Chou held his wedding banquet here). The estate is large, about the same size as Leeds Castle later on. We only toured the castle and skipped the gardens. We caught the last bus back to York and arrived in York before 6 PM. It was truly a fulfilling trip!

Day 10: After breakfast, we went to York Station and took the 8:31 train to London, scheduled to arrive at 10:40. Our companion would pick us up at the station by car. Due to some car rental issues (rental info: 7-seater, 5 days total £309, pick up near Holiday Inn Regent's Park, return at Heathrow Airport), our companion arrived at the station after 12 PM, two hours later than planned. This affected our visit to Canterbury Cathedral later. It took about 50 minutes by car to reach the Royal Observatory Greenwich. We made a brief stop to see the Prime Meridian and the surrounding scenery, then immediately headed to Leeds Castle (which is not actually in Leeds). It took less than an hour to reach the destination. The weather was cooperative: it rained while driving, but stopped when we got out. (Leeds Castle tickets: one family ticket covering two adults and three children, plus two adult tickets, total over £120). The tickets were a bit expensive, but once inside, it was as described – beautiful environment and scenery. You could spend half a day or a full day here. The gardens are large; you can take a small train or walk. We walked leisurely, chatting and enjoying the views, until we reached the castle. In front of the castle is a moat with ducks and swans, which is the photo on the cover of the travelogue. Inside the castle, there is an introduction in Chinese. Fortunately, we met a Chinese person who came to the UK in the 1990s, originally from Inner Mongolia like our companion, now retired and working part-time. He gave us a detailed introduction to Leeds Castle. It was a leisurely and pleasant afternoon. With reluctance, we left Leeds Castle, and it started raining again, never stopping. 40 minutes later, we arrived at Canterbury Cathedral. It was still raining, and the cathedral had already closed. So we just observed it from the car and then headed to our B&B in Hastings.

Day 11: Since we were staying at a B&B in Hastings, we went shopping for breakfast at the supermarket early in the morning. After breakfast, we departed, driving east along the coastline, making stops at Beachy Head, Cuckmere Haven, and Brighton, enjoying the scenery of the 'Seven Sisters' cliffs along the way. We arrived at our destination, Portsmouth, around 10 PM.

Day 12: It rained from early morning. The other family we traveled with wanted to go to a famous maritime museum in Southampton (near the train station), but our daughter wasn't interested. She wanted to go to the UK's only Peppa Pig World theme park in Southampton. We left the car in Portsmouth and took a bus that goes to Heathrow Airport, which took us directly to Southampton. But by the time we reached the hotel in Southampton, it was already noon, and it was still raining. So we decided to go tomorrow if the weather is better. Today, we rested at the hotel first. When the rain eased, we strolled around Southampton city. Briefly, Southampton is a port city on the south coast of England, the departure point of the Titanic. It has the longest medieval wall in England. We also discovered a Tudor building. My wife and daughter both enjoy walking through the old town, feeling its unique charm.

Day 13: Early in the morning, both families set off, but to different places. We went to Paultons Park, the Peppa Pig World theme park, as planned. Our companions went to the New Forest National Park. We were basically on the same route; Peppa Pig World is at the entrance of this forest. So we agreed to meet at 5 PM and went our separate ways. I must especially mention Paultons Park: it's the world's first home of Peppa Pig and also the land of dinosaurs in the Lost Kingdom. Our daughter had a date with Peppa Pig there. PS: Because we arrived early, we basically didn't queue for the first three rides. Even later, the queues weren't too long. The experience was great, and our daughter was very happy. We bought family tickets on Paultons Park's official website the day before, saving about £20 compared to buying at the door. I also spent £5 on a bag-tossing game and won a Pikachu for my daughter.

Day 14: Today, we toured the Cotswolds area, which we liked very much last year. But because it rained, we didn't get out of the car much. Then we went to Bekonscot Model Village. In this miniature world, we became giants.

Day 15: After breakfast, we checked out and went to the airport. The trip ended. Attached is a rough map of the entire journey, not including the routes near York.

Travel Notes Directory:

1. First Stop: London

2. Second Stop: Edinburgh

3. Third Stop: York

4. Fourth Stop: London - Hastings

5. Fifth Stop: Hastings - Portsmouth

6. Sixth Stop: Portsmouth - Southampton

7. Seventh Stop: Southampton - Cotswolds

8. Eighth Stop: Cotswolds - Slough

9. Ninth Stop: Slough - Heathrow Airport

Travel Information:

Hotel Index