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Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Mr. White on July 20, 2021, 03:52:38 AM

Title: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Mr. White on July 20, 2021, 03:52:38 AM: This post is hobby related as travel is a hobby, but specifically this pertains to wargaming.

We’re planning a vacation to Europe next summer. About two weeks spread between England, Belgium, and France. I’ve always wanted to go to the UK, but it always seemed like some far away thing, now that it’s actually happening…I’m having trouble pinning down where to go exactly. Obviously, as a lifelong minis gamer (46 years old, been doing this since about 8) Nottingham comes to mind for Games Workshop and Wargames Foundry. Outside of BB, I don’t really game GW anymore, but so many decades in those worlds still makes the HQ a desirable destination.

However…is a trip to Nottingham worth it or, with about 5 days allotted for England, should we check out some other destinations? Would the rest of the family find Nottingham enjoyable?

Cheers!
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Sir_Theo on July 20, 2021, 08:40:56 AM: I suppose 5 days isn't a massive amount of time so it depends on what else is on your list! you might also struggle to get to Foundry as its not in the city itself. That said, I'm not really into GW games anymore but I love Warhammer World, I try and meet friends there about once a year, the museum/hall of miniatures is well worth a visit for someone with a history with their models and games. If its unlikely you'll be back to the UK then you may well owe it to yourself to visit! Nottingham is a nice small city with plenty of stuff to see for your family. The Castle is pretty interesting, and in the vicinity you've also got some other attractions such as the National Justice museum and the city of caves which are all in the old town near the castle. There is also the Trip to Jerusalem, which is a medieval pub- its a little touristy but its a bona fide British pub and probably unlike anything you'd have at home!
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Cubs on July 20, 2021, 08:51:18 AM: I wouldn't bother with England at all, Wales is far superior! But if your heart's set, you could do a couple of days in London for all that jazz and then a couple of days around Nottingham and the East Midlands. The original Boston is fairly nearby, as are all the north Norfolk beaches, but it's not a massive tourist hotspot in that part of the country.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Vis Bellica on July 20, 2021, 09:05:34 AM: I like Nottingham as a place to go, but I wouldn't take my family there on holiday if I only had a limited time in the UK.

With only 5 days, I would stick to the traditional tourist destinations of London and Edinburgh.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Harry Faversham on July 20, 2021, 09:34:02 AM: If you've only got five days, pull rank and be selfish...
Bovington Tank Museum (tell the kids they're going to a zoo to see the big cats!), then up a bit to Duxford IWM near Cambridge. If you get lucky at Duxford you might even get a Squadron of Spitfires thundering directly over yer melon!

:)
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: dberna67 on July 20, 2021, 10:15:37 AM: If you need I open this thred a couple of years ago:

https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=112184.msg1403231#msg1403231 (https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=112184.msg1403231#msg1403231)
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: boneio on July 20, 2021, 12:35:36 PM: I live in Nottingham! Which gives me an odd perspective as obviously I don't visit my own city as a tourist. lol

There is a lot to do but as a family destination it's not really as good as more traditional tourist destinations. The UK isn't huge, perhaps spend 1 day in Nottingham going to Warhammer World and a couple of local attractions, then move on to somewhere bigger? Couple of hours Nottingham -> London by train.

Foundry is off out in the countryside, a bit of a trek, I'm not sure it's of interest to anyone but really committed wargamers.

Warhammer World is excellent if you are into Warhammer but a couple of hours tops really.

The castle was upgraded recently and I really enjoyed it. It's a bit expensive IMO. You have to pay for the digital experience and caves separately... without doing at least one of those two I wouldn't consider it worth the price of entry but with, it's a nice half-day.

Maybe have a look here: https://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/things-to-do/east-midlands/nottinghamshire/ (depending on age of family)
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Belligerentparrot on July 20, 2021, 12:44:46 PM: I'd second what others have said. You probably owe it to your childhood self to go to Warhammer World, and I was pleasantly surprised at how all-ages it is. (What I mean is, for a while there GW pretended its own past didn't exist - by contrast, WW acknowledges GW's history, so there is cool stuff for the older, nostalgia-minded folk).

Your family might not love being dragged to Nottingham when time is so short.

If I were you, I'd leave them to their own devices for a day in London, and catch an early train up to Nottingham, do WW, then train back down the same day.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Citizen Sade on July 20, 2021, 02:24:59 PM: Nottingham’s only a couple of hours by train from York too. That’s one of my favourite English city break destinations with plenty to see and do.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Mr. White on July 20, 2021, 02:44:52 PM: Thanks, all.

I'm generally not the type to buy souveniers or kitchy things, and don't play too many GW games now as i mentioned, so to be honest not sure I'd even buy anything. It would be more to check out all the citadel on display that I've seen in magazines in decades past. Maybe just hang in the ambiance.

I'm also reading a lot about people suggesting Edinburgh. We hadn't really considered Edinburgh, but should we? Maybe we fly in there, train down to London (with a brief stop in Nottingham), then off to the other countries?
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Hobgoblin on July 20, 2021, 03:11:12 PM: Quote from: Jack Hooligan on July 20, 2021, 02:44:52 PM

I'm also reading a lot about people suggesting Edinburgh. We hadn't really considered Edinburgh, but should we?

Yes, definitely! It's a fantastic city to visit, and you'll probably have a much more relaxed time than in London. You can walk everywhere in the city centre (including up some great hills), and there's lots to do and see. Unless you're there at Festival times, it's much less crowded than London, and if you are there in August, it's amazing.

Nottingham isn't on the Edinburgh-London line, so you'd probably have to change at York (itself well worth seeing) or some such place. So it might well take you longer to get to Nottingham from Edinburgh (or vice versa) than from Edinburgh to London (five hours rather than four and a half). But it only takes an hour and a half from London.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Harry Faversham on July 20, 2021, 03:15:13 PM: Edinburgh is one of the UK's most handsome cities. The Castle on the hill has two magnificent military museums, one of which displays the French Eagle taken at Waterloo by Sergeant Ewart of the Scots Greys. Ewart's grave is nearby?

(https://edinburghtourist.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ensign-ewart-2.jpg)

:)
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: AKULA on July 20, 2021, 03:33:59 PM: For 5 days in the UK, personally I’d skip Nottingham.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Nottingham, having lived/worked in & around it for 5 years, but there is less for your family to do, while you drool over the figures at WW.

As others have suggested, London - York - Edinburgh could work.

York just under 2 hrs from London via train...2000 years of history, Jorvik Viking Centre, Medieval city walls, York Army Museum River boats and fantastic choice of places to eat/drink. You’ve got RAF Elvington (museum) a short cab journey from the centre, plus bags for your family to do. Leeds Royal Armoury is 40 mins away from York, so if you don’t make it to the Tower of London, you can get your fill of history there instead.

IF you really wanted to go to WW in Nottingham, you could train it from York to Nottingham, and leave the family in York guilt free, plus it’s then on the train route if you want to spend a day in Edinburgh (and then maybe hop on a flight back down to London for your connection).

Edinburgh again has plenty to offer, both the history buff, and the Wargames widow (& kids).
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Mr. White on July 20, 2021, 03:38:58 PM: Honestly, I've always wanted to see the Scottish Highlands. I do feel it would be more `spiritually` rewarding time for me than in a fancy game shop. I'm getting sold on the Edinburgh to York to London. Hadrian's Wall would be cool to see too.

Maybe for Warhammer World...I start the wheels in motion of a 50th birthday there with some old friends. Bring our BB teams, play a small League for a weekend at WW. That might be more fitting.

so for Edinburgh/York/London...military museums will be _low_ on the list for the wife and kids. Scenic towns and natural beauty are a lot higher. Any suggestions on best places to take in the UK from those three locations?
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Sir_Theo on July 20, 2021, 03:43:07 PM: Quote from: Jack Hooligan on July 20, 2021, 02:44:52 PM
Thanks, all.

I'm generally not the type to buy souveniers or kitchy things, and don't play too many GW games now as i mentioned, so to be honest not sure I'd even buy anything. It would be more to check out all the citadel on display that I've seen in magazines in decades past. Maybe just hang in the ambiance.

I'm also reading a lot about people suggesting Edinburgh. We hadn't really considered Edinburgh, but should we? Maybe we fly in there, train down to London (with a brief stop in Nottingham), then off to the other countries?

Edinburgh should definitely be on the itinerary. You could also take in York on the way to Edinburgh if you break up the journey. Another city well worth visiting, loads to see as well.

The suggestion of taking a day trip to Notts from London is probably the best one, WHW and all the places in the Lenton business centre.

Hadrians wall is well worth seeing but best done by taking a few days to walk some, if not all, of it. The museum at Vindolanda is brilliant. The Highlands are incredible, as is the Lake District in England. I live near Chester which is a fantastic city to visit if you are interested in Roman and Medieval.history, and we also have all the Edwardian castles in North Wales (Caernarvon, Harlech, Beaumaris Coney etc) that are also well worth visiting. You are going to have to come back for a second longer visit!

Edit: Oh Bath too
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: AKULA on July 20, 2021, 03:55:34 PM: Quote from: Jack Hooligan on July 20, 2021, 03:38:58 PM
so for Edinburgh/York/London...military museums will be _low_ on the list for the wife and kids. Scenic towns and natural beauty are a lot higher. Any suggestions on best places to take in the UK from those three locations?

The great thing is all 3 give you the opportunity to spend an hour in a military museum while your missus is enjoying herself a couple of hundred yards away...for example, the Jorvik Viking Centre in York gives you the sights (and smells) of a Viking settlement, but shops, restaurants (and the York Army museum are pretty much all next door to each other....same with Edinburgh etc..could easily park your kids in Jorvik, or York Dungeons for an hour while you got your Wargames fix ;)

York (and Edinburgh) offer some real views...surrounded by beautiful countryside...It’s a very compact city - pretty much everything is in walking distance, or at best a short cab ride. York Minster, the Shambles, Betty’s Tea Rooms... if you want more countryside, maybe pop over to Whitby from York, sleepy coastal town, harbour etc v.picturesque.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Sir_Theo on July 20, 2021, 03:58:14 PM: Also Whitby has that Dracula connection
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Hobgoblin on July 20, 2021, 04:45:06 PM: Maybe a slightly off-the-wall suggestion, but some of the best castles in the UK are in Northumberland, just over the border from Edinburgh. For starters, you've got Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh, Warkworth, Norham and Alnwick (which your kids might well know from the Harry Potter films).

You could probably fit a couple of those in on a judiciously planned daytrip from Edinburgh - or to break up the journey south (though not by much, as Berwick-upon-Tweed is only about 40 minutes south of Edinburgh by train). Or you could spend a couple of days in Edinburgh, do some castles in Northumberland either side of a night there and then head south.

I'm deeply biased, but much as I love London, I'd leave it out if I wasn't going to spend the whole period there and instead use Edinburgh as a base to explore Northumberland and possibly the Highlands or islands (Arran, in particular - 'Scotland in miniature'). In normal times, the crowds and transit times in London can make everything a bit of a hassle - especially if you're in a rush.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: gamer Mac on July 20, 2021, 05:45:15 PM: I don't think your 5 days is enough to see our wee island :D
You can easliy spend 5 days in any of the places mentioned so far and nobody has mentioned any of the battle sites yet
York is one of the best for things the whole family would be interested in vikings , harry potter and shops
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Mr. White on July 20, 2021, 07:32:52 PM: Well, we obviously need to give this trip a second thought. An overhaul might be in order. I do really appreciate all the feedback though!

Oh, on the off chance I ever do find myself in Warhammer World, if I were to bring citadel models, but play like Dragon Rampant, would that fly? Or would we need to use citadel minis and GW rulesets only? i'm guessing the latter....
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Sir_Theo on July 20, 2021, 07:52:50 PM: Yeah GW games only im afraid. I've seen people play old editions of Warhammer fantasy in there but mostly its in print games.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: jon_1066 on July 21, 2021, 11:07:49 AM: Don't even think about trying to do Edinburgh and London in 5 days. You will be like Bilbo and the longevity from the ring - spread too thin.

Pick one and go from there. Don't underestimate how long places take to get to in the UK. Just because distances are small compared to the US the traffic is usually bad. Once you get rural public transport is usually non existent. So for sure Berwick is 40 mins by train from Edinburgh but how do you get to those castles from there? You don't want to spend the bulk of your five days sat in a traffic jam or waiting for a bus.

I would recommend the obvious M4/Thames corridor. You can fly into Heathrow (on the west side of London), rent a car and explore the west. There is Bath and its spa, Bristol (suspension bridge and SS Great Britain), Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, beautiful quintessential English countryside of rolling green hills and chocolate box cottages in the Cotswolds, Salisbury and it's spire, Avebury, Oxford, etc and you can finish up in London for a couple of nights or perhaps better yet take day trips into London from somewhere like Windsor (only 25 mins by train). You could definitely plan a decent circuit without going more than 100 miles from Heathrow and pick the things of most interest to you.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Wellington on July 21, 2021, 11:30:50 AM: I spend a few Warhammer Historical Weekend in Nottingham.

No offence meant to the good people of Nottingham, but there are more interessting places in UK, especially with your family.

Edinburgh, York, Canterbury, Salisbury Plains, Iron Ring in North Wales etc.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Hobgoblin on July 21, 2021, 12:53:33 PM: Quote from: jon_1066 on July 21, 2021, 11:07:49 AM
Don't even think about trying to do Edinburgh and London in 5 days. You will be like Bilbo and the longevity from the ring - spread too thin.

Yes, that's excellent advice.

Quote from: jon_1066 on July 21, 2021, 11:07:49 AM
Don't underestimate how long places take to get to in the UK. Just because distances are small compared to the US the traffic is usually bad. Once you get rural public transport is usually non existent. So for sure Berwick is 40 mins by train from Edinburgh but how do you get to those castles from there? You don't want to spend the bulk of your five days sat in a traffic jam or waiting for a bus.

While this is generally sound advice, I'd disagree a bit here. For example, Norham Castle ("the most dangerous place in England", given its proximity to the border) is a 17-minute bus ride from Berwick, which is well worth seeing in its own right. And don't forget local taxis. When we went to Norham a few years back, we jumped on the bus from Berwick, went to the castle, had lunch in a pub in the village, then just called a cab to get back (which, for four people, wasn't that much more expensive than the bus, if I remember correctly). And with judicious use of the trains to Alnmouth and local buses, you could take in, say, Craster and Dunstanburgh and Alnwick or Warkworth - or do one castle and a long coastal walk.

You can also book excellent one-day minibus tours from Edinburgh. We've long experience of booking the in-laws onto them for trips to the Highlands (Glencoe, Culloden, etc.), the Borders and Northumberland, and they've been really good - relaxed and a bit of an adventure. You can get ones that go to Hadrian's Wall, or to Lindesfarne, Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle and Flodden, and they tend to have very well-informed guides. So you could cover the first-recorded Viking attack, the Border wars and reiving, Flodden and, on a cheesier note, both Harry Potter and Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (though getting the white cliffs of Dover in on the same day like that film would be a bit of a stretch ...).

In fact, if you were based in Edinburgh for five days, a couple of those tours would be a pretty good way to take in a lot of the countryside both north and south of the border, and a lot of historical sites. If you're going to castles and battlefields, you're probably going to be in like-minded company, and the drivers/guides are very keen to get right into the history.

You can also sometimes book a minibus just to go to the sites you want - so if you wanted just to go to castles, for example, you could probably do that with a bit of forward-planning. I recall a very memorable stag weekend that began with a Highland trip with one of those companies ...

In general, Edinburgh's very easy to get in and out of, so you can fit much more into a daytrip than you might be able to elsewhere.

But that said, I entirely agree with jon_1066 that you'd want to base yourself in one main location and do things that are close to that hub.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: boneio on July 21, 2021, 02:40:22 PM: Quote from: Wellington on July 21, 2021, 11:30:50 AM
No offence meant to the good people of Nottingham, but there are more interessting places in UK, especially with your family.

None taken, there's plenty to do here but there's plenty more and better elsewhere lol One of those where if you plan lots of holidays to the UK, yes, come see Nottingham at some point! If you don't, we don't need to be high on the list ;) :D
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Wellington on July 21, 2021, 02:48:48 PM: But nethertheless I had a good time there ... Rock City!
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: 2010sunburst on July 21, 2021, 03:57:12 PM: I would say that during a trip of five days you will have time to relocate once. Any more than that and you’ll be well acquainted with the UK road and rail network but not much else. Remember it involves booking out of your accommodation, moving to a new location with all your luggage, then booking in again, before you can start looking at attractions. Even for a comparatively short trip like York that will probably take from breakfast until mid afternoon.…..it’s not just the train times. Travel to and from the stations needs to be factored in. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to account for fatigue, because travelling continually can be tiring, especially for smaller children.
I would seriously decide if you want a town or country experience, pick an area that you like, then have three good clear days to really get your teeth into it. Trying to cover all bases in such a short time will ultimately leave you feeling exhausted and unfulfilled.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Hobgoblin on July 22, 2021, 11:24:46 AM: Yeah, that's great advice from 2010sunburst. A base-and-day-trip plan is definitely the way to go. Even relocating once might feel rushed if you've only got five days. Our experience of family holidays has always been that any reasonable-sized European city has plenty to offer over a full week - and especially if you factor in a daytrip or two. So I'd suggest you'd have a more enjoyable time if you base yourself in one place and then venture out on one-day outings a couple of times.

One thing that you might consider, too, is how viable and easy daytrips are from whichever hub you choose. I don't mean to be down on London (I loved living there, and I love visiting it now), but getting across town to whichever train station a given trip starts from can be a bit of a slog in itself. Contrast with Edinburgh, where you'd be able to walk to the bus or train station in about 20 minutes if you were staying anywhere at all central.

I think the sheer scale of London means that you can do and see much less in a single day than you can in Edinburgh. Spending a lot of time on the Tube can be unpleasant, and then there are the crowds to consider. In normal times, you can have large queues outside of the main sights, which just doesn't arise in other cities. As an example, the Natural History Museum often has queues to get in; they may just take 20 minutes or so of your time, but it all adds up. Our experience on family trips to London (staying with friends) is that we tend to do just one 'thing' a day (the zoo, the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the V&A, the Tate, etc.), and then usually just once over a long weekend. If I'm down in London on my own for work, it's a bit easier to take in some more stuff opportunistically - e.g. going to the British Museum and then taking the long Tube ride south to the Imperial War Museum - but it's still quite draining.

By contrast, Edinburgh and York are places where you can fit lots into a single day, and it's much less draining because you can walk everywhere (walking around London is infinitely preferable to the Tube, but it takes plenty of time, and isn't practical in some cases). You can very easily fit five or six sights in Edinburgh into a single day (e.g. up Arthur's Seat, the palace, various small museums on the Royal Mile, the National Museum on Chamber Street and the walk up to the castle - perhaps going inside on the next day). There are ghost tours in the evening/at night, which can be quite good and atmospheric, too.

And the day-trip aspect is so much easier. From Edinburgh, you can get to Glasgow in 52 minutes on the train, centre to centre. You can get to Stirling, with its huge medieval castle, in even less time. You could perfectly well go to Stirling, see the castle, and be back after lunch in time to do a few other things. The minibus daytrips can get you to Northumberland and back for Hadrian's Wall or medieval castles (or both, in some cases), and they can also get you up to the Highlands and back in a day - and the likes of Glencoe are well worth seeing.

One more thing: if your kids are energetic, the hills inside Edinburgh add a lot of fun. You can have a great scramble up the rockier bits of Arthur's Seat, and even going up Calton Hill gives you great views and breaks up the urban experience considerably.

Right, that's my broadcast for the Scottish Tourist Board! ;) But I do think that Edinburgh's the best place in the UK to base yourself if you only have five days - and especially if you have historical interests.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Belligerentparrot on July 22, 2021, 01:59:01 PM: Quote from: Hobgoblin on July 22, 2021, 11:24:46 AM
I don't mean to be down on London (I loved living there, and I love visiting it now), but getting across town to whichever train station a given trip starts from can be a bit of a slog in itself. Contrast with Edinburgh, where you'd be able to walk to the bus or train station in about 20 minutes if you were staying anywhere at all central.

This made me smile. When I first moved to Edinburgh from London I didn't go to gigs in Glasgow - I figured it was too away. Then I realised spending an hour travelling to the gig was basically going to a gig in London when living in London :)
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Hobgoblin on July 22, 2021, 02:31:29 PM: Quote from: Belligerentparrot on July 22, 2021, 01:59:01 PM
This made me smile. When I first moved to Edinburgh from London I didn't go to gigs in Glasgow - I figured it was too away. Then I realised spending an hour travelling to the gig was basically going to a gig in London when living in London :)

Ha! Yes - exactly!

I've lived in both Beijing and Shanghai, and they're the obvious comparators to London for me: genuine megacities that are on a completely different scale from normal cities.

I really started to notice it when I came down to visit friends living in different parts of London - and would often find that they hadn't seen each other since I'd last been down, simply because of the hassle of meeting up.
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: LazyStudent on July 22, 2021, 04:27:59 PM: Just to throw another 2p into the discussion. I will admit, I no longer live in the UK, but I am a native Londoner. While I would agree the North of the UK (Scotland) is a wonderful place to visit, I would agree with the suggestion from Jon_1066 and say you're better off staying in the south (Unless you massively extend your UK part of the trip). If you are able to hire a car from Heathrow airport there are a large number of very nice places to see between London and Bristol.

I can suggest finding a hub location somewhere in/near Marlborough (a very pretty and historic town). That would then put you within ~1hr of Oxford (including Blenheim Palace), Bristol, Winchester (a LOT of history), Salisbury, Bath, Andover (Army Flying Museum), Stonehenge, and Windsor (Highly highly recommend the castle there) etc. You would also be within about ~2hrs of a large stretch of the south coast if your family would like a day at the seaside.

If you do go into London, I can highly recommend the Tower of London, as a place to go and visit. Get a on Yeomen warder tour. They are brilliant and the Yeomen do a great job of bringing the history to life. The Museums are good, but can be quite dry. And the theater scene has been hit hard so difficult to predict what will be running. On a side note, if you do stay in London, I can recommend not trying to save on the hotel. There are a lot of very poor hotels in London that are still reasonably high prices, but budget for London. If you pick on, you will likely regret it and it would be a shame to have that as it can ruin a trip. Sadly it is worth getting a nicer hotel for your stay. But that is pretty much a London only problem!
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: SJWi on July 24, 2021, 05:19:27 AM: Jack, some sage advice from people but I guess a few other considerations. Where will you fly into? Will you be wanting to drive a rental car in the UK? How will you be getting to France/Belgium? Flights or Eurostar/train. If the former I know from personal experience there aren't too many flights from Scotland to Paris. As someone else has said you could easily spend two of your 5 days in transit between locations. I would recommend either going North or staying in London, and not trying to mix the two in such a short trip. Before you do check-out the logistics of travel.

By the way where do you plan to go in France and Belgium?
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: Donpimpom on August 03, 2021, 05:21:58 PM: I'm based in EU but I have visited the UK lots of times over the last 25 years.
Including two visits to Warhammer World in Notts,
IMHO short answer to your question is: NO
Not because WW is not good (it's great!) but because the trip to and from Nottingham could be quite time consuming
My top destinations in the UK in order of preference would be:
-London
-York
-Edinburgh
-Canterbury
-The Lake District
With only 5 days, you can spend them all in London and leave with lots of things to be seen next time
Title: Re: Nottingham - Worth the Trip?
Post by: martinjpayne on August 04, 2021, 01:17:25 PM: My suggestion... fly Paris to Southampton (good shopping, parks, etc.) and make that your base. Day trips to:

Cardiff (castle, shopping and most importantly: you've visited Wales! 😁),
Portsmouth (D-Day Museum, Southsea Castle, Clarence Pier Fun Fair, harbour trip, Historic Dockyard inc. HMS Victory, Mary Rose, HMS Warrior.)
London (well it's London... you probably know what is there!)
Isle of Wight (Carisbrooke Castle and Osborne House)
Oxford (olde worlde charm, history)

The longest travel is about 2.5 hrs each way to and from Cardiff.
Barring the visit to Cardiff, you are also staying in the south of the country where the weather is noticeably better! 😂