fife

[pianistimo]

ok.  i'm planning now a trip to the county of fife in scotland - where the little town of pittenweem is.  i haven't got a passport yet.  now, if i want to travel locally - i'd just ride the bike.  but, travelling between scotland and ireland and england - how much does that cost?  do you have to use ur regular passport between these countries - or is there also a fee to cross over.  guess a flight from here to there, right?  but, are there extra fees to go back and forth - or is it just the plane fare?  how much does the plane fare cost between these countries?

land in london - go to alistairs concert - drink a beer - buy some lavender soap - eat breakfast at the bed and breakfast - hitch a ride on a haycart to scotland - ride the bike - cross over into ireland via bicycle (is this possible) - leave a note on thalbergmad's door - whilst he's in greenland (unless he's back) return to heathrow - get lost - stay in england indefinately.  see more sights throughout the year like the tower of london.  meet princes william and harry.  listen to the kings choir.  try to make a bobbie blink.  hmm.  the east coast here is really proper - but i can't imagine the mistakes i'll make in england.  should i bring a brown bag.  (repeats saying 'excuse me' instead of 'touche')

[thalbergmad]

Why do you want to go to Fife?. It is not exactly the prettiest part of Scotland. I would suggest you try Rockall. Look it up on the internet.

You don't need a passport to travel between England, Ireland and Scotland. If you have your bike with you, it would be best to use rail and ferry services.

Please let me know when you are coming so I can arrange my holiday.

Thanks

Thal

[ahinton]

travelling between scotland and ireland and england - how much does that cost?

It depends whether you hire a car, fly, catch trains and ferries, etc.

do you have to use ur regular passport between these countries - or is there also a fee to cross over.  guess a flight from here to there, right?  but, are there extra fees to go back and forth - or is it just the plane fare?  how much does the plane fare cost between these countries?

You don't need a passport to go from England to Scotland or vice versa unless you are flying; you need a passport for ALL flights, domestic and international You'll need a possport to go from England or Scotland to the Republic of Ireland, though not to Northern Ireland (which is part of UK) unless you are flying there.

hitch a ride on a haycart to scotland

First find your haycart - and if you can find one in mid-Nivember that's prepared - and allowed - to go up the M1 to Scotland, you'll deserve a medal.

cross over into ireland via bicycle (is this possible)

Crossing from England or Scotland to Ireland by bicycle is not possible without getting very wet, unless your Biblical studies have taught you enough to enable you to do a St. Francis. You could take a bicycle on a ferry from Fishguard (in west Wales) to Rosslare in the Republic of Ireland, but Fishguard's a hard place to get to from London (one train a day, to meet up with the ferry). I daresay that you could take a bicycle on a ferry from Scotland to Ireland too - Stranrær in south west Scotland to Larne in Ireland seems to ring a bell. The distances you'd need to travel to do all of this are simply far too great for you even to think of cycling, apart possibly from hiring a bicycle in one or two places to get around while you are there.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Crossing from England or Scotland to Ireland by bicycle is not possible without getting very wet, unless your Biblical studies have taught you enough to enable you to do a St. Francis.
Best,

Alistair

Top marks for that one.

Thal

[jas]

Why do you want to go to Fife?. It is not exactly the prettiest part of Scotland. I would suggest you try Rockall. Look it up on the internet.

You don't need a passport to travel between England, Ireland and Scotland. If you have your bike with you, it would be best to use rail and ferry services.

Please let me know when you are coming so I can arrange my holiday.

Thanks

Thal

I agree. Fife is the bane of my existence. I lived there for too long! It has its nice bits - the coastal path along the Forth is nice, especially if you're cycling. And it's got St Andrews and Culross, which are interesting. North Queensferry and Dalgety Bay are nice because they're on the water. But it has some seriously crappy areas, too. Although, I suppose the same could be said of most places in the world. You should come to Edinburgh, especially if you're going to be here in August. The festival will be on and the atmosphere is always amazing.

[pianistimo]

thanks for all the replies.

except that comment about rockall - a 'ruddy big lump of rock sticking out from the ocean 300 miles from scotland.'  thalbergmad,  you are worse than i was at 16.  first you get my hopes up by saying 'quality girl' and then u stick me on a rock 300 miles from nowhere.  i read somewhere more people have been on the moon than rockall.  is this how u treat all ur loves?  (more people have died becuase of this rock, too - banging their heads on it after boat wrecks).

i see fife doesn't qualify as the most attractive place in scotland.  except that coastal path caught my eye - that jas talks about.  along the forth? !  yes.  that is what i'm looking for. 

edinburgh does sound nice.  castles and all.  yeah.  that's probably what i was thinking.

ok.  as alistair put it - i won't be walking or riding on the water - just wondering if i brought the bike - how i'd transport it here and there.  better to rent a bicycle i guess.  i have a carbon fiber bicycle which is extremely light - rides fast- and i can carry it easily.  usually rental bikes are heavy and make it so you can only go 10 miles or so.  i'm thinking a regular bicycling adventure.  i'm up to 30 miles per day now. 
 

[thalbergmad]

thanks for all the replies.

First you get my hopes up by saying 'quality girl' and then u stick me on a rock 300 miles from nowhere.  

"quality girl" was aimed at the picture of your sister you posted.

It is true more people have set foot on the moon than Rockall.

I have been going to Scotland for 20 years now and have covered most of it.

In my opinion the best place to stay is the Cape Wrath Hotel in Durness. Checkit on the internet.

Thal

[elspeth]

If you manage to be in Edinburgh in August, you MUST go and hear Antonio Forcionne playing at the Assembly Rooms, he's just incredible. And if you're going between London and Scotland in September, stop off in Leeds in between the two, the International Piano competition is on https://www.leedspiano.com/ and tickets are on sale for the rounds and the concerto finals.

Oh, and when in London, make sure you go to Covent Garden Market to listen to the buskers, they're brilliant.

[ahinton]

If you manage to be in Edinburgh in August, you MUST go and hear Antonio Forcionne playing at the Assembly Rooms, he's just incredible. And if you're going between London and Scotland in September, stop off in Leeds in between the two, the International Piano competition is on https://www.leedspiano.com/ and tickets are on sale for the rounds and the concerto finals.

Oh, and when in London, make sure you go to Covent Garden Market to listen to the buskers, they're brilliant.

But if you decide to go in November, you'll presumably need a somewhat different agenda...

Best,

Alistair