Great Britain 2013 Guidebook
Best ways to improve this book:
Web Test
Webmaster in Edmonds, WA USA 04/12/2013
We enjoyed our trip, but hit the rainiest year on record. Remind your readers to plan on it.
Jan Owens in Racine, WI, WI USA 12/29/2012
For folks who are renting a car and driving in the UK, you might want to recommend buying an AA Great Britain and Ireland road atlas. We found the ordnance maps to be too big to manage in a small car and inconvenient in that we would need to purchase many of them at considerable expense to cover all the areas in which we drove. We soon discovered this road atlas at a visitors' center, and found it ideal for our needs. Cost was 7 pounds and was plenty detailed to meet our navigation needs. We would probably have tried to buy a copy from Amazon before we left had we seen it referenced in your book.
Jan Poppendieck in Milwaukee, WI USA 10/26/2012
I read in Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island" about the astonishing density of boats on the Derwentwater in the Lake Distrect. Yet in the photos in Great Britain 2013, the lakes appear empty. Does Bill Bryson exaggerate? Was petroleum jelly applied to the camera's lens? Was Photoshop involved? How are readers to understand such photographs and have appropriate expectations.
"Autnagrag" Bill Pollard in Seattle, WA USA 09/04/2012
More information on how to get around in southern Wales. I wanted to go out to the coal valleys and see where my family came from. I needed a Mari Roberts in South Wales but couldn't find one.
Kam in Plano, TX USA 08/15/2012
Include the Midlands! I stayed at the Univ. of Nottingham for 4 weeks and saw a lot of interesting places in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and the Yorkshire Dales -- none of which were included. I realize you would have to make the book fatter and heavier in our backpacks, but there it is.
Jane Murphy in Cranston, RI USA 08/05/2012
Found the book to be very helpful - sorry I'm in a hurry so I have no further comments right now. Please don't put my name or email address out on the web. Thanks.
Wally Rehm in Yellow Springs, OH USA 07/11/2012
For Scotland in 11 days tour, skip Alec McFie and buy everyone tix to Skipinnish Ceilidh House. Having hin perform over dinner undercuts desire of people to talk with their (new) friends--which they do anyway--and is rude to Alec, He's okay (barely) but the Skipinnish experience is a much fuller and more enjoyable intro to traditional Scottish music (and highland dancing).
Rich Patterson in Mechanicville, NY USA 07/05/2012
Tabs would make it much easier to use.
Rebecca Fennell in Hilliard, OH USA 06/16/2012
Remove Alfredo from list of recommended restaurants in Conwy.
Amery in La Crosse, WI USA 06/11/2012
My suggestion specifically pertains to the e-book format; I'm using a Nook, so I don't know if my issue extends to other electronic formats.
I have noticed that it's not possible to enlarge the maps. Sad to say, I have achieved a certain age where the ability to enlarge the map would be VERY HELPFUL :-) . Obviously, the maps are larger when viewed on the Nook, but I prefer the small format of my smartphone (more subtle). I would LOVE to have the ability to enlarge the map to the edges of my device, and even past the screen edges with the ability to swipe to different areas (like Google Maps) would be a bonus.
The content is, as always, excellent!!
Kim Kramer in Rockaway,NJ, NJ USA 06/02/2012
Include postal codes for lodging, restaurants, etc. They are useful when entering destinations in the Sat Nav GPS. Also include the most complete address available, particularly for B&Bs.
Thea Welsh in Stillwater, MN USA 05/22/2012
We used it to plan trip. It was very helpful in all areas. It was not only quite accurate, but appreciated the humor woven in to the content. Thanks!
Brenda in Salt Lake City, Ut USA 03/31/2012
We think you should dedicate more room in the books to to Wales. We spent several days there and could have spent more.
We also went to Paris on this trip. We followed your Paris in a Day recommendations to the letter. You should do this for London as well.
You should be more clear about where to go once in the international train statoin in London. We were a little confused about having to go upstairs to catch the train to Paris.
Kelly Hainer in Cleveland, OH USA 02/18/2012
I haven't left on my trip yet, but I am flying into Manchester. The book does not even mention this city. I realize it's not a major tourist attraction, but it is a major entry point from the US.
Jeff in Lanam, CA USA 07/12/2011
Allow me to recommend a few additions to your guide. I know Rick isn't a big fan of castles, but that's what our trip was about: lived-in castles. He does recommend Dunvegan and Cawdor, both of which I enjoyed. But our favorite was Glamis, childhood home of the Queen Mother. They give a guided tour, something most of the castles lacked, relying instead on printed sheets and an occasional docent to answer questions. I also enjoyed Traquair House, oldest continuously occupied house in Scotland. There are Bonnie Prince Charlie associations and a priest's escape route. I also liked Scone Palace, crowning place of the Scottish kings. We dipped into England briefly for Bamburgh Castle, a fortified castle perched atop an enormous rock on the sand dunes. And, further south, Alnwick Castle, where much of Harry Potter was filmed. The state rooms here were the most ornate we saw, but the admission fee for the castle and garden is steep. Be sure to tour the Poison Garden!
Leslie Talley in Titusville, FL USA 06/15/2011
Expand to include the northern Highlands (Sutherland and Caithness) -- equal to Skye in scenery, very friendly
Mark Gibson in Fairfax, VA USA 05/25/2011
stress even more strongly that 3 weeks is really not enough time for even a whirlwind trip around the UK. To really see the sights you mention required more time in almost all instances. I know you advised accordingly, but it only when one is actually on location that the reality of time consraints becomes real.
carol thibault in vancouver, bc canada 04/29/2011
None. We always buy your guide books first wherever we are traveling. The recommendations are always spot-on! Thank you for helping to make our trip to England such a memorable one.
Diane & Rick Steiner in CLifton Park, NY USA 04/26/2011