Greetings,everyone

Having never been outside my home country of the United States,I now have the incredible opportunity to travel to both England and Scotland :D I know these countries are practically saturated with historic places and weapons collections... and that there are a multitude of members here that have either been to or even live in these countries.

So, are there any recomendations for must-see locations?? I will be in and around Hastings, and staying in Edinburgh later on. I love more obscure places ,re-enactment locations,and especially antique shops and anywhere I could pick up anything interesting for my collection . Any experiences and locations you'd like to share would be hugely appreciated !
Many thanks :)

I know little of England, but Scotland is a beautiful country. If you're going to Edinburgh, IMO it would be well worth visiting Linlithgow Palace, a beautiful ruin that was burned in the 18th century, though some restoration was going on when I was last there.

Being in love with and largely from the Isle of Skye, that is my favorite place to be in Scotland. Dunvegan castle is a nice visit. Trumpan Church on Skye is the site of a massacre at which some Macdonalds burnt down the in-service church with Macleods worshipping inside. If you like the outdoors, there is much to see on Skye, and I don't think there's a landmark there which is not steeped in folklore, local history and mythology - or some combination of them all. Ascending the Storr is well worth the hike and the faerie pools are something I will not soon forget. My mother's ashes are scatted in Lorgill, a hauntingly beautiful place that was emptied during the Clearances. If you like parting with money, there is also a tremendous amount of local arts and crafts on Skye, including the knifemaker Jake Cleland of Skye Knives and Luthier Seumas MacLennan of Skyesound Instruments.

Sorry, like I said, I'm in love with the island :D

Isaac,
You are right about all the places to see in the UK! One place that I think you must visit is York. While I am biased as I have previously lived there and worked in the cathedral, it is an amazing historic city. York not only has Medieval history and a castle (though small), but Roman, and Viking history as well. It also has the Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps! York is also used to catering to tourists and travelers so there are plenty of great pubs and restaurants. Further it is on the main train line between London and Edinburgh, so very convenient to reach. Personally, I think it is one of the great cities of the world and not to be missed.
Cheers,
Chris

Thank you so much for the replies so far, Peter and Chris.

The Isle of Skye sounds like a fantastic place. I remember seriously considering purchasing a piece for sale on here by Rob Miller,the " Isle of Skye short sword" so that's immdiately what I thought of :) It looks like it's a fair distance Edinburgh,so I'm not sure if I'll get to it on this trip,but we'll see .

I do believe I'll be traveling by train through England,so York may definately be a possibility . Thank you for the recommendations.

Anyone else have experiences or destinations to share?

I just looked up that sword Isaac, that is magnificent! Skye is a beautiful island, but certainly out of the way - it's worth taking the train rather than driving, it's about 6 hours of a train journey from Edinburgh to Kyle of Localsh (just over the bridge from Skye) and the scenery is lovely.

If you do go, it's worth checking out the Thursday night music at the Dunvegan Hotel Cellar Bar (I think it's still thursday, it's been a while) and the Old School Restaurant just down the street (run by my sister and brother in law!)

Hope your trip goes well and the UK lives up to your expectations :D

Isaac, when are you coming here and which periods are you particularly interested in.

York is currently underwater, as is a great deal of the north of England.

If you can make it that far, London is a must see for anyone with an interest in arms and armour. The Wallace Collection and The Tower Of London would both be on my list.
Lincoln Castle is the only place in the world which has a copy of both the Magna Carta and the Charter Of The Forest, the two documents which helped form the legal system of England, however I would check before visiting because the castle has just been granted several million pounds for renovations.
North of the border into Scotland, Glasgow museums should be good judging by "The Real Fighting Stuff" by Dr Capwell.

Craig

London is only about fifty miles from Hastings. Glasgow is only fifty miles from Edinburgh. The Kelvingrove Museum is in Glasgow, and houses an exceptional arms and armour collection.

While I haven't been to England or Scotland, if you ever get a chance to go to Prague, jump on it! That city is amazing and full of history.

between wallace and museum of london, you've covered the best of LDN as far as arms and armour are concerned. personally feel that the Tower is much weaker. Royal Armouries in Leeds is wondrerful if you're headed that way. if it's battlefields you're after you could go LDN to york castle museum via towton, continue to leeds, and from there to scotland

Of course, if you're starting at Hastings then a trip to Battle to stand on the top of Senlac Ridge is a must, especially if you can do it in Autumn, when the mist rises up from the Asten.

Even better if you can do that in a couple of weeks time, with the rest of us huscarls.

For antiques, Hastings itself is fairly well provided with shops (one of the few things it is good for) but a trip to Lewes (a few miles West) would be more rewarding.

Thank you for your replies everyone . I very much appreciate the information I am leaving this friday,the 12th. Which turns out that I will be just in time for the weekend of the Battle of Hastings Reenactment :D :D Totally excited. Hopefully I'll also get to London and check out the collections .

Edinburgh sounds great but I'd like to second the above suggestions to head West in Scotland if you have time. First see the Kelvingrove Museum and Cathedral / Necropolis in Glasgow, and then drive or take the train up toward the Western Highlands. If you stop at Oban you can then take the ferry over to Mull and then on to Iona which was the main religeous site in Viking and medieval times, meaning royal burial sites and a past of and numerous Viking raids. The scenery is amazing all the way, with plenty of pictuesque seaside villages and and castles rising in the mist like scenes from Python's Holy Grail.

Keep in mind that distances in Scotland take much longer to travel than what you are used to in North America. These are not superhighways.

I went to the Tower last year during a 14hr layover in London. Though it has a history full of interesting events, the collections on display were rather simplistic and lacking, especially given the admission price. Like Sean, I would suggest the Royal Armories at Leeds, as well as the Wallace collection if you are in the area. :)