(see also our LINKS page for Tourist Information and overseas accommodation agencies)
BANK HOLIDAY DATES 2010
St Patrick’s Day, Ireland………………………… March 17
Easter ……………………………………..……….… April 2-5
May Bank Holiday …………..……………………. May 3
Spring Bank Holiday ………….………..….……. May 31
Bank Holiday (Northern Ireland) …………… July 12
August Bank Holiday (Scotland/Ireland)… August 2
August Bank Holiday (others) ………………. August 30
Christmas ……………………………………..….. December 25-26
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Our contact numbers are for use in the UK. If you are telephoning from abroad you need to prefix the number with 00 44 and then omit the first 0 of the telephone number, eg. 01234 123456 would be 00 44 1234 123456
To telephone the Irish hosts from outside Ireland prefix the number with 00 353 and omit the first 0 of the telephone number, eg 012 34567 would be 00 353 12 34567
RATES OF EXCHANGE
The prices on our website are pounds sterling in the UK and euro in Ireland.
There are a number of agencies. Contact them to find the best deals. Some allow you to hire a car from one town and return it at another. Some of the main agencies are:
Airport Parking Discount Travel Airport parking information, availability and prices with secure online booking, tickets and directions. Parking at 21 UK airports including Gatwick, Heathrow Stansted and Manchester
UK Airport Parking Secure and friendly service for airport parking at great prices.
Help Me Park Gatwick Airport meet and greet parking to the North and South Terminals. Secure, valet parking service with fully insured mature drivers.
Purpleparking Park & Ride or Meet & Greet secure airport parking across the UK
Help Me Travel Compare the UK’s cheapest airport parking including on-site airport car parking, meet and greet airport car parking, and shuttle transfer airport car parking.
Totallyairports You fly, we drive. Securely pre-book a car to take you to or from the airport
For a list of bed and breakfast homes near airports please click here.
There are a number of airlines flying to the UK and Ireland from all over the world and some also have internal flights for travel within the country. These include:
THE TRAINLINE is the easy way to buy train tickets online
There are special rates for travel booked in advance and Britrail Passes, Rover Tickets are available at discounted rates for International Travellers.
For details about rail travel between England and Paris/Brussels visit EUROTUNNEL
BRITAIN ON TRACK is the top provider of British Rail products to the North Amercian and world market
Many of our homes are near railway stations but if you do not have your own transport ask before booking.
COACH TRAVEL
Travelling by coach has become a more economical way of seeing the country with some very good deals about. Please check on the day of travel and time to find current offers. NATIONAL EXPRESS covers many areas in the UK. CITYLINK is Scotland’s leading coach company
FERRY TRAVEL
For a list of bed and breakfast homes near ferryports please click here
Travel Tips
Some information to help you plan your trip.
(see also our LINKS page for Tourist Information and overseas accommodation agencies)
BANK HOLIDAY DATES 2010
St Patrick’s Day, Ireland………………………… March 17
Easter ……………………………………..……….… April 2-5
May Bank Holiday …………..……………………. May 3
Spring Bank Holiday ………….………..….……. May 31
Bank Holiday (Northern Ireland) …………… July 12
August Bank Holiday (Scotland/Ireland)… August 2
August Bank Holiday (others) ………………. August 30
Christmas ……………………………………..….. December 25-26
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Our contact numbers are for use in the UK. If you are telephoning from abroad you need to prefix the number with 00 44 and then omit the first 0 of the telephone number, eg. 01234 123456 would be 00 44 1234 123456
To telephone the Irish hosts from outside Ireland prefix the number with 00 353 and omit the first 0 of the telephone number, eg 012 34567 would be 00 353 12 34567
RATES OF EXCHANGE
The prices on our website are pounds sterling in the UK and euro in Ireland.
For today’s rates see RATE OF EXCHANGE
WEATHER FORECASTS
Get a 15 day weather forecast of the area you wish to visit at:
Accuweather
TRAVEL MAPS
To help you plan your route from A to B use AA ROUTEFINDER
For detailed maps of a particular area see MULTIMAP or STREETMAP
Public transport information, for travel by rail, air, coach, bus, ferry, metro
INTERNATIONAL TIME ZONES
To compare time differences please visit TIMEANDDATE.COM
CAR HIRE
There are a number of agencies. Contact them to find the best deals. Some allow you to hire a car from one town and return it at another. Some of the main agencies are:
EUROPCAR, NATIONAL CAR RENTAL, HERTZ, AVIS, BUDGET, ALAMO CAR HIRE, CAR RENTALS, ARGUS CAR HIRE
NOVA CAR HIRE including one way rentals from many locations around the UK
IRISH CAR RENTALS (low cost car rentals in IRELAND)
CAR RENTALS IRELAND (An independent car rental agent in IRELAND)
BUDGET CAR HIRE IRELAND for low cost Irish car hire
TIGER CAR RENTAL Low cost car hire provided only by the leading car rental companies in their particular country.
GLOBAL AUTO RENTALS will search for the best offers from leading car rental partners
SIMPLE AUTO RENTALS Budget car rental from over 4000 locations worldwide including one way car rental and online booking reservations
AIR TRAVEL
These are the major airports in the UK and Ireland:
HEATHROW
MANCHESTER
BELFAST
GATWICK
NEWCASTLE
DUBLIN
LUTON
CARDIFF
CORK
STANSTED
EDINBURGH
SHANNON
BIRMINGHAM
GLASGOW
KNOCK
LIVERPOOL
Airport Parking Discount Travel Airport parking information, availability and prices with secure online booking, tickets and directions. Parking at 21 UK airports including Gatwick, Heathrow Stansted and Manchester
UK Airport Parking Secure and friendly service for airport parking at great prices.
Help Me Park Gatwick Airport meet and greet parking to the North and South Terminals. Secure, valet parking service with fully insured mature drivers.
Purpleparking Park & Ride or Meet & Greet secure airport parking across the UK
Help Me Travel Compare the UK’s cheapest airport parking including on-site airport car parking, meet and greet airport car parking, and shuttle transfer airport car parking.
Totallyairports You fly, we drive. Securely pre-book a car to take you to or from the airport
For a list of bed and breakfast homes near airports please click here.
There are a number of airlines flying to the UK and Ireland from all over the world and some also have internal flights for travel within the country. These include:
BRITISH AIRWAYS, AIR CANADA, QUANTAS, RYANAIR,
BRITISH MIDLAND, AMERICAN AIRLINES, KLM, IBERIA, SOUTH AFRICAN AIRLINE
CHEAPOAIR! Cheap flights to all tourism destinations of the world
RAIL TRAVEL
There is a railway network all over the UK. Look at THE OFFICIAL UK RAILWAYS WEB SITE for routes, fares and timetables.
THE TRAINLINE is the easy way to buy train tickets online
There are special rates for travel booked in advance and Britrail Passes, Rover Tickets are available at discounted rates for International Travellers.
For details about rail travel between England and Paris/Brussels visit EUROTUNNEL
BRITAIN ON TRACK is the top provider of British Rail products to the North Amercian and world market
Many of our homes are near railway stations but if you do not have your own transport ask before booking.
COACH TRAVEL
Travelling by coach has become a more economical way of seeing the country with some very good deals about. Please check on the day of travel and time to find current offers. NATIONAL EXPRESS covers many areas in the UK. CITYLINK is Scotland’s leading coach company
FERRY TRAVEL
For a list of bed and breakfast homes near ferryports please click here
There are ferry services to many ports in the UK and Ireland. The major ones are covered by BRITTANY FERRIES, P & O, SEAFRANCE, CALEDONIAN MACBRAYNE, NORTH LINK FERRIES, FASTNETLINE
HOLIDAY INSURANCE
Columbus Direct Low cost travel insurance from a leading specialist
Trip Medical Insurance offers affordable, low cost Medical Travel Insurance from companies you can depend upon
Travelersmed.com offers a wide selection of travel insurance companies so that you can compare and buy direct on-line