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> SlowTrav > United Kingdom & Ireland > Trip Planning
Recommended Guidebooks for the UK and Ireland
Pauline Kenny
Start your trip planning by reading guidebooks. These books will help you
decide where to go and how to plan your trip. Bring your favorite guidebooks
with you; good guidebooks and maps will make your trip more enjoyable. We
always carry a shoulder bag full of books, maps, printed out web pages (including
pages from this site), tourist brochures, restaurant listings. We keep this
bag in the car whenever we go out, so that if our plans change during the
day, we still have all the information that we need. When we leave the car
to go touring, we take the one book and map that we need. With some guides
you can tear out the pages about your destination and slip them into your
pocket.
On Novels and Memoirs I have listed memoirs written
by people living in England and some novels that I recommend reading to prepare
for travel in England.
If there is a link for Amazon, the book can be ordered from them. If there
is only a link for Amazon.co.uk, then it is not available in the US, but you
can order from the UK or pick it up when you are there. If there is a link
for both, compare prices and availability. Sometimes it is best to order from
the UK.
General Travel Guidebooks
There are many good series of guidebooks for the United Kingdom. I
have listed my favorites below. Most guidebook series have different editions
for the different regions of the country. |
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Great Britain - Eyewitness Travel Guides, by Michael Leapman,
Dorling Kindersley Publishing, revised edition, 2003
This book covers London, England, Scotland, and Wales. Use this to get
an overall look at Britain and to plan where you want to go.
Order from Amazon |
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London - Eyewitness Travel Guides, by Michael Leapman, Mary
Scott (Editor), Dorling Kindersley Publishing, revised edition, 2003
Order from Amazon |
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Scotland - Eyewitness Travel Guides, by Michael McGarrity, Dorling
Kindersley Publishing, revised edition, 2003
Order from Amazon |
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Ireland - Eyewitness Travel Guides, by Lisa Gerard-Sharp (Editor),
Tim Perry (Editor), Dorling Kindersley Publishing, revised edition, 2003
Order from Amazon |
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The Most Beautiful Country Towns of England, Hugh Palmer, Thames
& Hudson, 2005
I just ordered this book for myself, but his other books on Italy and
France are great. Beautiful photos and nice descriptions of the towns.
Order from Amazon |
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Discovering Prehistoric England, James Dyer, Shire Publications,
1993
I bought this book over 10 years ago in England and bring it with me
on each trip. It lists by region the prehistoric sites. There are some
photos and good descriptions. This is a good book if you want to hunt
out obscure stone circles, hill forts, hill drawings, and other prehistoric
remains.
Order from Amazon
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Guidebooks for the Southwest and Cotswolds |
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Time Out, South West England, Bath, Bristol and beyond, Time
Out Publishing, 2003
Good guidebook for Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Sections for Bath
and Bristol. Descriptions of towns and sites, restaurants, accommodations.
I have used this book on a couple of trips.
Order from Amazon |
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Pevsner Architectural Guides - Bath, Michael Forsyth, Yale University
Press, 2004
A detailed guide to the architecture of Bath. Also has 11 suggested
walks and five excursions. Maps and photos. This is the book to
have with you as you explore Bath in detail.
Order from Amazon |
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The Cotswolds (AA Leisure Guides), Ordnance Survey Staff, 2002
Good overview of the Cotswolds.
Order from Amazon |
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Cotswolds Insight Compact Guide, Insight Guides, 2005
Good overview of the Cotswolds with details on the towns.
Order from Amazon
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The Cotswolds Town and Village Guide: The Definitive Guide to
Places of Interest in the Cotswolds, Reardon Publishing, 2000
Detailed descriptions of Cotswolds towns.
Order from Amazon
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Maps for Planning and Driving |
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AA Big Road Atlas Britain 2005
This is a good road atlas for driving in the United Kingdom. The scale
is 3 mile to 1 inch, perfect for finding your way around the countryside.
Order from Amazon
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The London Mapguide, by Michael Middleditch, Penguin, 4th edition,
2000
This is an essential street map for London. Detailed maps, index of
streets, travel information, underground map, and more.
Order from Amazon
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The Cotswolds and Gloucestershire - OS Travel Map, Ordnance
Survey, 2005
This is a good driving map at 1:100,000 scale (1 inch to 1.5 miles).
Roads in white are narrow farm tracks. Any road not in white is very drivable.
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