Summer sets in and June is filled with events and festivals. From the Queen’s Birthday to the Midsummer’s Day bon fires…you won’t be staying still if you visit England now. It’s perfect weather to explore the outdoors but you’ll also have fun in the cities.

Weather

June is the first month of summer, which means the weather tends to be warmer but it’s just as unpredictable as during spring. So, bring an umbrella and a sweater…just in case. It’s lovely now to plan hikes in the outdoors.

Sample temperatures

Bath avg high 18C / avg low 9C
Birmingham avg high 18C / avg low 9C
Bristol avg high 18C /avg low 12C
Leeds avg high 18C / avg low 10C
Liverpool avg high 17C / avg low 10C
London avg high 18C / avg low 10C
Manchester avg high 17C / avg low 10C
York avg high 17C /avg low 8C

>>read more about Weather in England

Flights and Accommodation

The start of summer also means more tourists coming to England. So, book the flight in advance (stay within the 1 to 2 months range, if possible) and look for deals. If you don’t mind the carry on restrictions, low cost carriers can offer good deals, but you need to book the ticket pretty much on the spur of the moment.

Accommodation-wise, hotels tend to be quite prices in the summer, but of course, there are always some discounts available. Or just look for hostels but remember to book well in advance.

Things to do

Warm weather means you can explore the cities without having to find a warm place by 4 p.m. But you’ll probably want a place to get your dose of caffeine, anyway. Still, June is a good month to plan exploring the outdoors or just walk in the cities. Of course, expect crowds, especially in places such as London or Manchester.

>>read more about the Things to do in Manchester

June 13 marks the Birthday of Queen Elisabeth II which means: Trooping the Colour (Carrying of the Flag), a military parade held for the event.

The longest day – Summer Solstice (June 21 – June 22) – is celebrated at Stonehenge where people gather to see the sunrise. But Midsummer’s Day is associated with myths and witchcraft, so large bonfires are burn all over the country.

Glastonbury Festival also takes place in June ; or you can attend the Edinburgh International Film Festival, unless you are found of Rock Ness.

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Warmer weather attracts more visitors – and so do the many festivals – but it’s still affordable to travel to England in May and the crowds haven’t taken over the sights yet. Spend time in the outdoors, plan to visit the sights and enjoy the early summer (or last days of spring).

Weather

May still falls during spring – albeit by the end of it – so the weather is not exactly reliable, however it’s one of the best times to visit England. Sure, you might end up having sunshine during your entire stay. But, as always when you plan to visit England, pack an umbrella and a sweater.

Sample temperatures

Bath avg high 15C / avg low 6C
Birmingham avg high 15C / avg low 6C
Bristol avg high 16C /avg low 8C
Leeds avg high 16C / avg low 8C
Liverpool avg high 15C / avg low 7C
London avg high 16C / avg low 6C
Manchester avg high 15C / avg low 7C
York avg high 15C /avg low 8C

>>read more about Weather in England

Flights and Accommodation

May falls during the end of summer and, by now, the prices start to increase. Make sure to plan your flight in advance (stay within the 1 to 2 months range, if possible). If you don’t mind the carry on restrictions, low cost carriers can offer good deals.

As for accommodation, the large cities don’t exactly have season variations when it comes to room prices but you can find discounts online, if you take your time to do some homework. And if hotels are too expensive, there are always the hostels to relay on but remember to book well in advance.

Things to do

May Day (May 1) now stands for the beginning of the summer and Labor Day (in Europe). For the ancestors , May Day was a major festival day, celebrated with dances and music. Traditionally, girls rushed out on May Day to wash their faces with the May due as it was believed to have magic proprieties.

A variety of festivals take place in May all over England. From the Brighton Festival – which is all about music and arts – to the May Day festivals and North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival.

Should you plan to get married in May, please not that it’s considered an unlucky month (all over the continent; but I certainly many couples who wed in May and they are still together decades after the wedding day).

May is a lovely month to explore the cities and the countryside. There isn’t such thing as shoulder season in large cities, including London, for example, so do expect crowds – and by now they are getting bigger -, but it’s still relaxed and you can soak up the city’s atmosphere.

>>read more about the Things to do in Manchester

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Buses and trains offer excellent connections between Manchester and Birmingham. You can also rent a car if you prefer the freedom at moving at your own pace.

Quick summary

The cheapest way to travel between Manchester and Birmingham is by bus. Fares start at £3.00 one way and the travel time is about 2 hours. Trains are slightly faster, but more expensive.

Trains from Manchester to Birmingham

Birmingham’s main station is New Street, which offer direct connections to Manchester Piccadilly , about every 10 to 15 min daily. The travel time is 1 ½ h to 1h 50 min and single fares start at £32.50.

Details, schedules and prices can be found here .

>>read more about Train Travel in England

Buses from Manchester to Birmingham

All intercity buses arrive at Birmingham Coach Station, a modern new station which is located close to the city center.

National Express offers daily connections, departing hourly or every two hours from Manchester Coach Station. The travel time is between 2h 50 min and 3h 15 min and the single fare starts at £5.50.

Megabus offers nine departures per day, about every 2 hours. The travel time is close to 2 h and the single fare starts at £3.00 and depends on the time of the departure.

>>read more about Bus Travel in England

Driving from Manchester to Birmingham

You can rent a car in Manchester and drive the 83 miles to Birmingham in about 1 ½ h. Of course, the travel time depends on the traffic on M6.

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Bristol and Birmingham are just 88 miles away, so there is no reason to fly between the two cities. So, you are left with traveling overland: by train, bus or car.

Quick summary

The cheapest way to travel between Bristol and Birmingham – or the other way around – is by bus. Even the fastest bus fare (which is more expensive than the slowest) is half as expensive as the train fare (and trains are only ½ h faster).

Trains from Bristol to Birmingham

National Rail operates trains between Bristol Temple Meads station and Birmingham New Street station, daily, every 30 min. The travel time is 1 ½ h and the single fare is £35.50.

>>read more about Train Travel in England

Buses from Bristol to Birmingham

National Express offers daily connection, about every hour, between Bristol and Birmingham. The fastest bus takes 1h 50 min and the single fare starts at £8.50 (on the slower bus – 3h) . Still, even on the fastest bus the fare is cheaper than the train fare (£10.50 or £20.50 depending on the time of departure).

>>read more about Bus Travel in England

Driving from Bristol to Birmingham

You can rent a car in Bristol and drive the 88 miles to Birmingham in about 1 ½ h on M5. Of course, the drive time also depends on the traffic.

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Being an island, there are only two ways to get from Liverpool to the Isle of Man: by air or by water. The fares are similar (for foot passengers) but you might end up paying bookings fees when flying (so take that into account, too).

Flights from Liverpool (airport code: LPL) to Isle of Man

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) serves the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Hub for EasyJet and Ryanair, the airport handles domestic flights as well as flights to European cities.

Isle of Man Airport (IOM) is located in Ronaldsway, near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is not hub for any airline and receives a handful of flights from Ireland, Great Britain and other European countries.

Flights between Liverpool and Isle of Man are operated, year round, by EasyJet and Flybe. The flight time is 40 min. In the summer of 2012, expect to pay from £35 one way on EasyJet, but do remember that additional fees (booking fee, checked baggage fee) might be added to the price.

Make sure to book your ticket about 4 to 8 weeks in advance in order to get the best rates. If you need more luggage than the accepted carry on can handle, purchase the checked baggage before going to the airport (to cut down the fees).

>>book a cheap flight to/from Liverpool

Ferries from Liverpool to Isle of Man

The ferries between Liverpool and Isle of Man are operated by the Steam Packet Company . Depending on when you plan to travel, special fares may be available. At the time the article was written, a single ticket between the two ports costs £34.50 for an adult (transaction fees applied only when you pay with credit card).

At the time the article was written (March 2012) there is one departure available daily between the two ports. The travel time is 2h 45 min and the ferries leave Liverpool Sun to Thu at 4:15 p.m., Fri at 11:15 a.m. and Sat at 7:15 p.m. On the way back, catch the ferry at 3 p.m. Sun to Thu, at 7:30 am on Fri and Sat.

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The closest airport to York is Leeds but it doesn’t offer too many options for flights. In fact, it’s a more expensive option than Manchester’s Airport , which is the largest British airport outside of London, served by a variety of carriers.

Quick summary

Getting from York to Manchester is easy: the cheapest option is the bus, but the fastest is the train (and the fare difference is not too much between the two means of transportation).

Trains from York to Manchester

Trains connect York to both Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road. The travel time is similar : about 1 ½ h , but it’s cheaper to travel to Manchester Piccadilly at certain hours. Single fares start at £12.00 and there departures every 15 to 30 minutes daily. Details, schedules and prices can be found here.

First also operates daily trains between the two cities, leaving every 10 to 30 minutes. The travel time is the same and the fares start at £12.00 one way.

>>read more about Train Travel in England

Buses from York to Manchester

National Express offers buses every hour, daily between York and Manchester. The travel time is 2 ½ h and the single fare starts at £10.30 but depends on the time of departure.

>>read more about Bus Travel in England

Driving from York to Manchester

You can rent a car in York and drive the 75 miles to Manchester – or the other way around. The travel time is about 1 ½ h but it does depend on the traffic.

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Bristol, located just 15 miles / 25 km from Bristol , is a historic Roman and Georgian spa city, well known for its hot springs. It is a UNESCO Heritage Site which offers a lot of things to do and see.

Bath is the oldest important tourist destination in England. The hot springs were sacred to the Celtic goddess Sulis, which later became Minerva for the Romans. During Roman times, a vast spa complex was built here. But it wasn’t until the 18th century that the spas were rediscovered. However, the city still has plenty of buildings dating from the Medieval times, when it was prosperous. Unfortunately, the city was badly damaged during World War II but was later reconstructed.

The closest airport to Bath is Bristol International Airport (BRS), which is served by two major low-cost carriers: EasyJet and Ryanair. The airport handles domestic traffic as well as traffic to/from European cities and Mexico. The best alternative is to fly into one of London’s major airports and travel by train, bus or car to Bath.

Quick summary

The cheapest option to get between Bristol and Bath is the bus, but the fastest (and not much more expensive) is the train. However, there are only 2 buses per day, while the trains leave either city every 20 minutes.

Trains from Bristol to Bath

Bath Spa is a new rail station, recently opened to serve the city of Bath. It is located right in the city center.

National Rail lists all trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa. There are departures about every 20 minutes on a daily basis. The travel time is about 12 min and the single fare is £6.60.

>>read more about Train Travel in England

Buses from Bristol to Bath

Bath got a modern bus station in 2009 , which is located right near the train station. National Express operates a handful of buses (2 per day) between Bristol Coach Station and Bath Spa. The fastest one takes 45 min and the single fare is £4.40, regardless of the time of departure. Note that buses leave Bristol at 4:15 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. On the way back, catch the morning buses to Bristol.

>>read more about Bus Travel in England

Driving from Bristol to Bath

You can rent a car in Bristol and drive the 13 miles on A4 to get to Bath. Technically it takes about ½ h, but the driving time definitely depends on the traffic.

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Photo credits : Roman Bath ; Railway Station

The closest airport to Oxford is Birmingham Airport (BHX), but it’s not as well served as London’s airports.

>>read more about Getting from London to Oxford

Quick summary

To get from Oxford to Birmingham – or return – the cheapest way is by bus. The train has similar travel times but the fare is about double than the bus fare.

Trains from Oxford to Birmingham

Nation Rail operates direct trains between Oxford and Birmingham. Trains leave every 30 min, daily. The travel time is about 1h 10 min and the single fare starts at £15.00 but depends on the time of departure.

>>read more about Train Travel in England

Buses from Oxford to Birmingham

National Express operates direct buses between Oxford and Birmingham , with quite a lot of departures daily. The fastest travel time is 1 h 45 min and the single fare starts at £8.50.

>>read more about Bus Travel in England

Driving from Oxford to Birmingham

You can rent a car in Oxford and drive the 70 miles to Birmingham – or the other way around. There are two routes and both take about the same (1 ½ h), but you do need to consider the traffic.

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The closest airport to York is Leeds-Bradford International Airport (LBA) but it’s the least convenient and most expensive in the area. Further away is Manchester Airport (MAN) which has quite good connections to the rest of Britain and Europe. But the majority of visitors arrive through one of London’s airports.

>>read more about Getting from London to Manchester

Quick summary

The fastest and easiest way to get from London to York is by train. But there are also buses if you want to save money and don’t mind 5 hours of traveling.

Trains from London to York

Nation Rail operates trains between London’s Kings Cross and York. The travel time is about 2 h and the single fare starts at £47.00, but depends on the time of departure. There are departures about every 30 min to 1 hour.

Grand Central Rail also operates trains between London Kings Cross and York. There are departures about every 30 min to 1 hour, every day. The travel time is also about 2h and the off peak single fare is £93.10.

>>read more about Train Travel in England

Buses from London to York

National Express operates direct buses between London and York. Connection buses are also available and there are departures about every 30 min to 1 h , daily. The fastest travel time is 4h 50 min and the single fare starts at £16.50 but depends on the time of departure.

>>read more about Bus Travel in England

Driving from London to York

You can rent a car and drive the 200 miles between London and York. The travel time is about 4 h, but it does depend on the traffic.

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Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. It is a very popular city among travelers of all ages thanks to the interesting sights, lively festivals and cuisine.

Quick summary

There isn’t a direct connection between the two cities. Buses remain the cheapest option although the travel time is about 9 hours. A faster option is the train but the fare is about double the bus fare.

Flights from Liverpool (airport code: LPL) to Edinburgh

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) is located about 12 km from the city center and handles domestic flights, as well as flights to other cities in Europe, North Africa and Middle East.

Edinburgh International Airport (EDI) is the busiest airport in Scotland and the sixth busiest in the UK. The airport is located about 10 km from the city center. The airport is not a hub for any airline. It handles flights within the UK, Europe and to North America and Africa.

Unfortunately there are no direct flights between the two cities. Flybe offers a flight via the Island of Man , with a total travel time of 6 h and single fares from £92 in mid-May 2012.

Read more about:
>>Cheap flights to Edinburgh
>>Cheap flights to Liverpool

Trains from Liverpool to Edinburgh

National Rail offers trains between Liverpool and Edinburgh but all require at least one connection. Trains depart Liverpool Lime Street station every hour. The connection is through Wigan North Western and the total travel time is 3 ½ h. The single fare is £62.50.

Buses from Liverpool to Edinburgh

Another overland option between Liverpool and Edinburgh is the bus.

National Express offers three departures per day from Liverpool, at 7:15 a.m., 11 a.m. and 10:15 p.m. But all require at least a change. If you choose the latest departure, the change is in Manchester and the travel time is 9 h 15 min. The single fare is £35.30. The price is the same for all three departures.

Driving from Liverpool to Edinburgh

You can rent a car in Liverpool and drive the 220 miles to Edinburgh on M6. The travel time is 4 hours but does depend on the traffic.

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