tube thing is very helpful, thanks

Oyster card is a must in London, avoid using the Heathrow Express train if your arriving into Heathrow airport, its the most expensive stretch of rail in the UK. Just catch the Tube from the airport (Piccadilly line) its 15 quid vs 4 quid for a train which is slightly quicker into central London. Also remember the tube only runs to about 12am, after that you will either have to walk, take a Taxi or one of the night buses to get around if you stay out in a club or bar late.

Spend a few hours seeing the usual sites around London, London eye, Buckingham palace, Big Ben, Hyde Park, Harrods etc

Booze is dirt cheap paying more than 2 pounds($3.50ish) for a pint is a rip off, I concur on not drinking Fosters no matter how good people say it is. Snakebites where the rage when i was there last year but i was not a big fan of them. If you wanna meet up with fellow Aussies go to any of the Walkabout bars, Heaps also around the bars in Shepherd's Bush.

If its your kind of thing check out the Natural History, Science & Imperial War museums plus Tate Gallery, entry into all museums in the UK is free.

Exchange rate is awesome ATM its just over 61 Pence to an Australian dollar this time last year it was about 47-48 Pence, when I first went to the UK in 2001 it was 33 Pence to our dollar.

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Range Rover Evoque Si4 Dynamic

Had a few messy nights there. I think I rolled out of there at 11am once. Not sure if they still open that late/early..

I guess you'll be flying into Manchester Tode? And if it's for work, Im sure transfers to the North yorkshire are included, so no need to worry about the long tube ride.
Only get an Oyster if you've going to be in London more than 2 days, it was a 10 pound deposit last time I went to get one. It's handy being able to tag on and off, but if you're only gonna be on the tube a couple of times, its not really worth the hassle of getting the card and then getting the deposit back.
If you're looking to head to some shops, Regent Street and Oxford Street are good in the city, or the Westfield London mall in Shepherds Bush is huuuuuge.

www.thetrainline.com is a good place to look for all of your domestic train tickets. I found that I saved a fair bit of money, especially for trips between Liverpool\Chester\Manchester and London on Virgin Trains.

I took the Eurostar from London to Paris recently. High recommend it, very fast and only takes just over 2 hours. Price can be the same as a plane or cheaper, just depends when you book.
Plenty to see and do in London. Once you get a tube map you will enjoy navigating your way round! As already mentioned make sure you get an oyster card the fares are cheaper.
Boose is cheap, esspecially from all the little corner stores. Oh and if you like mexican check out Chimi Changas

Ryanair or Easyjet in to Paris. Channel tunnel as a 2nd choice....forget the ferry unless you really want to see the Dover cliffs. Its slow and not that cheap especially if your only going to be there for a short time.

Trackday scene in the UK is MASSIVE and there are lots of companies that hire cars for trackdays and there is a huge choice of driving experience companies.

http://bookatrack.com/-pb_Track-Car-Hire?54

http://www.palmersport.com/

....Are the best, not cheap but its for a reason.

At the other end of the scale you can spend a small amount of money for a brief go in a car... http://www.everymanracing.co.uk/expe...xperience-days

I sent my missus to this joint for a supercar day some years back and although she didnt get a lot of time in the cars she had a ball.

cheers boys,

I'l be arriving in Newcastle airport - my hotel is in Middlesbrough. I am only free to travel on the weekends (i think) - so obviously would like to be there and back (to Middlesbrough) within 2.5 days.

Make sure u head out and check out an EPL game! Would be awesome to watch Chelsea vs Man U or Liverpool vs Everton if you can! Atmosphere would be awesome!

you forgot to mention the fake tan

Better have bulk cash!

yeah go to edinburgh i heard the same from people over there in jan, apparently way better.

i got bored of london in 3 days, being there in jan didnt help, was all cold doom n gloom. I dont know much about the area your staying in though.

i also took the ferry across from dover to calais, probs better then train or tunnel. do that if you have the time.