BootsnAll Travel Community

Should I pick this up? The lastest edition is still 1999. Too out of date?

1999? You sure. I looked in the front of mine (fifth edition) and it says March 2003. Maybe your bookstore just doesn't sell many and their "new" edition has been sitting on the shelf for 2 years.

Anyway, dissapointingly, I ended up visiting only London and Cambridge, but for those two places, it was great. One site on the Cambridge map was wrong, but that's forgiveable, I guess. (If you're trying to find the round church in Cambridge, follow the directions given in the book, not the map).

It covers a lot of ground, so only by the full Britain one if you're really going to more than one kingdom. Likewise, London ends up being kind of condensed, despite 75 pages dedicated to it, so if you're planning on an extended visit to London, the city guide is probably worth it's weight.

All that being said, for a guide covering as much area as it does, it's an excellent book, and provides pretty much all the information you could want.

-Neil.
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Please reinterpret my previous statement in such a way that I'm no longer wrong.
- Jake Troughton,
Univ. of Alberta Gateway Sports Editor

Thanks Neil, I checked and the 1999 publication date seems to be for the original. I'll see if I can order in a copy from Amazon Canada.

I'll be going to Scotland, England and Wales, so buying the book makes sense but I won't take it with me. It's way to heavy.

Huh? If you're not going to take it with you, it's probably not really worth having. The background info is great and everything, but you'll really need the maps and destination information with you to find your way around, and decide what you're doing each day. It doesn't really weigh much more than a normal reading book, and there's lots of less important things that I'd drop before the guidebook (like pretty much my entire pack, except of course, the "holy trinity," [passport, money & plane tickets] but if I were looking for something of similar size and weight, I'd leave my CDs & player behind.)

If you're really set on not bringing it with you, just drop by the library and borrow a copy for a little while. No reason to spend the money on your own copy just to leave it at home. Older editions will do fine, since most of the pre-trip information doesn't change much.

-Neil.
----
Please reinterpret my previous statement in such a way that I'm no longer wrong.
- Jake Troughton,
Univ. of Alberta Gateway Sports Editor

I've already checked with the library (work there actually) and the 1999 edition is all that is available in the whole Province. Sounds incredible right? *sigh*...I hate budget cuts.

I haven't decided on what I'll take with me. I'll probably photocopy some stuff from a few different books and take them all with me.
I thought about scaning all the maps and e-mail them to myself. That way I can check my e-mail and print off the information for next part of my journey.