House of travel UK & Ireland Brochure 2017 | Page 8

6 TIPS
for your
UK & Ireland
Holiday
Settle on a
budget Satisfy your taste
buds Be a history
buff
Currency in the Republic of Ireland
is the euro, whereas Northern
Ireland (because it’s part of the UK)
uses British pound sterling. Some
towns on the border will accept
both, but be prepared to receive
change in the local currency. Mushy peas are a rite of passage for
most Brits; order a pot with your
fish and chips (that’s chips, not
chups) and join the phenomenon.
Corner pubs are everywhere,
dishing out feel good grub that’s
seldom that healthy but always
comforting, especially on Sundays
when the classic British roast
is served. Find a riverside pub
flanking the Thames and order a
traditional Sunday lunch. Yorkshire
puddings and all! Salmon is the
jewel in Scotland’s culinary crown
and in west Ireland (Galway to be
specific) you’ll discover oysters
always worth shucking. Walk into any Great British pub
and between the thick oak beams
and creaking floorboards you could
easily be in the 12th century. Stein
Inn, on the Scottish Isle of Skye,
dates back hundreds of years,
flanks the water and boasts over 130
whiskys. Situated in its own hamlet
and down a winding road leading to
the sea it’s the quintessential British
boozer. Pubs aside, history is etched
into every corner of the UK.
At the planning stage of your trip,
look out for seasonal or earlybird
specials and keep the dollars you
save for ‘holiday spends’. Load up
a cash passport before you go and
then access your spending money
at your destination. Convenient and
secure, think of it like an electronic
traveller’s cheque, whereby you
load cash onto the card before
your holiday and then you can use
it much like a chip and pin card
at millions of ATMs and retailers
across the world, Europe included.
6
Those with a sweet tooth will
appreciate ‘real’ clotted cream
in South West England, try it on
scones or in rich Cornish clotted
ice-cream. It’s death by calories but
it’s worth it!
Westminster Abbey is almost a
thousand years old, while the Tower
of London and Big Ben both host
as many ghosts as they do tourists.
Then there are ancient thatched
cottages, castles and crooked
farmhouses, including the black
house village of Gearrannan in the
Outer Hebrides. This agricultural
township dates back to the last
century, with little stone houses
now converted into self-catered
cottages.