Yay, tips! Thanks guys.
I might hit you up again as I move along the planning process.
Briefly:
Was planning on early September, so mid-September works just as well. Picked specifically because it's shoulder season, not high or winter.
7-10 days is all we can get paid time off for, and not getting paid isn't likely an option. I would loooooove to stay long enough to tour around the whole country and its immediate surroundings, but then we get into my super-secret life's plan and I'm not yet in a place to implement it. Yet. (Not to mention that it would take a few weeks to even fly by everything we'd want to see.)
Train travel is awesome. I have seen rail cards and will look into them more when I figure out what it is we're going to do. Seems a lot of it, so far, involves going to different sides of the island, which makes rail cards way cooler. >_>
I'm all for the hostel idea. Andrew is more iffy, but he knows nothing about hostels except their stereotypes. Also considering short lets and couch surfing. Couch surfing is ideal money-and-culture-wise, but also a little iffy on the safety/convenience side. So, more research shall be done! Short let means we can cook for ourselves a la supermarché, which is a definite bonus. I am sure as hell not paying the £100+/night the city hotels want.
Pubs and clubs are possible, but not really a thing for either of us. We are definitely into the heritage/history/legend style of touring, at least on this go. Gonna have to find a castle, gotta go to Canterbury, might as well visit Stratford-upon-Avon, etc. The "English major" things, you know?
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Damn. Off to a meeting now. Being back at work is no less boring than before.