Aonghus Youth (Self-Launched): London to Dublin Independent Adventure
9 days · England, Scotland & Ireland
Europamundo charges £1,450
No-markup version: ~£765 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Europamundo's 9-day "Aonghus Youth" coach tour, rebuilt for solo travellers to run independently. You'll cover the same spine — London, Cambridge, York, Durham, Alnwick, Edinburgh, the Highlands and Loch Ness, Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin — but using hostels and budget guesthouses, cheap advance train and coach tickets, and self-bookable walking tours and castle entries instead of a guided group coach. Booking your intercity legs early (LNER, Avanti, National Express, Citylink, and Stena Line or Irish Ferries) is the single biggest lever on cost.
Day-by-day
Arrive in London — settle in and free evening
London, England
Land in London and make your own way in. Skip the pricey airport transfer: take the Piccadilly line or Elizabeth line into central London (around £5.60–£13 with contactless), or a National Express coach from Heathrow/Gatwick/Stansted. Check into a hostel in Zone 1–2 (Clink78, Wombat's City, or Generator) — dorm beds run £25–40 in peak season, privates £70+. Grab dinner in Chinatown or a cheap curry house on Brick Lane (around £10) and get an early night. Buy a Visitor Oyster card or just tap contactless for all London transport.
🚌Airport train/tube to central London, ~£6–13; contactless travelcard daily cap ~£8.90
🛏Central London hostel (e.g. Clink78 or Wombat's City Hostel)
- →Arrive and check in
- →Evening stroll around Covent Garden or South Bank
- →Cheap dinner in Chinatown or Brick Lane
London — self-guided walking tour of Westminster, the City and Soho
London, England
Recreate the operator's included London city tour on your own two feet. Start at Westminster (Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey), walk past Horse Guards and Downing Street to Trafalgar Square, then Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Chinatown and Soho — exactly the evening walk Europamundo runs. Optional: join a free 'pay-what-you-want' walking tour (tip £10–15) or a GetYourGuide Westminster tour from £15. In the afternoon, walk the South Bank to the Tate Modern (free) and Borough Market for lunch. If you want the operator's optional Windsor add-on, take a train from Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside (around £12 return, off-peak) and buy Windsor Castle entry directly from the Royal Collection Trust (£30, book ahead).
🚌All Zone 1 walking plus occasional tube; daily cap ~£8.90
🛏Central London hostel (same as Day 1)
- →Self-guided Westminster & the City walk
- →Free/pay-what-you-want walking tour (tip ~£10)
- →Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Chinatown & Soho evening walk
- →Optional: Windsor Castle & Eton (train ~£12 return, entry £30)
London — free day (one more than the coach tour really gives you)
London, England
The original tour leaves Day 3 almost empty, so use it to do London properly. Options: the British Museum and National Gallery (both free), the Tower of London (£35, book online), a Thames Clipper river boat to Greenwich (£8–10), or Camden and Notting Hill markets. A day travelcard plus one paid attraction plus food lands around £75. Book tomorrow's train to Cambridge tonight — advance LNER/Great Northern singles are far cheaper than walk-up fares.
🚌Tube/bus day cap ~£8.90
🛏Central London hostel (same as Day 1)
- →British Museum & National Gallery (free)
- →Optional Tower of London (£35) or Greenwich river boat (£10)
- →Camden & Notting Hill markets
London → Cambridge → York → Durham
Durham, England
This is a packed travel day on the coach tour — as a self-launcher, do it by train and keep both stops. Take an early train London King's Cross to Cambridge (45 min, advance singles from £10), then take the Cambridge 'hop-on hop-off' or just walk King's College, the Backs and the colleges from the Market Square. Continue Cambridge to York (around £20 advance, 2h15), see York Minster (£18 entry; the Roman walls and Shambles are free), then York to Durham (30 min, £8–12). Check into a Durham hostel or budget guesthouse (Durham City Hostel, or a cheap Travelodge). Advance tickets bought a week+ ahead keep this whole run under £50.
🚌London→Cambridge→York→Durham by train, ~£45–55 advance total
🛏Durham hostel or budget guesthouse (~£35)
- →Cambridge colleges & the Backs
- →York Minster (from £18) and the Shambles
- →Durham Cathedral & Castle (cathedral free)
Durham → Alnwick → Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland
Take a train or coach from Durham up to Alnwick (via Alnmouth, then a local bus; around £20 all in), and visit Alnwick Castle and the famous Poison Garden at Alnwick Garden — booking direct saves the coach-tour markup (castle ~£21, garden ~£18). Then continue north to Edinburgh (Alnmouth to Edinburgh ~£15–20 advance, or a National Express coach around £15). On arrival, replicate the operator's Edinburgh panorama with a free self-guided walk of the Royal Mile, or join a GetYourGuide Edinburgh Castle + Old Town walking tour from around £35 (castle entry included). Check into a Castle Rock or Grassmarket hostel (~£30–40).
🚌Durham→Alnwick→Edinburgh rail/coach, ~£35–40
🛏Edinburgh hostel (e.g. Castle Rock Hostel)
- →Alnwick Castle & Garden (entry ~£39 combined, book direct)
- →Self-guided Royal Mile & Old Town walk
- →Optional Edinburgh Castle entry (from £21, book online)
Edinburgh → Pitlochry → Inverness → Loch Ness → Fort Augustus → Glasgow
Glasgow, Scotland
The big Highland day. The cheapest route is the Citylink/Scottish Citylink bus or a ScotRail advance ticket, but the operator's single Highlands loop is genuinely tight — a flexible option is to book a one-day small-group Highlands & Loch Ness tour from Edinburgh (£50–65 on GetYourGuide, includes the Urquhart Castle stop and often a Loch Ness boat cruise), which covers Pitlochry, Inverness, Urquhart Castle and Fort Augustus in one go. Urquhart Castle entry is around £13 and Loch Ness cruise boats run £15–20. Note the November–February variants (whisky distillery at Pitlochry, Stirling Castle, the Kelpies) if you travel off-season. End the day by returning to Glasgow by coach (Citylink ~£15) and check into a Glasgow hostel (~£30).
🚌Highlands day tour or Citylink coach circuit, ~£55–65
🛏Glasgow hostel (e.g. Euro Hostel Glasgow or a budget Travelodge)
- →Pitlochry coffee stop
- →Urquhart Castle (entry ~£13)
- →Loch Ness boat ride (~£18)
- →Fort Augustus & Caledonian Canal
- →Optional whisky distillery or Stirling Castle (winter variant)
Glasgow → Belfast → Dublin
Dublin, Ireland
Cross the Irish Sea under your own steam. The cheapest reliable option is a coach-plus-ferry through-service (National Express/Buchanan Bus Station to Belfast via Cairnryan and Stena Line, around £30–45), or take a train to Cairnryan and book a foot-passenger ferry with Stena Line or P&O (£30–40). In Belfast, store your bag and use the free/short stop to see the Titanic Quarter exterior, City Hall and the Cathedral Quarter murals — the original tour only allows a couple of hours here too. Then continue Belfast to Dublin by Goldline/Translink or Bus Éireann (around £12–18, 2h30), and check into a Dublin hostel (Generator, Jacobs Inn or Isaacs, £35–50 dorm).
🚌Glasgow→Belfast coach/ferry + Belfast→Dublin coach, ~£45–60
🛏Dublin hostel (e.g. Generator Dublin or Jacobs Inn)
- →Belfast Titanic Quarter & City Hall (exterior/free)
- →Cathedral Quarter street art
- →Optional Titanic Belfast museum (from £22, book online)
Dublin — self-guided city tour
Dublin, Ireland
Do the operator's Dublin panoramic tour as a self-guided walk: the River Liffey, O'Connell Street, Trinity College (exterior viewing; book the Book of Kells separately from ~£15 if you want inside), Dublin Castle and Temple Bar, ending with a pint and live music. For the optional Saint Patrick's Cathedral and Dublin-on-Foot experience the operator sells at €35, either book an equivalent GetYourGuide Dublin walking tour (£15–25) or just buy Saint Patrick's Cathedral entry direct (~£8) and pair it with the free Chester Beatty Library (free admission) and George's Street Arcade. A great solo-traveller evening is a literary pub crawl (from £12–15).
🚌Walking plus occasional Dublin Bus/Luas day cap ~£7
🛏Dublin hostel (same as Day 7)
- →River Liffey, Trinity College & Temple Bar self-guided walk
- →Saint Patrick's Cathedral & Chester Beatty Library (free)
- →George's Street Arcade & Powerscourt Townhouse
- →Optional Dublin literary pub crawl (~£14)
Dublin — departure
Dublin, Ireland
Last morning in Dublin. Depending on your flight, take Dublin Express or Aircoach to the airport (€7–10, 30–45 min) — far cheaper than a taxi (~€25–30). If you have time, squeeze in a final wander around St Stephen's Green or a full Irish breakfast before heading out. If you're extending your trip, Dublin is a good jumping-off point for the Wild Atlantic Way or a cheap Ryanair hop onward.
🚌Dublin Express/Aircoach to Dublin Airport, ~£7–9
🛏—
- →St Stephen's Green or final city wander
- →Airport transfer by coach
Self-launched vs. Europamundo
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Europamundo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£765 | £1,450 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £685 per person (47%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Europamundo-style trips? Check them out here.~£765
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Aonghus Youth (Self-Launched): London to Dublin Independent Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £765 per person for 9 days in England, Scotland & Ireland. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Europamundo?+
Yes — Europamundo charges around £1,450 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £765 — a saving of roughly £685 (47%) per person.
How long is the England, Scotland & Ireland trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through England, Scotland & Ireland.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, city-breaks, backpacker trip through England, Scotland & Ireland, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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