1 Week in England in November

Old Oct 15th, 1999, 09:17 AM
  #1  
katie
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1 Week in England in November

Help! My husband & I are going to England for the first time in November for 8 days. Our plan right now is to stay in London for 3 nights and then rent a car and head to the Southeast region to see Hampton Court, Leeds & Dover castles, the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, and Canterbury. Any idea how long we should allow for those sights- would 2 or 3 days be enough? Any great places to stay in the area? We were looking at the Amberley Castle- has anyone stayed there? We then plan to head over to Bath for a day or two. Any suggestions on what to see/do/or stay in Bath? How long is the drive from Bath to London? Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Are there other areas that you would more highly recommend? Our main goals are to see some castles, hang out in a few pubs, and see some great architecture and scenery.
Thanks!
 
Old Oct 15th, 1999, 10:26 AM
  #2  
Roger
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Just my opinion but I thought Brighton was a waste of a day. So many other places to see that offer more like Portmouth or Cardiff. Again, just my opinion and I am sure others may rave about Brighton. Enjoy your trip.
 
Old Oct 15th, 1999, 11:32 AM
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john
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Have just returned from London. Rented a car near Victoria Station and it took 2.5 hours to get out of London at mid-day. Terrible traffic. You can see all the the highlights by rail or other transportation. If you MUST drive, take the train to the outskirts of London and rent the car there. Highly recommend Rick Steves guidebook(s). Great place to visit. You can't miss having a wonderful time.
 
Old Oct 15th, 1999, 11:39 AM
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Ayesha
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I also agree that Brighton was a waste of time. Leeds Castle and Hampton Court are both very nice and the two are close enough to London that it may not be worth it to rent a car, you can just take the train.
 
Old Oct 15th, 1999, 01:40 PM
  #5  
Lori
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Katie,
8 days is barely enough time to see London - there is so much to do. I realize it's your first trip to England and you want to see a lot, but don't overdo it. You could actually spend the 8 days in London and take a couple of train trips (day trips) out, thus allowing you to see the "countryside" as well. Hampton Court is a very easy 30 min. train trip from Waterloo Station. Bath is about 90 min (if I remember correctly) from Paddington Station. Warwick Castle likewise from Marylebone Station. We've been to Brighton and it's not a place I'd dash off to again, with such a limited time I'd skip it.
London is so rich in sights that you will only see the tip of the iceberg even if you stayed in the city all week.
If you do decide to rent a car go back out of town and do so - don't attempt to drive in London, it's really not a good idea.
 
Old Oct 15th, 1999, 01:53 PM
  #6  
John
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Hi, Katie,
Well, I hate to be ye olde skunke, but I think Brighton is a great day trip, by train, from London. Visit the Royal Pavilion, which for my shilling is as interesting a visit as any castle, walk out on the pier (I think great and atmospheric in the autumn/winter), prowl through the medieval section of the old town, walk on the beach if possible, see a little of the countryside from the train, and back in London for the evening.
Remember that Britain is quite far north, even the south coast, and darkness will be a limiting factor for driving around in November.
Bath is a fine overnight destination if you want out of London, but again, a car is probably as much a nuisance as a benefit.
For architecture and presence, I'd strongly suggest Cambridge as an alternative. And if you want to drive through some nice countryside, better chance of dry weather (relatively speaking) and good villages with good pubs, East Anglia might do the trick. Visit the AA website at www.theaa.co.uk for good hotel, B & B, and pub listings.
 
Old Oct 18th, 1999, 01:43 AM
  #7  
Nigel Doran
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If it is your first time, I would ditch the idea of a car.
There is plenty to see and do in the city itself, and even more to attract you away to the outskirts and further afield.
I would think at least 4 days would be spent in the city looking at the Tower, the museums and art galleries, going on walking tours etc. and then the other three days could be used for day trips to Hampton Court, Cambridge, Leeds Castle etc. All of these places are accessible by bus or train or tube, so why not use them?
F Y I, some train prices will be cheaper if you travel after a certain time. 0345 484950 is the train line to ring once you are here. It is a lo-call number so you should be able to get all the information you need without spending a lot in a payphone. Always ask about the cheapest way to travel, even though that will mean there will be restrictions.
 
Old Oct 18th, 1999, 08:51 AM
  #8  
Joe
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Katie, I recently sent some notes to a friend who's going to England in Dec. for the first time, and I've attached a copy. Hope they may be of interest, Joe: "Trying to get a sense of London is frustrating because it's so big and there's no place (like the Eiffel Tower) to get a bird's eye view. Plus there's no one center. So I'd begin with a bus tour for an overview.

Then people should start at the place they most want to see. I'd begin my first day at Trafalgar Square: look at the monument, maybe feed the pigeons, then go to the National Portrait Gallery for an easy refresher on English history. If not museumed-out, go on to the Natl. Gallery - - it's next to the NPG and has one of the great collections. For lunch go across the street to St. Martins-in-the-Field, they have a good cafeteria in the crypt and play classical music (they also have recitals in the sanctuary - - schedules on the Web), and it's a beautiful, Wren-style church. The new Sainsbury Wing of the NG also has a good, somewhat pricier restaurant.

Next, walk up to Leicester Sqaure and get half-price tickets for the theater, then go on to Charing Cross Rd and look at the book and print shops. (All of these places are fairly close together.)

Beyond that, all the standard sights are worth seeing, and you wouldn't want to miss Harrod's and Knightsbridge at Xmas. Bloomsbury is great for walking - - pleasantly shabby with lots of book shops, galleries, squares, Regency buildings, etc. It's also easy to get into the visitor's gallery of the House of Commons, except on Thursdays. One of many good websites is www.LondonTown.com.

As far as day trips, it's impossible to go far wrong. My favorite is Cambridge, but Bath, Blenheim, Oxford, Windsor, Hampton Court, Greenwich, etc. are all great to explore and can be reached easily by public transportation. I didn't like Canterbury all that much, but we were there on a remarkably hot day; I think Stonehenge is only worthwhile if it's something you've always wanted to see; and Brighton isn't worth the trouble unless you really want to go through the Pavilion (and it may or may not be open now)."

 
Old Oct 20th, 1999, 07:20 PM
  #9  
Selwyn
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Our first trip to England was eighteen months ago for eight days. We spent four in London, and four in the Cotswolds at Stow-on-the-Wold. What a great trip! It was so great, in fact, we repeated the trip six months later. The Cotswolds are so different from London, it's almost like two trips in one. And you can easily see Warwick Castle and Blenheim while in the Cotswolds. At least one day should be spent in a cab seeing villages--Upper and Lower Slaughter, Burton-on-the-Water, Broadway, Chipping Camden, and many more.

Take the train from Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh, and a cab from there to Stow or Chipping Camden as your headquarters in the Cotswolds. Plenty of excellent hotels. We rented a car the first trip, and didn't the second trip because it was such a hassle. We spent less on cabs than we did on the car rental, and enjoyed the trip more.

We are taking our fourth trip in November and will concentrate on London this time. It is impossible to see it all. But on your first trip, I would highly recommend seeing some of London, and some of the country-side, and the Cotswolds are (is?) enchanting.
 
Old Oct 21st, 1999, 03:05 AM
  #10  
Mike Miller
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I would rent the car at the airport - not in mid city London. Also, have you considered seeing Windsor castle which is only a few miles outside of London?
 
Old Oct 21st, 1999, 03:08 AM
  #11  
Mike Milelr
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Rent the car at the airport! Also consider visiting Windsor Castle which is only a few miles from London
 
Old Oct 22nd, 1999, 01:04 PM
  #12  
katie
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Thank you all so much for your help! You've talked us into taking trains instead of renting a car. It makes a lot of sense. Now we just need to decide on a London hotel. I can't wait!! Thanks again and if anyone else has any more tips they are greatly appreciated.
 
Old Oct 26th, 1999, 06:17 PM
  #13  
Diane
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We've done the tour bit, then the train & our last 2 trips to UK we've rented a car (outside of the city). In our opinion, the car is the best if driving on the "wrong side of the road" doesn't bother you. The trains go so fast, the tracks don't offer much scenery & dragging luggage while running through the station also wrestling with it while getting on & off was exhausting. If you take the train check most of the luggage at the station & pick it up later. On one of our train trips, we finally rented a car after having traveled south for several hours & it was twice the price than if we had rented closer to London. Make sure if you rent a car you take care of it before leaving the US. We use Auto Europe. If you use the train get a BritRail Pass. Also, the pass to see the castles & govt properties is a good buy through BritRail. It also has to be purchased here. Have a great trip but take your raincoats!
 

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