carrowaytoeurope

So my family and I (2 adults, 2 teenagers) are taking a trip to England, Wales, and Ireland this summer. We plan on beginning in London and Ending in Dublin. We are going to work our way up England's coast. So after we leave london, we will go up to Liverpool but there are a few open days in between those cities. Do you have any recommendations on cities in between? We would like to visit Bath, but hotel & b&b prices are on the pricy side (especially for only 2 nights & a family of 4) Also, would a b&b be less expensive than a hotel ?
Thanks in advance for your time!
Chloe

annhig

hi Chloe

I think before we can give you any detailed feedback, we need to know a bit more about your trip - how long is the trip altogether, car or train, what's your itinerary so far, how you're getting to Ireland from England, where you want to go in Wales, etc etc.

but as a preliminary point, I'm a bit confused by what you say about working your way up England's coast, yet your route from London to Liverpool goes through the middle of the country via Bath and ??? no coastline there I'm afraid. is that what you're intending?

carrowaytoeurope

Hello,
Sorry if my description is a bit vague. So we will be in England for 9 days, Wales for 1 day, and Ireland for 4 days. We will be renting a car when we leave London and dropping it off in Wales. Then we will use the Ferry and trains (also have family in Ireland driving us).

So basically London is our first stop. Then our last stop in England will be Liverpool, but there are a few days in between those two cities that we have no plans for. So we were thinking Bath might be a good 2 day stop in between but it was a bit pricy. So I guess I was curious if there were any villages outside of Bath or if we should skip Bath entirely. Also, which type of accommodation would be the least expensive.
Thank you for your help!
Chloe

sofarsogood

This list is copied from Fodors' destination guides, www.fodors.com/world/europe/england/ use it as a starting point for your route:

Places in the Cotswolds you could visit include

Bath
Bibury
Bourton-on-the-Water
Broadway
Burford
Castle Combe
Cheltenham
Chipping Campden
Cirencester
Lacock
Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter
Moreton-in-Marsh
Northleach
Painswick
Stow-on-the-Wold
Tetbury
Winchcombe

Places in the Midlands you could visit include

Bewdley
Birmingham
Chester
Coventry
Great Malvern
Henley-in-Arden
Hereford
Ironbridge Gorge
Kenilworth Castle
Ledbury
Ludlow
Much Wenlock
Ross-on-Wye
Shrewsbury
Stratford-upon-Avon
Warwick

B&Bs come in all flavours and prices, but on the whole you get more bang for your buck in a B&B

carrowaytoeurope

Wow! That is a great list, thank you so much. I really appreciate that
Chloe

dwdvagamundo

That is a great list--places I'd focus on on the lists are Bath and a few of the Cotswold villages, Stratford, Ironbridge Gorge (if and only if you're into "industrial archaeology"), and Chester. All fascinating places.

We did not stay in Bath, but rather took a day-trip there from another of the towns in the area. It is very pricey. But it is a place you shouldn't miss.

You also might consider Avebury.

annhig

Chloe - at this stage I think you need a decent map.

and i'm still not clear about your itinerary:

<< So we will be in England for 9 days, Wales for 1 day, and Ireland for 4 days>>

do the 9 days in England include your time in London? how long do you want to spend there?

VonVan

Annhig, with all due respect, carroway is inquiring about two days between London and Liverpool. There was no request to critique her entire itinerary - give a little credit.

And to the question at hand, perhaps you've already been to Salisbury/Stonehenge, but that would top my list for a day or two. Cathedral, ancient stones...

annhig

Annhig, with all due respect, carroway is inquiring about two days between London and Liverpool. There was no request to critique her entire itinerary - give a little credit.>>

where do you get that from, VV?

<< So after we leave london, we will go up to Liverpool but there are a few open days in between those cities.>>

a few implies more than 2, especially as she says that they are looking at 2 nights in Bath.

Hence my question.

VonVan

Above: <i>"how long is the trip altogether, car or train, what's your itinerary so far, how you're getting to Ireland from England, where you want to go in Wales, etc etc."

And: "do the 9 days in England include your time in London? how long do you want to spend there?"</i>

These probes go beyond her original question and I understand you want to help her with her trip planning, but she really didn't ask for help beyond her posted question.

jamikins

I think knowing if they are driving or taking the train makes a tonne of difference when making recommendations...also do they already have plans somewhere other than London? That would obviously influence what people would recommend and are completely valid questions.

jamikins

Same goes for how they are getting to Ireland...no point in recommending a place that doesn't pair well with the airport or port they are using to get to Ireland! Their time is so limited as it us, we want to ensure the logistics work!

janisj

VonVan: Be helpful why dontcha -- or do you just want to criticize?

Who <i>cares</i> if we go outside an original topic? There are some potential red flags here and the OP may not realize it.

Nine days for England IF that also includes London is nothing really. And to get ONE day in Wales does require two nights. And it is a family of four so somethings need to be considered that might not apply for a single hopping around on his/her own.

And yes -- it makes a HUGE difference if they are driving or taking trains . . .

So do you have anything constructive to add?

VonVan

I'll certainly concede that auto vs. train makes a difference, but Ireland?
They're discussing London to Liverpool at this point.

At any rate, we can all agree we wish them a good journey.

carrowaytoeurope

Thanks everyone for all of your advice...My original question was pretty much answered...finding a good place in between Liverpool and London for 2 days. We researched some of the villages and found some that will suit our liking. Thank you.